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Happy Mother's Day
2008-05-11 06:55:00
The Mother's Day doodle is up in Google Hong Kong and China: If you search for Happy Mother's Day on Google, you would see the power of OneBox as you would see related searches, iamges, news and blog posts all mixed together. ;)

Social Networking Potential for Google
2008-05-09 11:52:00
Google Reader recently launched something called Notes which a combination of Twitter and Google Shared Stuff. Basically, notes made Google Reader a platform for you to stay connected with your friends and update each other on stuff you are up to lately (kind of). But it seems so far that Google's attempts to socialize its products have been bits and pieces here and there. Imagine grouping all Google product feeds into one place, probably your Gmail Chat window, just like this:Not just your shared notes would be showed, but also public events in Google Calendar, Google Docs documents you share with your friends, YouTube videos, photos in Picasa Web Album, or even comments you make on Blogger. One platform that informs you of your friend's latest Google activities just like what Facebook is doing. However, this could potentially be more powerful than Facebook since Google products focuses on productivity while Facebook is just for fun. Corporates would find this a perfect tool to b...
More About: Google , Social , Social Networking , Networking

Google Maps in Hong Kong
2008-05-09 10:55:00
Today is a rather big day for Hong Kong users since Google has updated their Google Maps database in Hong Kong and Google Finance now supports Hong Kong stock listings. Google Maps will now show building names and MTR exits in Hong Kong. However, searching building names will only return user-created content (if any). Although there is still no official word from Google yet, the copyright notice at the bottom right suggests that Google has partnered with MapKing, a famous local mapping company. Hopefully, business listing will soon be available in Hong Kong.

Google Docs Updates
2008-03-26 10:19:00
Google Docs has been one of the most frequently updated Google product. Here are some of the latest updates:Gadgets in SpreadsheetWith the help of open source gadgets API, you can create more interactive charts and graphs in your spreadsheets. There are already some pretty useful ones such as motion chart, scatter chart, time series, heat maps, etc.New Menu BarsThe menu bar is renovated and looks more Office 2003-ish. Some tools have been rearranged to different tabs.Set Up NotificationsReceive alerts whenever edits are made in your spreadsheets. Learn moreColored FoldersJust like in the 'Newer Gmail' you can now give a folder a particular color.Change OwnershipYou can now change the 'owner' of a document or presentation (not spreadsheets) to someone else in the dashboard. Go to "More Actions > Change Onwer".
More About: Google , Google Docs , Updates

Help Center Restructures
2008-03-05 14:20:00
Google has been restructuring its Help Center s for Gmail, Google Calender and Google Docs according to usability and user feedbacks. All of them have (updated) Known Issues pages which lists out common but unsolved problems. Users can view the detailed description of the issue and report it if they are experiencing it. This is Gmail's Known Issues page:The similar voting system is used for feature suggestions where Google determines which feature to develop next:Another improvement is that Google attempts to show relevant problems that users might also have when searching for a particular topic: Given the huge amount of users, to answer all emails received from users might take up to years. Therefore, for common "How-tos" and "Know-hows", Google is (more strictly) directing its users to official user groups or Help Center by hiding the Contact Us link or by using directories to divert users to appropriate sections. Google only provides (limited) email support to users who have gon...

Time Lapse Video of Google Doodle Creation
2008-03-02 07:46:00
What to know how Google 's Chief Doodler Dennis Hwang draws a Google Doodle from scrap to finish? Watch this video:
More About: Video , Time , Creation , Time Lapse

Be Invisible in Gmail Chat
2008-02-23 08:32:00
Finally, there is a way for you to hide from your friends when you are checking your Gmail . You can now be 'invisible' in Gmail Chat , the built in IM tool in Gmail. Just like the invisible (or some like to call it Appear Offline) in other IM, you can see others status while you will be shown as offline to your contacts. You can still be able to initiate a conversation. However, if you are using Google Talk, the desktop application, at the same time, you would see this error message:The invisible function only works for Gmail. And there is no official word from Google yet.
More About: Invisible

Google Vespa
2008-02-17 09:41:00
Taken in Macworld 2008[Image Credit: Scott]
More About: Google , Vespa

