Tag Archives: Google

Android continues to grow, takes top spot away from RIM in US smartphone market

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According to The NPD Group, a market research company, Google’s Android smartphone OS has climbed to the #1 spot for most purchased smartphone OS in the U.S.  In doing so it pushes past RIM’s Blackberry OS and Apple’s iOS 4.  Here’s the official standings for Q2 2010: #1- Android (33%), #2- RIM (28 %), #3- iOS4 (23%).  RIM dropped 9 points since the previous quarter and has not been positioned in second place since 2007.  And if you’re wondering, Android gained 5 points and Apple picked up a single point over the course of the quarter.  The top 5 best-selling Android devices in the second quarter of year are Motorola Droid, HTC Droid Incredible, HTC EVO 4G, HTC Hero, and HTC Droid Eris.  Ross Rubin, executive director of industry analysis for NPD, says that though the recently announced Blackberry 6 will “offer features that have been popular in recently launched Android handsets,” the first crop of supported devices, namely the Blackberry Torch on AT&T, “lacks the large screen allure that has characterized the best selling Android devices at its price point.”  In other words, he is blaming Android’s wild successs on the myriad of Motorola and HTC handsets that feature large screens (ie. Droid & EVO 4G).  And if RIM doesn’t start to change their ways with new innovations (Blackberry 6 fails to impress at first glance), it might be a while until they reclaim their old title as the most selling OS in the hotly competitive smartphone market.  And how ’bout dem U.S. carriers?  #1- Verizon Wireless (33%), #2- AT&T (25%), Sprint (12%), T-Mobile (11%).  Full PR is after the break.

[Via Engadget] Continue reading Android continues to grow, takes top spot away from RIM in US smartphone market →

YouTube increases upload limit to 15 minutes, lets us play Snake during buffer periods

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Since its inception way back in 2005 YouTube limited video upload length to 10 minutes.  After reviewing their most requested features, YouTube has decided to increase that limit by 50 percent to 15 minutes.  Up to this point only revenue-sharing “parterns” have been allowed to upload video longer than 10 minutes, but now good ‘ol regular users can get in on the fun.  I’m not so sure if I need to witness an extra 5 minutes of “double rainbow all the way” (OK, maybe I do), but this increase will definitely help out those users who upload lengthy tutorials; now you might notice a smaller amount of videos being broken up in “parts” thanks to the increase time limit.  Take heed: “If you’re uploading a video that was previously rejected for being too long, you’ll have to go into “My Videos” and delete it before attempting to upload it again.”

In other YouTube news… do you remember the super simple but classic and highly addicting game called Snake?  It was preloaded onto many early Nokia dumbphones back in the day.  It’s the one where you take the form of a snake and your goal is to collect small food pellets the pop up in different areas on the screen; every time you eat a pellet the snake grows longer.  You lose when you tie yourself up and make the snake’s head run into a part of its body or run into the edges of the screen.  Anyway…YouTube has incorporated the game into all of its videos as an easter egg.  While you’re waiting for a video to start streaming (or if it gets stuck buffering) start mashing the left arrow key on your keyboard to turn the video loading circle icon into a snake; play with the directional keys.  If you want to give it a try but have fast Internet speeds, trying loading an intensive HD 1080p or better yet a 4K resolution video.  Happy trails.

[Via YouTubeBlog; Engadget, here & here]

Google spruces up Images portal

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This week Google pushed out the most significant overhaul of Google Images since it was introduced way back in 2001.  The instantly recognizable cosmetic changes?  The portal has gone textless, opting for a tiled layout with instant scrolling.  When you input a keyword, Google will present 1,000 related images to you, allowing you to instantly scrub through the content without the hastle of clicking through various pages.  Since the text is gone, larger thumbnail previews result.  Where’d all the text go, you ask?  If you hover over a particular image, a “hover pane” will pop up and show you the image size, name, source, and Google’s “similar images” option.  When you click an image you are brought to a new landing page; the image will be produced on top of its source’s website.  When you click anywhere outside the image it disappears and reveals the source page so you can see exactly where it’s coming from.  Optimized keyboard navigation and Image Search Ads round out the updates.  Google is rolling out the new interface worldwide over the course of this week.  Check in now to see if you’ve got it.

