Technomaly » Google

Watch Google’s “Froyo” Presentation

J. Matthew Zoss — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 15:21:54 +0000

If you’re at all interested in mobile phones or Google, you’ve heard about Froyo. That’s the code name for Android 2.2, the latest version of Google’s mobile phone operating system. You’ve probably heard its main selling points as well – a massive speed increase, Flash support, better Gmail and phone-to-laptop “tethering.” But if you’re a big dork about your Android phone (like me), you may want more information about the software update beyond the bullet points. Well, don’t say we never gave you anything, because here’s the complete Froyo presentation from the recent Google I/O conference. It’s a beefy 45 minutes long, but obviously it answers pretty much any question you might have.

Via Android Central

Google Kills Online Sales of Nexus One

J. Matthew Zoss — Fri, 14 May 2010 17:18:50 +0000

Google all but admitted the failure of the Nexus One phone today with the news that it would no longer sell the phone online. The company hasn’t given up on the Android phone platform, however. Google will continue to use its website to promote the various Android-based phones out there and partner with providers to cell the phones in their stores. But after the slow dissolution of cellular service partners looking to bring the Nexus One to their networks, it looks like Google’s grand experiment of selling a single phone that could follow you from carrier to carrier is dead.

Source: Engadget

Android 2.2 Boosts Speeds by 450 Percent

J. Matthew Zoss — Thu, 13 May 2010 15:10:11 +0000

I recently jumped aboard the Android phone market, so I’m a little obsessed with any new items that possibly affects my shiny new gadget. Fortunately, most of the news concerns upcoming improvements and enhancements. The latest version of the Android operating system is on the way, and according to tests by website Android Police, Android 2.2 boosts the speed of your device by a whopping 450 percent.

With that speed boost, several new features will be added to your phone, although few are confirmed at this point. One upgrade that’s almost certain to be included is Flash 10.1. Smartphone users will recognize Flash support as a weak spot pretty much across the board, but this should take care of that issue. Heck, with a 450 percent speed boost, I can’t imagine what issues Android 2.2 won’t solve.

Source: Android Police via Android Central

Drag and Drop Images into Gmail

J. Matthew Zoss — Wed, 12 May 2010 14:51:11 +0000

After recently adding the ability to drag and drop attachments into Gmail, Google is continuing the trend with the ability to drag images into your gmail message. Currently, the feature is only enabled in Google Chrome, but it’s apparently on the way to other browsers soon.

Google, I love ya. You take the products I use and continuously make them better. Next time I see you, I owe you a Coke.

Via the Official Gmail Blog.

Nexus One Not Coming to Verizon

J. Matthew Zoss — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 17:40:23 +0000

While at first it seemed like Google would push its first internal smartphone to every cellular network, there’s confirmation today that the Nexus One won’t be making it’s way to Verizon. Instead, Google is directing Verizon customers to buy the new Android-based Incredible, which hits the market on the 29th:

We won’t be selling a Nexus One with Verizon, and this is a reflection of the amazing innovation happening across the open Android ecosystem. Verizon Wireless customers who want an Android phone with the power of the Nexus One can get the Droid Incredible by HTC.

Thanks a lot, Google. I was this close to buying a droid, and now there’s another phone that’s apparently much, much better. I think I’ll skip the whole smartphone arms race and just stick with my little cheapo phone for now.

Google Tablet Operating In ‘Stealth Mode’

Nick Upton — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 22:31:01 +0000

Apple’s iPad wasn’t the first step in tablet computing, and it certainly won’t be the last. And now Apple has a big target on their back.

Apple’s major competitors said they already have tablets near completion, and with the iPad’s launch serving as a test bed for the entire market, they will certainly be taking note and tweaking their own versions.

The most interesting — to me — is Google’s efforts. I make no qualms about liking Google for the most part, but beyond that, Google’s Android system is the only competitor with even a similar marketplace. They already have developers making apps and with Google Books and Fastflip in Google Labs, they are poised to actually take on Apple head-to-head. (And it will probably have Flash support — oh zing!)

The New York Times looked into the Google slate; which the CEO told friends about at a party — I assume drunkenly.

Eric E. Schmidt, chief executive of Google, told friends at a recent party in Los Angeles about the new device, which would exclusively run the Android operating system.

People with direct knowledge of the project — who did not want to be named because they said they were unauthorized to speak publicly about the device — said the company had been experimenting in “stealth mode” with a few publishers to explore delivery of books, magazines and other content on a tablet.

Apart from Google, Microsoft’s Courier project looks pretty interesting with two screens and book-like folding. Paired with the new Microsoft Kin it could be a social butterfly’s dream tablet. Microsoft engineers have some kinks to work out though, notably keeping two touch screens running without killing battery life.

