[Chart] Google+ User Adoption Rate Compared To Facebook, Twitter.

We all consider Facebook and Twitter to be social networking giants. And rightfully so, they are. But looking back in time, their path to success has actually been quite long compared to the latest social newcomer, Google+. With data provided by Google+ user Paul Allen, fellow Google+ user Leon Håland has created a handy little chart showing just how fast Google+ has grown.

Pretty interesting to see Google+’s trek to 10+ million users took just 16 days. Compare that to Twitter’s 780 days and Facebook’s 852.

Leon Håland (Google Plus)

Amazon Leaks Official DROID Bionic Images.

The DROID Bionic is one of the most highly sought after, lusted Android devics of 2011 — and it’s not even available yet! What was originally supposed to grace our clammy hands back in the early Spring/late Summer was ultimately delayed to “make it better”. And based on earlier rumors of potential dual-core manufacturer swaps that include TI and much beefier GPUs, we’re quite ok with that.

With that said, we no longer have to guess at how the Bionic looks. Amazon has just blown the secret out of the water with official images of the Bionic sitting pretty in both a desktop dock and GPS cradle.

While pricing for the aforementioned accessories and the ever elusive Bionic release date are still up in the air, we’re nearing the home stretch. Hop past the break for a couple more DROID Bionic images…

Facebook Working On Completely Revamped iPhone App (That Doesn’t Suck).

If we asked you what you thought was the worst and yet most popular iOS app was, would your reply be “Facebook”? Ours would. While Facebook has done a decent job of providing bug fixes and minor feature improvements here and there, the app overall is pretty sub-par. And the numbers don’t lie. Out of 20,000+ revoews for Facebook for iPhone, only 15% give the app a 5-star rating. To put that in perspective, over 65% of Facebook for iPhone users rate the app “unanimously unfavorable” (read: It’s terrible). Our personal gripes with the app include spotty notifications, laggy interface, and an overall clunky UI. But hope is on the way.

Facebook spokesman Derick Mains says Facebook is “well aware of the criticisms” being levied against their app and that the development team is “committed to bringing the best experience that they can to the iPhone”. As such, Derick claims that Facebook is working on a completely revamped Facebook for iPhone app that is due out in the near future.

We don’t have any further details, screenshots, etc. of this revamped app. But rest assured, once we do we’ll throw that stuff up on GS faster than you can shake a stick at.

Anyone want to buck the trend and profess their love and admiration for Facebook for iPhone. (We won’t judge you. Really.)

Friday Morning iPhone News: iPhone 5 And Bluetooth 4.0.

Oh….TGIF! What better way to kick off the death of the week than the latest iPhone 5 rumors! First up: Verizon Wireless is beginning to clear out iPhone accessory stock — this according to a “well plugged in source” of PhoneArena. While the fire sale of accessories in and of itself isn’t a surefire way to claim an impending iPhone 5 is on the near horizon, it’s but one small piece of the overall puzzle that is pointing to an August/September iPhone launch.

In other news: Rumors of NFC capabilities to the next-gen iPhone range from from simply untrue to “way off”. Specifically, IT Pro Portal is reporting Apple could be bypassing NFC support in favor of the newer Bluetooth 4.0. (For the record, the first mainstream Bluetooth 4.0 products were just released yesterday — the new MacBook Air and Mac Mini.) Apple is notorious for keeping things simple not only in software but hardware as well. Having multiple chips for multiple wireless technologies can lead to larger devices and poorer battery life. The big draw — or lack thereof — is Bluetooth 4.0′s low power mode which allows it to operate at 1/100th that of traditional Bluetooth. On the flip side, This lower powered mode on Bluetooth 4.0 is much slower than traditional Bluetooth (which itself is already pretty slow). Nonetheless, with a boosted range of up to 200m and reports that Bluetooth 4.0 can toggle between low and high power modes, we’re willing to give the new tech the benefit of the doubt.

As the iPhone 5 launch moves closer, we have no doubt the rumors will increase both in frequency and scope of features. As for the rumors above, we can neither confirm nor deny the claims. With that said, stay tuned to Gadgetsteria as we bring you the latest iPhone 5 news!

Apple Being Sued By Personal Audio LLC (Troll). Again.

Being Apple has its ups and downs. On one hand, you’re incredibly popular and loaded with cash. On the other, patent trolls come out of the wood work like distant relatives after scoring a winning lottery ticket. We’d say Apple has won a lottery of their own as of late with the iOS platform literally defining a market. Add to that positive reviews of the companies just released OS X Lion operating system and it’s easy to see that things are looking good.

While it may seem odd that Personal Audio is suing Apple a second time over similar patents, it’s actually part of the agreement from the first lawsuit — which Apple ended up losing, with the judge ordering Apple to pay ~ $8 million in damages. The previous lawsuit only covered “first six generations of the original iPod/iPod classic, all iPod minis, and the first five generations of the iPod nano”. This latest lawsuit covers the rest of the new iDevices.

If Personal Audio gets their way, Apple will not only owe them millions of more dollars but be forbidden from selling any hardware/software misusing the infringed patents in question. (Read: a ban on pretty much all of Apple’s mobile gear.) With Apple’s bank accounts currently stuffed with roughly $76 billion in cash, any reasonable judgement is unlikely to phase their accountants. Still, losing any money isn’t something to get accustomed to.

Look for this one to last a while…

Android App Player For BlackBerry PlayBook Leaked.

While the jury is still out as to whether or not RIM’s decision to tack on Android app support to help/support their own ecosystem’s offerings is a good idea, why not cut the crap and try it out for yoruselves? A recent BlackBerry Desktop Manager update had the full link to the beta Android app player right out in the open within the change log. Oops!

According to N4BB, the app works — albeit with some lag and an apparent lack of a back button. With that said, navigating backwards in time can be done by swiping left on the bezel. Also worth noting is that this particular beta is pretty old. Even still, we’ll be firing up our in-house PlayBook and trying out this newly leaked functionality throughout the night. Look for an update later today/early tomorrow.

Download: Android app player for BlackBerry PlayBook.

Better Late Than Never: Nexus S Coming To AT&T This Sunday For $99.

While T-Mobile and Sprint customers have had up to 7-8 months of fun time with Google’s un-neutered, natural Nexus S “Google Phone”, AT&T customers have had to resort to costly unlocked handset prices or at the very worst — nothing. That changes this Sunday, July 24th with the official release of the Samsung-built AT&T Nexus S. Though oddly enough, AT&T won’t actually be carrying the device themselves. You’ll have to head on over to your local Best Buy store for the goods. Bonus: Pricing will be $99 w/ a new 2-year contract. As the saying goes: “Better late than never…”