Google AdWords Ads in Netherlands
2008-02-15 13:58:00
Henk spotted this pretty cool billboard advertisement in Netherlands featuring two case studies about a restaurant owner and an automobile part retailer. They also offer €50 AdWords promotional credit.Image credit: Henk shared under CC 2.5 License
More About: Google , Google Adwords , Adwords

Video Ads Test in Google Search Results
2008-02-15 12:48:00
According to New York Times, Google is testing videos ads in its search results. Google is also testing ads that uses images, interactive maps and other more elaborate features.At first, users will barely notice the change because the videos will not be immediately obvious. Ads with accompanying videos will have a small button with a plus sign. Google has increasingly used the plus icon to indicate that certain information — such as a map — can pop up on a search results page. Users that click the plus button on an ad will see a small video player that shows a commercial, movie trailer or other clip.For now, advertisers will not pay extra to put video in the ads. They enter a price they will pay for a click in Google’s regular text-ad auction. But in the video ads, the advertiser pays when users click to see the video, even if they never click through to the advertiser’s site.“People who advertise a movie want to show a trailer. Why shouldn’t they have the same format we...
More About: Video , Results , Search , Google Search

New Android SDK Releases
2008-02-15 12:36:00
Google released an updated version of Android SDK. It includes a new user interface, layout animations, geo-coding and more. Here are some mock-ups of the new user interface:

Google Gadget Center Launched
2008-01-19 05:23:00
Google quietly launched a Gadget Center for its gadget developers that would "guide you through all the steps needed to make your gadget a success".
More About: Google , Launched

iGoogle Compound Gadget Fixed
2008-01-19 04:59:00
Over the past few weeks, users of the iGoogle compound gadget has reported instances where child gadgets within disappears. The problem is now fixed and the developer behind even improved the gadget so that you could actually edit the settings and rename tabs of child gadgets by clicking on the drop down menu in each tab. Add it back to iGoogle:Also, iGoogle launched a theme directory and opened up a Themes API that lets you create your own customized designs for iGoogle. Here are some program policies that you might want to keep in mind before designing a new theme:The search box and related links may not be moved or removed from the iGoogle page.Don’t mimic or resemble Windows/Mac/Unix dialogue boxes or error messages.
More About: Gadget , Fixed

10 Reasons to Use Gmail
2008-01-13 12:25:00
When you click on the 'About Gmail ' link in the Gmail homepage, you will noticed top ten reasons why (Google thinks) you should use Gmail. Some of these reasons have been (are) featured on the homepage already (marked in *): 1. You don't like spam. Neither do we.* Don't waste time with junk mail and unwanted messages. Gmail blocks spam before it gets to your inbox. If an unwanted message ever finds its way through, you can fight back by reporting it and help make our spam filters even better. Learn more Watch a video to see how we combat spam. 2. Search your mail instantly* Use Google search within Gmail to find the exact message you want, no matter when it was sent or received. You don't have to spend time sorting your email, just search for a message when you need it and we'll find it for you. 3. Organize replies into conversations With Gmail, each message you send is grouped with all the responses you receive. This conve...
More About: Reasons

Real Time Flight Status
2007-12-31 05:09:00
Google's flight stats search feature now delivers real time status and information in the search result OneBox. Just type the name of the airline and flight number (e.g. American 123, ua226) into the search box and you shall see something like this:The information is provided by Flight Stats.com which uses data feeds from the US Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Aircraft Situation Display to Industry (ASDI). I have tested it with some flights departing from Hong Kong and it works fine so I guess it is available for all international flights.
More About: Time , Real , Status , Real Time

Google Soon To Enter Online Encyclopedia Market
2007-12-14 14:14:00
Screenshot of the entire sample knolGoogle is privately testing an online encyclopedia called Google Knol. Here are a few fast facts that differentiates it from Wikipedia (by far one of the most popular free encyclopedia on the web):One author, one wiki. Users no longer collaborate to produce one page, rather, each author posts his own page. Google says: "We hope that knols will include the opinions and points of view of the authors who will put their reputation on the line. Anyone will be free to write. For many topics, there will likely be competing knols on the same subject. Competition of ideas is a good thing."More community features. Google says: "Knols will include strong community tools. People will be able to submit comments, questions, edits, additional content, and so on. Anyone will be able to rate a knol or write a review of it."Revenue-share with authors. Google says: "At the discretion of the author, a knol may include ads. If an author chooses to include ads, Google ...
More About: Market , Online , Enter , Encyclopedia

