Last year we reported that Google was working on a secret project codenamed Majel that was meant to be a direct response to Apple’s Siri. A trusted source told us a working Android app was already in testing and we thought it could debut in December, but then Alexia Tsotsis of TechCrunch reported that the service would be called Assistant and it was slated for a Q4 2012 release.

This week Google introduced the Knowledge Graph which attempts to make search smarter by using context to understand exactly what you mean and give you back exactly what you want. Google revealed that their system now contains more than 500 million objects (landmarks, celebrities, cities, sports teams, buildings, geographical features, movies, celestial objects, works of art and more), as well as more than 3.5 billion facts about and relationships between these different objects.

“We hope this added intelligence will give you a more complete picture of your interest, provide smarter search results, and pique your curiosity on new topics,” said Amit Singhal, SVP, Engineering. “We’re proud of our first baby step which will enable us to make search more intelligent, moving us closer to the ‘Star Trek computer‘ that I’ve always dreamt of building.”

Lots of engineers at Google are obsessed with the Star Trek computer, and the next logical step is a natural voice input and output system to interact with their Knowledge Graph. If they were already testing it late last year, then I fully expect to see a working demo of Android Assistant at Google IO next month.

Check out the latest Google video below and let us know what you think of their Knowledge Graph. Are you ready for Assistant to become a part of your daily Android experience?

Welcome back to our regular column Android Gaming Weekly, where we recap all the new releases and highlights every Wednesday. We post small bits throughout the week related to Android games, but readers have requested a condensed summary that makes it easier to keep up with all the latest news. Read on for this week’s best in Android gaming.

Top 7 New Games This Week

This week I’m testing out a new format. I always try to find the top rated games each week, but now I’m going to limit my recommendations to the Top 7 games. The number of quality games comes and goes each week, but I felt like 7 suggestions was a nice odd number that I could achieve each week. Let me know what you think of the new format in the comments below.

Machinarium

Developer says: “Discover the award-winning, steam punk world of Machinarium, navigating a clever little robot called Josef from the scrapheap into the city to save his robot girlfriend. Solve puzzles, quests, brain-teasers and mini-games to rid the city of the wicked Black Cap Brotherhood robots. Gorgeous hand-drawn graphics and animations bring the robot’s story to life, using unique comic bubbles and symbols to convey the plot.”

Taylor says: I’m going on a road trip this weekend, so I need a new puzzle game to burn up some time. The video sold me and I just handed over my $3.99. I’ll let you know how it was next week.

Machinarium
Hothead Games
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Mini Motor Racing

Developer says: “Mini Motor Racing plays like a favorite remote-controlled car showdown, combined with modern tech to nitro-boost your engines! Play multiplayer against up to four of your friends via WiFi! Race in campaign competitions for big rewards! Upgrade your skills and cars to win more! It’s all here in Mini Motor Racing.”

Taylor says: Reminds me of Micro Machines Racing, which I played for countless hours. Asking price is $1.99, but early reviews are good with a 4.3 average score.

Mini Motor Racing
The Binary Mill
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Doraemon Fishing 2

Developer says: “You will start going fishing as Doreamon, Nobita or Shizuka and try to feed the beloved dinosaur Pisu. Besides casting the hook as deep as possible to collect coins and catch fishes while avoiding sharks, with the new gameplay, players will touch on fishing jumping out and flick them towards Pisu.”

Taylor says: I think I have a thing for Japanese game music. Game was so odd I just had to share it.

Doraemon Fishing 2
PTT Solution INC.
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Big Win Hockey

Developer says: “CREATE your own unique dream team, COMPETE against opponents from around the world, WATCH your team battle it out on the ice, BOOST your player’s passing, shooting, skating and other skills and get ready to hoist the Daily Trophy for the ultimate BIG WIN!”

Taylor says: I’m not even a fan of hockey and this game looks awesome. It’s free so you have nothing to lose. I’m installing this on my Transformer Prime right now.

Big Win Hockey
Hothead Games
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Lunar Racer

Developer says: “Strap on your moon boots and fire up your nitro boosters! The real space race is about to begin! Sure there’s racing games… but then there’s racing games with powerups! Ever tried racing with homing missiles, land mines, bubble shields and gravity thrusters? Yeah, didn’t think so!”

