Got any May Day plans? LG does.

The company has sent out press invites to a shindig in New York City scheduled for May 1. Ah, the Big Apple in spring, is there anything better?

The invite is light on details, asking attendees only to "Share the Genius" and "Capture the Spotlight in True Brilliance."

A microphone and literal spotlights decorate it, which may simply be symbolic but could also point to a Samsung-inspired extravaganza, though one that features pop star talent and not hired Broadway hands, but who knows.

What will we see?

The last time LG had an event billed this big was last September when the company announced the Optimus G.

While there's always a chance LG might whip out the G's follow-up, the turnaround time seems a little fast to us.

Same goes for the Nexus 5. It's predecessor, the Nexus 4, was only announced in late October 2012, meaning a new version is likely in the works though not quite ready for prime time. What's more, we expect word of the Nexus 5 to come at Google I/O, a more appropriate venue for a phone that Google's really at the helm of.

One phone that's garned some attention lately, especially in the U.S., is the Optimus G Pro, which is already available in a few international iterations.

On a scale of one to 10, an announcement about the phone's stateside availability (or a country-specific variant) ranks at about an 8 in possibility.

The phone has a knock-out screen - perfect for putting pics in the spotlight - plus a nice 13MP rear camera and 2.1MP front-facer. Share, capture, brilliance - the G Pro has it all.

We won't know all until May 1, but rest assured TechRadar will bring you all the latest and the handiest hands on review.

Google's chairman is at it again, chatting up the next wave of "impressive" gadgets on the way from the search giant - without really divulging much in the way of details.

AllThingsD reported Tuesday that former Google CEO Eric Schmidt made a stop at the D: Dive Into Mobile conference in New York City, where he got chatty about a recent visit to the company's Motorola division.

"They have a new set of products, which are phenomenal," the Google executive chairman remarked. "Very, very impressive."

Schmidt wouldn't elaborate further, except to refer to the upcoming devices as "phones-plus" - whatever that means.

No tension with Samsung

New gadgets weren't the only thing the Google chairman was eager to talk about as the conversation inevitably turned to rumors of tension with Android partner Samsung.

Describing the relationship between the two companies as "very healthy," Schmidt dismissed rumors that Samsung may be co-opting Google's mobile OS for its very own.

During a question-and-answer session after his talk, Schmidt commented that Samsung actually "helped to define Android" and how much Google appreciates the Korean manufacturer's decision to "go Android" while the platform was still in its infancy.

And with good reason: Schmidt confirmed that Samsung is now the number one Android vendor by unit volume, which has now reached 1.5 million activations per day.

Facebook Home is coming to Google Play around the world later today, which means that anyone with a compatible handset will be able to download and install the Facebook-flavoured Android overlay.

You'll need an HTC One X, HTC One X+, Samsung Galaxy S3, Samsung Note 2 or HTC One to be able to make use of the free download.

If that sounds like you, you can enjoy Facebook's not-quite-an-OS which puts the social network front-and-centre on your handset. The app-but-not-an-app went live in the US on April 12.

Facebook phone home

The software turns your phone into a Facebook machine, putting Cover Feed on the homescreen with scrolling photos and status updates to enjoy without even unlocking your phone.

Messaging is taken care of by the floaty-bouncy Chat Heads which pop up and glimmer at you when you have a chat running, until you flick them off screen.

Although it takes over your phone entirely, you can still get at your non-Facebook apps thanks to Facebook Home's app launcher.

If you don't have a compatible Android phone, never fear - you can still get annoyed with those persistent Chat Heads as they are now available in Messenger for Android.

And now you can even get them on your iPhone too. Chat Heads. Inescapable.

The team behind Android originally made the OS for a range of smart digital cameras rather than mobile phones. And it wasn't the iPhone that had Android quaking in its boots - it was Symbian.

That's according to Android founder Andy Rubin, speaking at a forum in Tokyo.

"The exact same platform, the exact same operating system we built for cameras, that became Android for cellphones," he said.

"We decided digital cameras wasn't actually a big enough market."

Snap happy

"I was worried about Microsoft and I was worried about Symbian," he admits, harking back to the days before that platform Nokia was teetering on caught fire.

"I wasn't worried about iPhone yet."

Rubin went on to explain that the Android forefathers had 9 per cent market share in North America in their sights: we think they may just about have exceeded that.

And happily for those early versions of the OS, their destiny has been fulfilled - you can now get an Android snapper in the shape of the Samsung Galaxy Camera.

While there's been talk of Microsoft considering a Surface Phone for some time, the chief of Windows Phone has stated that it's not currently in the pipeline. At least not right now.

Speaking at the second day of Dive Into Mobile in New York, head of Windows Phone Terry Myerson dismissed rumours that there would be a Microsoft-made Surface-branded version of the Windows Phone any time soon.

"It would have to be something where Nokia or HTC was not providing the consumer experience we think is possible with our platform," he said.

Even though a Surface Phone has never been a sure thing, it's certainly an idea that makes sense, and one that Nokia has been encouraged in the past.

Knives out

Myerson also had a few things to say about a certain couple of market competitors.

"Android is…kind of a mess," he said. "Look at Samsung – there's clearly mutiny going on. The only OEM making money off of Android is Samsung."

He then moved onto Apple, discussing the changes found in the iPhone 5: "With iPhone, I sense urgency. With iOS 5 [Apple] just added a fifth row of icons."

Of course, the rumoured Windows Smart watch was also raised during the discussion, though Myerson wouldn't confirm whether one was on the way. "It's an exciting space," he said. "There's no doubt that wearable computing has incredible potential."

Take from that what you will.