0 Google’s Success Mantra Revealed

In an interview with AdNews, Google Asia Pacific president, Daniel Alegre, has revealed some business secrets that you may not find in any business management book. Most of us think that Google has issues with Apple and vice versa, but that’s not true at all.

Both the companies are following their own strategies and plans to be on top of the competition. If you don’t believe, here’s what Daniel said -

“Whenever iPhone succeeds, Google succeeds. I actually don’t look at it as iPhone versus Android. iPhone is a very strong driver of query growth for Google. We also monetize apps through the iPhone…we actually benefit from iPhone’s growth.”

Shocking, eh? For those who don’t know, Apple uses Google Search as their primary search engine on Safari browser for all the iOS devices, which means Google gets direct traffic from Apple’s devices. As confessed, Google is also generating revenues from their iOS apps. Now, that’s the secret of Google’s success.
Alegre has also commented on the ongoing competition in the mobile OS business -

“We truly believe there has to be as few platforms as possible in order for apps developers to focus their development.”

Of course, Google don’t want any more competition from other OS developers and it would obviously damage the revenue system of their company. Android OS has attracted millions of users through different mobile phone devices. With 300,000 activations per day, Android is now surely making strong moves to capture the first position in the market.

0 HP TouchPad – The Real iPad 2 Killer? Must Read - HP TouchPad - The Real iPad 2 Killer?

In HP’s webOS event yesterday, the company unveiled their long-awaited tablet device, HP TouchPad, for tablet lovers. With amazing features and specifications, the tablet has received appreciation from those who followed the event, and people have suddenly started referring it as the new iPad killer or the real iPad competitor.

Let’s have a look at the specifications first so that it would be easier for us to understand what HP has offered in TouchPad.

Features and Specifications of HP TouchPad

• Platform – webOS
• Display -  9.7-inch XGA capacitive, multitouch screen with a vibrant 18-bit color, 1024×768 resolution display
• Camera – 1.3 MP for video calling
• Battery – Rechargeable 6300 mAh (typical) battery
• Memory – 16 GB / 32 GB internal storage
• Connectivity – Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, USB 2.0
• Other features – Integrated IM and SMS, Email, Sensors, Dual-Core 1.2GHz SnapDragon processor

Now that we know the details of HP TouchPad, it’s time to analyze the device.

The Good

HP TouchPad has been designed with some of the best features available in the market, which includes the dual-core SnapDragon processor, video calling feature and a decent battery. At this moment, TouchPad is the only tablet that has dual-core processor. Most of the tablet devices, including iPad, have single core processor to run the device. With the integration of such high end processor, TouchPad will obviously support quality apps, HD videos and games. This new device has the potential to handle PC games as well as console games, but it would solely depend on HP’s tablet strategy.

HP team showcased Email feature of TouchPad in last event. The Email facility is neatly designed to serve the purpose of sending, receiving and viewing different mails. Apart from this feature, users can also enjoy the integrated IM and SMS on the tablet.

One of the reasons why Apple’s iPad is popular among the users is that it has perfect screen size and resolution. HP team seemed to have learned the importance of tablet display, as they have included 9.7-inch display with 1024×768 resolution. Certainly, the new HP TouchPad will exhibit great navigating experience for its users.

Touchstone technology used in TouchPad is really impressive and is something new for the tech world. The way we sync our mobile devices with computers; Touchstone feature also resembles the similar feature. However, it’s much more advanced than wired syncing. Check below for more details.

The Bad

As far as features are concerned, we can’t point out single feature from TouchPad and say that it’s not up to the mark. But, there are few things that HP could have placed in their tablet to make it more effective.

TouchPad has the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology for data transfer, but not everyone can rely on these two features for Internet surfing and other important tasks. These days companies are building 3G-enabled tablets to provide extra connectivity feature for users. HP’s new tablet doesn’t have 3G support, which I personally think is the important feature for tablets.

HP did a wonderful job by putting video calling camera, as it has become an essential feature for tablet users. That’s good.

