Free stuff from Google??

Android developers who have 3.5 stars or more and who have 5000+ downloads are to be given a free phone from Google. In the EU it would be a Nexus 1.

Supposedly.

My pet android developer - everyone has one of them, no? - got very, very excited and then very, very skeptical.

Dunno. Can't go to sleep until Google say yay or nay.

The premise of "too good to be true" does apply and there's iffiness all round. Although it's signed by Google and whatnot, it's in Google sites and apparently those who fill out the form get told it will be entered in a spreadsheet.

Should it be phishing, then the information given out would be: name, address, google receipt number - which means something to Android developers - and that's about it. Whoop de whoo! Major identity theft alert! Supposing the receipt thing is useful, then Google will be aware.

No big deal.

Google do this kind of thing, and there's not that many apps with 3.5 stars or more, because, well, there's not that many apps.

People purporting to be Google/in touch with Google say it's legit. I have no idea who they are, jumping on bandwagons and all as I am.

So at this moment, signs point to: yes, fill in the form!!! Grumpy pants went to sleep grumbling about it being a trick by O2 or whoever will carry the Nexus to create misery, "I don't have a Nexus :-( poor me, sigh" because he will not be happy until he has the phone he fleetingly believed was to be his.

It may be. Awful lot of effort for minimal data. Dunno, duncare.

But most things do prove to be too good to be true, and it's not even like they're giving away an iPhone (or a Nokia), it's one of the Other ones.

Saisenko Nokia N900. Cure me of my devotion to the Evil Ones.

Mwah. Still love you phoney.

Googly brained

Periodically you realise that you've finished the internet again. So to pass the time, amusement can be gleaned from seeing how other people use it.

Chris Addison pointed out today that if you type "why does" into Google and read the first autosuggest, you are likely to exclaim "what????!!!!???!!!" and echo his sentiment of "why????"

If it's changed, sorry, I am not repeating.

Forums and whatever you call the likes of wikianswers provide many joyous search results from utter buffoons. Members of the public displaying their lack of knowledge, sometimes so spectacularly misinformed and yet arguing or being authoritative about things. Arguments between people that know nothing can be truly entertaining. The ignorant dismissal of scientific fact is quite beautifully inept.

But the biggest joy, which thankfully doesn't require anything more than a scan of search results, is from the questions asked.

My two favourite tonight were:

"Are Durex condoms bigger than average?"

and

yes, really

"Do flavoured condoms contain sugar?"

I could/should give examples here all night but I'm tired so will be uncharacteristically concise.

Luckily I'm brilliant and NEVER say anything stupid.