Google Business Photos Lets You Peek Inside

Today, at the Social-loco conference, Marissa Mayer stepped up and introduced the newest product coming out of Google Maps. With Google Places being a hit on mobile, and StreetView being a hit...well...everywhere, Maps is bringing a new feature for businesses called Google Business Photos. This gives a 360-degree view of everything inside a business. Google will even send over a photographer for the photoshoot!

So, when can businesses apply? NOW! There are 50 million Place pages to be filled! Currently it is limited to select cities in USA, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan but if you want your business to be in the program but aren't in these cities, apply anyways. Google wants to see where the demand for photographers is and this will help them decide where to send them.

Oh, and here's a cute little introduction by Google:



Source: ReadWriteWeb

New Chrome Ad Will Make Your Heart Melt

I can't really say anything about this ad that it doesn't say on it's own. Just take a look for yourself:



via TheNextWeb

Google I/O Android App Is Out!

With just a few more days until this year's Google I/O, the big G has released an Android app for our viewing pleasure. It consists of schedules with sessions you can star, a map of the conference center, descriptions of all the sandboxes, and a news bulletin. This only gets me more hyped up for the big event.

You can get the application here. Only 6 more days to go!

Source: Google Code Blog

Google Is The Most Reputable Company In The US

According to a Harris Interactive poll, Google is the most reputable company in the United States. Along with them are technology companies like Apple, Intel, Amazon, Sony, and Microsoft. All of these companies got a score higher than 80, which is quite impressive. Check out the results below.

Source: Mashable

NFC-Based Coupons Coming To Android?

Google is reportedly working with Ingenico to develop NFC-based coupons for Android, as claimed by Ingenico CEO Phillipe Lazare. They are currently working towards pushing coupons to users while they are shopping at a particular store. This could mean a convergence of Google Places and the brand new Google Offers.

Lazare has pictured the situation as such: a user is at a store and gets a coupon pushed to them; once they reach the checkout counter, there will be an Ingenico terminal where they can tap their phone to send the coupon data. Simple as that; no emails and QR codes, just tap go on. With Google's recent partnerships with MasterCard and CitiGroup, this could be right around the corner.

According to Lazare, this isn't coming anytime soon, but is in the development phase. I'm sure we're likely to get a glimpse of this sometime within the next year, though. This is something that will prove the power of NFC, and in turn, Android.

Source: ReadWriteWeb

RIM To Bring Enterprise Solutions To Android

RIM has announced that it is going to release a multi-platform BlackBerry Enterprise solution which includes Android devices. That means that Android devices will soon be getting the enterprise security we currently find exclusively on BlackBerry devices, including the Enterprise Server technology and the management system. Some features will remain exclusive to BlackBerry devices, but the majority of game-changing features are going to be brought to both Android and iOS. This is a very exciting development considering the fact that this brings Android closer to an enterprise market. I really hope Google takes advantage of this with their Google Apps and converges the services to make some powerful business-style devices this year.

For the full press release, click here.

Details About The New Google TV Emerge

It's no secret that the new Google TV will be shown off at Google I/O this year, but we've finally gotten a glimpse of the future. Here are a few rumors coming from an insider:

• Faster chipset, meaning better performance
• Better user experience
• Android Market - finally

The first two are obvious ones, but the last one is definitely something to put a smile on everyone's face. The Android Market is a long time coming to the Google TV and I'm interested to see how this really plays out. Up till now, all Android market apps have been focused on touch-based device; it'll be interesting to see how things play out on a new kind of device. 

I'm especially looking forward to seeing Google TV games with Android touch devices being the controller. This, and much more, is possible with this kind of cross-platform interface, which makes this kind of development so much more exciting! Now, who can wait for Google I/O 2011?

Source: Business Insider

Googler Confirms "Ice Cream Sandwich" Next Android Version

Romain Guy, a well-known developer in the Android team, has confirmed the name of the next version of Android. There has been a back-and-forth for the past couple of months about whether it will be called Ice Cream or Ice Cream Sandwich.