Taylor says: It’s from the developer of Super Stickman Golf and it’s free. Graphics look simple, but gameplay looks addicting. Average early review score is 4.8.

Lunar Racer
Noodlecake Studios Inc
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Plopp

Developer says: “Bubble-like circles, so called ‘Plopps’ emerge all over the place and start growing. When you tap on a Plopp, it explodes and a shockwave is unleashed. If other Plopps are hit by this shockwave they also explode causing big chain-reactions!”

Taylor says: This developer just uploaded four new games to the Google Play store and they all look pretty unique. Plopp looked the most interesting to me out of the bunch. It runs $1.25, so you might want to wait for more reviews to come in before you buy.

Plopp
games2be
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Ninja Slash!

Developer says: “Are you tired of always and only cut fruit? No problem! You’re one step away from starting the final cutting experience! Run, Jump and Slice at the same time!”

Taylor says: Odd combination of running and slicing gameplay looks hard as heck. I think this looks pretty fun, and it only costs $0.99. The developer has a good track record, so I think it’s a safe buy.

Ninja Slash!
CatfishBlues Games
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Android Games Coming Soon

Gameloft finally supports the ASUS Transformer Prime

This week Gameloft updated their popular MMORGP game Order & Chaos with a new dungeon called Sailen: The Lower City. More importantly, they finally added support for the ASUS Transformer Prime. Keep an eye on other Gameloft titles for future Transformer Prime support.

Order & Chaos Online
Gameloft
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N.O.V.A. 3 dropping any day now

Speaking of Gameloft, we still expect NOVA 3 to be available any day now. The iOS version went on sale last week for $6.99 and we expect the Android version to cost the same. Check out the Gameloft Blog for first impressions of the game. (Gameloft, I will freaking love you if you release this on the Prime!)

Will Max Payne Mobile ever come to Android?

Another week and another delay. This game was supposed to be released in April, but it keeps getting pushed back. We were told several times that it would be available in previous weeks, but I honestly have no idea when it is coming out. Keep an eye on@RockstarGames for updates on the release. They seem pretty focused on Max Payne 3, so we might not hear anything for awhile now.

Shoot the Zombies arrives May 24th

It wouldn’t be right if we didn’t mention at least one zombie game this week. DroidGamers reports that Shoot the Zombies from Infinite Dreams will arrive on the Google Play Store around May 24th. This game is the sequel to Shoot the Birds, but this time you have to protect your pumpkin farm from a plague of undead, evil zombie birds.

Games I’m currently playing

Sonic 4 Episode II: This is the biggest release of the week so I just had to try it. I grew up on Nintendo and Mario, so I never really spent much time with Sonic. I played several Sonic games over the years, but I never finished one. I just got a wireless controller for the ASUS Transformer Prime and HTC One X, so look for my review in the coming weeks. Check out our Sonic 4 preview for a chance to win an Android tablet.

Sonic 4 Episode II THD
SEGA of America
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What Android games are you playing?

Find any great new Android games this week? Share your favorites in the comments below so we can check them out.

The Nexus name has come under some serious fire lately; and I can’t deny playing my part in that. Thanks to botched updates, carrier control and an absolutely horrendous initial rollout, Google’s Nexus line just ain’t what it used to be. So why then, did I just recently purchase a Galaxy Nexus as my next personal device? In a nutshell: everyone deserves a second chance.

When the Galaxy Nexus was announced, before the device was actually released, was when the problems first started. We knew the device would launch on Verizon here in the US, but it ended up taking much longer than initially expected. As for those of us not on Verizon, despite a GSM version of the device, compatible with both AT&T and T-Mobile HSPA, being detailed alongside the Verizon LTE version, there was no news of that version of the Galaxy Nexus coming to the US at all. In fact, even a Sprint version of the Nexus was detailed before a US GSM variant was.

After that, between the release of the Galaxy Nexus on Verizon in December and this April, a lot of crazy stuff went on. The CDMA version of the Nexus was labeled “fake” since Verizon practically has complete control of it, different versions of the international GSM Nexus were facing update problems as it was discovered carriers and Samsung also had control of those devices. And that’s just the Galaxy Nexus. The Nexus S is still facing update issues, and the Nexus One has been left for dead. But there was still hope for the Nexus name, and it came in the form of the Google Play store.

