OpenSocial is the most talked about open API for social networks

So much has been written about OpenSocial since Google made the announcement.  In one of the online article that I read, the author described OpenSocial as "Learn Once, Reach Across the Web".  I think this is a powerful strategy because you just have to learn the API once and deploy the applications you write to many sites across the internet.  Imagine how much time and resource you will save.  I read that a developer sandbox will be available soon ( http://sandbox.orkut.com) for developers to test the API.  Google's goal is to use the Orkut sandbox for developers to deploy their application, test that it works and ultimately deploy it to other OpenSocial sites.

OpenSocial is Google's latest developer platform which uses a common API to create applications for social network sites.  Since the announcement, Google has formed alliances with LinkedIn, MySpace, hi5, Salesforce.com and other companies.

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UN teams up with Google and Cisco Systems to fight poverty

The United Nations is using technology to track world development efforts to fight poverty.  UN has teamed up with Google and Cisco systems to launch a web site to allow users to explore places where work is done to fight poverty.  U. N. will use Google Earth's maps and satellite images and give users the experience to fly around the globe to learn more about their current project around the world.  The United Nations goal is to cut poverty by half.  It is reported that the budget for the website project is $200,000.

 

 

 

Google and MySpace alliance

Google has formed a new OpenSocial alliance with MySpace and together they are looking to take on Facebook.  It's reported that MySpace has twice the number of signed up members than Facebook.

OpenSocial is a open system API that will allow developers to create application for social-networking web sites.  Developers will use html and javascript in OpenSocial.

Others who have joined alliance with Google are Salesforce.com, LinkedIn, hi5.

 

 

 

 

Google shares rose to $707

With rumours that Google is talking with Sprint and Verizon to find a suitable mobile phone to run Google's software, the Google shares rose to USD707 on Wednesday.  So what is Google talking to mobile network providers, Sprint and Verizon about?  Report suggests that Google is trying to sell them their mobile operating system, gPhone.

Gmail 2.0

Gmail was released in 2004, making history by giving away 1GB of email storage.  It was also one of the first web application that used AJAX.  That sparked off the email war between Google, Yahoo and Hotmail to provide AJAX type web email applications.  Since the successful release of Gmail, we have been anticipating a release of a greater and better Gmail.  Gmail 2.0 is now being rolled out to selected users and eventually to all Gmail users.  The Gmail 2.0 architecture has an improved performance and usability.  I read that the Javascript has been re-written to make GMail perform faster.  It's reported that some of the goodies you will get in Gmail 2.0 are mail prefetching and updated contact manager.  I've yet to see how it works.  I am waiting patiently for GMail 2.0.  You can have a preview at http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2007/10/gmails-new-version-is-now-available.html

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Google's new open system API, OpenSocial

Google has announced the availability of an open system API, named OpenSocial.  The API will enable developers to create applications that run on social networking sites.  The OpenSocial common API will use javascript and html to access profile and friends information, feeds and activities from a social network.  It has been reported that early OpenSocial participants are LinkedIn, hi5.com, Friendster and Ning.  The implementation of OpenSocial using javascript and html is a plus for developers.  Unlike Facebook where developers have to learn a non-standard mark up langugage, which makes the code unusable outside of Facebook, developers will be able to easily use existing their existing knowledge of javascript and html to quickly create applications using OpenSocial.

The API should be available at http://code.google.com/apis/opensocial when it is live.  I believe it will be made live to developers next week.

gPhone, new Operating System for mobile devices by Google

Since the announcement by Apple that they will be releasing a software development kit for iPhone next year, news has it that Google will also create a new OS for mobile devices called gPhone.  We know that Google AdSense now provide advertisements for mobile websites and Google is extending its profitable online advertising business to the wireless market.  Chances are Google will release a software developmemt kit for gPhone.

