Googlepedia: Radio Interview

I was recently featured on the Let's Talk Computers radio program, talking about Google and Googlepedia. Listen to a podcast of the interview here.

Google Gears

Google just announced a new API, dubbed Google Gears, that will let developers move web-based applications to the offline world. The first application of Google Gears is in Google Reader, which is now available in a freestanding (i.e., non-web) version. Expect a Google Gears version of Google Docs & Spreadsheets sometime soon, which will let Google compete more directly with Microsoft Office.

Google Spreadsheets Charts

Sometime in the past few months Google has added basic charting capability to its Google Spreadsheets application. Check it out -- it's relatively easy to use.

Universal Search

Google has instituted what they're calling Universal Search. What this means is that when you enter a query into the main Google Searh box, you get results from all over the Google empire -- Web Search, Image Search, Blog Search, News Search, Google Maps, you name it. If the result is relevant, it shows up on the results page. (Which means you might not see results from all the search sites; if you enter an address, or example, you'll get Web and Maps results, but probably not News and Image results.) You can filter your search results by clicking the appropriate link (Web, Blog, Image, etc.) in the information bar at the top of the results.

Universal Search is kind of cool, in that it puts all your results in one place; you don't have to jump from one part of Google to another to see the results. It's also relatively transparent, which is good.

Personalized Homepage is Now iGoogle

Lots happening at Google today. Google finally got some marketing smarts, renaming their Personalized Homepage to iGoogle. Google has also introduced a Gadget Maker function so anyone can create simple gadgets to put on their iGoogle page. Finally, Google is launching location-based personalized search results; if you've defined a default location in Google Maps, you'll see results of any Google search based on that location.

Recommended Searches

Google is adding some automated "recommended search" features to its basic search. First, on the Google Toolbar, you'll now find a button that looks like a pair of dice; click this button to go directly to a site that Google thinks you might find interesting, based on your past searches. (I view this as a variation on the old "I feel lucky" link.) Second, if you use the Google Personalized Home Page, you can add a Recommendations tab that displays recommended sites, also based on your past searches.

Goodbye Froogle, Hello Google Product Search

In the aim of consistency, Google has changed the name of Froogle to Google Product Search. They've also changed the interface a bit, making it a tad more Googlized.

YouTube Videos in Your Blogger Blog

New feature in Blogger -- the ability to add YouTube videos as a sidebar element to your blog. Use the Blogger Dashboard to go to the Template tab, click Add a Page Element, and then select Video Bar. This lets you add a vertical bar of YouTube video clips, based on defined search elements.

Google Presentations

Google is enhancing their Docs and Spreadsheets suite of online applications with a web-based presentation program. The application comes courtesy of Google's recent acquisition of Tonic Systems; it should launch late this summer.

Google Ads on Clear Channel Radio

Google as a giant ad delivery service marches on. The company just announced an agreement with the big (and, IMHO, inherently evil) Clear Channel group to serve advertisements to teh group's thousands of radio stations. Just another sign that Google is really an advertising company, not a search company.