YouTube Updates Videos Page
2007-12-14 13:50:00
Back in October, YouTube let its users to preview the upcoming Videos page which aroused a number of negative feedback.Image Credit: GooglifiedIn November, they rolled out an updated version which took away the shinning red and popup AJAX menus. And recently, they further updated it by adding in related videos for 'spotlight' videos and allows you to go back and forth with AJAX buttons:The updated Videos page is running across all local versions of YouTube though only the US version shows spotlight videos.Update: You will also see a Add to Google button () at the bottom of each page right next to the search box at the very bottom.
More About: Youtube , Page , Updates

Saint Lucia Day Doodle in Sweeden
2007-12-13 10:48:00
Saint Lucy's Day is the Church feast day holiday dedicated to St. Lucy and is observed on December 13. It marks ... the beginning of the Christmas season. ... In traditional celebrations, Saint Lucy typically comes as a young woman with lights and sweets. [Wikipedia]I just felt that Google should not restrict doodles to countries that has a certain festival so that people from other parts of the world can learn more about festivals in other countries. What a good way to learn. Maybe call it ... doodling.
More About: Lucia , Saint Lucia , Saint , Doodle

AdSense to Open in New Window in China
2007-12-13 08:29:00
According to the Official Google China AdSense Blog , ads of Chinese AdSense publishers will open in new window starting from today. This is in respond to the overwhelming request from publishers and to improve user experience of Chinese web surfers. This is what the rest of the post said:The Chinese market and the demands of Chinese publishers is very important to Google AdSense network. We hope to being better experience to users, more revenue to publishers and more earnings to advertisers through constant improvement of our products. By this, we could achieve four-win situation: users win, publishers win, advertisers win, Google wins.Currently, worldwide publishers cannot alter their AdSense codes to open ads in new window according to the AdSense Help Center.Related: Google has been testing out toggle ads. Read more ...
More About: Adsense , Open , Window

YouTube Toggle Ads
2007-12-12 06:41:00
Update: Apparently this is not a YouTube experiment, rather, it is an AdSense experiment.YouTube is testing toggle ads in its Hong Kong version. You can toggle up or down by clicking on the arrows. There are five 'sets' of ads that you can toggle around. It is interesting enough to see if this actually increases CTR.Here is a video of the toggle ads in action:
More About: Youtube

New Gmail Login Pages
2007-12-11 10:11:00
Gmail is testing out some new login pages which put more emphasis on its integration with other Google products and its spam-filtering technology instead of storage and search. This is quite understandable as Gmail has already initiated a dramatic increase in the amount of free storage provided to consumers on web-based email clients (i.e. Hotmail is up from 2MB to 5GB while Yahoo goes from 10MB to 'Unlimited'). This design emphasize the benefits of getting a Gmail account:Gmail gives you more than email A Gmail account gets you access to many other useful Google services, like: Google DocsCreate and share documents, spreadsheets and presentations online. Open Gmail attachments in Google Docs and begin collaborating right away. Google CalendarOrganize your schedule, share calendars, and search for public events. Gmail automatically displays an "Add to calendar" link for messages that contain event information. ...
More About: Gmail , Pages , Logi , Ages

Google Customized for iPhone
2007-12-05 10:35:00
Google has done a lot of customization to make its online applications look good on iPhone. Gmail supported IMAP. Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Reader made its interface iPhone-friendly. According to TechCrunch, they now integrate all these apps into one page if you visit Google.com in your iPhone:Maybe a lot of Googlers are using iPhone themselves ...
More About: Google , Iphone