Terror attack using Google Earth

Software applications were once created to automate business processes.  In recent times, it has evolved and is now created
for entertainment, gaming, mapping, etc. One popular GIS (Geographical Information System) software that is freely available and is widely used is Google Earth.  It is used in various industries by various companies and individuals but what I read yesterday in the newspapers came as a surprise, well at least to me.  It was reported that terrorists are now using Google Earth to plot their warfare in Israel and Iraq.  They are using the mapping software to plan missile attacks and they are using the sophistication of the sattelite pictures to determine the position of enemy camps in Iraq.  I am sure when Google had the idea of creating a free mapping software, they did not foresee that it will be used for such a purpose or maybe they did.  Who knows?  I guess if the terrorists are using Google Earth as a planning tool, the  FBI or British Intelligence could also be using the software in a similar way too.

 

 

Microsoft is aiming to become the new king of online advertising

It is reported in Google News today that Microsoft is paying Facebook premium to get at Google.  Google managed to buy YouTube and is in the process of buying DoubleClick and we know that Microsoft wants its share of the pie in the online advertising business.  Microsoft is trying to aim for a big piece of the pie because we all know that Google is currently the king of online advertising.

GMail IMAP

Rumour has it that Google is integrating IMAP into GMail but it is not available to all GMail users yet. Only select few users have IMAP in GMail. I believe if this is true, Google is doing their bit of testing before releasing IMAP to all.

IMAP over POP3

POP3 sucks all emails from server to client. IMAP maintains a copy of the email on the server. This has benefits over POP3 in the sense that if you are not at a desktop to retrieve your email, a copy is always on the server and you can use a web client to look at your email. Most ISPs use POP3 over IMAP because it is easier to maintain and there is less issue of hard disk storage for growing mailboxes.

I will be listening to the net and will update this once I hear anything more certain about GMail IMAP.

Google Presentations

Hey guess what...Google has launched PowerPoint style presentation application called Google Presentations which is part of Google Docs.  If you have a google account, you'll be able to try it out.

Gmail users

How's this for a friday afternoon treat.  According to research results in America, gmail users are younger, richer and good in bed compared to Yahoo and Hotmail users :)

http://mashable.com/2007/05/10/gmail-users-are-younger-richer-good-in-bed/

Link to Google Pack

A free collection of software offered by Google http://pack.google.com/intl/en/pack_installer.html?nopers
You can pick and choose what you want to install.
 

Using GoogleTalk on a Mac

You can chat to your gmail buddies by using iChat in Mac. Create a jabber account. Jabber ID : email@gmail.com (your email address) password : your gmail password Server : talk.google.com Port : 5222 Uncheck "Connect using SSL" If you are unable to connect using the above settings, change Port : 5223 Check "Connect using SSL"

GBuy to compete with PayPal

GBuy is Google's latest product that will compete head on with EBay's PayPal due to launch on 28 June. Not much information has been revealed about GBuy but it will be free initially during beta testing but later on a transaction charge will be introduced. As an incentive to lure merchants to join the service, stores accepting GBuy payments will be listed as "Trusted GBuy Merchant" in search results. I will follow up with more information on GBuy once I know more but keep a watch out on the progress in cyberspace.

Google SketchUp and Google Earth

I remember the hours I spent playing Sim City in the 90s. It was interesting and challenging building and running your own city. Google is doing the same with Google Earth and a 3D modelling tool called SketchUp. In the case of Google's application, you don't get to run the earth but you get to build a visual representation of what a building, house, shop looks like to someone who has not been to your street or city. SketchUp is a free hands-on tool. How cool is that? You can then upload your model onto Google Earth using 3D Warehouse. It is a smart way to encourage users to collaborative and build on the visual aspect of the Google Earth product. After all we all own the earth and it is our delight to share visual representation of buildings, houses of where we live with other who are interested enough to look it up on Google Earth.