When Google first announced they’d be selling the GSM version of the Galaxy Nexus direct to consumers out of the Google Play store, I was ecstatic. The “Pure Google. No Contract. No Commitment.” slogan on the banner for the Nexus’ sale page had me excited. The software information page for the Play version of the Galaxy Nexus is what had me sold.

“A Galaxy Nexus purchased on Google Play is a Pure Google device and is among the first to receive the latest software updates from Google. We are pushing out updates to Nexus devices as quickly as possible and we will continue to provide the latest updates to these devices going forward. For devices purchased on Google Play, you can expect software updates to come directly from Google, rather than your mobile service provider.”

Could this finally be it? The Nexus I’ve been waiting for? It certainly seems like it. I know Google has messed up in the past, and I know it still has a huge PenTile display (which is what originally deterred me from wanting the Galaxy Nexus). But if Google were to, say, announce and release Jelly Bean at I/O this year, this would have to be the device to get it first. Seeing a new version of Android being released and not being able to use it right away is some strange from of torture I wouldn’t wish on even the most obnoxious of Android enthusiasts.

And to top it all off, a totally unlocked PentaBand device that is guaranteed to get updates directly from Google surely must cost at least $600. Right? The fact that Google is able to get the Galaxy Nexus directly to consumers for just $400 is nothing short of a miracle. Even with tax and shipping, I only paid $435. That is incredibly cheap in terms of brand new unlocked phones. Plus I was able to pass my Nexus S down to a budding Android enthusiast at a steep discount to knock some money off that $435 as well.

Looking past the price and updates, more than anything, I want the Nexus name to succeed. Not in the way that analysts and carrier CEOs do. In the way the developers and die-hard fans do. I know I’ve badmouthed the Nexus name recently, but it’s only because I felt personally betrayed. Not many companies can do that to me, which really says something about the place Google holds in my life.

So I ordered a Galaxy Nexus from the Google Play store. And I’m really hoping for the best. Google, please don’t let me down again.

NVIDIA is celebrating the first year of TegraZone, the best place to find the hottest Android games for your Tegra-powered device. ASUS, NVIDIA, and Android and Me are partnering on a sweepstakes in which readers can vote on their favorite Tegra games for the chance to win the new ASUS Transformer Pad. Read on for the full details.

About TegraZone

NVIDIA debuted TegraZone one year ago and it now boasts over 3.5 million installs. Over 1.5 million unique visitors have used the app during the past quarter and the average user visits every 3 days. NVIDIA has also helped developers gain exposure for their games with an average conversion rate of 19%, compared to the 5% average conversion rate of Google Play. There are now close to 40 games optimized for Tegra devices and we are seeing the quantity and quality increase every month.

NVIDIA TegraZone
NVIDIA
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My favorite TegraZone Game

I’ve played so many Tegra games and enjoyed a lot of them so it’s hard to pick a favorite, but I think I got the most enjoyment out of Shadowgun. I originally scored the game 7/10 for being too short and lacking a multiplayer mode, but the developer recently released an expansion pack with more levels and the free online multiplayer game is coming soon. Check out my full review of Shadowgun to see why bounty hunting has never looked so good.

SHADOWGUN THD
MADFINGER Games
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SHADOWGUN
MADFINGER Games
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First TegraZone Player’s Choice Awards

Scan to vote.

Starting today and running through May 31st, users can vote for their favorite Tegra games in three categories. Every user that votes in the TegraZone Player’s Choice Awards will be automatically entered to win a free ASUS Transformer Pad from NVIDIA.

Award Categories include:

1. Best Graphics
2. Best Gameplay
3. Overall fun

Once the votes are tallied, the winners will be announced on June 6th at E3.

Vote now in the TegraZone Player’s Choice Awards

The Prize: ASUS Transformer Pad Prize Pack

Running latest Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the ASUS Transformer Pad is a value packed tablet that with multi-color style, and productivity with expandability when connected to the mobile dock. With a 1.2MP front and 8MP rear auto-focus camera with large F/2.2 aperture and exclusive office software, staying connected and productive has never been easier.