[Via New York Times]

Google’s Hiring!

Asterios Kokkinos — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 14:00:09 +0000

Good news for people who love good news: Google’s hiring! No, this isn’t a pop-up scam – the wizards of search have announced plans to expand their workforce by 500 lucky individuals.

In Q4 of 2009, Google’s staff jumped from 19,665 to 19,835, so it follows that they’d make yet another jump. Sez the G-men:

“We’re investing heavily for the long term to maintain and increase the company’s pace of innovation…[t]his means an investment, first, in people.”

Here’s a list of the areas Google will be padding out:

engineering
product management
human resources
finance
strategic partner development management (????)
inventory analysis
the party escort submission position (Portal reference!)

Well, in an era of nobody hiring anybody and everybody getting fired, it’s nice to see somebody bucking the trend. Now only if they were hiring overenthusiastic technology bloggers with a penchant for hyperbole.

This just in: Google Greatest Company Ever!

See what I mean?

Source: AdWeek

Google Car! First Android Equipped Auto Launches in April

Asterios Kokkinos — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 16:00:42 +0000

Here’s a fun one out of the Beijing Auto Show: a car with Android 2.1 built in.

Chinese luxury carmaker SAIC (which stands for the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation) have slated for a late April release the Roewe 350, a brand new luxury car. What makes the Roewe 350 unique is it’s GPS, which runs on the same Android OS that the Droid or Nexus One run on. In addition to being able to get you from place to place or calculate traffic, the Roewe 350 can also browse the web & engage in a little instant messaging (though hopefully, not while you’re driving said car.)

The Roewe 350 will go for between $10,000 to $19,000. No details yet on exactly how it’ll connect to the internet, or if you’ll have access to the app store from the device, but it’s nice to see yet another barrier broken by the fine folks at Google.

Source & Photo Source: Mashable

Search Android Phones With Gestures

J. Matthew Zoss — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 14:00:46 +0000

There seems to be an obsession with developing new ways to search for content on your phone. There are search suggestions, voice searches, and now even gesture searches. Thanks to a new app available on the Android Market, all phones running Android 2.0 or higher are now searchable by drawing on the screen. Drawing an “A” will bring up content and contacts that start with that letter, and drawing another letter will further narrow your search. Here’s how it works according to the Google Mobile Blog:

Say you want to call your friend Anne. Just open Gesture Search and draw letter “A”, and Gesture Search returns a list of items that have words starting with “A”. If your handwriting isn’t all that neat, that’s okay. If the “A” you draw looks a bit like an “H”, as seen in the bottom left corner of the screenshot, “H” results will be brought up as well. If needed, you can also erase a query by crossing it horizontally: left to right erases the entire query, and right to left removes the last letter or space in the query. Now you can either scroll down the list to find Anne or write more letters to refine the search.

Sounds like a cool feature to me, although I’m unconvinced that it’s anything more than a neat trick at for the time being. Still, I plan on checking it out as soon as I upgrade to an Android phone. I’m still carrying around one of those early 1990’s car phones that’s attached by a phone cord to a briefcase.

Source: Google Mobile Blog Via Lifehacker

Google Maps Adds Bike-Friendly Directions

J. Matthew Zoss — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 11:21:52 +0000

I have a lot of friends who are both big bicycling enthusiasts and tech aficionados, so this news item will be of particular interest to them. Google has added a bicycle directions option to its popular Google Maps application. The new biking directions work exactly the same way as searching for directions by car – just select the “by bicycle” option in the drop-down menu under your destination. Google Maps will then calculate a route along bike paths, streets with bike lanes or bike-friendly roads. By default, it will try to steer you away from steep hills or busy streets.

Google Bike Maps is still in beta, but already has more than 150 cities’ data in place. Pair this program with a Google phone, and you’ve got a do-it-yourself GPS for your bike!

Story and Image source: Lifehacker

Cities, Mayors Go Crazy To Woo Google

Asterios Kokkinos — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:00:57 +0000

A while back we reported on Google Fiber, a program where Google will come to cities and install incredibly internet access. The only way to get that access, however, is for the cities citizens and government to specifically request it. Google’s provided two forms on a website for people to make these requests, but people are going a lot further than that. Check out what some cities are doing to get Google Fiber installed in their town:

Mayor Don Ness jumped into a freezing lake, then put the video on YouTube, exclaiming, “All right, you other mayors! You want Google Fiber, you jump in Lake Superior!”
Topeka, Kansas has (informally) changed its name to Google, Kansas for the month of March.
A Google map of 1,000 Baltimore citizens has been created, with each citizen marker giving a reason why they’d want the service.
Over 200 Facebook groups have been created to woo big G to their cities.