I have not used SketchUp or 3D Warehouse as I write this so I cannot comment on the user friendliness or features the software tools provide but the conceptual idea is a good one. Imagine using this as a method of marketing your building or company to the world through Google Earth. The Earth is so large that someone from the other side of the world will not know your existence until they find it on Google Earth :)

Google Talk

It has finally arrived. The beta version of Google Talk was released today. You can download a copy from http://www.google.com/talk. It contains gmail notifier facility as well so if you have gmail notifier installed, it will ask you if you wish to uninstall gmail notifier during the installation. Google Talk login is integrated with Gmail (of course) so in order to use GTalk you will must have a gmail email account. Google has made gmail available to all. No longer require an invitation. You can invite friends to use GTalk and if your friend does not have a gmail account, the invitation email will allow your friend to sign up for a gmail email. GTalk is yet another IM app. I personally think for me to use the app. fully, I must first convert my various skype, MSN, Yahoo chat mates to GTalk! It will be good if GTalk is like Trillian where you can access all your chat contacts from various IM apps. The interface is mediocre but it has always been Google's strategy to get the app. out in beta and then refine the app. as the user base grows. I have not tried the chat functionality yet. It would be nice to have a GTalk lite versio for Pocket PC. So it is official, Google has diversified again.

Google Web Accelerator

Today I read about the beta release of the Google Web Accelerator for IE. The software has to be install on your desktop. Then it tracks the mouse movement when you are on a web page and it downloads the web pages and caches it so that you can see the pages much faster. It also has a speedometer that measures how much time it takes to download the page with and without the accelerator. Regarding security, Google said that it only works with http request. https requests are not cached. They also mentioned that if you are not comfortable about the security issue, you can disable the accelerator when you are surfing https sites. download: http://webaccelerator.google.com

Google fixes Gmail bug

Slashdot.org reported that a Gmail bug was discovered recently. The Gmail messages were vulnerable to interception. All the attacker had to do is to transmit malformed test messages to himself and the information left over in memory, from previous messages destined for other people, will appear with the test messages, in the attacker's inbox. Sometimes, this information may include usernames and passwords... Google acted quickly when they found out and patched the security hole almost immediately. The bug was discovered about 3 days ago when a couple of coders were working on a mailing list script to send out a batch of newsletter for a free hacker-friendly shell service they operated. Here is the full story...The Discovery Keywords: Google, software bug, Gmail

Google Desktop Search Vulnerability

According to TechNewsWorld, Search engine leader Google has been forced to respond to a security vulnerability in its Google Desktop Search software, which reportedly made it possible for computer intruders to view desktop search results via the Web. Google claims it has fixed the problem for current and future users of the service.

I have Gmail invites again!

Anyone who is interested in a gmail account or did not get one the last time you posted a comment, I have more gmail invites to give out. If you post a comment wity your first and last name and your email address, I will send you a gmail invite.

Google adds major libraries to its database

Google will provide the ability for searching books by digitizing out-of-print and copyrighted works. Google will partner with major libraries on this project. The partners include five major libraries, University of Michigan, Oxford University and the New York Public Library. Source: CNET

Google Suggest

A new search facility by Google. What this tool does is, it tries to guess what you are trying to find in real time. As soon as you have started typing Google will try to guess what you are looking for, offering you alternative search keywords and queries with an estimate of the number of pages containing the relevant search keyword phrases. Although Google already has a feature called "Did you mean?" links, Google Suggest are produced automatically. You don't have to click on the relevant link to get the suggestions. Google Suggest FAQ Source: Pandia Search World

Google Results Vs Yahoo Results

According to a Nielsen//Netratings study, Google holds the top spot for search engine destinations. However, if you take a closer look at N//N's findings, you see that Yahoo and MSN share the second and third positions, respectively. Because MSN search is still using Overture to serve their search results more people are vicariously using the Yahoo method of search than they do Google. What search results do you prefer or find more relevant? Yahoo/Overture or Google? Share your thoughts at WebProWorld.

Keyhole powered by Google

I am spending my Sat. evening looking at Google products when I stumbled across a new Google product called Keyhole. Of course I googled and found that Google recently acquire the company, Keyhole. What does the Keyhole product provides to citizens like us who use the Internet more than the public library. It is essentially a Geographical Information System (GIS), a 3-D, aerial graphical view of places around the big blue marble. I installed the 7-day trial version to see what I can do with the software. Since I just came back from my holiday in New York, I used Keyhole to search for the hotel I stayed in while I was in New York. Keyhole allows zoom-in/zoom-out option, you can search by postcode, city, country and within an area, you can drill down and look for schools, dining, banks, etc. Pretty cool. Here is a screenshot of the Hotel I stayed when I was in New York last month. 