A little while back, Jason Kincaid of TechCrunch claimed that Andy Rubin himself said that the version name would be Ice Cream Sandwich, but others will still skeptical on the name. The reasoning? Well, it's quite simple - the statues outside of the Android building all represent some Android version. Andy Rubin was worried that if they called it Ice Cream, people would get the statue confused with the FroYo (Frozen Yogurt) statue. Can you say LOL?

Regardless, it seems that Guy has confirmed all doubts and has credited Kincaid's claims. Here's where the all the rumors were ended:

Now when will this special dessert be served? Chances are that we'll get a sample at this year's Google I/O, but it probably won't come out for another few months (just like FroYo did). Rumors claim that this version will most probably converge Gingerbread and Honeycomb and create a cross-form-factor OS all across the board. I guess only time will tell what this next delicious treat will taste like.

Source: DroidDog

[UPDATE: It's Here!] Google Chrome Canary Build Coming To Mac OS X

UPDATE: Canary for Mac is here! More here.


Google Chrome has always had multiple channels for it's browser. It has the stable channel, the browser that should never break; the beta channel, the kind-of unstable browser that gets some features the stable doesn't get; the dev channel, the very unstable, near-bleeding-edge browser that gets the early, unfinished features; and finally the Canary build. This build is literally the bleeding edge. It gets features that no one will see in quite a while and don't work very well at all.

Up till now, the Canary build has only been available to Windows users. Mac OS X and Linux users have been kept in the dark and have been drooling for the chance to get their hands on this channel. But today, some news makes it look like Canary is making it's way over to OS X very soon. As in, the next few days.

Although the stable is in version 11 (so is Beta, I believe), dev channel is currently at version 12, and Canary is about to hit version 13 - that's the version that will hit Mac OS X. A developer who tracks the project very closely, Peter Beverloo, said the following:

"While it has not been released yet, Google does seem to be ready to release Google Chrome Canary for Mac OS X systems. The browser cannot be made the default browser through the preferences and the release monitor says that the latest version was released today, using the same revision as Windows’ Canary."

No one really knows when it'll hit, but it's definitely coming soon. I really hope they bring this build over to Linux; I've been looking forward to running the Canary build on Ubuntu for quite a while now!

Source: TechCrunch

Google Being Sued Over Android Location Tracking

Just a few days after news broke out that Apple is being sued for location tracking, it seems that Google is being hit with a similar suit as well. Apple quickly responded by saying it plans on sending an update that clears the location cache much more often, but we have yet to see how Google responds to the issue. But there is a major difference between Apple and Google's location tracking - Google has an opt-in feature that lets the user decide whether or not the location should be tracked; the big question is: is location being tracked locally either way? If this is so, they may have to do what Apple is doing and clear that cache much more often, if not get rid of it altogether if the user opts-out.

Source: The Register

Google I/O Schedules Are Now Available

Anyone going to Google I/O has been (im)patiently waiting for the sessions schedule to help us plan out which developer sessions we can go to. Well, with only 11 days until the big event, Google has released the schedules for your perusal. You can find them here:

• Sessions Schedule (pdf)
• Bootcamp Schedule (html)
• Office Hours Schedule (pdf)

If you're attending I/O this year, shoot me a comment below and let me know which sessions you plan on attending! I'm looking forward to meeting as many people as I can!

Source: Google Code Blog

Video Chat Now On Android Phones!

Google has just announced something all Android users have been waiting for for a long time - video chat! Unlike it's FaceTime counterpart, Android video chat is available on both 3G/4G and over WiFi. The new Gtalk OTA will be rolling out to the Nexus S over the next few weeks (as 2.3.4), and will show up on other devices in the near future. This is a very exciting development; we originally thought that video chat would be announced at I/O, but it seems like we were off! The video below will give you more info on video chat for Android.

Source: Google Mobile Blog

Two New Chrome Devices Surface

Before the CR-48, we saw many device rumors being thrown around. Now that Chrome OS seems to be right around the corner, it's obvious that more and more devices will pop up. Well, for now we see two devices - one netbook by the name of ZGB, and one that seems to be a touch-enabled device by the name of "Seaboard".

