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YOURTag: Google
How often do you check out the ads on the right-hand side of your Gmail window? I'm guessing never.
A new browser extension called Rapportive finally gives you a reason to look over there, replacing that dead space with detailed information on whoever you're emailing, including an avatar, recent tweets, and even current LinkedIn employment information.
Google recently unveiled its latest attempt to open up the Web to everyone: It's App Inventor, a visual app creator that lets anyone, regardless of programming knowledge, create apps for Google's Android mobile operating system.
It might seem like a great idea at first (now you can take the initiative to create that app you've always wanted), but it begs the question: Will this move ultimately boost or hinder Google's quest for mobile dominance?
If you're an Android user, the chances are pretty good that you've wasted some valuable time (and maybe money) on useless or deceiving apps in the Android Market. That "Tetris" clone? Not so great. That Twitter client? Not worth the $3 you just spent. As Android gains smartphone market share, the number of big-name, quality app designers is increasing; but there's still an awful lot of crap out there.
When the Android mobile operating system overtook the iPhone in terms of market share, it became clear that Android was officially worth watching.
It may have started off as an iPhone-wannabe, but now this open-source platform is exploding in popularity, thanks to big sellers like Verizon's Droid. (An interesting note: Many of the bestselling Android-based phones feature full physical keyboards, suggesting that Apple's touch-only keyboard is a big turn-off to some consumers.)
android, cell phones, google, mobile //
8:03 PM June 1, 2010
Remember IBM vs. Microsoft? And Apple vs. Microsoft? And Microsoft vs. Everyone? Well, the latest mega-fight is between Google and Apple, or so it seems. And eWeek's got a take on the ten battles to watch between the two companies:
Google Docs is already a terrific suite of Office-like applications, and now it's getting even better. Google has revamped Docs to make it faster, more responsive, and easier to collaborate. The company has also added a new drawings editor, for images flowcharts, and diagrams.
google //
5:41 AM April 13, 2010
Picnik, currently at #42 on our Photo 100 list, is being purchased by Google. As the company noted in a blog post, "More than ever before, people are sharing and storing their photos online. But until recently, you had to edit your photos using client software on your computer." No longer.
6:25 AM March 2, 2010
Google doesn't have to do all that much to generate buzz—the company's pretty much a buzz machine these days—but with its launch of Google Buzz, there's a lot to discuss and evaluate, the technology world's buzz evaluators are going wild.
But what is Google Buzz? It's essentially a social networking service connected to Gmail, as noted by TechCrunch, which compares it to Google Wave:
7:35 AM February 10, 2010
In spite of the economic recession, Google proved indestructible in 2009. While top companies declared bankruptcy, leaving tens of thousands of employees jobless, Google’s popularity skyrocketed. The company branched out into a number of new (and oftentimes unexpected) markets, experimenting with several innovative products that sought to strengthen its hold on the web.
google, google wave //
2:09 PM January 2, 2010
Google Wave is getting lots of press, but as an article in Time noted, it is notoriously hard to describe. Is it email? Not really. Instant-messaging? Well, no. What is it? Google describes Google Wave like this: "Google Wave is an online tool for real-time communication and collaboration. A wave can be both a conversation and a document where people can discuss and work together using richly formatted text, photos, videos, maps, and more." Which may leave you as confused as ever.
google, google wave //
2:14 PM October 14, 2009
