Tech N Life » google

Direct File Transfer Option On Its Way To Gtalk Users

Konrad Walsh-(admin) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 06:42:29 +0000

Google has revealed that users can now transfer files via chat in iGoogle and Orkut.

This is good news for web users with a preference for software-free chatting, but the better news is that Google promises to bring the same functionality to Gmail, which already supports voice, video and group chat.

The iGoogle and Orkut file transfers will work for photos, documents and presumably small video files. In addition, web users can exchange files with users of Google Talk — the more robust desktop version of Google’s chat client — without any hiccups.

We certainly look forward to the day when file transfers will be supported via chat in Gmail, and we’ll update you when we know more. Until then, let us know what you think about the new iGoogle and Orkut functionality in the comments.

via Mashable

Google To Bring Out Their Own TV Set Top Boxes

Konrad Walsh-(admin) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 18:22:56 +0000

We knew vaguely that Google was looking toward the living room, but the NYTimes has the details on Google TV, an ambitious platform to deliver web content to Android-based set-top boxes and TVs through partnerships with Sony, Intel, and Logitech.

Google hopes that the new platform will succeed where dozens of lesser efforts have failed—to truly and seamlessly integrate web content onto TVs, bringing services like Twitter and sites like YouTube, in addition to games, webapps, and, of course, Google’s search, to the big screen. The Google TV software reportedly includes a version of Google’s Chrome browser for doing some light surfing, as well.

The Times says Google TV will be delivered on set-top boxes that use Intel Atom chips and run an Android-based platform, though the technology will also reportedly be built directly into Blu-ray players and TVs from Sony. Additionally, Google is working with Logitech to built a keyboard-equipped remote control for the platform.

Though spokespeople from the companies wouldn’t comment on the project, the Times notes that Intel and Logitech have recently put out job listings for programmers with Android experience.

Television is a relatively unexplored frontier for Google. It’s one of the few spaces left in which the company it is yet to extend its services (as well as its advertising.) But Google TV is far from a sure thing. Many companies have struggled to figure out the right user interface to finally make web on TV make sense. Google’s interfaces tend toward the functional, rather than the beautiful, but on a big screen, the sexiness factor cannot be ignored.

Bringing web content to TVs is a role that’s still very much up for grabs. If Google TV, which has reportedly been in works for months, is the right solution for the problem—Gmail was for web mail, Buzz was not for social networking—then it could very well could be the platform that finally brings the power of the internet to the realm of the couch-potato. [NY Times]

via Gizmodo

New Feature – Ask A Tech Question, Get An Answer

Konrad Walsh-(admin) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:00:59 +0000

Ok, I am back on track today after a small set back between me and my dental surgeon. . I have not been writing much this past week but I have been finishing some features on the site.

I want to let you know about a new feature that is in development and will hopefully be finished today. Either way, it is now useable by you and I am just going to tidy up the page.

Ask A Techie

You’ll see on the top menu, there is an option for Ask A Techie. This is how it works. You add a comment on that page and we will respond with an answer either in the comments or in a full blown article or guide. Completely free and unlimited. So have some fun, ask those questions you were to embarrassed to ask your IT guy.

You can ask anything from how do I turn on the the stupid computer? to how do I install a network?

This feature came from the amount of email Tech N Life gets with very specific questions, which we will always encourage.

Regain Control Of Your Social Networking And Blogging Life – Zooloo It!

Konrad Walsh-(admin) — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 00:01:20 +0000

You may remember a while back, I covered Zooloo in the article -Imagine Not Having To Open All Your Websites and Log In – ZooLoo Imagines

They have recently added some new features and I thought you’d like to have a look. Zooloo is a unique place where you can bring your entire social life on Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, etc., to one place. It is a fantastic place to set up a blog with your own unique domain name and unique or preset designs to keep it simple. It’s a place to pull all your feeds in one place and even your email accounts.

Do you use any of these?:

Social Networks – Facebook, My Space, TwitterEmail – Gmail or other
Feed Readers – Google Reader etc,
Private Messaging – Chat, Gtalk, MSN, etc
Photo Sharing
Private Family Connections

If you said yes to any one of them, then you will find Zooloo a godsend.

You really should give it a try if you use email and social networking. It saves time logging into all these sites and updating each one individually. It has a great cross-network update feature. Zooloo offers free and paid accounts.

ZooLoo is more than just a web site…it changes your life online.

Your Domain

Purchase a .com, .net, .info or .me domain or you can use a domain you already own.

Graffiti

ZooLoo makes it easier than ever to post and share text, photos, videos and more. Your posts are published to your site’s “Graffiti” page. You can also use check boxes to include your post on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and other popular networks and services. Choose to follow anyone’s Graffiti and have their updates included in your social feed.