Oh wait, they just forgot the rear camera! Yep, the TouchPad won’t allow you to capture images and photos on the device. It’s still unclear why they removed the rear camera from TouchPad. An image capturing camera would have added more spice to this tablet.

Is it the real iPad 2 killer?

As compared the original first generation iPad, HP TouchPad has advanced facilities and specifications. But, is it the real iPad 2 killer? The answer is NO.

The TouchPad tablet has everything you need in a tablet device. However, we should understand that TouchPad is not the future device. Almost all the tablets in this field has more or less same features, and you won’t find any mind-blowing thing in HP’s tablet.

Of course, iPad 2 is not launched yet, still leaked details and Apple sources suggest that the upcoming iPad will be far more superior in terms of quality and features than previous models. Even if we look at the iPad 3G and TouchPad simultaneously, iPad wins the race with small margin. The support from third party developers, quality apps and games, and closed system are favorable for iPad.

If we simply compare iOS 4.3 with webOS 3.0, iOS is well ahead in the competition. The webOS supported TouchPad surely has good specifications, but its OS is not that cool. First generation iPad users can enjoy millions of apps on the tablet, while webOS has few thousands of apps that are developed for different devices. It means TouchPad users will not get too many options to download and install apps and games.

One thing for sure, HP TouchPad is probably the closest iPad killer/competitor we have ever seen. Good job, HP!

What about Android tablets?

Again, Android 3.0 OS has same or even better features than webOS 3.0. From yesterday’s presentation at the event, we can say that some of the TouchPad features like Email have pretty much similar design and functionality to Android OS features. Nothing innovative!

Looking at the current announcements in various events, Android 3.0 based tablets will leave more impact in users’ mind than webOS based tablets.

The Future of TouchPad

The designer team at HP has done a commendable job by introducing a tablet that has the capabilities to do interesting things, but limited resources and lack of third party developers support will make it a just another gadget in the town (like HTC HD2 mobile phone). In the future, TouchPad series might do well with 3G/4G tablets. The only thing that TouchPad need is strong community support. Once webOS attracts users and developers, no one can stop the success of their future tablets.

Do you think TouchPad will survive in the tablet competition? Share your views below.

Must Read - HP TouchPad - The Real iPad 2 Killer? 

0 Google Chrome Web Store Goes live!

Apart from web search, Google offers a variety of services and tools. Now Google Chrome web store is live. The web store lets you find most of the popular sites you visit on the web as apps. Some apps cost few bucks where some are absolutely free. You can use your Google account to purchase the apps through Google checkout.

You can see the apps which you have downloaded, in the new tab page above your ‘Most visited’ and ‘Recently close’ web pages. You can also check for what permissions the app is requesting and decide whether to install or not. There are some extensions included by the web store, that are different from Web apps. Extensions are just like mini widgets, and when you interact with them, they will take you to the concerned website. Chrome Web Apps uses various web technologies, just like the apps which you find in your phones.

To try Chrome web store, you need to have Chrome version 8+ installed. If you’re a regular chrome user, then the latest version will automatically be there. If not, then hit the tools icon on the top right ->About Google Chrome and update.

Visit Chrome Web Store

0 Cr-48: Google Announces First Chrome OS Notebook

Finally after a long long wait, Google has showcased the very first laptop running Chrome OS. This new 12.1-inch laptop from Google is named as Cr-48. Unfortunately, Cr-48 will not be available for final user until mid-2011.

Google has planned to distribute Cr-48 via Chrome OS Pilot Program which will have limited laptops. Retail buyers can head over to Acer and Samsung stores, once the laptop is released.

Key features of Cr-48:

• 12.1-inch LCD screen.
• 3.8 pounds.
• 802.11n Wi-Fi and 3G support.
• Webcam.
• Flash storage.
• Full-sized keyboard.
• Over-sized touchpad.
• stand-by time: 1 week, active usage: 8 hours.
• USB port.

