Posts tagged google
“ With regard to category interests, the demographic profiles easily pick up on things like travel searches. Our own Ryan Paul said Google captured him perfectly, with categories about computers and electronics, video games, and cats.”
Ars Technica editors share their Google ad preferences.
To be fair, “computers and electronics, video games, and cats” probably describes 75% of the internet.
To be unfair, Google pegs me as someone interested in “CD Audio Shopping”.
“ What a day for Android. It was just pushed behind the scenes as the thing that powers that awesome, cheap Amazon Kindle tablet. And made into that thing you pay Microsoft to use.”
Couple this with the earlier news that 2/3rd’s of Google’s mobile search is from iOS devices and we have quite a tangled web.
“ [A] new opt-in, Android-only feature allows Google Goggles to work in the background on your phone or tablet, and analyze photos as they’re taken. The app will automatically notify you when any search results match your captures — without you asking for them.”
Mashable* (via interestingsnippets)
Really interesting idea; wish I could try it out. What are the legal issues that surround this? Could Google be required to notify parties due to copyright violations or criminal activity?
* Man, I can’t stand Mashable. Throwing in the handwringing “without you asking for them” after they stated it’s opt-in is a joke. Great journalism, guys.
(via journo-geekery)
“ Finding applicants wasn’t a challenge. As soon as the news broke that Lee would be heading Google China, résumés began arriving by the hundreds. Lee went on a recruiting trip that had aspects of a rock-and-roll tour, with students actually bootlegging counterfeit tickets.”
Body Browser - Google Labs
Googler A: “Hey guys, I’ve just thought up perfect the product idea to give something back to the people after our recent creepy behavior!”
Googler B: “This is perfect! According to our data, x-rays and body imaging search trends are through the roof this quarter!”
(It’s really cool. Body Browser is just a really, really unfortunate name.)
When exporting your contacts from GMail, you’re greeted with this intermediate screen. (Via Google)
On Google TV (Again):
Even on vacation it was impossible to ignore the Google TV PR blitz over the last few days. But I’m still confused as to why the media enthusiastically echoes GTV’s feature set.
The Roku does nearly everything GTV does, it’s in market now, and it starts at $60. The Roku has apps, Netflix and Amazon support, and you can even use your phone as a remote (a much touted feature on the GTV webpage). It seems the only things the Roku can’t do are the ideas I thought we left in 1999: controlling a TV with a keyboard and mouse and browsing the Internet with a standard browser.
Plus the Roku is dead simple to use.
Despite this, every outlet hangs on every GTV release. For example, Engadget breathlessly updated a recent post regarding Netflix support, “Whoa, Netflix just confirmed that ‘Watch Instantly’ will be fully supported on Google TV devices launching later this month. Huzzah!”
But no one who would buy the GTV is short on Netflix support. Right now, no less than 3 boxes stashed under my TV will happily stream Netflix to me (and that’s not counting the iPhone in my pocket.) More than most outlets, Engadget should know better. I bet each writer has 3-5 Netflix streaming boxes in their entertainment center.
And then there’s the Turner, HBO, etc partnership. I’ve scoured each release and I can’t find any significant content Google gets out of the deals, beyond each site incorporating the Google TV API. But HBO only has promos and behind the scenes clips online, something that has been in the iTunes Store for years.
I applaud Google for their press stimulation. There’s great hype behind this box. But the only differentiating features it sports are unified search and Google branding. Those alone aren’t enough to warrant the high cost, especially for the masses.