The fiber optic access would be sold wholesale to local providers, who’d then sell it to consumers at retail. The 1 gigabyte/second service would be 50-100 times faster than the internet provided by traditional providers.

Source: Salon

Photo Source: Google

Google Takes Page From Microsoft Photosynth

Nick Upton — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:31:58 +0000

Google Maps is taking a note from Microsoft’s Photosynth and tapping into user photos to create street views of places that street view doesn’t reach.

Google released a video of the new addition in action, and it looks almost exactly like Photosynth. It basically uses location data and algorithms to combine photographs into a large panoramic view.

It’s a fascinating development for Google maps, and unlike Photosynth that requires someone to have all those pictures, photographers can just upload the picture to Maps layer and let Google do the work.

I can’t wait to see if this really catches on, this type of community interaction and collaboration really shows what the Internet can do with the right tools.

Google Labs Promotes 6, Kills 5

Asterios Kokkinos — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:00:48 +0000

A graduation day for some, an execution day for others. Ah, the digital circle of life.

Google Labs recently did a bit of housecleaning in its more than 60 features, pulling up nearly as many as it pushed down to web oblivion. The six promoted?

Search Autocomplete, which works much like the Google home page autocomplete
Go To Label, which is pretty useless, but whatever
Forgotten Attachment Detector, which reminds you if you didn’t attach a document when replying to a document with attachments in the first place
YouTube Previews, which is awesome, and puts Youtube players right in your Gmail
Custom Label Colors, which are exactly what they sound like
Vacation Responder, which works much like Outlook’s vacation system

The 5 culled features?

Muzzle, which I never used anyway
Fixed Width Font, which was designed for people with smaller monitors, which I suppose is no longer a problem
Email Addict, which would annoyingly suggest you take a break from email (NEVER!)
Location in Signature, which was too creepy
and Random Signature, which would randomly generate a quote for your sig. Because who doesn’t want absolutely no forewarning on what their emails will say?

Source: InformationWeek

Photo Source: Google

Shut off the Buzz With New Google Buzz Settings

J. Matthew Zoss — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 20:00:33 +0000

I have yet to spend any real time with Google Buzz, and as such I’ve been looking for an easy way to turn it off. Like lots of email obsessives, I hate having a folder that has a ton of unread messages, so Buzz’s constant reminder that it exists has been a thorn in my side since it launched. Fortunately, Google has already updated Buzz with new options that address some of the early gripes about the feature.

First off, you can now hide the Buzz inbox completely and prevent the public from seeing your followers list (one of the biggest early complaints). If that’s not drastic enough for you, you can even permanently delete your Buzz account. Choosing that option will remove all traces of Buzz from your Google profile. Of course, like any Google product, you’re always able to restart it at a later date.

Story and Image via Lifehacker.

Google Makes Nearly $500 Million Off Typos

Nick Upton — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:35:33 +0000

A couple of Harvard boys took a survey of typosquatting web sites — sites that take advantage of common misspellings — and found nearly 1 million sites taking advantage of the top 3,264.

All those sites mean a whopping $497 million in ad revenue for Google.

To the researchers, Google’s funding and ad placement goes against the search giant’s “Do No Evil” mission.

So what’s the harm in typosquatting? First, typosquatting confuses consumers, causing them to visit sites different than the ones they intended to visit.

Second, site operators must pay large sums of money to ad platforms such as Google AdWords in order to reach the users who specifically requested the corresponding sites.

Third, we found evidence that ad platforms exacerbate typosquatting. Using regression analysis, we determined that websites in categories with higher pay-per-click ad prices face more typosquatting than websites whose keywords fetch lower ad prices.

We’ve likely all been caught by these types of sites at one point or another, and it really is annoying, but who knew people were making so much money off of what amounts to polluting the internet. I’m skeptical, but as more information like this comes out, hopefully things will change.

European internet laws limit these types of practices.

[Via Measuring Typosquatting Perpetrators and Funders

Google Shopper Allows For Mobile Comparison Shopping

Asterios Kokkinos — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:00:20 +0000

Another useful, mind bending app from Google Labs? Yeah, it’s expected at this point, but still very cool – a few days ago, Google introduced “Google Shopper,” a program that turns your Android handset into a mobile price scanner. You simply point your phone at the box art or barcode of something you’d like to buy, and presto – instant product information and price comparison across other retailers.