Gaming to go prize pack includes:

• ASUS Transformer Pad
• ASUS Mobile dock
• Logitech game controller
• Jambox Speaker

How to Enter

For week 1 we’re going to make it super easy for you. Simply leave a comment below and you’ll be entered to win. We normally allow anonymous comments, but for this contest you will need to be a registered user to leave a comment. Not signed up? It only takes seconds to join.

Multiple comments are allowed on this post, but each user will only be counted once. The winner will be chosen at random, so don’t bother downvoting each other.

Multiple chances to win: Users can win a tablet from Android and Me or NVIDIA. The Player’s Choice Awards will be running for several weeks, so be on the lookout for more chances to win an ASUS Transformer Pad. As each week passes, we will make winning a Transformer Pad take a little more effort (like starting a Thread).

Contest Rules

This contest is open to residents of the United States, Canada, UK and Germany. Entries will be accepted for one week after the contest goes live. We’ll announce the winner on this page and on our Twitter account as soon as we draw.

Contest Winner

(coming soon…)

Google TV is almost an afterthought at this point. The service lacks a real differentiating feature to make it a must-have item in your entertainment center, and at least one of Google’s partners decided to stop making set top Google TV boxes because they feel the software is premature. Still, companies such as LG are getting into the game recently, and yesterday Google partnered with Sony to unveil a new Google TV set top box.

This isn’t Sony’s first entrant into the Google TV series; the Japanese conglomerate was an early Google TV advocate, selling TVs with integrated Google TV service since the time the service launched. The next version of Sony Google TV will be special. Not so much for the Google TV service, but for the dual-sided remote control that will be included.

The Remote

The dual-sided remote features the customary TV remote controls on one side, and doubles as a full QWERTY keyboard when flipped over. The result is around the same size as a remote control, as opposed to the full keyboard sized remote on the original Logitech Revue, and the awkward controller on Sony’s original TVs.

The Box

The box is unsurprisingly less interesting, what with it being a big black box and all. The video above shows the box in action, though we’re told the unit was non-working at the demonstration. The box and included remote are set to be released sometime this summer, so we’ll likely be hearing more about it in coming months.

Until then, we’ll try to figure out why we actually need a Google TV at all. Meanwhile, you can watch the Google-Sony event in its entirety in the video below.

AT&T has finalized plans to offer a shared data service to families, AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega told CNET yesterday. The plans are set to be unveiled later this year, though de la Vega was unwilling to provide details as to timing, plan details, or pricing. AT&T joins Verizon as the two companies considering rolling out a shared data plan as early as this summer.

Many wireless customers gripe at having to pay two separate data plans on family lines, especially when neither person comes remotely close to the standard 2-3GB limit most companies offer. Some would rather pay for the ability to share the same allotment of data and mitigate the need for costly separate plans. Of course, data plans tend to be where carriers make their money, so we’ll have to wait and see what AT&T come up with as final products for shared data services.

We should be learning more details of AT&T and Verizon shared data plans in coming weeks, perhaps as soon as a few days as the wireless industry settles into the big easy for the CTIA Spring 2012 show. Our own Taylor Wimberly is on hand in New Orleans, and we’ll be bringing you all the goods from the show floor as it emerges.

LG introduced us to two shiny new Google TV models at CES 2012 back in January in 47″ and 55″ variants. We came away fairly impressed at the show, though moreso for the Magic Remote than the actual TVs themselves, even though they featured 3D support.

We started to hear wind of possible price points for these bad boys last week, with the 47″ rumored to sell for $1,699 and the 55″ variant to go for $2,299. Turns out, those will be the final MSRP price for LG’s entrants into the Google TV platform, though you can find them a bit cheaper at Amazon. Amazon has the 47″ for $1,599, and the 55″ for $2,099. Reuters reported this morning that the TVs will be officially start shipping on May 21st, just two short weeks from today.

If you’re in the market for a new TV, and want your next set to incorporate the Android platform, you can do no better than the LG Google TVs. Anyone out there have their eyes on one of these devices? Sound off in the comments.