Over the last couple of weeks, we have seen a handful of reports suggesting that Google is on the verge of releasing a unified chat service called “Babble.” This new service was rumored to have merged services  like Voice, Talk, and Google+ Messenger into a cross-platform chat solution, hopefully ending the siloed and independent chat experiences that we all currently experience. While most of those reports were on the right track, we believe that the actual name of the new Google messenger service is called “Babel” rather than “Babble,” at least internally. 

According to a report out of the Financial Times, Google is indeed preparing to enter the smartwatch arena. As unsurprising as that sounds, since every other major tech company has been rumored to be working on some sort of smartwatch product, it’s the particular team given the task of developing it that caught our interest. FT claims that the Android team will indeed be leading the charge on the project “to act as an extension to the smartphones using that operating system.” 

According to sources who spoke with Geek.com, Google is readying a unified chat client called “Babble” that will merge Google Talk, Google+ Messenger, Voice, and any other platform used to send messages across their services. The goal for Babble is to overtake platforms like iMessage and Blackberry Messenger, which none of its separate parts have been able to do thus far. 

And the Nexus 5 rumors are here! Over the weekend, a couple of tech outlets tossed out what they believe to be specs for the next Google-inspired mobile device as provided by well-placed insiders (or trolls). Rumors suggest that LG will produce the phone, just as they did the Nexus 4 with the image included above being a prototype design for it. But after this incredibly questionable rumor surfaced, another report claims that this is nothing more than a fantasy list and that the actual device will be much more in line with current handsets, but the camera will use a “triple camera sensor thing.” I’m not kidding, that’s the official quote. Let’s jump below and walk through a breakdown of the situation.

Spoiler alert – it all mostly sounds like garbage. 

Remember how disappointed you were the day that HTC announced the One and that the only major carrier across the globe that had decided to pass on it was Verizon? Thankfully, your disappointment may be short-lived, as reports yesterday suggested that Big Red would indeed carry a variant of the One, but that it would arrive later after it passed through testing. Or will it arrive right on time?

A report out of AllThingsD this morning suggests that Verizon will end up offering the new flagship HTC One after all. Unfortunately, according to their sources, it won’t be available anywhere near launch on the other three big U.S. carriers as Big Red is taking their sweet time testing out the device. (Please don’t be surprised by that idea.)  It could take one or two months for VZW to finish up and get it ready for launch. 

Outside of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One, I’d say it’s safe to say that most of the geeks around these parts care only about one other device – that’s the Motorola X Phone. Though Google’s CEO isn’t expecting any of Moto’s products to “wow” us over the next few months, the X Phone will continue to be on our radar, as all of Motorola’s have been in the past. There is a chance that it ends up wow-ing us, especially if Google shows that they have had any influence  on its design, build materials, and software tweaks. With that said, there has been little tangible evidence to this point, so when we see purported leaks surface, we can’t help but be extremely skeptical. Take today’s for example. 

If your current or previous employment included a perk that included a discount on your Verizon Wireless bill, you may be asked by Verizon in the coming weeks to validate your status in order to continue receiving that same discount. According to a report out of PhoneArena, Verizon plans to run an audit of sorts starting April 1, to clear out old discounts from customers who are no longer with eligible companies or who have left companies yet are still receiving slashed plan pricing.