Let's start off with the ZGB. Most probably an ASUS Chromebook, chances are we're looking at a 12-15" device with a 1366x768 (16:9) resolution. Along with that, CrunchGear says that it should be an Atom processor due to an addition HDMI controller. Other than that, we don't have much info on the ZGB. Although this just seems like a CR-48 successor, this may be the first official Chromebook in the market - which is definitely a big deal.

Now for the big one - the Seaboard. It's been no secret that Google's been making Chrome a little more touch-screen savvy, so chances are they've been messing around with some touch devices to test it. The Seaboard has popped up in a few bug reports, and it looks like it's got some pretty amazing specs. The Seaboard packs a Nvidia Tegra II, an Atmel MXT Touch Screen, 2MB SPI storage (?), 1 GiB of DRAM, and two USB ports. I'm kind of disappointed with the lack of HDMI port, but other than that it looks pretty standard. It seems that no one's sure if it's a tablet or a touch-enabled netbook, so we'll have to see.

Now that Chrome OS is nearing it's first commercial appearance, I'm excited to see what kind of devices we're going to see. Netbooks are definitely on their way, but what if tablets show up? We may see some competition with it's Android tablet cousins. I'm interested to see how that would play out!

Source: CrunchGear & The Chrome Story

Speak & Translate With Chrome!

Google Translate is one of the best applications coming out of the 'Plex. With the mobile app, it has the power to have two people understand each other even when they both speak two different languages. A very important thing to have in today's internationally-connected world. Today, that same feature hits Chrome. By hitting the mic, one can speak and translate on their computer right away. After translation, they can even listen to the translation on the other end. I'm very glad this has reached desktops; it is a vital part of our global community.

Source: Google Chrome Blog

Google Docs Becomes Native For Android With Some Killer Features

Here's something I know all Android users have been waiting for - a native Google Docs application. With this app, you can create, edit, and share documents, just as you would with the web application. Along with those, the Android edition comes with a killer feature - photo-to-text. Using your phone's camera, you can take a photo of some text, and Docs for Android will convert it into a document!

Some other really cool features - if you open up a document from Gmail, it will launch it in Docs, something we've all had in the Gmail web application for some time. Search is also available in the app, so you can quickly sift through the piles of documents you have saved.

This is a very exciting addition by Google, albeit late. This should have been a core Android app straight from the start, but I guess it's better than never. This is a great start for a V1 of such a powerful application, and I'm excited to see what's next!

Source: Google Docs Blog

Android Developers Get Access To Their Sales Reports

In a constant rush to improve developer satisfaction, the Android team has launched a brand new feature that will put a smile on many faces. Developers can now go to their Android Market dashboard and access a monthly sales report for all of their applications. This detailed report will go into information about devices, type of currency, currency conversion rates, among other things. It can also be downloaded in CSV format.

Source: Android Developer Blog

YouTube Taking Steps To Become Netflix Competitor

Recent news has spread that YouTube has been working with companies like Sony Pictures Entertainment to launch what may be a Netflix competitor; ie. a major Hollywood movie-streaming website. This is big news considering the fiascos we have all seen with the lack of Google TV adoption from these same corporations - this could mean a whole new beginning for that platform.

We've been seeing YouTube dipping into Hollywood movies for quite some time with things like youtube.com/movies, which mainly consists of movies no one wants to see, and even an online renting program for the Sundance Film Festival. With giant movements like the new streaming program, YouTube could be on it's way from user-created content to a broad range of independent and major films.

Source: Mashable

Clearing Flash Cookies Now Possible In Chrome

Flash is a very touchy subject in the technology world. Some refuse to use it, while other's believe it is a vital part of our daily internet lives. Although Flash has it's many positive uses, there have always been a few troublesome features that aren't always in the user's interest. One of these features is Local Shared Objects (LSOs), better known as Flash Cookies. Just like you would expect, LSOs save Flash application data locally on your machine so that when you return to that same app, you can continue right where you left off.

