According to the research firm iSuppli, more smartphones will be using the Android operating system by 2012 than are using the Apple iOS.

Google recently announced 200,000 Android phones being activated each day.

iSuppli says Android will be used in 75 million smartphones in 2012, up 1500 percent from 2009, when 5 million Android devices were sold.

In the same period, Apple iOS devices will jump to 62 million from 25 million.

At that time, Android would control 19.4 percent of the global smartphone market while Apple would have just under 16 percent.

"The flexibility Android offers for hardware designs and its appealing business model in terms of revenue sharing have attracted vigorous support from all nodes in the value chain, including makers of high-end smart phone models," says iSuppli senior analyst Tina Teng.

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The Dish Network has announced this week that it plans to let subscribers watch satellite TV programming on their mobile devices, for free, in the near future.

Starting in September, the iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch and BlackBerry devices will get the free functionality via an app.

Android devices will get the service a month later.

While on the surface the announcement sounds great for Dish owners, unless you have a dual-tuner DVR at home, you will have to watch whatever channel is on at home on your smartphone or tablet, without the ability to change it.

You will also be required to purchase a SlingBox, or SlingBox-supportive DVR from Dish.

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Google has acquired the social networking gaming company Slide, according to multiple reports.

The startup was created in 2005 by Max Levchin, the co-founder of PayPal.

NYTimes reports the acquistion price at $228 million while TechCrunch says $182 million. Regardless, the price is a lot cheaper than the $500 million valuation the service was given in 2008.

When Slide began, Levchin used it as a third-party photo sharing service but it quickly evolved into a widget and app service, used in social networking giants like Facebook and MySpace.

The company's two most popular apps are SuperPoke and SPP Ranch. The first allows you to adopt a virtual pet, and exchange money for virtual goods.

Google has been spending significant amounts of money in an effort to start a social gaming platform, investing $150 million in market leader Zynga among other purchases.

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