Social Integration

Easily access and update your favorite social networks including Facebook, MySpace and Twitter from one location. View your Facebook wall, friends status and photos side-by-side with your Twitter feed, lists, @reply, and direct messages. Customize ZooLoo’s social features to monitor all your interests from your domain.

Web Dashboard

Bring the best of the Web into one place on your personal dashboard using ZooLoo’s vast selection of widgets, custom tools and popular feeds. Create multiple dashboards to organize news, blogs, sports, entertainment and more to match your interests.

Privacy Manager

Simplicity is our key to our patent-pending privacy system. Drag a person’s name or the name of group you created directly onto the site page or the photo album you want them to have special permission to view. With our Privacy Manager, everything is private until you change it.

Custom Site Pages

Regardless of how tech savvy you are, expand your site using our drag-and-drop editing platform. Add pages, drag in content boxes, photos and widgets to build your web presence. Customize your theme, navigation, layout.

Custom HTML and CSS

Take customization on your ZooLoo site to the next level with custom stylesheets and HTML.

ZooLoo Share Button

Post content from anywhere on the Web directly to your Graffiti or social sites with a simple click from your browser.

Site Widgets

Add widgets to your custom site pages including contact forms, custom polls, Google Voice, Twitter feed, PayPal, Slide shows, Music, RSS and more…

Photo Manager

Store and organize your photos easily. ZooLoo enables you to create and manage albums, tag pictures and seamlessly blend your shots into your site via the Photo Gallery or Graffiti.

Photo Gallery

Add a photo gallery to your site that is integrated with your privacy manager. Control what photos are displayed to specific individuals or groups.

iPhone APP

ZooLoo on the Go ; universally update your status; view, share and post photos; send private messages and more.

Remove Ads or Use Your Own

Completely remove all ads from your live site or circulate your own ads.

Integrated Third Party Tracking

ZooLoo integrates popular tracking tools including to help you analyze your site traffic.

SEO

ZooLoo makes it simple for you to improve your site’s search engine visibility. Either do it yourself, or use the Geeks expertise to get ahead of the pack.

Theme Gallery

Choose from ZooLoo’s selection of backgrounds to customize both your private space and your site on your domain.

Custom Design

The ZooLoo Geeks build both custom personal and professional sites.

Private Messaging System

Send your contacts or groups that you have created private messages.

Storage Options

ZooLoo let’s you upgrade your storage space to manage all your online content.

Priority Email Support

The ZooLoo Geeks are always available and enthusiastic to help you get the most from your online experience.

ANY Android Market Paid App For Free!! A Glitch?

Konrad Walsh-(admin) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 22:30:23 +0000

I was doing some routine backup and restore of my apps in between flashing my HTC Hero rom using the awesome Titanium Backup app and came to realize something substantial. If you follow my Twitter feed, you would have noticed the other night I posted that I found a way to get market apps for free. A lot of people asked me how. This is how the other night went. I thought to myself with my overly analytic brain, that surely if I follow these steps:

Buy an app from the Android Market
Install it
Use Titanium Backup to back it up
Uninstall & Refund it through the market
Restore the app with Titanium Backups restore function

I surely would have a paid app for free. ANY paid app I want. This got me thinking more and realized that it would only work if I used the restore “App Only” function and not replace the market entry. A little further thought made me realize that this means you won’t get any of the apps updates and you can only do it once per app. I am too afraid to try this as I don’t want to annoy Google or any developers as I firmly believe they deserve the usually small asking price for their hard work. So, I shot an email over to Joel, the Titanium Backup developer and asked him his opinion. Here is what he said:

“while it indeed works perfectly, I do not encourage this practice – for obvious reasons. With great power comes great responsibility.”

My biggest concern here is that if you abuse this power then you are really hurting yourself long term. Developers will run and not come back. And I believe Google have the power and right to stop you buying from the market again. Still, I think its fascinating and a serious oversight on Google’s part.

How To Stay Safe When Buying Online [TIPS]

Konrad Walsh-(admin) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 11:34:45 +0000

Everyone gets stung at some point. Some more than others. And for some, it does much more damage. How can you protect yourself whilst shopping online? Here are some tips and some stories that help build the picture.

I have recently been stung twice in a matter of weeks. Before I tell you this, I have shopped online for 15 years. One of those people who said who cares, this is cool, all those years ago. In that 15 years I have been stung 4 times. Guess what! All 4 have been in the last two years. I have made over 400 transactions on eBay alone. So I would consider myself to be an “experienced” online shopper.

If you’re shopping online, look for clear signs that you are buying from a reputable company:

Do they have a real-world presence? Can you see their address and phone number?