In addition to the barcode or box art scanners, you can also do a traditional text search or voice search. I think I’ll stick to the barcode scanner for obvious reasons of coolness and helping me feel as if I’m in the future. The app, which is currently a Google Labs feature, could well soon be bundled with new Android handsets, which would deal a real blow to price gougers everywhere. Knowledge is power!

Here’s Google’s self released video of the app in action.

Source & Photo Source: Mashable

Facebook Beats Yahoo, Is Now 2nd Most Visited Site Worldwide

Asterios Kokkinos — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 14:00:30 +0000

Web analytics company Compete.com has reported that Facebook has vaulted past Yahoo to become the second most visited site on the web behind Google.

Until two years ago, Yahoo was the most popular site on the planet. It was overtaken by Google, and now, Facebook, falling to the third most visited site on the web.

It’s always been a question of when for Yahoo. They’re outfoxed on search by Google, and Facebook just celebrated its 400 millionth user. The real question here is, “Do we need a Yahoo at all?”

To “google” something is now an adjective, whereas nobody “yahoo’s” anything. That and Facebook puts us in touch with old high school crushes in a way that Yahoo never could – how are we to stalk our past loves through Yahoo? Or play annoying games like Mafia Wars, or post links to minute causes that only we care about in order to look good to girls? Answer: we can’t, which is why Facebook wins.

There’s just no use for Yahoo anymore.

Google Buzz Hits 9 Million Posts & Comments

Asterios Kokkinos — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 13:00:31 +0000

What the hell is Google Buzz anyway? A BBS embedded in Gmail? A Twitter-killer? The death of Facebook? Well whatever it is, it’s got over 9 million posts and comments since its launch on Tuesday. That’s over 160,000 comments & posts per hour, and 200 posts per minute by mobile device.

That’s incredible for a service that launched about three days ago. For me personally, I find that my friends are taking to Google Buzz like moths to a hi-tech flame – people are “buzzing” up stories and photos, arguing over movies and generally acting like idiots on the internet always do.

I’ve sent out a Google Buzz or two myself, and I’ve noticed that the reactions are much more immediate. This could be due to Google Buzz’s relative shiny-newness, but I think it’s a little deeper – we’re constantly on Gmail. I have virtually no friends who use Yahoo or, god forbid, Hotmail – everyone I know is on Gmail. Everyone I know is also checking their Gmail twenty times a minute.

So what Google’s done is given us one more thing to obsessively check. While waiting for that email from that special someone, why not browse what your friends are “buzzing” about? Makes sense to me. Clever, Google.

Source: Mashable

Image Source: Google

Google Enters Hyperspeed Broadband Market

Asterios Kokkinos — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 00:12:02 +0000

Google’s quest to become the swiss army knife of technology added a new blade on Wednesday – an announcement of a new push to bring lightning fast broadband to homes around the country.

Their fiber optic service would bring gigabyte per second broadband to users at “competitive prices” with a user target of between 50,000 and 500,000 people.

Why’s Google entering the ISP game? Simple, really – a faster internet means a better Google. Between Google’s ever growing army of cloud apps and continued technological reliance in the fields of education, business and health, we’re going to need a faster internet. Soon.

Google will be using an “open access model,” which means they’ll come into a community and sell fiber optic access to the local ISPs at wholesale prices, who’ll then distribute it to consumers at retail.

So how do you get your hands on Google’s super-speedy internet fiber? In a very Google move, they’re not going where they’re not asked – your town has to nominate itself for Google to consider running its network there, either through the town government itself or the town’s residents. So if you’re interested, get cracking!

Source: PC World

Image Source: Google

Nexus One Moves “Only” 80,000 Units

Asterios Kokkinos — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:00:21 +0000

The same Flurry mobile analytics team who estimated that the Nexus One sold 20,000 units in its first week has come back with first month numbers – 80,000 units sold.

At first glance, these numbers aren’t great. The iPhone sold around 600,000 units in their first month, and the Droid recently moved about 525,000. But this is a false comparison – both the iPhone and the Droid plastered the entire country in billboards, commercials and those Steve Jobs black-turtleneck/blue jeans presentations that reporters find irresistible.

Compare this to the Nexus One, which had no marketing blitz, and is being sold directly to consumers through the Google website. Those are two things smartphone buyers have no experience with, so it’s no surprise the handsets aren’t flying off the shelves.

And sure, there’s been a rash of news stories about poor Nexus One customer service, or no AT&T 3G coverage, but you need to factor that against Google’s sterling reputation. We’re all on Gmail, a lot of us use Google Maps, and we do all our Googling with…Google.

My guess is that once people start to buy these phones and show them off to all their friends, more people will want them. It’ll be a slow burn, but it’s always a good idea to bet on Team Google.

