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Google has unveiled the second-generation model of their Chromebook Pixel, a new reference device for the Chrome OS operating system.

Starting at $999, the new base Pixel has a Core i5 processor (2.2 GHz Broadwell-U), 8GB RAM, 32GB SSD and Intel HD Graphics 5500 GPU and a near 13-inch touchscreen display with 2560x1700 resolution. the $1300 model has a Core i7 "LS" version (2.4 GHz Broadwell-U), 16GB RAM and a 64GB SSD. Battery life is rated at 12 hours.

Both weigh 3.3 pounds, significantly heavier than most high-end ultras especially the new Macbooks announced yesterday, but still relatively light compared to comparatively specced Windows machines and the MacBook Pro line.

Interestingly, Google has gotten rid of most of the ports, replacing everything with two reversible USB-C ports. The new standard was revealed for the new Macbooks this week, but the Pixel will be the first to actually have it. Charging is done through the USB-C port, which is becoming a standard and will save you from needing to carry a different cord for all your devices in the future.

Google is selling a USB-C to USB A plug for $12.99, and the accessories should be coming for other outputs, as well.

We have a small blurb today that comes with an astounding figure.

Jan Koum, founder and CEO of WhatsApp has announced today that the messaging service has reached 1 billion installs on Android, joining elite company. Other members of the club are Facebook and Google, that's it, with Google own Maps, Play Services, Google+ and Google Search each hitting the milestone individually.

Koum also noted that the team has just 5 members; "very small team, very big impact," says the executive.

Check the tweet here:

Budget mobile chipmaker MediaTek is now working with AMD to license mobile SoC graphics, a move that should provide significant synergies for both companies.

MediaTek has used ARM Mali GPUs in the past, but benchmarks confirm that Qualcomm Adreno and Nvidia Maxwell GPUs are just on another level.

The deal is unconfirmed, notes Fudzilla but the first chip from the two is expected later this year.

AMD has been out of the market since 2009 when it sold its Imageon graphics division to Qualcomm for $65 million. Imageon became the foundation of the Adreno line which is now valued in the billions.

iPhone fans rejoice! Google has released their native Google Calendar app for the iPhone this week.

Similar to its Android counterpart, the app allows for easy sharing, event creation and scheduling.

Events from your Gmail inbox are added to the calendar (think flights, hotel bookings, dinner reservations) and it can suggest events and places like Google Now or Inbox would.

Google says the app will work with Exchange and iCloud and most other calendar apps you are already using on your phone.

Apple is really pressing its unreleased Watch on its massive ecosystem of users.

When you download iOS 8.2 you will be greeted by the new Apple Watch application, which at this point only offers some promo videos for the smartwatch and a link to the website so you can conceivably pre-order in the coming weeks. When the watch actually launches, the app will house all the Apple Watch apps you can download.

Unfortunately for those that have no plans to ever purchase the Watch, the app cannot be deleted, so you will just have to hide it in a folder with the rest of the Apple apps you can't delete like Passbook, Tips, Stocks, Weather, Calendar, Clock, FaceTime, Contacts, iBooks, Compass, Maps, Health, Newsstand, Photos, Camera, Notes, Messages, Voice Memos, the iTunes Store, and the App Store.

Samsung has announced record pre-orders for their upcoming Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge phones, with figures that could potentially rival the iPhone.

"Samsung received some 20 million pre-orders for the S6 and S6 Edge _ 15 million of S6 and five million of the S6 Edge from mobile carriers, worldwide. This is the record," said an executive at the company.

That executive remained off the record but Samsung mobile boss Shin Jong-kyun seemingly confirmed the reports. "To be honest, pre-orders of the two Galaxy variants from our major clients are really huge," Shin said.

Besides the increase in sales, Samsung will be making more money per device, as well, having moved the processor from Qualcomm to their own in-house Exynos line. Industry watchers say the move could give the company over $20 more in profits per device.

The new devices are powerful, and feature metal and glass designs compared to the plastic of previous models that many were starting to consider 'cheap' especially when compared to the latest iPhones. The S6 has a 5.1-inch OLED QHD display, up to 128GB internal memory, 3GB RAM, 16/5 MP cameras, a fingerprint scanner, curved glass on the fron and will launch with Android 5.0 with Samsung's own UI on top.

Earlier today, Apple unveiled their best notebook yet, the simply named 'MacBook.'

The new MacBook is the thinnest and lightest version yet and just 2 pounds (even lighter than the MacBook Air), and it comes with a 12-inch Retina display.

Outside of just looks, Apple has completely rehauled the notebook. The trackpad now supports 'Force Click,' a gesture that lets you automatically perform actions. Apple used the example of 'Force Clicking' on an address and have it open in Maps. The keyboard is also now more precise and accurate and better ergonomically thanks to a new 'butterfly' design built by Apple.

The logic board is 67 percent smaller than previous MacBooks, and the new notebook is Apple's first fanless version. Powered by a brand new Intel Core M processor, Apple claims the notebook is so efficient the battery can last all day, potentially up to 16 hours.

Don't care for excessive ports? Apple's latest has just one reversible USB-C port, which is incredibly powerful but will require an adapter/hub to be useful. Just like a Lightning port, the USB-C port can fit either way, so no more unnecessary fiddling around trying to plug in your devices.

Apple will sell the notebook in silver, space gray and gold like the iPhone and iPad, starting at $1299 and reaching $1599 with more RAM, more storage, etc.