[Via GoogleBlog]

Ridley Scott invites you to become part of history in ‘Life in a Day’ film project

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Every day, 6.7 billion people view the world through their own unique lens. Imagine if there was a way to collect all of these perspectives, to aggregate and mold them into the cohesive story of a single day on earth.

Life in a Day, a YouTube compilation video to be largely edited by Oscar-winning director Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland) and executive produced by director Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Blade Runner), will attempt to tell such a story.  It’s being hailed as a “historic cinematic experiment” that relies on you (yes, you) to contribute to the short film.  If you want to participate in the effort, all you have to is capture events that happen in your own life on July 24 and upload your video to the Life in a Day channel by July 31.  Here are some suggestions from Google: “You can film the ordinary — a sunrise, the commute to work, a neighborhood soccer match, or the extraordinary — a baby’s first steps, your reaction to the passing of a loved one, or even a marriage.”  Head over to the channel for other ideas that may inspire you.  So here’s the deal: If your footage is selected to be put into the film, you’ll be credited as co-director and if you’re lucky you’ll get to attend the premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival with 19 others.  If you don’t make the final cut, Google reminds you that your submitted footage will live forever on the channel “as a time capsule that will tell future generations what it was like to be alive on July 24, 2010.”  Sappy, but it’s true!  It’s so easy to do these days, you might as well give it a shot.  On the 24th, whip out your Flip cam and take your dog for a walk.  Who knows, maybe you and Scrappy will make it big.  Need some words of encouragement?  Look after the break for a pep talk from Ridley Scott; the Nike shout-out aside, it should get some creative juices flowing.

[Via YouTubeBlog] Continue reading Ridley Scott invites you to become part of history in ‘Life in a Day’ film project →

YouTube intros Leanback; supports 4K video; updates mobile site

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Over the course of the last few days Google made a number of exciting announcements concerning its popular video site YouTube.  Read on for all the juicy details.  And make sure to peek after the break where you’ll find two brief videos that outline Leanback and YouTube Mobile with the help of visuals.

YouTube Leanback: Leanback is a new way to watch videos on YouTube.  It makes the whole experience of watching Internet video feel more like you’re watching television.  Here’s how.  When you head over to  www.youtube.com/leanback, you are asked to login to your YouTube account.  Once that’s done, you enter the Leanback portal which instantly promotes minimalism.  A video instantly begins to play from a folder called “Your Feed.”  The videos found in this group are all based on your YouTube account settings, preferences, subscriptions, and previously watched videos.  And if you happen to have your YouTube account connected to your Facebook account, videos your friends are watching and sharing will find a home there too.  In addition to “Your Feed”, you can also browse all of the popular YouTube categories that include Comedy, Education, Entertainment, Music, News & Politics, and more.  If you have any uploaded videos in your account, they will show up at the end of this list.  Videos will automatically stream at their highest quality (HD if available).  Everything in Leanback is controlled with the four arrow keys, the space bar, and the enter button on your keyboard.  For now, mouse control is not supported.  The lowest level of the UI is the content categories I just described.  If you click the up arrow, the usual playback controls pop up (play/pause, rewind/fast-forward, previous/next).  If you click the up arrow once more, a search bar appears.  When you search a term, all related content will show up in its own folder next to “Your Feed” down below.  And that’s it, really.  Leanback is all about video playback first, control second.  The concept is neat; login to your account and presto–video (that should be) tailored for you begins to play and you can quickly and easily scrub through it.  Google calls it “effortless viewing.”  So watcha waiting for?  Have at it!

