Google Going To Buy Twitter ?

“Just a few weeks ago, Twitter finalized a funding round that values it at around $1 billion, despite criticism and concerns over its ability to generate revenue and continue its growth. One piece of the puzzle may be falling into place: Twitter’s reported to be in advanced talks for mutli-million search deals with Microsoft and Google.

Clearly, Google sees great value in Twitter and its real-time search. It also faces new, stiff competition from Bing and even Facebook. The news of the deal poses an important question, though: Does Google need Twitter? And if so, how much? The answer to that question could be the difference in the Google vs. Bing battle.

Google Timeline says Linux from year 1910 !

Google Timeline is a snazzy experimental feature which generates timelines for search queries. That “experimental” part seems to be there for a reason, as the results for a Linux search claim that Linux has been around since the 1910ies. Then, after a brief reappearance in the 1920ies, it disappears from the

Join the Minimalist Google Homepage Prototype

You might have heard of the new experiment Google is running for its homepage, showing only logo and search box (and apparently search buttons, at times) unless your mouse moves over the page. To join this prototype, you can go to google.com and type the following into the address bar, then hit return and reload the page:

 

javascript:void(document.cookie="PREF=ID=abac7a90f5a3784b:LD=en:NR=10:TM=1254990196:LM=1254990236:S=uB6F4jDnMP_DuxtT;path=/; domain=.google.com");

I’m making this my Google homepage for now to see how it goes, I kinda like it (in my browser I often hit Ctrl + N, type google, hit Ctrl + return, then enter some search string, and hit return again).

Google Search Options Come to Mobile

Back in May, when Google launched a spiffy new suite of search options at their Searchology event, users got a gambit of new tools for exploring different kinds of content posted withing different time ranges.

Today, Google has announced that the same options are coming to mobile search. Now, mobile users will have the same options on-the-go as they do when using Google search from their personal computer.

For many smartphone users in the U.S., search options will include the ability to pare down and filter results to get very specific, optimized pages. This will apply for owners of iPhones, Android devices, and Palm WebOS devices.

As Google software engineer Reza Ziaei wrote this evening on the Google Mobile blog, "You can do this simply by searching for the name of the product. Then, on the search results page, use ‘Options’ to filter by ‘Forums’ and refine further by choosing ‘Past week.’ See the screenshots below for a sample query. Try these and other Search Options yourself by simply doing a mobile search on google.com and selecting Options."

Get Google Wave Shortcut

 

So y Shortcut ou’ve snagged an invitation to Google Wave—or a pal is sending one your way—and you’ve already taken a look at what to expect. Let’s dive deeper into Wave features, etiquette, and extensions.

Learn Wave’s Keyboard Shortcuts

Every good webapp has a full set of keyboard shortcuts for getting around and performing the most common actions, and happily Google Wave is no exception. While Wave is still missing a whole lot of shortcuts, there are a few you must know now. Here are the essential shortcuts to learn first:

• Arrow keys: Move up/down within a list of waves, and left/right from inbox to open wave panel with your arrow keys.
• Spacebar: Go to the next unread wave in a list
• Ctrl+E: Edit a selected wave
• Shift+Enter (in edit mode): Finish editing your wave; equivalent to clicking the "Done" button
• Enter: Add a reply to a selected wave directly under it
• Shift+Enter (in view mode): Add a reply to the bottom of a list of waves

What is a browser?

 

I’ve been trying to explain to my mom for months what a web browser is, with little luck. After a few rounds of failed attempts, I grew curious about people’s general understanding of web browsers. So I decided to conduct a highly-scientific (read: not scientific at all) survey of my friends and got the following results:

As it turns out, my mom’s not the only one {!} who is confused about web browsers — even though the browser is one of the most-used programs on computers.
For my mom, my friends and everyone else who may be wondering about web browsers, I created a one minute video to help explain what they’re all about about:

 

I’ve also created a simple site, WhatBrowser.org, that gives even more information about browsers. On this site, you can see which web browser you’re using, explore links to browser diagnostic tests and read some useful tips for getting the most out of your browser.
Lots of our time each day is spent online, and every page on the web is experienced through the browser. Unfortunately, most people don’t realize that there are many browsers out there, which differ on features like speed, security and extensibility.
So, the next time you find yourself as the informal tech support for your family and friends, make sure to explain why their browser matters — and of course, what it is!
Posted by Jason Toff, Associate Product Marketing Manager and son of Alla Toff

LiveJournal Tags: Internet,Internet Explorer,chrome,Google,Firefox,Browser

Google AdSense leaks Apple’s refreshed iMac, Mac mini, Macbook?

This one is for all you online tea leaf readers and Apple SKU / crystal ball aficionados: Further confirming our suspicion that something more affordable may be on the horizon, Google AdSense this weekend started serving users in the Netherlands with ads for new iMacs, MacBooks, and Mac minis. Pointing to a dead link at the country’s Apple Store, the ads read (via Google Translate): "Apple’s Newest MacBook. Thinner, lighter and faster! Free delivery. Order today," "The Brand new iMac. Ultra Thin 20 & 24 inch models. From only €1099 (roughly $1,063). Apple Store," and "Apple’s New Mac mini. Faster and more affordable than ever. From only € 499 ($723). Order immediately." (For a little perspective, that’s €100 ($145) less than the cheapest Mac mini currently on the Netherlands online store.) Granted, whenever peeping purported translations from foreign tipsters we’re always half-afraid that we’re actually reading Celine Dion lyrics or dialogue from Caddyshack, but this one seems to be the real deal — for whatever that’s worth.

 

del.icio.us Tags: Google,Apple,Imac,Mac Mini,Adsense

Now in Google Toolbar for Firefox: advanced in-page translation

Last week was a big one for Google Toolbar: we released the new Google Toolbar with Sidewiki for Internet Explorer and Firefox allowing you to contribute helpful information next to any webpage. But there’s more: with the new version of Google Toolbar, our advanced in-page translation also became available for Firefox, making it easy to read a webpage in another language with the click of a button.
The new version of Google Toolbar for Firefox has several other new features . You can find (almost) everything about the toolbar in our help center so we’ll just mention two new things. As in Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer, we’re now experimenting with displaying high-quality website suggestions and sponsored links as you type your query. Clicking on these will take you directly to the website (try typing "cnn" in the toolbar to see an example).
Also, Firefox version 3.5 introduced Private Browsing mode in which in which Firefox will stop recording your browsing history. The new version of Toolbar in Firefox will follow suit and not record your searchbox history while in Private Browsing mode. It will also turn off PageRank, Web History and Sidewiki. This means that you can confidently surf in private when you prefer. Note that Firefox’s Private Browsing mode does not mean complete anonymity; we highly recommend reading Mozilla’s support page before using Private Browsing mode.
We continue to work on new features to improve your web experience. Download the latest version of Google Toolbar and try out these new features.

del.icio.us Tags: Download,latest version,Google,Toolbar,google toolbar