Tag Archives: Google

Google gets a makeover

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You can call it Exteme Makeover: Google Edition. Over the past few weeks Google has been rolling out a new look across many of their services, including the Google homepage, Gmail, Google Calendar, and YouTube. “The way people use and experience the web is evolving, and our goal is to give you a more seamless and consistent online experience—one that works no matter which Google product you’re using or what device you’re using it on,” explains Google. In a word they’re simply streamlining all their intertwined experiences, and the changes are ” founded on three key design principles: focus, elasticity and effortlessness.”

At Google‘s homepage you’ll surely notice the new black strip located across the top; the colorful logo is smaller and centered, the Search and Lucky buttons have a new hue, and the About, Privacy, and Advertising links have been moved to the bottom left-hand corner of the page. In Gmail and Calendar everything is bolder and more roomier to match the new homepage aesthetic. Design cues were certainly carried over from Google+. Google’s also experimenting with YouTube’s look; Cosmic Panda is the codename for the video player’s new sheen. YouTube is positively sleek in its new coat of paint.

Google’s homepage and Calendar changes have been rolling out to users automatically. To experience Gmail and YouTube’s new flairs you must enable it manually. In Gmail, select “Preview” and “Preview (Dense)” themes in the Themes tab in Gmail Settings; to play around with Cosmic Panda head over to this YouTube portal and click “Try it out.” Since Google’s still testing it out and awaiting customer feedback, you can revert back to the classic look at any time.

It will take time for every Google service to fall in line aesthetically with the new homepage, but there’s no denying that Google’s first wave of cosmetic changes is simply delightful and, well, downright sexy.

Google+ …what comes after Facebook? A comprehensive tour of Google’s attempt at social.

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Google is the king of search. But when it comes to social networking…well, we only have to look at Wave (an experiment that failed) and Buzz (a Twitter competitor that never caught on) for that answer. With Google+, the search giant takes aim at Facebook and it wants to become the destination for socializing with the people you know and the ones you’ll make down the road. The Google+ Project is currently in “Field Test” mode meaning that the company is still working out the kinks and tweaking and adding features to the service while a small selection of users try it out. The project is by invitation-only, and I was able to snag an invite earlier today. Read on after the break as I take you on a tour through the interface and the handful of features the service currently offers.

Continue reading Google+ …what comes after Facebook? A comprehensive tour of Google’s attempt at social. →

Google intros Voice Search & Search by Image

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I’m sure you noticed the new microphone icon that sits in the far right corner of the Google search box. Click it and now you can speak your search! Google hopes that this new feature will be useful for hard-to-spell and complex searches. Voice Search is rolling out now on google.com in English; if you don’t see it yet you should soon.

When you head over to Google Images, a new camera icon replaces the microphone in the search box. Click it to upload any picture from your computer or paste in an image URL from the web and Google will try to figure out what it is and provide relevant results. For example, if you upload an old vacation photo Google will try to pick out and identify landmarks and then instantly provide other images and relevant websites pertaining to the landmark. Give it a try at images.google.com. The new feature is being rolled out now globally in 40 languages.

Note that these new features require the Chrome browser to work. Search by Image, however, can be used inside Firefox if you download the appropriate extension available here. Demonstration videos sit after the break.