Send YouTube Holiday Cards
2007-12-05 10:23:00
Bored by the free (full of ads) e-cards you get every holiday? YouTube offers something special this Christmas. You can now greet your relatives or best friends with video holiday cards by following a few simple steps. First, either pick a video already on YouTube or upload a new (customized) one yourself and click on this banner next to that video:Then pick a template you want and type in your name, personal message and recipient:And you're done! Your card is then hosted on YouTube with a public link that you can save for later use (maybe for next year :P):Your recipient will receive a notification like this in his/her Inbox and would be redirected to the holiday card when clicking on the video snapshot:Your friend can now watch the video:I think this is a pretty nice way of staying connected with your overseas friends and you can really 'say' something or even 'show' him/her around your newly renovated room.
More About: Youtube , Holiday , Send , Cards

Gmail Colored Labels
2007-12-04 05:45:00
You can now use colors to distinguish labels in Gmail with Gmail 2.0. Click the color swatch next to each label to assign a color:You can also easily remove labels from the top of an email:[Via Official Gmail Blog]
More About: Labels

Microsoft Challenges Picasa on YouTube
2007-12-01 09:20:00
Still remember the tag line Microsoft used to promote its latest operating system Windows Vista? Wow! This was the same reaction I got when I visited YouTube's homepage today. Microsoft is running a campaign on YouTube promoting Windows Vista and Windows Live. Windows Live is Microsoft's series of products that aims at regaining the lost market share to Google's online applications. After you have watched the video title "So many memories, so many easy ways to share", you might agree with me that the campaign is targetting Google's Pica sa by promoting its own Live Gallery:The campaign also includes a promotion video on YouTube's homepage and a channel called WinVistaLive (which has uploaded one video so far). :Apparently, Microsoft has decided to disable ratings and comments for the video as it has received pretty negative ratings:Some YouTubers took this opportunity to express their dissatisfaction about Vista on the campaign channel homepage. Here are some of them:"Windows Vi...
More About: Youtube , Icas

Google Maps Shows Terrain
2007-11-27 16:36:00
Google Maps has been such a feature-rich product that so far includes traditional road maps, satellite images, or both (hybrid), traffic conditions, street view, local business information and even your own stuff (My Maps). Now, it adds terrain as well. The terrain view shows geographical details where elevation looks like shadows. Here is how Grand Canyon looks like in terrain view:The Satellite view now shows the previous hybrid view by default. You can toggle the button and uncheck 'Show labels' to hide the map details:[Via Google Blogoscoped]
More About: Google , Google Maps

Happy Thanksgiving
2007-11-22 08:59:00
The above is the doodle on the Google homepage celebrating Thanksgiving . The one below is the first Gmail doodle to celebrate Thanksgiving:
More About: Happy , Hank

Got Ideas to Improve Google Docs? Suggest It!
2007-11-16 07:46:00
The Google Docs Team is open to your suggestions. Fill out this new suggestion form and vote for those that you are desperately wanting. They have categorized suggestions for documents, spreadsheets, presentations or the whole app. Here are some of my most wanted features:Print Layout in documentsFootnotes and page # in documentsVertical merge in spreadsheetsExport to PowerPoint!Slide MasterIt is good that they are listening ... it is going to take some time to implement all though.
More About: Ideas , Google Docs , Improve , Prove

Picasa Public Albums to Show in Google Image
2007-11-16 07:29:00
Beware! Your lovely family photos on Picasa Web Album might appear in Google Image search results. Google has recently changed its policy and to include public albums in Google Image Search. Here's the official word:Integration with Google image search results Get more exposure for the public albums you're currently sharing on Picasa Community Search. Now, public albums from users with 'Public Search' enabled may also be included in Google image search results.So if you don't want somebody else to see your private photos, better unlist them.
More About: Show , Albums

iGoogle Hong Kong Themes
2007-11-06 14:17:00
There are more themes coming to your iGoogle homepage very soon. And more surprisingly, there is one tailored for Hong Kong ! Here's how it looks like throughout the day:Some other themes are Aja Tiger, Autumn, JR and Solar System. Enter the following into your browser's address bar when you are at google.com/ig:javascript:_dlsetp('preview _skin=skins/jr.xml');Where jr.xml can be any of the above XML filenames.It seems Google is desperately promoting iGoogle. Still remember the interesting iGoogle ad I talked about previously?[Via Google Blogoscoped]
More About: Themes