Caps lock key, flash drive, and function key are some of the features that are currently not present in Cr-48. But this laptop is just aprototype, so we can expect some changes after the completion of Chrome OS Pilot Program

0 Google Nexus S

Google has unveiled the successor to their flagship mobile Nexus One, the new android handset has been named as Nexus S and has been built by Samsung for Google. It will feature the latest Android Gingerbread OS (Android 2.3)  which comes with numerous interesting changes in design and interface. Lets have a look at the features and specifications of Nexus S.

Nexus S Specifications:

• 4” Super AMOLED Curved Display
• 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 Processor
• Android 2.3 OS
• 16GB Internal Memory (iNAND Flash), 512 RAM
• 5 Megapixal camera with LED Flash
• Wi-Fi
• MicrosUSB
• Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, Near Field Communication (NFC)
• Gyroscope
• A-GPS
• 1500mAH Lithium Ion battery

Google Nexus S Release Date

Nexus S will be hitting stores on 16th December in US and on 20th December in UK.

Google Nexus S Price

Price of Nexus S has not been made official yet, will update this space when its available.

0 Google chrome 8 for windows

Google Chrome which is claimed to be the fastest browser in the world has now been updated to version 8.0.552.215. This is a much more stable version of Google Chrome, especially when it has gone through 800 bug fixes and performance improvements. This new version features even more faster loading time, startup time and faster search using the address bar when compared to the last release.

Google Chrome 8 Stable is bundled with a PDF viewer, providing more flexibility to the browser.

Download Google Chrome 8

Latest Google Chrome 8 Download Link

Compatible with Windows XP, Vista, and 7

0 Google Docs get Auto Correction Feature

Google Docs is the best online office suite you can get. Google has been working tough to make it a sure replacement for offline Office. With features latest on web, there was a minor drawback in Google Docs – it had no Auto Correction feature. It could suggest words but couldn’t correct them like Microsoft Office software do. They did some homework on this too and now Google Docs have an Auto Correction with many other minor changes and features. The new Auto Correction feature lets you correct your spelling mistakes and minor grammatical errors. It also has got a customizable replacement option which auto changes a word to some pre-defined input. Like when typed (C), the feature will automatically change it to the copyright sign ©. Same goes with (R) for ® and others. You can add your own lingoes and Google Docs will expand or auto-correct as you type it. You can add them to the “Text Substitution” section under the Preferences popup. Other changes include addition of LaTex shortcuts to equation editor and support to insert images in cells of a spreadsheet. Way going, Docs! [Source - Google Docs Blog]

0 Google Boutiques – The New Online Shop for Fashion Followers

Google did what many geeks didn’t expect from it, launching a fashion service. Google today launched the Boutiques.com, a personalized online fashion shop service.

Boutiques.com is an online catalogue and visual search for fashion and fashion accessories. It also lets you create your own online boutiques. Currently limited to US users and women fashion, the Boutiques.com, like an online assistance for fashion, guides you through styles, accessories, etc. Pick a style or select any clothing, the self-learning algorithm automatically shows you recommendations, both handpicked logged and Google suggested.

It is from Google so there needs to be a great search feature. Boutiques.com search can filter by genre, clothing, style, pattern, color, sizes, etc. The visual service helps recognizing pattern and color of clothing in a photograph and return results relevant to it. Built on a very strong recommendation system, Boutiques.com also suggests you matches for clothes, sizing and does follow rules of strict fashion statement. You can also follow designers and celebrity and get regular updates on their style and fashion lines.
With ideas to expand to worldwide audience and men wear too, this attempt from Google shows they are cooking many stuffs in their kitchen.
Google has also launched an official iPad app for Boutiques which is available for free in iTunes App Store.
[Source - Official Google Blog]

0 Google Docs Upcoming Features: Cloud Printing, Third Party Apps & Syncing

Google Docs is Google’s brought up for office editing suites. It is widely used because of its simpleton structure and it being an online app helps storing documents online. Some statistics show that people are using Google Docs more than their desktop office applications. And to maintain this bright, Google will soon be implementing new features to Docs.

Google Docs will soon be having three new features added – Cloud Printing, Third Party Apps and Syncing devices. All the three new features are what people most wanted and looks like Google is turning them true.