Is their website secure? Look for ‘https://’ and the padlock that should be present on the page you are using when you are giving any payment details (credit card), or personal information

Do they have clear privacy and returns policies?

If you’re not convinced, search for the company on the internet and check their reputation. Call them. Trust your common sense and if necessary buy elsewhere.

If you’re using an online auction site, such as eBay, a few simple steps can make things safer:

Before you start, understand the auction process, the site rules and the auction company’s own safety advice.

Get to know the buyer or seller. Ask questions. Check their feedback.

Learn to pick good sellers. Their items have clear descriptions and they will answer your questions.

Don’t give away your password or personal details.

When it comes to handing over your money, choose a safe way to pay such as PayPal or a credit/debit card.

Conmen are very good at persuading you to do what they want. Learn to spot the telltale signs of social engineering:

They will promise huge rewards: lottery wins, lost inheritances etc.

A false sense of urgency.

Odd, superfluous details.

Requests for upfront payments or private information.

Keep your guard up and use your common sense. It’s your money so if you get a bad vibe, walk away. Don’t be rushed into anything. Talk to someone you trust before making any big decisions. Remember, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

I got ripped off on a MicroSD card.

Anyway, the first thing that happened me was on eBay. I was in the market for a MicroSD card for my HTC Hero. I wanted a 16gb card and some guy called lflnshao99 was selling them for an amazing €16. I thought, WOW!!! Get me some. Before I click in though, I thought that was very cheap. So looked around to make sure this was the going price and found 3 more people selling them a 1 or 2 euro dearer. And then some that were €40. What I didn’t know is the ones all around the same price were from the same guy who had several trade names. Its now in under review with Paypal. I actually didn’t know I was ripped off till eBay contacted me.

So, what can be learned from this?

First, I was stupid. Lets face it! A 16gb MicroSD card for €16. I was an idiot to not have noticed and to be so impulsive. But there is a silver lining to my actions. You see where I went right? I bought off of eBay and paid with Paypal. They are now trying to resolve the issue for me and contacting the seller on my behalf. This is so worth the charges the Paypal get.

Lesson one: Always buy from a known store like eBay, Amazon, Pixmania, Komplett, etc. These stores generally have decent policies in place, although, they are not all perfect. However, by best online experiences have been with Komplett.ie

Lesson two: Whenever possible, use Paypal to pay for your items. This is so you don’t have to hand over your credit card details to a company you only just met. After the first transaction with them is to your liking, then you might trust them with your details.

My credit card details were sold!!

This brings me to the credit card fraud I have experienced. A company charged my card under the name TRYCLICKING0800 on the 21st Dec for €1.41. Then on the 26th Dec for €93. I never heard of them. I called my credit card company and they blocked my card and investigated it. The company claimed that made the purchases but are happy to refund me. The details are too long winded and I don’t want to bore you. My credit card company felt, oh thats all OK then and could not understand why I was still unhappy.

What purchases? How did they get my details? None of this seemed to matter. Guess what happened next? They tried again on the 10 January.

Lesson one: Don’t allow your credit card company, in my case MBNA dictate to you. I was told that its all OK now and be on my way. I demanded a new credit card number and my old one destroyed. Come on, I had to ask for this?

Lesson two: Keep records of every email from any company you give your credit card details to. One of those companies sold or misused my details.

Other tips:

Some times you ~~need to~~ want to buy from a lesser known company. Before you click the “Add to cart” button, quickly Google their name for shopping experiences. If they have a forum, have a quick read over and see what other people say. Bear in mind, generally only people who have a complaint will be posting this information so it isn’t true reflection. However, if there are many posts/hits generally saying the same thing, then its a sign.

Later in the week I will write something on what you can do if you are ripped off.

More Nexus Details

Konrad Walsh-(admin) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 11:43:37 +0000

Gadgetrepublic.com had this write up that I found interesting.

Google last night unveiled its Android-based Nexus One smart phone, the seventh Android handset developed by HTC and the first one exclusive to Google itself, which will be sold through the company’s new web store but not yet available in Ireland.

The Nexus One specifications, as outlined by HTC CEO Peter Chou, position it as a pretty powerful smart phone due to its 1Ghz Snapdragon processor, and one that may provide serious competition for the iPhone in terms of its speed, web browsing experience, apps and ability to run multiple applications.

^{Google’s new web store for the Nexus One and selected Android devices}

Google’s new “super phone” has a 3.7-inch high-definition AMOLED screen with light sensors to react to different lighting conditions in order to conserve power and a proximity sensor to prevent accidental touches.

^{The Nexus One is small, slim and lightweight}

The standard trackball as per the HTC Hero also acts as a notification tool with pulsing lights to indicate different events, such as text messages or Bluetooth activation.