Source: Mashable

Photo Source: ShowBizGalore

Google Buzz-ing With New Social Perks

Nick Upton — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:57:36 +0000

Google is taking direct aim at Twitter and Facebook, and putting the whole mess on Google Maps and Gmail.

Google has integrated Buzz into Gmail so users can keep up with their entire network of friends on Gmail without finding all their friends all over again. This could be huge for Google’s other services like Friend Connect which are interesting, but so far not very popular. It could mean that people really start paying attention to all their Google products more to see those little snippets from friends that are so addicting.

The picture sharing is especially interesting when linked up with Picasa and Flickr — which is much better than putting great pictures into the cloister of sites like Facebook.

And Google says the whole system is designed specifically for phones.

On your phone, Google Buzz is much more than just a small screen version of the desktop experience. Mobile devices add an important component to sharing: location.

Posts tagged with geographical information have an extra dimension of context — the answer to the question “where were you when you shared this?” can communicate so much. And when viewed in aggregate, the posts about a particular location can paint an extremely rich picture of that place.

I’m excited to play around with Buzz, especially because it could make checking up on friends a part of checking e-mail — something that can get tedious when one needs to head to Facebook and Twitter and Flickr and MySpace etc.

[Via Google]

Google’s First Super Bowl Ad Ran Yesterday

Asterios Kokkinos — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:07:27 +0000

Google’s first Super Bowl commercial ran yesterday – in case you missed it, here it is again.

The spot, entitled “Parisian Love,” gives a pretty good tug on the heartstrings. It’d better – they likely spent in the range of $2.5 to $3 million dollars airing it.

Google, who have been notoriously anti-commercials, have been doing more and more television advertising lately. Does this signal a big shift in their communication strategy? Given the relatively non-existent ramp-up for the Nexus One, it’d seem that Google is of two minds about their policy.

Still, all of their commercials so far have been pretty cool, and I’d love to see more of them over time. Just as long as we can avoid giant, eyesore-inflicting Google billboards.

Source: Venture Beat

Doodle 4 Google Contest Only Open To Kids, Dammit

Asterios Kokkinos — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 19:00:34 +0000

Google’s launched the latest iteration of their “Google 4 Doodle” contest, which invites students grades K-12 to design a drawing around the Google logo.

Yeah, that’s right, the contest is only open to kids. This is a national disgrace. What’s the point of even having a civil rights movement if Google can just take them away from me, like that? What, are my grown up doodles not good enough for you, Google? THIS IS AN OUTRAGE.

For those lucky enough to fit within Google’s arbitrary preset age limits, prizes include laptops, a trip to Google’s offices in New York, netbooks, WACOM tablets and t-shirts. All things I could use, right now. Do these kids have any idea what I could do with a new laptop and a WACOM tablet? My designs would change the world, dammit, the world!

The grand prize winner gets a $15,000 dollar scholarship, which he or she’ll probably waste on school. Not me, man. You give me fifteen grand and I’m out of here, starting a new life down in the Bahamas. For 3 months or so. I guess 15 grand really isn’t “fuck you people I’m out of here” money, it’s more, “prudently invest this” money.

Source: Google

Google Store Sells $300 Scarf, Keeps Straight Face

Asterios Kokkinos — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 14:00:20 +0000

The Google Store (which before this story I had no idea existed) is selling a ton of high end clothing and accessories, apparently under the impression that any of us have any money these days.

Chief among the items sold? This $300 designer scarf, “inspired by Google.” How a search engine could inspire a long rag you wear around your neck is beyond me, but to be fair, it is designed with the Google colors. Also, designers Alexa Adams and Flora Gill claim the scarf is designed to be worn several different ways, so as to be as “multi-functional as Google itself.”

Yeah, I can think of plenty of ways you could wear this scarf! You could wear it around your neck on a bread line, wrap it around your head at the unemployment office, or use it as a noose when the depression of our nation’s +10% unemployment finally gets to you!

Google’s also selling an $85 t-shirt inspired by Google Maps and a $200 magnifying glass pendant inspired by Google’s ability to search for things. Maybe while you’re searching, you can look up “common sense!”

Source & Image Source: TechCrunch

The Motorola “Devour”: Great Function, Crappy Name

Asterios Kokkinos — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:00:00 +0000

Motorola & Verizon are releasing a brand new Android phone, which is always welcome news. It’s got a snazzy new Android-variant built in called “Motoblur,” which includes a “happenings” widget that’ll immediately alert you to new messages/updates on social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace (for the eight people still using MySpace). It shoves these updates, as well as your texts and emails, into a “universal inbox,” which is a great time saving concept.