[Via GoogleBlog] Continue reading Google intros Voice Search & Search by Image →

Google is ready to infiltrate your wallet

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This week Google announced their newest vision of the future. “Make your phone your wallet.” On the surface, it’s that simple really. Google wants to improve the overall shopping experience and make transactions more streamlined for consumers and businesses alike. In essence, consumers will be able to run the Google Wallet app on their smartphone and use it to store credit card information on the device. Built-in NFC (near-field communication) technology, people will simply tap their phones on compatible readers at retailers and in seconds a transaction can take place. No fiddling for cash or plastic cards. In addition, Wallet will be integrated with Google Offers. If you sign up for Offers today (a Google service that is currently in beta), you will receive a new offer–deals on products and services at local or online businesses–in your inbox. Offers can also be manually searched for and saved in your Google Account. Accumulated offers are automatically synced with Google Wallet; so if you have an offer at Subway to save money on a sandwich, during your checkout the offer will instantly be applied during the transaction. It’s all seamless. In addition to storing credit cards and offers, Wallet can also save loyalty cards and gift cards that can then be used at matching retailers. Wallet will automatically redeem offers and earn loyalty points for consumers at checkout. Worried about security? Google says that all credit card information is securely stored on devices and Wallet enforces a PIN to be entered upon every transaction. Also, the required NFC antenna in phones is only activated when the screen is powered on so if you’re walking down the street with your phone sleeping in your pocket the secured data cannot be tampered with (and remember, a PIN is required to access the data).

Next let’s talk about partnerships. As you should know, Google is all about open ecosystems so their ultimate goal is to make the Wallet and Offers services ubiquitous in the retail space. But you have to start somewhere, right? The search giant has partnered with Citi Mastercard, First Data, Sprint, and a handful of retailers including Subway, Macy’s, Walgreens, and Toys ‘R Us to begin their field testing in San Fransisco and New York. At first the Google Wallet app will only work on the Nexus S 4G, the NFC-equipped Sprint smartphone. As NFC starts to expand to more devices, Google is open to bringing the app to more devices in the future. They even went on to say they’d be willing to share the app with other OS makers including Apple and RIM. It was specified that phones without the NFC chip can utilize Wallet so long as they have an NFC sticker ’round back. Google plans to release the app into the wild on a broader scale sometime this summer.

Here are a few more details that came out of the announcement. Initially the app will only accept Citi MasterCard or Google Prepaid Card; the latter can be funded from any of your existing plastic credit cards. Google Wallet will immediately be accepted at the hundreds of thousands of PayPass-enabled retailers nationally and globally. All consumers have to do is tap their phone to a PayPass terminal and the transaction will take place, available offers used and loyalty points acquired. For more information, check out the full press release after the break as well as video testimonials from the launch partners.

As is usually the case with Google, this is just the beginning. The company envisions a future where Wallet “will be the one thing that holds everything you need to carry” including boarding passes, tickets, ID, and even keys. It’s a future we’ve all been anticipating. Google’s dreaming big here, and it all starts with forcing commerce to fully trust and embrace the information highway. Unlike Google’s failed social service, Wallet might just be the wave of the future.

[Via Google 1, 2] Continue reading Google is ready to infiltrate your wallet →

Google I/O 2011: Music Beta, Android Ice Cream Sandwich, Android@Home, Chrome OS, Chrome Web Store

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Yesterday and today Google hosted its renowned developer’s conference dubbed Google I/O 2011. Literally thousands of developers flocked to San Fransisco’s Moscone Center to find out what Google’s been cooking up on their end. This year’s event proved to be leaps and bounds more exciting than last year’s conference. Google introduced their new cloud-based music service called Music Beta; they unveiled Ice Cream Sandwich, the next version of Android that promises to bridge the gap between Gingerbread and Honeycomb; Android is going into the home automation business with Google’s impressive initiative Android@Home; Chrome OS is finally ready for the big leagues–Samsung and Acer are prepping Chromebooks for mass consumption; and Angry Birds has landed in the browser!