Recently, in the 10.3 build of Flash, Adobe has opened up an API that will allow developers to incorporate a LSO-clear into their browsers. The new Chrome Developer channel build let's you take advantage of this situation and clear these potentially harmful cookies. This is how you do it:

• To do a manual clear, go to chrome://settings/clearBrowserData and check off "Delete cookies and other site and plug-in data"
  
• To always clear on exit, go to chrome://settings/content and check off "Clear cookies and other site and plug-in data when I close my browser"

I suggest regularly doing the former because not only is it potentially dangerous to have this data stored at all times, but it also takes up quite a bit of space. Practicing safe-browsing is a very important skill to have, and this is a key element of that. Happy browsing!

Source: The Chromium Blog

Video Chat For Android Phones To Be Unveiled At Google I/O?

A tweet from @MAFiA303, someone who "works with" Samsung, has hinted us to the fact that video chat on Android phones is just around the corner. And the #io2011 at the end points us in the direction of it being introduced to us at Google I/O 2011. Although this is exciting, I really hope that there's more than just this popping up for Android at this year's greatest developer conference. Usually the rumors are dropping down like drops of water in waterfall, but this year seems to be a bit more quiet. Here's to hoping!

Source: AndroidPolice

Google Acquires TalkBin

Google has acquired TalkBin, a company founded by Wufoo, a Y-Combinator alum. TalkBin is a service that gives customers the chance to give feedback to local businesses. Here's the big kicker - TalkBin has been running for less than five months. 5 months. That's amazing.

I'm not sure why exactly Google needs a local-feedback team, but let's see where this goes. It seems to have been run by some quite intelligible people, and being backed by YC definitely didn't hurt them. I'm interested to see how this plays out. Chances are, the TalkBin app itself is going to be dumped and the group will give support on Google's mobile/local initiatives.

Source: TechCrunch

Background Send Lets You Surf Gmail While Sending Email

Have you ever send an email and had to wait for a few minutes for it to be sent on Gmail? We all know what happens with that. We sit on the compose page until the email finally gets sent off (if it gets sent off) to the recipient. We've all been through that annoying experience. Well, Gmail has always been set to please it's users, and today they've solved this problem as well.

A new labs feature, Background Send, lets you check your other email, spam, or do anything else with your Gmail while your mail is being sent. The only constraint? Stay logged in. I think we'll all be able to do that, am I right? I think this is an excellent addition.

You can turn on this feature by going to your settings page and going to the Labs tab. From there, Enable the section that says "Background Send", and you'll be all set to go. Enjoy!

Source: The Gmail Blog

Google Video Makes It Easier To Migrate To YouTube

Last week, Google announced that it was shutting down it's video service, Google Video. What was once a YouTube competitor soon turned into YT's little brother that many had forgotten. After many years of overlapping features and near-useless existence, Google has finally decided to shut down Google Video. Thankfully, the big G has made it much simpler to migrate to YouTube if you've been an avid user of their old, worn out service.

Although Google is shutting down all playback on April 29th, users will still be able to access their uploaded videos for a while. But, this won't be for long; they've added a feature that lets you upload your Google Video video to your connected YouTube account. If you decide that you won't those videos off the internet for good, you can also download the videos.

This shut-down of Google Video is a smart move by the video team. It was quite clear this was going to happen after Larry Page re-organized the VP roles and made the YouTube CEO, Salar Kamangar, the SVP of YouTube & Video. It was redundant site that needed some serious cleaning up, and I'm glad it was done. Let's hope that YouTube's focus on video search continues to grow stronger as it has in the past.

Source: YouTube Blog

Welcome!

Welcome to the Google Update!

Here you will see updates about all things Google, including Android, Chrome, Gmail, and the slew of other products coming out from the 'Plex. During events I will do live blogs (such as this year's Google I/O, which I am attending). I will also be discussing big changes in the phone industry regarding Android.

If you want constant updates on technology, check out my twitter: @anujahooja.

Thanks for visiting and I look forward to starting this blog! Don't forget to subscribe and/or bookmark!

Anuj Ahooja