Google Friends Newsletter - June 2011

POWER TIP

Voice Search on Desktop

You can now speak your web searches instead of typing them by clicking on the microphone icon on the right side of the search box.  This can be particularly useful for hard-to-spell searches like [spaghetti with bolognese sauce] or complex searches like [translate to spanish where can I buy a hamburger]. Voice Search is currently available for Chrome users in U.S. English only.
http://www.google.com/insidesearch/voicesearch.html

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NEW PRODUCTS & UPDATES

Search by Image

You now have the option of searching with a photo instead of words at images.google.com. Click the camera icon in the search box and upload a photo from your computer or paste the URL of an image from the web. You can also drag and drop pictures from websites or your computer into the search box. You'll get relevant results about your image as well as similar images or the same image in different sizes or resolutions.
http://www.google.com/insidesearch/searchbyimage.html

New Mobile Search features

Discovering places nearby just got easier with new shortcuts for commonly searched local categories, like restaurants, coffee shops and bars on the Google mobile homepage. You can also now add suggested phrases to the search box and "build" longer, more complex searches piece by piece. These features are available on www.google.com from the mobile browser for Android (2.2+) and iOS (4.0+) devices.
http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2011/06/introducing-new-features-to-mobile_14.html

My Places on Google Maps

Keeping track of all the locations you care about and memorizing which places you starred or rated isn't easy. To help, we released the new My Places tab on Google Maps, which helps you quickly view and interact with your saved maps, starred locations and rated businesses. The My Places tab replaces the My Maps tab in the Google Maps toolbar.
http://maps.google.com/maps/myplaces

Inside Search

We recently launched Inside Search, a one-stop shop for all search- related features, tips and tricks. Whether you're a beginner to web search or a search master, you'll find all the search shortcuts you need under the Features section of the site. You can also use the under-the-hood section to get a look at the technology behind Google Search. There are interactive diagrams with information on how far every query has to travel to get an answer back to you, how often we run experiments (we ran over 6000 in 2010 alone), how much time has gone into developing the algorithm and more.
http://www.google.com/insidesearch/

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MISCELLANY

So much for a sleepy summer—this June we made several big announcements. We added the +1 button to websites so you can recommend content all across the web. We broke all previous Doodle records with our playable guitar doodle in honor of Les Paul. Chromebooks went on sale to the public and we announced a series of design improvements across all our products, including Google Search, Google Maps and Gmail, taking place over the next few months. Finally, we launched Google+, a project that brings the nuance and richness of real-life sharing to the web. Currently, Google+ is in an invitation-only field trial but we hope when you're invite arrives, you'll choose to join the project.
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/1-button-for-websites-recommend-content.html
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/doodle-for-instrumental-inventor.html
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/evolving-google-design-and-experience.html
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/introducing-google-project-real-life.html

Google Friends Newsletter - June 2009

POWER TIP

"What's here?" in Google Maps

This new option on the right-click menu in Google Maps gives you the most relevant results based on your current location, whether it's a specific address, a natural feature, or a place name. "What's here?" takes into account the zoom level you're looking at to give you the most appropriate geographical detail at that point. For example, if you're very zoomed in, you will get an exact address. If you're more zoomed out, you might get a neighborhood, a city or a state. If you combine this with the "At this address" feature, you can also see a list of the businesses located at that place.
http://www.maps.google.com

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NEW PRODUCTS & UPDATES

Search by Author on Google News

The Google News homepage is a good place to go for an overview of current events, but what if you're interested in a specific journalist's take on the news? That's now easy with a new Search by Author feature on Google News. If you spot an article with a reporter's byline, click the name to bring up other articles by that person. You can also find a specific journalist's articles by typing "author:" followed by their name in the Google News search box. This a great way to get an overview of the most recent op-eds and articles by your favorite columnists or local reporters. As with any search on Google News, you can sign up to get the latest results through a feed, email alerts, or by adding a custom section to your Google News homepage.
http://www.news.google.com