4K video support: Chew on this: “At 4096 x 2304 pixels, 4K is over four times the size of 1080p.”  So if you thought HD was good, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.  Anyway, now YouTube supports “original video resolution from 360p all the way up to 4K.”  When a 4K video is played, you will have the option to select “original video” to view it at its highest quality.  But don’t get too excited just yet.  You need the proper monitor to view such high grade video; even Google claims that the ideal screen size to view 4K content is 25 feet.  Watching 4K footage also requires extremely fast bandwidth.  Since 4K camcorders and projectors are very expensive they have yet to make it into the mainstream.  But you know what?  I think it’s a great move on Google’s part to start supporting it today in preparation for tomorrow.  Feel free to check out some of the first 4K videos to hit the site.  Just beware of the bandwidth limitations and the fact that you most likely cannot view these videos at their proper resolution just yet.

YouTube Mobile: The mobile version of YouTube (http://m.youtube.com) was launched back in 2007.  Since then, we have become more reliant on cell phones and other portable devices, and users are demanding a more broader YouTube experience when they’re on the go.  That was Google’s cue to revamp the mobile site with updates too appease their most loyal fans.  Let’s run down the most important updates, shall we?  It’s speedier; the user interface incorporates more touch-friendly elements; many features from the .com site have transferred over including search query suggestions, the options to create playlists, and the ability to designate “favorite,” “like” or “unlike” videos; and unlike YouTube apps (ie. iPhone’s YouTube portal), the mobile site will see improvements on a more constant, regular basis.  Click here from your device to check out all the new features and options now available at your fingertips.

[Via YouTubeBlog, here, here & here]   Continue reading YouTube intros Leanback; supports 4K video; updates mobile site →

YouTube introduces Video Editor, skippable ads coming soon

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On June 16 YouTube introduced an online video editor that allows YouTube members to complete simple edits on their uploaded videos.  The YouTube Video Editor allows you to “combine multiple videos you’ve uploaded to create a new longer video, trim the beginning and/or ending of your videos, add soundtracks from our AudioSwap library of tens of thousands of songs, and create new videos without worrying about file formats and publish them to YouTube with one click — no upload necessary.”  Google says the new editor is “ideal for merging single, short clips into a longer video” and “for trimming a long video down to the moments you really care about.”  Currently the video editor can be accessed at YouTube’s TestTube page; since it’s a new product, YouTube is asking its users to give it a try and provide appropriate feedback.  So give it a shot!  If you fall in the category of people who love to shoot and upload videos to YouTube but cannot afford/find the proper editing software, the free and easy to use YouTube Video Editor just might make all your dreams and wishes come true.

Here’s more YouTube news for you to chew on (and get rather excited about).  According to a Wall Street Journal report, Google senior product manager Baljeet Singh says that Google is readying a new YouTube feature dubbed “skippable” ads.  In the future, YouTube video windows will include a new button that when clicked will stop those annoying ads from running before videos.  Apparently Google has been “playing around with it for the last three quarters and seeing really great results.”  Singh believes that the notion of skippable ads will force advertisers to create more compelling advertisements so customers won’t want to skip them so often.  Adverisers will not be charged for skipped ads.  In addition, YouTube viewers will ability to choose from a series of ads to watch before particularly longer videos (you might have experienced this using Hulu).  Listen here, Google: If you give us the ability to skip ads, WE ARE ALWAYS GOING TO SKIP THE ADS.

[Via YouTubeBlog; GoogleSystem; WSJ]

Google makes homepage customizable with background images

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You may have noticed the addition of a new link in the bottom left-hand corner of Google’s homepage.  Last week Google introduced the ability to customize the background of its homepage, “making your search experience more relevant, useful and fun through personalization.”  Put another way, they must have picked up on the success of competitor Bing’s background offerings and decided to give its users a similar option.  You can set your background image from your computer, your own Picasa Web Album, or a public gallery hosted by Picasa after logging into your Google account.  Now that the feature has rolled out internationally, Google feels the need to “inspire” its users to personalize by featuring a selection of well-known artists, sculptors and photographers on all Google homepages for the next 24 hours.  The collection includes works from Dale Chihuly, Jeff Koons, Tom Otterness, Polly Apfelbaum, Kengo Kuma (隈研吾), Kwon, Ki-soo (권기수) and Tord Boontje, and photos from Yann Arthus-Bertrand and National Geographic.  Inspired yet?

