Google Friends Newsletter - January 2008

POWER TIP

Create your own theme for iGoogle

Whether you like cartoons, dogs, sock puppets, or another amusing thing, you can now create dynamic themes for the iGoogle homepage with the iGoogle Themes API. You can even set your theme to update automatically based on the time of day or weather. This makes it easy to create a narrative that unfolds throughout the day, a landscape that changes as the sun rises and sets, or a morphing piece of digital art.
http://code.google.com/apis/themes

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NEW PRODUCTS & UPDATES

YouTube for Mobile

The YouTube and mobile teams have just released a new YouTube for Mobile application. It's the best way to put YouTube on your phone and watch millions of videos wherever you are. Key features include access to your YouTube account, your Favorites, your own uploaded Videos and your favorite Channels; you can also share, rate, and comment directly on videos from your phone.
http://www.youtube.com/mobile

Local Search integration with Google Maps

Now you can get directions from or to any location you can search for on Google Maps. If the match for your query isn't exact, we'll offer you some choices without forcing you to start over. The next time friends in Mountain View are looking for a meal after work, try Google Maps for [Google Mountain View to pizza]. Or if you visit our driving directions team in Seattle, just search for [SEA Airport to Andra
Hotel Seattle] to get directions to your hotel.
http://maps.google.com

iTunes Grammys Gadget

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Grammy Awards, which will be held in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 10. To mark the occasion, Apple has launched a contest on iGoogle: Through February 8, you can add the iTunes Grammy Contest gadget to your iGoogle page and submit your predictions on who will win Grammy Awards in 10 categories. The gadget also offers daily trivia giveaways, Grammys history, and many links to iTunes clips. The contest is open to U.S. residents 13 and up; the winner gets 10,000 songs from iTunes.
http://tinyurl.com/2w36r5