New iGoogle for Android and iPhone

You can now get a new and improved version of iGoogle for your iPhone or Android-powered mobile device. More of the gadgets you're used to on your desktop iGoogle page now work in this version, and you'll also see the same tabs that you've already defined on your desktop. You can rearrange the order of the gadgets on your phone, and customize which ones you want to expand automatically. To try it out, go to iGoogle.com in your mobile browser. The new iGoogle for mobile is available in 38 languages.
http://www.google.com/ig

New features in Google Books

We have made several changes to Google Books that give readers everywhere new ways to interact with the words and images contained within the books we've brought online. It's now easier to embed and share previews of your favorite books on your blog or website. For more information, head to the Inside Google Book Search Blog:
http://booksearch.blogspot.com/2009/06/new-features-on-google-books.html

Explore Google Search

Our new "Explore Google Search" site collects together 15-second videos giving you tips on the main features of Google Search, stories from Google engineers, and user testimonials. If you discover something you didn't know you could do on Google, be sure to share it with your friends and family. The site is available in the U.S., U.K., Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and India.
http://www.google.com/landing/searchtips/

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MISCELLANY

The faster you can do what you need to do, the more time you have to spend on things that might matter more. That's one reason we care a lot about speed — as in the speed of delivering your information to you. The belief that faster is better is behind much of what we do, from finding the most relevant search result for a query to releasing a speedier version of Google Chrome. Lately, we've been working on several initiatives dedicated to a faster experience on the Internet overall. We've just introduced a site for developers full of tips and tools for improved performance and speed on the web, as well as a call for ideas on how to speed things up even more. We've also released some speed updates to Google products, including Picasa Web Albums and iGoogle for mobile phones. For updates on our efforts toward a faster web, check out the "faster web" label on the Official Google Blog.
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/search/label/faster%20web

Google Friends Newsletter - June 2008

POWER TIP

Real-time stock quotes on Google Finance

You can now access real-time last sale prices from both the NASDAQ and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on Google Finance, Google.com and other search properties. And of course it's free - there are no subscription fees or registration.
http://finance.google.com


NEW PRODUCTS & UPDATES

New improved YouTube homepage

The new YouTube homepage answers the question "What should I watch today?" by recommending videos based on what you've previously watched, what your friends have "favorited" or rated, and more. It's fully customizable so you can tailor it exactly to your taste. You'll have to be signed into your account to use this feature. Also this month, we added a search-suggest feature to the YouTube search box, so now you get query suggestions as you type. By offering these suggestions, we save you several keystrokes, reduce spelling errors, and improve the overall search experience on YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com

Google Maps for Mobile adds Transit

With Google Maps for mobile, you can now get schedule-based public transit directions in any of the more than 50 areas worldwide covered by Google Transit. This includes Chicago, the San Francisco Bay Area, Vancouver B.C., Denver/Boulder, Zurich, and Florence, among others. As new transit coverage is added to our web maps every week, it will automatically become available in Google Maps for Mobile.
http://www.google.com/gmm

Street View doubles coverage

We're celebrating Street View's first birthday by doubling our mileage of imagery served in the U.S. Now you can see 37 new metro areas, 10 parks, and expanded, updated coverage in 15 existing areas. It's all available on Google Maps, Google Earth and through the Maps API.
http://maps.google.com

New Google favicon in your browser

Have you noticed something different on Google recently, but can't quite put your finger on it? Well, you might be thinking about the change we made to our favicon - the tiny image that appears next to the URL in your browser's address bar. This is the first change we've made to it in 8 1/2 years. As more and more of you access Google from your computers and on mobile devices, we need an image that fits all screen sizes. This is the icon we're going with for now, but we've asked for suggestions from users to help us as we consider more
updates to this small visual reminder of Google.
http://www.google.com