So much to discuss–it’s all a hop, skip and a jump after the break. Continue reading Google I/O 2011: Music Beta, Android Ice Cream Sandwich, Android@Home, Chrome OS, Chrome Web Store →

YouTube adds 3,000 movies from major Hollywood studios to its stable

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YouTube’s been offering movies to rent since 2009, but the streaming service never really popped due to lack of popular content. Things are about to change. Thanks to super-duper partnerships with major Hollywood studios like NBC Universal, Sony Pictures, and Warner Bros. the collection of rentable movies from YouTube just got a whole lot more exciting. In a press release, YouTube says that customers can expect classic films such as Caddyshack, Goodfellas, Scarface, and Taxi Driver to blockbuster new releases like Inception, The King’s Speech, Little Fockers, The Green Hornet and Despicable Me to start making their way into the video store shortly. New titles will continually be added to the library every week. The renting process is simple and works similarly to competitors out there (read: Apple TV, etc.). Sign into your YouTube account, browse the movies library, and rent a movie with your credit card. Pricing ranges from $2.99 to $3.99 depending on SD/HD resolutions and new releases vs. older selections. Interestingly the press release notes that the site supports video in up to 4k resolution, but I don’t see studios uploading that kind of quality in the foreseeable future. Once a movie is rented, customers will have 30 days to begin watching and once the movie is played it will vanish from existence in 24 hours. Note that movies are strictly streamed over the Internet and not downloaded locally. They are viewable on PCs and Google TVs only for the time being. YouTube is trying to differentiate itself by including “YouTube Movie Extras,” free behind-the-scenes videos, cast interviews, parodies, clips and remixes from YouTube’s unique community of content creators alongside the rentable movies.

Head over to youtube.com/movies to check out the new and highly improved movie selection. Full PR with FAQ after the break.

[Via YouTube 1, 2] Continue reading YouTube adds 3,000 movies from major Hollywood studios to its stable →

April Fools, 2011 edition: Google kicks things off with Gmail Motion [Update: And oh so much more]

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Just signed out of Gmail and was prompted to check out a new feature in beta called Gmail Motion.

Gmail Motion uses your computer’s built-in webcam and Google’s patented spatial tracking technology to detect your movements and translate them into meaningful characters and commands. Movements are designed to be simple and intuitive for people of all skill levels.

Head over to the elaborately detailed website Google has dedicated to this fun prank. There you’ll find more information about the technology behind Gmail Motion and hear what a “paralanguage expert” and “movement specialist” have to say about it. In due time, the search company plans to expand Motion into Google Docs (creating a pie chart is a riot).

Update: Looks like Google’s pulling a handful of pranks this year. Hop after the break to see what they’re all about. Continue reading April Fools, 2011 edition: Google kicks things off with Gmail Motion [Update: And oh so much more] →

Google wants you to ‘like’ search results using new feature called “+1s” (also, Kansas City gets ultra high-speed network)

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So you know how you can ‘like’ websites, in the same way you can ‘like’ a friend’s status update on Facebook? Well Google wants a slice of the social recommendation pie, and they’re doing that by introducing a new Google Search feature called +1s. El Goog describes it as “the digital shorthand for “this is pretty cool.”” If you understand the ‘like’ concept invented by Facebook, you’ll immediately get what Google is going for with +1. When you tap the new +1 button, which is located at the end of every search result right next to the Instant Preview magnifying glass icon, you are instantly recommending that site to friends and the public at large. Need a concrete example to fully comprehend what’s going on here? Google explains…

“Say, for example, you’re planning a winter trip to Tahoe, Calif. When you do a search, you may now see a +1 from your slalom-skiing aunt next to the result for a lodge in the area. Or if you’re looking for a new pasta recipe, we’ll show you +1’s from your culinary genius college roommate. And even if none of your friends are baristas or caffeine addicts, we may still show you how many people across the web have +1’d your local coffee shop. … The beauty of +1’s is their relevance—you get the right recommendations (because they come from people who matter to you), at the right time (when you are actually looking for information about that topic) and in the right format (your search results).”

Currently the search giant requires you to be logged into a Google Account to see the +1 results. The new feature will already rolling out to English Google search results and ads. Once you see them appear, start +1-ing and let the great social search experiment begin!