Google Plugs Hole in Gmail

Such security flaws are not uncommon, but Gmail deviates from the norm by not causing cookies to expire when users change passwords. "Google should be using cookies as a second factor of authentication rather than the only factor," said Laura Koetzle of Forrester Research. A week ago the Israeli online magazine Nata NetLife reported an exploitation of Google's Gmail e-mail service, currently in beta testing. Attackers, likely through a phishing approach that included a harmless-looking link to the Google site, were able to steal Gmail user cookies and access the e-mail accounts, even after passwords had been changed. Full Story

I have Gmail invites

I have 3 gmail invites to give away. If you want an invite, leave your first and last name and your email address. The first three people who leave their details will receive an invitation to create a gmail account.

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Redo Google Interface

Article on Wired on how four designers share their (re)visions of the Google Interface. Link

Gmail feature suggestion form

If you have a gmail email account and have ideas/suggestions on how to improve the existing features, you can use the link below to submit your suggestion(s). http://services.google.com/inquiry/gmail_suggest/

Google Adsense new features

I received an email from Google Adsense team today regarding some new features launced recently. 1. Multiple ad units 2. Collapsing ad units 3. New name for Websearch 4. Multiple domains for AdSense for search SiteSearch 5. Rebranding Ads by Goooooogle Below is the extract from the email: Multiple ad units To provide even more value to your users, and to help you further monetise your web pages, we are allowing publishers to place up to three ad units on every web page. Our system will automatically recognise the additional ad units, and will serve unique ads to each. Your ad units can each have different colour palettes, formats, and alternate ad URLs, providing you with the flexibility you need to incorporate Google ads into your site design. Please read the Multiple Ad Units section of our FAQ for the full details. Collapsing ad units An additional option for your alternate ad content, Google's collapsing ad units ensure that your page space is used to its maximum potential at all times. When targeted ads are not available for an ad unit, the collapsing ad unit feature will shrink the empty ad unit, so that blank ad spaces are eliminated from your page. For instructions on implementing this feature, please read the AdSense FAQ. New name for WebSearch We are dropping the 'WebSearch' from 'WebSearch plus AdSense for search.' This monetised search feature will now be referred to simply as AdSense for search - but all of the same great features remain. For more information on providing customised Google internet and site search to your users and earning money from clicks on targeted ads, please read our FAQ. Multiple domains for AdSense for search SiteSearch Your Search Settings page now provides you with the option of specifying multiple domains for SiteSearch. Simply enter up to three domains when generating your search code - your AdSense for search box will list each domain with a radio button, allowing your users to choose the site on which they would like to search. Ads by Goooooogle We are currently running a test with new branding features on Google ads. You may notice some of your pages displaying 'Ads by Goooooogle' ad units. We welcome your feedback on this new look, and we will be analysing the results of this test over the next while.

Gmail notifier

I have been using Gmail for about two months now and I use it everyday for most of my personal correspondence. I have sourced around for 3rd party utilities that can enhance the usability of gmail, something most email users look for. One facility that I really appreciate is a notifier. An alert to inform me that I have a new email in my inbox. Before switching to gmail, I used hotmail for my personal emails and the integration with MSN Messenger provided the alert facility that I got accustomed to. After trying a few utilities, I decided to try the Gmail Notifier. The Gmail Notifier allows you to check your Gmail messages without opening your browser. Here is a description of Gmail Notifier that I extracted from the Google web page: The Gmail Notifier is a downloadable Windows application that alerts you when you have new Gmail messages. It displays an icon in your system tray to let you know if you have unread Gmail messages, and shows you their subjects, senders and snippets, all without your having to open a web browser. The Notifier is in beta. Before you download it, we encourage you to review the system requirements and privacy information. Here is the link to download the software : Gmail Notifier I think the main setback in the software is it you need Windows 2000, Windows XP, or a more recent version of Windows to run it. I use XP at home and one of my home PC runs XP too but I have another PC that I use quite often that runs Win ME. That means Gmail Notifier will not run on my older PC, or any Linux pcs. As long as your PC environment is Win 2000 and above, you have no problem installing the software. How stable is this little software, it is still too early to tell. I installed it about 20 minutes ago.