Cloud Printing

This is my favorite. Cloud Printing is the web-next feature based on Google’s Cloud Print API, which lets you print Google Docs documents to any paired printer in the world. This means no need to install crappy driver software and go through painful desktop apps process. Cloud Printing support has got encoder for almost all active printer models in their database and that makes the work very easy. This service will surely be limited to Google Chrome and Chromium OS for now, but look at the better side of this.

Third Party Apps

Google Docs currently supports basic office formats like documents, spreadsheets and presentations. But ever thought of editing a PDF file in Google Docs? Or an image editor? HTML editor? All this will be possible soon with support for Third Party Apps in Google Docs.

Syncing

Again, a feature currently limited to Chromium OS and Google Chrome only, with this you can sync the documents on your computer with Google Docs. Edit them from any part of the world and they are on your computer ready. Syncing was surely a very much needed feature and it still needs to be widened for multiple platforms, but for the start, it’s good.

All the three new features and some more unannounced minor changes will be active in a week or more. There are also some chances of them releasing in first week of December. Fingers crossed!

0 Google Chrome OS scheduled to launch Later This Year

After lots of efforts from Google’s developers, Chrome OS is now ready to hit the market!
Google Chrome OS development process has now entered into its final stage, and it is expected to arrive later this year. With this new OS, Google is looking to target most of the internet based products such as Netbooks, Tablets and Internet TVs.


Google team said -

In terms of Google Chrome OS schedule, we are very happy with the progress of Chrome OS and expect devices will be available later this year. We’ll have more details to share at launch.

Apple’s iPad has certainly revolutionized the tablet section with its amazing performance all over the world. Some companies have launched their Android based tablets this year to compete with the iPad, but haven’t got enough success in terms of the product sales.
Google has a great opportunity to take over the market with Chrome OS. However, it would entirely depend on the marketing strategies of their teams. Windows 7, Mac OS X Lion and Linux has strengthened their positions in respected markets, so now each decision from Chrome OS team would decide the success or failure of the upcoming new OS.

0 Google Working on a Self-Driven Car

Google has developed technology for cars that can drive themselves. The car is a result of a secret project of Google, which uses artificial-intelligence software that can sense anything near the car and mimic human decisions in such situations.

The automated cars manned by trained operators have logged over 140,000 miles. They’ve driven down Lombard Street (one of the world’s most crooked streets – in picture), crossed the Golden Gate bridge, navigated the Pacific Coast Highway, and even made it all the way around Lake Tahoe.

The automated cars use video cameras, radar sensors and a laser range finder to detect other nearby vehicles, along with detailed maps (Google Maps, collected using manually driven vehicles) to navigate the roads. Currently, Google is using six Priuses and an Audi TT in the project.

As Google noted in its blog today, safety was the main driving force ahead for the project. And it is well justified. According to the World Health Organization about 1.2 million people are killed in traffic accidents every year, and more than 10 million people are injured. The automated cars have robot drivers who react faster than humans, do no get intoxicated or sleepy, have 360-degree perception and don’t talk over the phone or text while driving. This can make the roads much safer. Also, as NYT notes,

“There is even the farther-off prospect of cars that do not need anyone behind the wheel. That would allow the cars to be summoned electronically, so that people could share them. Fewer cars would then be needed, reducing the need for parking spaces, which consume valuable land.”

But there are many hurdles before the technology can be deployed. Technologically, even the most optimistic predictions put the deployment of the technology more than eight years away. For the technology to be viable, all the roads have to be mapped and then updated continuously, posing a logistical challenge. There are other issue too, mainly legal which arise due to the lack of human instinct in robots, and also laws which are not yet amended for robot drivers.

So, let’s hope all goes well. And we may be driving (well, not exactly), an automated car a decade from now. Below, we have an image describing the working of the car [Courtesy: NYT].

0 Google Code-in: Google’s Contest to encourage Students

Many people know Google for their online services, but they also work hard to help the community. Google Open Source team has just announced a special contest for pre-university students, which will encourage the students to take interest in the open source development environment.
Google team has named this initiative as Google Code-in, and students from 13-18 year old age group can participate in the contest. Since this contest revolves around open source development, students from around the world can apply for the participation.