In related Google news, the company has selected Kansas City, Kansas to be the inaugural recipient of the fiber-based ultra high-speed 1 gigabit broadband network. Back in February of last year Google began a country-wide search looking for a U.S. to use as a test subject for its broadband network installation plans. The mayor of Topeka, Kansas went so far as legally changing the name of the town to “Google” for the entire month of April to gain the attention of the company; but in the end, Google selected Kansas City and things are about to get blazingly fast there. But don’t fret, towns that didn’t get selected. Google assures everyone that “today is the start, not the end of the project. And over the coming months, we’ll be talking to other interested cities about the possibility of us bringing ultra high-speed broadband to their communities.”

Look after the break to watch videos summing up the +1 and Kansas City news bites.

[Via GoogleBlog 1, 2] Continue reading Google wants you to ‘like’ search results using new feature called “+1s” (also, Kansas City gets ultra high-speed network) →

Flash 10.2 coming to Android Market March 18th

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Today Adobe announced that they’re delivering on their promise to bring updated Flash support to Android devices next week. Flash Player 10.2 will be available for download via Android Market on March 18th. The new player will work on the three most recent versions of Android–that is, 2.2 (Froyo) and 2.3 (Gingerbread), and 3.0 (Honeycomb). It remains in beta form for the tablet version of the OS. The update is detailed after the break, PR-style.

[Via Engadget] Continue reading Flash 10.2 coming to Android Market March 18th →

Watch Android activate across the globe

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Google has put together this fascinating look at the growth of Android between October 2008 and January 2011. Spots around the world light up when an Android-powered smartphones get activated. It’s fun to watch significant spikes light up the map when specific phones released into the market. See how the launch of Motorola’s Droid and others affected the growth of Google’s open-source platform in the visualization embedded above.

[Via AndroidCentral]

Motorola Xoom goes on sale February 24 for $600 on contract

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The wait for a worthy iPad contender has been tiring. Samsung’s Android 2.2-powered Galaxy Tab couldn’t compete with Apple’s iOS offerings (its successor, on the other hand, is anticipated). Android is finally ready to make the move to tablets, and Honeycomb looks scrumptious. The first Android 3.0-powered tablet out of the gate will be Motorola’s 10.1-inch Xoom, detailed here. Tomorrow, February 24 the Xoom will be made available on Verizon’s 3G network with promise of upgraded 4G LTE capabilities (at no additional charge) later this year (Q2 2011, somewhat more specifically). Here’s the pricing options you’ve got at launch. You can purchase the Xoom for $599.99 if you sign a new two-year contract with VZW; 3G data pricing starts at $20 for 1GB of monthly access. Or if you don’t feel like tying yourself to a carrier you can simply drop two additional Benjamins and rely on Internet access via WiFi hotspots. The pricer Xoom is currently listed on Best Buy, but it’s slapped with an in-store only pickup option. Verizon is also teasing it on its website, and their press release ambiguously says it’ll be available through them as well (online/in-store purchasing is not specified, unfortunately).

Update: We’re past midnight and tomorrow is now today. Verizon’s teaser site has transformed into an order page so there you go. Just to make things clear, Motorola is selling two SKUs: the $600 3G (upgradeable to 4G) model and the $800 non-3G (but still upgradeable to 4G) model. Apparently a cheaper WiFi-only version is in the works, but neither Moto nor Verizon have specified its arrival date.

Oh and there’s this. The Xoom will not ship with Flash support at launch. Crazy, right? At least the wait isn’t that long, and we know it is coming. According to Adobe, the makers of the ubiquitous video standard, “Flash Player 10.2 [will be] pre-installed on some tablets and [arrive] as an OTA download on others within a few weeks of Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) devices becoming available, the first of which is expected to be the Motorola Xoom.” A few weeks time, you can handle it.

Jump after the break to find the aforementioned PR and a super cool Xoom teaser produced by the carrier.

[Via Engadget 1, 2, 3] Continue reading Motorola Xoom goes on sale February 24 for $600 on contract →