It also comes with a preinstalled 8GB MicroSD card, preloaded apps for Gmail, Google Talk, YouTube, Google Search, and Google Maps and a GPS locator built in so you can find your lost phone (or wipe it remotely).

Sounds like a great phone, right? Yeah, except it’s called the “Devour.” What, was the Motorola “Consume” already taken? Will the next model be the Motorola “Stuff Your Face?” C’mon, Motorola, get your head in the game! What paranoid about her weight 13 year old girl’s gonna wanna walk around with a phone called the “Devour?” I’ll tell you which one – an unpopular one.

Get it together, Motorola!

Source & Photo Source: Gearlog

The App Store Is Coming! The App Store Is Coming!

Asterios Kokkinos — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 22:00:14 +0000

Google’s App Store is right around the corner – hooray for the 12 people out there who own a Nexus One!

Actually, this is great news for anyone running Android – soon, you’ll be able to download crappy application after crappy application just like your iPhone’d counterparts.

According to the Wall Street Journal, many of the applications planned will be third party add-ons to Google’s existing suite – programs like Gchat, Gmail, Google Maps may soon get programs enhancing their security, filling in gaps in their word processing or allowing for better porting of information.

As someone who’se already in love with the Gsuite (I’ve been using Gmail since college), this is pretty cool news. Hopefully Google won’t be as iron fisted about what they allow or disallow as Apple, who, according to NPR, rejected an application for including the word “fuck.”

Rumor has it that Google will drop it’s announcement in March – when we get more information, we’ll let you know.

Source: Mashable

Image Source: HTCpedia

Multitouch Comes To Nexus One!

Nick Upton — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 01:02:31 +0000

A small section of a Google announcement carried a lot of weight today.

Pinch-to-zoom functionality: devices will now include a new pinch-to-zoom mechanism in the phone’s Browser, Gallery and Maps applications

That little, innocuous and unpunctuated comment is HUGE! Until now, only the iPhone has had native multitouch — and it took a lot of hassle, hacking and unlocking to get it on other phones.

The Nexus One was already at the top of my gadget wish list, and now it’s taken over part of my number two gadget.

Watch the video to see the multitouch in action.
Also included in the update was native Google Goggles AR application and synchronization with online Google maps via the Maps application — making it easy to search online and mobile history on board.

[Via Google]

Google Offers Cash Rewards For Finding Bugs in Chrome

Asterios Kokkinos — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 13:00:24 +0000

Calling all serious developers and wannabe hackers – Google just announced that locating a bug within its Chrome browser (either the current build or the open source Chromium project) will come with a sweet cash reward!

How much cash? Between $500 and $1337 (get it?), depending on the severity of the bug. You need to be the first to report the bug to Google’s bug tracker, and are free to tell the whole world about Google’s embarrassing security vulnerability while still collecting your loot – this isn’t a “cash for silence” gambit, it looks like Google seriously just wants its bugs gone.

Very clever, Google. Rewarding the internet for punching hole after hole in your software, which is what they were planning on doing anyway. Can anyone imagine Microsoft doing anything similar? I can’t – if they gave cash for every bug found in IE or Windows 7 it might well bankrupt the company! (ZING!)

Source & Photo Source: Google’s Chromium Blog

Yubby: Google For Video, Not Much Else

Asterios Kokkinos — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:00:10 +0000

Finally, there’s a service that searches all the other websites that carry video and allows you to put them all into one embeddable player. Or if such a service did exist, I wasn’t aware of it and so this feels new. Anyway, it’s called Yubby, and covers 34 different search services, from the bigger names like Youtube and Yahoo! Video to smaller engines like Veronica, a video service so obscure that I cannot find it online.

It’s easy enough to use, and I created the following little embeddable video widget cataloging some video of a hilarious performer named “Asterios Kokkinos.” Watch out for this guy, he’s clearly got talent and moxie!

You are watching channel Asterios’ Video

What’s that? It doesn’t work with Wordpress, and only creates a hyperlink? Boo, Yubby, boo. What, am I supposed to dust off my Myspace page to embed this damn thing? Individual videos can be embedded if your Wordpress page has the right plugins installed, but I can’t get this player as a whole to work.

Wow, what a dissapointment. The entire internet’s running on Wordpress, Yubby! Get it together!

So, the verdict – Yubby is pretty good if you’re looking for a video and don’t feel like searching 34 different websites. But its embeddable player, which is supposedly the point of it, can’t be linked to in Facebook and can’t be embedded in a Wordpress post.

Google Dumps Chinese Search Engine Censorship

Nex — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 23:11:09 +0000

Striking a blow for freedom of information, search engine giant Google has announced plans to discontinue its oft-criticized censorship of the firm’s Chinese iteration, Google.cn.