Apple made an interesting note today during their Apple Watch keynote event, flexing some muscle while announcing exclusive access to HBO's new standalone streaming service for set-top boxes.

The new service, HBO Now, will be available only for Apple TV owners for the first three months of its release, however, anyone can still view the library of films from a Web browser so the term 'exclusive' can be considered a stretch. There will also be an iPhone and iPad app available at launch, if you prefer to view on the go.

"All you need to get HBO Now is a broadband connection and an Apple device," said HBO CEO Richard Plepler.

Just like HBO Go, the service will offer HBO's entire library or original shows and a large list of feature films. The service will cost $14.99 and you will not need a cable HBO subscription. The service launches just in time for the next season of 'Game of Thrones' which begins on April 12th (trailer below)

In addition, Apple also revealed it is slashing the price of the Apple TV to $69, putting it in-line with pricing from rival devices like the Roku.

As part of their broad 'Spring Forward' event today, Apple revealed the release date and pricing for their hotly anticipated Apple Watch.

As expected, the Watch starts at $349, and as predicted by John Gruber, the high-end models will retail for over $10,000.

Beginning with the aluminum Apple Watch Sport, you can get a 38mm face version for $349 and the 42mm model for $399. Jumping to the stainless steel Apple Watch will cost you $549 for 38mm and $599 for the 42mm model. If you want a different band, the Apple Watch could cost you as much as $1099, suggesting that some bands will cost upwards of $500 by themselves.

Finally, available at select flagship stores, the 18-karat gold Apple Watch Edition will begin at $10,000 and go higher from there.

The watches will be available in stores starting on April 24th, with pre-orders beginning on April 10th in the US, UK, China, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and Hong Kong.

After a year of delays, it appears that the Sony PlayStation 4 will be finally getting the highly anticipated suspend/resume feature.

Such a move will put the console in line with rival Microsoft's Xbox One, which allows players to shut down their system and then turn it back on at any point and have (nearly) everything pick up where they left off.

Sony promised the feature before the console launched in November 2013, but there has been little word about it until very recently.

New screenshots posted to Neogaf show that firmware update 2.5 will add the ability "enter rest mode without closing any applications," which suggests the suspend/resume feature.

Additionally, there is expected to be a button remapping screen, allowing gamers to change the controller button layouts for their games.

Pandora has announced today that it will offer a 'one-day pass' for non-subscribers, giving them 24 hours of ad-free music for just $0.99.

Chief Product Officer Chris Phillips says the new offering will make Pandora ideal for parties where hosts don't want their guests to hear ad breaks that come quite often in the free version of the software.

Despite the revealed $0.99 price point, Phillips says the 24-hour duration and the price are still up for review: "Pandora is committed to delivering an effortless, personalized experience and we recognize some consumers may want an ad-free experience but don't necessarily want to commit to a subscription. This offering will allow consumers to choose and explore what is right for them or suits a particular event or experience. Pricing and exact timing are yet to be determined but we expect it to be available later this year."

If you are a Pandora fan, the company does offer a monthly ad-free experience called Pandora One for $4.99 per month. The premium subscription allows for more skips and ups the quality to 192kbps, as well.

'Serena,' the new film starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, is available now via legal streaming services, a full three weeks before its theatrical debut in the U.S.

The move is just the latest in a series of strange events related to the film. Despite the star power of its two leads, the film wrapped in 2012 and had no distributors until 2014, when it was released internationally. The film will debut in a limited theater run starting on March 27th, but the movie has been almost universally panned by critics.

If you are daring, rentals are available now on Google Play, iTunes and Amazon Instant Video at $10.99 for HD and $9.99 for SD. This is far above the average $2.99-$5.99 that digital rentals for new films cost, but it comes with the territory of being a pre-release.

Microsoft has sued Japanese phone maker Kyocera over patent infringement this week, claiming that the company's Duraforce, Hydro and Brigadier line of phones violate up to seven of the Redmond giant's patents.

Filed in the U.S., the suit is demanding a U.S. sales injunction against the products, which would be most of Kyocera's Android devices sold in the country.

"We respect Kyocera but we believe they need to license the patented technology they are using. We're hopeful this case can be resolved amicably," said Microsoft deputy general counsel David Howard in a statement.

A few of the patented technologies include location services and text messaging and plenty more of other crucial cell phone features.

WhatsApp has taken the next step in tightening their policies, basically banning the use of third-party clients or even their installation.

Earlier this year, the popular messaging service told users and developers that because they could not guarantee third-party apps are safe and secure, they would begin to crack down on them.

Third-party devs have been receiving cease and desist notices and users also saw their accounts temporarily banned but there was widespread panic this week when a WhatsApp developer posted on Google+ that the company would be begin to use a "Permanent Account Disable" for anyone using a third-party app.

For now, the company has clarified the reports, explaining that the bans are still placed on the accounts for only as long as the user continues to use non-official applications. Previously, users received 24-hour bans as warnings. There will be no permanent bans although the ban will essentially be permanent if you do not remove the third-party apps from your device.

According to sources, Japan Display is building a new plant that would supply millions of smartphone displays for Apple iPhones.

The new $1.4 billion LCD manufacturing plant would help the company become a primary supplier to Apple, which sells upwards of 150 million iPhones per year.

Apple will also reportedly invest in the plant, which will be built in Ishikawa, Japan.

If accurate, the agreement would be a massive deal for Japan Display; a company that was built off the floundering display units of Hitachi, Sony and Toshiba in 2012 and is currently supported by the Japanese government.