Each eligible student will get a chance to work on an open source related task, and at the end winner will be declared according to the points accumulated during the contest.
Here’s the list of tasks -
1. Code: Tasks related to writing or refactoring code
2. Documentation: Tasks related to creating/editing documents
3. Outreach: Tasks related to community management and outreach/marketing
4. Quality Assurance: Tasks related to testing and ensuring code is of high quality
5. Research: Tasks related to studying a problem and recommending solutions
6. Training: Tasks related to helping others learn more
7. Translation: Tasks related to localization
8. User Interface: Tasks related to user experience research or user interface design and interaction

Prize?

At the conclusion of the contest, contestants will receive a t-shirt and certificate for completing at least one task (maximum of one shirt & certificate per contestant) and 100 USD for every three tasks completed (maximum 500 USD per contestant).
Additionally, there will be ten grand prize winners. They will receive a trip to Google’s Mountain View, California, USA Headquarters for an award’s ceremony for themselves and one parent or guardian.

How to participate in Google Code-in contest?

Google team has listed some of the important questions regarding the participation and contest rules. If you are looking to participate in the contest, read these FAQs. Google Code-in contest is scheduled on November 22, so you still have much time to brush up your skills.

0 How to Find Invisible People In GTalk (Google Talk)

How to find invisible people in GTalk or Google Talk? Well, usually we can’t recognize that the offline user is actually offline or invisible. But here I have a trick for you through which you can know, whether the user is offline or invisible. However you don’t need to install any software or don’t need to follow any lengthy procedure to apply, because it is very simple to know, just follow the procedure from bellow.

How to Find Invisible People In GTalk -

• Login to Gtalk ( download Gtalk from here)
• Now search and locate the target user in Google talk or Gtalk
• Now Click on ‘go off record’ to chat with this person (as shown image bellow)

• Now send some message to the person
• If the guy is offline it will show message as shown bellow

• But if the guy is invisible it will simply receive the message and no error message will shown

Well, this is how you can find invisible people on Google Talk, so simple. Try it of your own to find invisible people in GTalk. Stay tuned with us for more updates like this and if you have any questions please let us know through comments.

0 Gmail Call Phone Service tracks One Million Calls in Less Than 24 Hours

Yesterday, Google had introduced a new service called Gmail Call Phone. This new service allows users to make free phone calls to friends who are using Gmail facility.

The company had officially launched their service 24 hours back and they have already tracked over 1,000,000 calls. It’s interesting to know that the service is only available for US and Canada based users.

Now, that’s a huge response! The milestone of more than 1 million calls in less than 24 hours is quite impressive. The Google team is also working hard to bring this facility to other countries. This service is expected to be available in different countries at the rate of $0.02 per minute.

The newly launched call phone service will be continued as a free service till the end of this year. For detailed information, check here. If you’re not living in the US, you will have to wait for few months to enjoy Google’s service.

0 Google TV’s Interface Explained

Google had talked about its innovation, Google TV, at the developer conference earlier this year. In that conference, Google team members introduced some of the features of the new concept to the world.

For those who don’t know, Google TV is nothing but a combination of Internet and Television. It allows user to watch the YouTube videos and surf websites using Google Chrome browser. Apart from this, users can enjoy high quality television experience with the help of Google TV.

The Android based Google TV is all set to launch this fall and the company has also confirmed their official partners, which includes – Sony, Logitech and Intel.

Google has published a video on their website to give more information about the Google TV. If you haven’t watched the video earlier, watch it below.

Pocketnow has also shared an interesting video, which basically explains the much talked about features and interface of the Google TV.

Isn’t it cool? I personally liked the idea of implementing TV and Internet in one device. It’s not new to the technology world, but somehow it manages to grab your attention. What do you think about the new Google TV?

0 Gmail Updates Contacts in Left Navigation Bar With Revamped Looks

Gmail is one of the most popular and commonly used email service, today its users are being greeted by a new look of Gmail which is the result of recently made improvements in interface. You can now access your contacts and tasks directly from the left navigation bar from where you access your mails. These changes were made to gmail after carefully analyzing the user feedback.