“We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn, and so over the next few weeks we will be discussing with the Chinese government the basis on which we could operate an unfiltered search engine within the law, if at all,” reads the announcement on Google’s official company blog.

That “if at all” bit is where things get a bit tricky however, as the Chinese government is notorious for its efforts to monitor and control any and all information that flows into and out of the gigantic Communist territory. The whole place is like 10 million square kilometers of George Orwell’s worst nightmares (that just also happens to have really awesome Chinese food).

Since the free flow of information would make it incredibly hard for the government to properly oppress the masses (regardless of the quality of their spring rolls), I expect Google China to be run over by a tank sometime in the next week.

Source: Google Blog

Photo Source: Google.cn

Google Grabs Graffiti and Goes Global

Geoffrey Golden — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:57:03 +0000

You might think of graffiti as a strictly a local art form. After all, graffiti artists are painting on the sides of neighborhood buildings. It’s impractical to tear down a brick wall and send it on a tour of art galleries. (Then again, size hasn’t stopped Jeff Koons‘ work from getting around.)

Thanks to Google Maps Street View launching in the UK, Brits have been geotagging their favorite pieces of local graffiti and posting links around the web. Finally, a spray painted penis, captioned with the word “wanker,” can be seen by those of us outside of London.

Actually, there are some truly amazing works of graffiti getting posted, like the awesome “building cat.” Check out this gallery for more.

Google Suggestions Prove How Horrible We Are

Asterios Kokkinos — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 05:35:31 +0000

Jeff, our editor at Technomaly, asked me to type “why do girls” or “why do black people” into Google, and see what the suggestions were. Well, here it is – absolute proof that we, as a species, are doomed.

Have You Heard The Word Is Google?

Geoffrey Golden — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 00:08:00 +0000

Tech words are dominating the English language, according to The American Dialect Society. They recently announced that the word “google,” as in, “So I googled it and found out my cat shouldn’t be making those noises,” was named the society’s Word of the Decade. I’m not surprised. As the internet audience went from enormous to ginormous this decade, Google searching became an important part of our every day lives. However, I’m sure the people Alta Vista are pissed off that “Alta Vista-ing” didn’t catch on.

Another tech word got high marks from the ADS. “Tweet” was picked as their top word of 2009. There’s no doubt that tweeting was a popular word last year, but it seems ironic to give a word award to Twitter. After all, the whole point of Twitter is to get people to use less words. Don’t believe me? Google it.

[Image via]

Apple Schadenfreude: Nexus One Moves “Only” 20,000 Units

Asterios Kokkinos — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 15:18:30 +0000

Apparently, the iPhone sold 80 times more units in its launch week than the Nexus One did. In fact, a lot of Android phones out there did better their first week than the Nexus One – just look at that sweet chart from Flurry.com.

For me, the surprise is how other people are surprised – the Nexus One costs $180, and we’re in a recession. Additionally, this is Google’s first physical product, so I can understand consumer skepticism – there’s no real brand loyalty to take advantage of here because everyone’s an early adopter.

To me, this is an example of reporters looking for stage two of their media narrative – the built up the Nexus One through exclusive after exclusive, preview after preview – now it’s time to tear the thing down. It’s hard to write story after story where the headline is “Everything’s Fine: Thing Is Doing As Expected.”

Source: Fast Company

Photo Sourse: Flurry

Google To End Censorship In China

Nick Upton — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:54:56 +0000

In a surprising move — especially after weathering so much flak for Chinese censorship — Google says it will no longer censor Google products in China.

While surprising, the action isn’t unprompted. According to a Google blog post, it is in response to a security attack that sought to spy on human rights activists.

… We have evidence to suggest that a primary goal of the attackers was accessing the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists. Based on our investigation to date we believe their attack did not achieve that objective. Only two Gmail accounts appear to have been accessed, and that activity was limited to account information (such as the date the account was created) and subject line, rather than the content of e-mails themselves.

Third, as part of this investigation but independent of the attack on Google, we have discovered that the accounts of dozens of U.S.-, China- and Europe-based Gmail users who are advocates of human rights in China appear to have been routinely accessed by third parties. These accounts have not been accessed through any security breach at Google, but most likely via phishing scams or malware placed on the users’ computers.

Google says it will take a “new approach to China.” And by new approach, Google means that it could shut down Chinese offices completely.

These attacks and the surveillance they have uncovered — combined with the attempts over the past year to further limit free speech on the web — have led us to conclude that we should review the feasibility of our business operations in China. We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn, and so over the next few weeks we will be discussing with the Chinese government the basis on which we could operate an unfiltered search engine within the law, if at all. We recognize that this may well mean having to shut down Google.cn, and potentially our offices in China.

