A couple of weeks ago Google announced their instant search service, providing real-time results as you type into the search box. Obviously this planted a seed with the development community, as it was just a matter of time before other instant result sites started popping up. The most notable of these was YouTube browser Yinstant.

Well, seeing the over-night viral success that Yinstant had, Paul Robinett and Nick Long of MyU2B set themselves a challenge: create an instant search web app that not only pulls stuff from YouTube, but the entire web. Oh, and get it on-line in 24 hours.

So, as promised, exactly one day later BL3NK was born. BL3NK.com (pronounces blink) claims to be 'the web's first instant everything search'. It basically shows web, image, news, twitter and map results as you type them, letter by letter. Thankfully the site is joyously simple and super easy to use. It pretty much just does what it says on the tin. It's astonishing to believe that it went from concept to reality in just one day

So as soon as the rumours began, they have ended. Earlier today we reported that TechCrunch had got wind of a mystical Facebook phone being developed secretly by senior members of the company. Spokesperson Jaime Schoflin has just now debunked these claims, stating that:

"The story, which originated at TechCrunch, is not accurate. Facebook is not building a phone... it's just not what we do" 

Earlier today Twitter's CEO Evan Williams took to the stage with creative director Biz Stone at their San Francisco headquarters to announce a brand new Twitter.com.

The new and even simpler two-paned site expands Twitter's functionality, allowing users to click on Tweets to view linked content such as photos and videos. The company have paired up with 16 different partners including YouTube, Vimeo, Ustream, Twitpic and Flickr, to provide the smoothest, richest experience possible in a web application.

As well as some significant front-end changes, the entire back-end architecture has been re-built to drastically improve speed, and ensure browsing and creating Tweets remains as agile a process as possible. The brand new site starts rolling out today to a selection of users, but will become available worldwide over the next couple of weeks.

For more information visit Twitter.com/newtwitter and watch out for the #newtwitter hashtag.

Cast your mind back to 2007. Steve Jobs famously announces the iPhone, loaded with a full HTML web browser and Wifi connectivity. Well the interest in the platform quickly sparked a slew of browser-based utilities and with the addition of the 'web apps' section to Apple.com, the iPhone was firmly seeded as one of the hottest development platforms around.

Since the dawn of Apple's mobile marketplace, app makers far and wide have been grinding their teeth in frustration towards Digg's limited developer API. The most any iPhone enthusiast has been able to achieve with their application so far is the ability to list and bury stories from the social service, a handicap strong enough to banish Digg apps from most peoples phones full-stop. But now, rocking a new API and the will to go mobile, who should come up with the next generation of story shoveling application but the pioneers of social news themselves. Here's Digg for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Okay so we ought to know better than to get exited by Apple's vapourous blueprints, but Patently Apple's latest findings have been provoking some serious buzz. The premise is a proximity based social network that takes location aware web 2.0 to the next level via the iPhone.

That's right folks, the world's richest man aka. Microsoft founder Bill Gates has indeed joined Twitter! The PC pioneer posted his first ever tweet about four hours ago:

@BillGates "Hello World." Hard at work on my foundation letter - publishing on 1/25.

His profile sports Twitter's 'Verified Account' badge, indeed confirming he's the real deal. This has also been backed up by Twitter's own @caroline in recent tweets. So what you waiting for? (Except some serious traffic!) Give some entrepreneurial lovin' to Mr. Billy G himself, and don't forget to follow up G-star CEO Mr. Eric S Word up!

As social networking starts to evolve into a real-time, location aware environment, Twitter has kept it's finger firmly on the pulse in more ways than one. Back in November they released their Geotagging API to developers and today Twitter has acquired Mixer Labs, creator of GeoAPI.

GeoAPI allows developers to build great Geolocation based applications, which as of now will be functioning inside of Twitter. So what does this mean for the Twittersphere?

Since the Internet became a force to be reckoned with we have stood aside and watched a variety of hacks, houxes and pranks courtesy of social media and the odd crafty internet goer. This week has proven to be no different with Twitter user and best man 'Anon' rigging his newly wedded freinds honeymoon bed to Tweet out everytime the bride and groom get 'on the job'. Hillarious right?

The Twitter account @newlywedsontjob has been attached to sensors placed under the bed that send out Tweets everytime the lucky couple start and stop bedroom activities, along with a 'Frenzy Scale' rating!

There is no doubt whether Twitter has become this years hot topic or not, and with it a sea of controversy from all angles. It doesn't help that we are Tweeting whilst being burgled, driving and blown up, but now the question remains.. 'To follow or not to follow?'. Let us examine as we look at the Top 3 most contraversial online Twitter tools...