Apart from the contacts option being attached to navigation bar other introduced features that will benefit user are:

• Contacts look more like mail with Keyboard shortcuts, for full list go to Contacts and hit “?”.
• Sort by last name, can be accessed under “More actions”.
• Custom labels for phone numbers and other fields but ActiveSync for iPhone and Blackberry Sync does not support custom labels.
• The ability to undo changes you’ve just made so that you do not have to repeat the whole action
• Automatic saving helps you to save contacts as you type.
• Structured name fields, so you can adjust titles, suffixes, and other name components.
• A bigger, more prominent notes field.

For more information on the new features visit Gmail Official Blog.

0 Get the Old Google Image Search Permanently in Firefox

Google, now a new synonym for the word innovation recently rolled out a new interface for the image search. No doubt the new interface was admired by most but there were few who disliked the change. For people still working on slow internet connection found it troublesome to work with the new image search. For such uses there is an option at the end of the page to revert back to old image search but reaching the link altogether is also a problem. Now here is a sure shot solution for Firefox and Epic users.

1. In the Firefox and Epic URL bar, type “about:config” and press Enter.
2. Filter  and find the attribute “general.useragent.extra.firefox” entry, right click it and click on modify.
3. Replace the value to  “Mozilla/2.0″.
4. Click the “OK” button to close.
5. Google image search will now open with the old interface.

NOTE 1: To reset, right-click the “general.useragent.extra.firefox” line and choose “Reset”.
NOTE 2: An update is likely to overwrite the above-described change. Therefore after installing an update, simply repeat the above steps.

0 Google dumps Google Wave Service

Google’s Wave was never very popular among its users – we have friends that have used it only a couple of times since they got the invitation. There was a time that the invitations of the Google Wave service were sold on eBay.
For those who have been left puzzled by above discussion of the Wave, Google Wave is an online software application formerly developed by Google. It was described as “a new web application for real-time communication and collaboration”


It is a web-based service, computing platform, and communications protocol designed to merge e-mail, instant messaging, wikis, and social networking. It has a strong collaborative and real-time focus supported by extensions that can provide, for example, spelling/grammar checking, automated translation among 40 languages, and numerous other extensions (Google invested quite a lot on this one!). Initially released only to developers, a preview release of Google Wave was extended to 100,000 users in September 2009, each allowed to invite additional users. Google accepted most requests submitted starting the 29th of November 2009. On May 19, 2010, Google Wave was released to the general public to engage and enjoy.
There was huge internal excitement about the possibilities that the platform had to offer (well has to be only for them), but because of the lack of response from the users the company has decided to stop the service. Although Google would continue to support the product until at least the end of this year, and would enable the technology that underpinned Wave to be used in other Google projects, and by third-party developers but beyond that there is hardly anything that the company has to say about the future of the platform. Google has said that it would develop a tool to help existing Wave users to “liberate” any content they had archived in Wave so it could be saved elsewhere. Although many in the technology industry had long believed Google Wave was underperforming, the news that Google was ending support for one of its most innovative new products came as a surprise to most.
Exactly what made the Google Wave a pain in the neck rather than a comforting tool for its users? Why did such a huge Google venture not earn rewards? Well we’ll have to say it was the lack of means of monitoring waves. This was Google Wave’s biggest weakness.  I don’t get an email, Gtalk alert, or any other notification in the communication systems I already use today when there is new activity in a wave.  I’d love an RSS feed of the waves I want to keep an eye on. Unfortunately, this was never an option.
Eric Schmidt, Google’s chief executive, played down the significance of the Wave announcement. “Our policy is, we try things,We celebrate our failures. This is a company where it is absolutely OK to try something that is very hard, have it not be successful, take the learning and apply it to something new.”
Well, Mr. Eric Schmidt had one thing deeply mistaken and that was the pain that he puts his users in while creating all that mess. Why create something that won’t work when you have so many people dependent on you for their work, huh?