Google AdSense

I am doing a quick survey of people with Google ads on their weblog. Has the Google pay per click scheme been successful for you and just wondering, how many page impressions do you get on your blog. If you don't mind discussing about it, let me know by leaving a comment and leave a link to your blog too. Thanks.

Virus hits Google

Google search engine has been hit by a variant of MyDoom virus today, crippling its search service.  Instead of getting search results, a page showing "Server Error" is displayed. Johannes Ullrich, chief technical officer from net security firm Sans Institute, told the BBC it appeared that the search engine was being overwhelmed by requests generated by the MyDoom virus. The virus is also targeting other search engines.  The virus is using search engines to find valid email addresses online. Full story...

Desktop/Web Search Engine Tool

Search engine companies are looking at combining web and desktop search. Blinkx, a new company is offering a desktop application that is able to examine documents a user is reading and suggests similar web pages, blog entries, news stories, video clips and documents from the user's own hard drive. A user can also do a keyword search and the search results will include links from all the sources mentioned. To compete with Blinkx, Google is said to be developing a similar desktop application that will be able to search personal computer hard drives. Microsoft is also developing a new search technology that will be integrated into the Microsoft Office applications. Similarly, Microsoft's new search technology will easily allow users to find information stored on their hard drives. It looks like in the very near future, search engine technology will extend beyond the web.

Desktop/Web Search Engine Tool

Search engine companies are looking at combining web and desktop search. Blinkx, a new company is offering a desktop application that is able to examine documents a user is reading and suggests similar web pages, blog entries, news stories, video clips and documents from the user's own hard drive. A user can also do a keyword search and the search results will include links from all the sources mentioned. To compete with Blinkx, Google is said to be developing a similar desktop application that will be able to search personal computer hard drives. Microsoft is also developing a new search technology that will be integrated into the Microsoft Office applications. Similarly, Microsoft's new search technology will easily allow users to find information stored on their hard drives. It looks like in the very near future, search engine technology will extend beyond the web.

New Features added to Gmail

Google has recently added 3 new features to its free 1GB web mail service.   

1. Gmail will now allow you to import your contacts from Yahoo Mail and Outlook.  To import contacts from other email services you will have to export the contact details to a CSV file first.
2. A signature option has been added.
3. Safari browser support (version 1.2.1 and newer)

 

Google on Nasdaq

Google has registered to be listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange for its upcoming $2.7 billion initial public offering. Google filed to go public in late April 2004. Full story... Follow the development of Google IPO...

Google Blog

This site is worth visiting. It give you an insight into the news, technology, and culture of Google.

Gmail and Orkut invite

If you are someone who is looking for a Gmail or Orkut invite, look no further. Post a comment with your details (firstname, lastname and email address) and briefly tell me why you would like an invite. As Gmail invites are limited to only a few, be quick. ** LEAVE YOUR DETAILS IF YOU WANT AN ORKUT INVITE. I DO NOT HAVE ANYMORE GMAIL INVITES TO GIVE OUT FOR THE TIME BEING. **

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US politicians out to restrict Google mail service

Google mail or also known as Gmail's strategy is to insert advertisements beside the email message as a way of targeting marketing. The Gmail server would scan the email message for keywords and target the advertisements appropriately. Today the US politicians have taken the first steps toward imposing restrictions on Google's Gmail service, according to the BBC website. The Californian senators have approved a bill that limits Google's plan to scan messages and include ads, worrying that this will invade the privacy of Gmail account holders. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the California Governor will have the final decision as to whether this becomes a law.

Google Community

The GoogleCommunity.com is a discussion forums for everything related to Google. You can discuss about search engines, ad sense, gmail, orkut, google answers and group. There is also a chit chat forum to discuss about anything that you want to. If you want to join the forum, click here and try it out.