Update: Google took down the featured images earlier than expected.  Hello good ol’ minimalism.

[Via GoogleBlog, here & here]

Best Google doodle yet: it’s Pac-Man!

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Last weekend the Internet was treated with a fun little game called Pac-Man.  The guys and gals at Google HQ thought it’d be fun to turn the Google logo into a full-fledged game of Pac-Man to celebrate the game’s 30th anniversary.  This was the real deal–the game included all 256 levels, the ghosts, the fruits, the wakka wakka sound, and the kill screen in the final level.  There was even an “insert coin” button in the place of “I’m Feeling Lucky” that when pressed once started the game, and when pressed a second time introduced Ms. Pac-man and allowed for a 2-player mode (played with the WASD keys).  And check out what the playable doodle did to productivity in America on the Friday it was introduced (according to RescueTime Blog): the average user spent 36 more seconds on Google.com; the game consumed 4,819,352 hours of time; $120,483,800 in lost productivity.  “For that same cost, you could hire all 19,835 Google employees, from [founders] Larry and Sergey down to their janitors, and get 6 weeks of their time.”  Now that’s impressive (and scary).

And with all that said I bring good news!  Although the Pac-Man Google doodle was taken down after the weekend, the game has not been wiped from Google’s server.  Head over to google.com/pacman to play whenever you want!  But try to get your work done first, hm?  Aw, who am I kidding?  Get your wakka wakka action on right now!

[Via CNET; RescueTimeBlog]

Google I/O 2010: WebM, Android 2.2, Google TV & more

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This week thousands of developers gathered at Google I/O 2010 in San Fransisco to find out what Google’s got up their sleeve for the next year (and beyond) and how their contributions can make things better for the end user.  At this year’s event Google introduced a new video standard, demoed their latest software revision of Android, and pulled the veil off their latest foray into a whole new market–television.

WebM: Flash, HTML5, h.264–these are all video codecs that power different types of video players on the Internet.  WebM is a new video codec developed by Google.  The plan for the WebM format is to make it open-source and royalty-free from the get-go.  WebM is packaged into three parts: VP8, a high-quality video codec under a royalty-free license; Vorbis, an already open source and broadly implemented audio codec; and a container format based on a subset of the Matroska media container.  According to Google, “VP8’s efficient bandwidth usage will mean lower serving costs for content publishers and high quality video for end-users.  The codec’s relative simplicity makes it easy to integrate into existing environments and requires less manual tuning to produce high quality results.”  So far, the following companies are backing the new WebM standard in their browsers: Google (duh), Mozilla, Opera, and Adobe.  (Mozilla already updated their Firefox to support it, Opera says their browsers will support it “soon”, Adobe will inject VP8 support into Flash too, and Chrome support comes on on May 24.)  Google will also implement it in the YouTube player (HTML5 & WebM, sittin’ in a tree…).  WebM also has a list of hardware supporters including AMD, ARM, Broadcom, NVIDIA, Skype, and T.I.  But the big question is if Microsoft and Apple will adopt it.  At this point, there’s no word if Apple will jump on the bandwagon (big surprise there), and Microsoft has stated it will support WebM in Internet Explorer 9 (but users will be required to install the VP8 codec themselves).  If there’s any tech company out there who can develop and push out a new open source video codec it’s Google.  With the on-going battle for dominance between the aging Flash and up-and-coming HTML5, it will certainly be interesting to see if Google can emerge out victorious with WebM.

Continue reading Google I/O 2010: WebM, Android 2.2, Google TV & more →

Happy 5th Birthday, YouTube

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On Sunday May 16, 2005 the beta version of YouTube.com was launched.  To celebrate its five year exsistance, YouTube put together a “FiveYear” channel “which features people from all over describing how YouTube has changed or shaped their lives.”  Check it out!  Also, be sure to watch the video above that timelines the birth and quick rise of YouTube.  The most interesting and outstanding fun fact?  YouTube now receives two billion views per day.

[Via YouTube blog]