MISCELLANY

Lately you may have been hearing a lot about "cloud computing" - a phrase that describes the notion of using web-based software to work on, and share, your own information and files via the Internet instead of having to store them on your hard drive. Businesses are taking a closer look at harnessing the power of "the cloud" because of the efficiencies it can create for them, like burdening IT departments less, helping employees to be more self-sufficient, and not having to invest in hardware infrastructure. But the cloud works for regular folks too. We've been seeing some great examples of people "living in the cloud" to manage their personal lives more easily, including a couple we recently heard from who planned their entire wedding using web-based applications. There are a whole host of tools out there, like Google Docs and Google Calendar, that let you access your information via a web browser. Doing so gives you the freedom to access your documents and photos anywhere you have Internet access, from any computer - especially helpful if you're on the road. The cloud is great for sharing, too: you can invite people to contribute to your document just by sending them a link, and any of you who are sharing it can make changes in real time. That means saying goodbye to the version control madness on your desktop. And that's a very good reason to celebrate.
http://docs.google.com
http://calendar.google.com

Google Friends Newsletter - June 2007

POWER TIP

Browse the Google Earth Gallery

There is so much wonderful content that our users have created for Google Earth that we could never highlight it all in this newsletter. So now, we're showcasing these KML files in the new Google Earth Gallery. To see the 6 new user-created KML files highlighted each week, you can either go to the website or add the gallery's Google Gadget to your iGoogle page.
Google Earth Gallery: http://earth.google.com/gallery
Google Earth Gadget: http://www.google.com/ig/adde?moduleurl=http://earth.google.com/gadget/kml_gadget.xml

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NEW PRODUCTS & UPDATES

Express yourself on Google Maps

You can now use Google Maps to write reviews for businesses. To get started, click on the 'Write a review' link at the top of the business details window. Whether you've discovered the best deli in your neighborhood or had fantastic service at a restaurant last weekend, share your reviews with everyone on Google Maps.
http://maps.google.com

Discover content on Google Calendar

Use the new Google Calendar gallery to browse events and calendars that are available to everyone. You can find cool content from Netflix, the NBA, and Disney, to name a few. Some other new features you'll find in Google Calendar: send an email update for an upcoming event with the "Email Guests" link on the top right of the event details, and select "Show current time" from the "Settings" page to view a red line over the current time on your calendar.
http://calendar.google.com
http://www.google.com/calendar/gallery

It's a small world

Something we've learned from YouTube is that interesting and compelling video content can come from all kinds of people, from professionals to students to parents and families. And because great videos also come in all languages, YouTube is now available in 9 countries: Brazil, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Users visiting the YouTube site from these regions will experience a fully translated and localized site, including videos in their own languages, video ratings, sharing, and content flagging. Any content posted to YouTube will be accessible from all the localized country sites, and switching from one YouTube language site to another is simple -- just click the "Country" link at the top of the page.
http://www.youtube.com

Google Developer Day

On May 31st, we held the first Google Developer Day around the world. More than 5,000 software developers gathered in San Jose, London, Paris, Madrid, Hamburg, Moscow, Beijing, Sao Paulo, Tokyo, and Sydney. These software pros use Google products to build websites and programs for consumers and businesses -- such as software applications that sync Google Calendar and other calendar programs, or real estate sites that display listings on top of Google Maps. In addition to free food, these software engineers spent the day leading technical sessions on how to build great products using Google services.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=the0KZLEacs

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MISCELLANY

+Is green the new black?+

It seems you can hardly turn around lately without getting some news about climate change, sustainability, and environmentalism in general. If you want to get involved, there are countless programs, products and efforts you can undertake as an individual, from recycling or biking to work to buying a hybrid car or low-flow toilet. And there are plenty of things businesses can do too. As a global employer, Google is engaged with several initiatives. These include:

- solar power: we recently completed what may currently be the largest corporate solar installation in the U.S. at our Mountain View, California campus. With this in place, we hope to offset about 30% of our peak-hour output.

- corporate commuting: we manage a fleet of shuttle buses that carry some 1,500 Googlers to and from work all around the San Francisco Bay area, with additional benefits and credits for those who carpool, take the train, bike, or have a hybrid vehicle.

- plug-in hybrids: we're supporting research for this promising vehicle technology that may double the mileage of today's hybrid cars.

- carbon neutrality: we've pledged to become carbon neutral as a company - around the world - by the end of 2007. You can read more about all of these programs and more on our new "green" site.

http://www.google.com/corporate/green/energy/





Related post: google, friends, newsletter, june, 2007