The Google move could be important for free speech, even if it comes off as a little dubious. The Google China office employs about 800 people at last count — 800 well-paid people that would be out of work. By threatening a total shutdown of what has become a huge player for the Chinese Internet, China may loosen some restrictions.

Google initially agreed to omit Web content that the country’s government found objectionable and the debate became a struggle for execs trying to align the censorship with their “don’t be evil” motto.

Via Google.

Google Launches “Near Me Now” Button, Delights Millions

Asterios Kokkinos — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 21:45:52 +0000

Google’s mobile suite has been nothing short of fantastic. Mobile Gmail is simple and powerful, and Mobile Google Reader keeps you in touch with your RSS feeds on the road. Now, Google raises the stakes with “Near Me Now,” which replaces the need for an separate GPS app to tell you what’s near you with the click of a link.

It just launched today for iPhone and Android models. What makes this particularly exciting is that it’ll tap into Google’s pre-existing review database – everything on Google Local has the ability to be reviewed & rated (much like Yelp), and “Near Me Now” will pull up those reviews when it tells you what’s around you.

I can’t wait to see what this feature looks like on the Nexus One. It’ll probably straight-up teleport you to your next location or something.

Source & Photo Source: FastCompany.

Nexus One vs. Droid. Fight!

J. Matthew Zoss — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 03:45:00 +0000

Just a few short days ago, Google announced the Nexus One, the first phone designed by the technology giant. But only a few months ago, Motorola released the Droid, their fancy smartphone that runs on Google’s Android software and was supposed to be the next hot thing in phones. Keeping up with cell phone technology can be daunting, especially if you’re not one of those folks who obsesses over every little bit of phone tech news (and believe me, those people are out there). To help you decide between the two latest high-profile guide, we offer up this features comparison that will walk you through the differences, but more importantly, what those differences mean.

PROCESSOR

The Droid runs on a 600MHz processor. The Nexus One runs on a 1GHz processor. Obviously, that means that the Nexus One is much faster. The big advantage of this is that it will be able to multi-task complex applications to a degree that no previous phone has been capable of.

KEYBOARD AND DISPLAY

One of the Droid’s main selling points is its slide-out keyboard. However, because of small keys, no one seems to like it much. The Nexus One has only a touch screen keyboard. Tthe Droid has a 3.7-inch screen that displays video at 854 x 480 pixels. In comparison, the Nexus One’s screen operates at 800 x 480 pixels. Most consumers probably won’t notice a difference.

OPERATING SYSTEM

The Droid runs the Google Android 2.0 operating system. The Nexus One runs Android 2.1. Despite the small numerical difference, 2.1 adds major features such as a 3D photo album and a voice command recognition. You’ll be able to operate Google Maps with your voice while you’re driving, for example.

SERVICE

I don’t want to get too deep into the particulars or plans and costs, because that stuff gets messy quickly. Here are the basics: the Droid is a Verison phone, The Nexus One is not exclusive to any carrier. Google has a deal with T-Mobile to provide service for the device (the $179 price point is with a two-year contract), but the Nexus One is available for use on any cell phone network, provided it uses the same cell phone protocol. One of the main concepts behind the Nexus One is that switching service providers shouldn’t force you to switch phones.

For more information on the Nexus One, the Droid and how they compare against each other and other leading smart phones, see the comparison chart here.

Nexus One Hunted Down By Blade Runner?

J. Matthew Zoss — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 22:08:33 +0000

Google’s sexy new smart phone the Nexus One is getting a lot coverage right now in both the tech world and the mainstream media. With all the excitement around the phone, it’s sure to be a big hit already. However, not everyone is happy about the phone – or at least about its name. The estate of science fiction writer Philip K. Dick is especially annoyed. Dick, as most geeks know, was the author of “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” If you haven’t heard of the novel, you’ve probably heard of the film adaptation: Blade Runner. In both versions, Blade Runner Rick Deckard is hired to “retire” rogue Nexus-6 Replicants. The earliest version of these androids were of course called “Nexus-1.”

The Wall Street Journal reports that Dick’s estate is ‘dealing’ with the issue now, pointing out that both the name of the phone and the operating system it runs on, Android, appear to reference Dick’s novel. Now, it would be silly to assume Google will be changing the name of the phone. After all, they’re Google – they have enough money to come to some kind of agreement with the Dick estate. Let’s all hope they can work it out. The phone looks cool enough that no one wants to see it run into roadblocks, and Philip K. Dick is a respected enough author that his estate should receive what’s owed to them. Nobody needs to hunt people down and retire them here, folks.