Before unveiling the Nexus One, Google said its development followed on from the observation that Android users were accessing the web up to 30 times more than users on a standard web-enabled handset and so the Nexus One was designed in close partnership with HTC to be the Android “super phone”.

^{Google demoes some advanced Android apps on the Nexus One}

Googler Eric Sang demoed the different functionalities of the Nexus One, including the new Google weather app that tunnels down to provide, for example, the humidity history of your current location.

The accelerometer is mixed with graphics interactivity to give a 3D experience which is used in the photo album application: tilting the phone to the side makes the albums dip to give depth to the browser and photos can be clustered based on time, date and location.

^{Nexus One’s photo gallery gives a 3D experience and clustered photo albums}

Google has also been working on the voice-recognition abilities for the Nexus One, with the demo showing an email being successfully composed and some web searches carried out.

The unveiling of the Nexus One was topped off with the introduction of Google’s new online store that it said will not just sell the Nexus One but also other “selected Android devices”.

By Marie Boran

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HTC/Google Nexus One Is Now Available – Pictures and specs

Konrad Walsh-(admin) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 09:55:49 +0000

The Google Nexus One press event just wrapped up a few minutes ago, so we thought you might want to take a closer look at the handset and a full spec sheet from HTC. As you know, the main highlights of the Nexus One are the 3.7-inch AMOLED with 480×800 WVGA resolution screen, Qualcomm® QSD8250™, 1 GHz processor, 512 MB of ROM and RAM, all within a shell that measure 119 x 59.8 x 11.5 mm and weighs 130 grams. You can purchase the Nexus One right now from Google’s website for $179 with a new T-Mobile contract or $529 on its own.

Specification

Processor	Qualcomm® QSD8250™, 1 GHz
Operating System	Android™ 2.1 (Éclair)
Memory	ROM: 512 MB RAM: 512 MB
Dimensions (L x W x T)	119 x 59.8 x 11.5 mm ( 4.69 x 2.35 x 0.45 inches)
Weight	130 grams ( 4.59 ounces) with battery
Display	3.7-inch AMOLED with 480×800 WVGA resolution
Network	HSDPA/WCDMA: 900/AWS/2100 MHz Up to 2 Mbps up-link and 7.2 Mbps down-link speeds Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz (Band frequency and data speed are operator dependent.)
Device Control	Trackball with Enter button
GPS	Internal GPS antenna
Connectivity	Bluetooth® 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate and A2DP for wireless stereo headsets Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 b/g Micro-USB port 3.5 mm audio jack
Camera	5.0 megapixel color camera with auto focus, 2X digital zoom, LED flash, and geo tagging
Audio supported formats	.aac, .amr, .awb, .wav, .wma, .mp3, .mid
Video supported formats	.mp4, .3gp, .3g2, .m4v
Battery	Rechargeable Lithium-ion polymer battery Capacity: 1400 mAh Talk time: Up to 10 hours for 2G networks Up to 7 hours for 3G networks Standby time: Up to 290 hours for 2G networks Up to 250 hours for 3G networks (The above are subject to network and phone usage.)
Expansion Slot	microSD™ memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)
AC Adapter	Voltage range/frequency: 100 ~ 240 V AC, 50/60 Hz DC output: 5V and 1A
Special Features	Proximity sensor Ambient light sensor G-sensor Digital Compass

Courtesy of HTC Source

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Support Sunday: Set Up Android Data Connection Settings In Ireland [Android]

Konrad Walsh-(admin) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 00:05:53 +0000

I thought you may find it helpful to have it detailed on how to add the settings to your Android handset. You probably already know I have a HTC Hero, so my information is based on setting up the Hero but it should apply to any Android handset. You should probably bookmark it for future reference.

Why? Cause if you play around with your Hero like I do and then do a wipe handset or reset…BOOM!! Settings gone. Then you will try to ring the network and they will probably do the usual… “Hmmm, we don’t seem to have that phone on our system”… and then you’ll say something like… “But I bought it in your store”…. and so on and so on…

Image via Wikipedia

So here goes and in fact these settings may and will work on many other phones.

To input them.. Goto > Settings > Wireless Controls > Mobile Network Settings > Access Point Names > Press Menu > Add APN > Enter the below settings > and at the end make sure you press Menu and Save (Not Back!!!)

**O2 Ireland Data Settings**
Name	O2 Web gprs
APN	internet
Proxy	leave blank
Port	leave blank
Username	gprs
Password	gprs
Server	leave blank
MMSC	leave blank
MMS Proxy	leave blank
MMS Port	leave blank
MMS Protocol	WAP 2.0
MCC	272
MNC	02
APN Type	leave blank*

**O2 Ireland MMS Settings**
Name	O2 mms
APN	internet
Proxy	62.40.32.40
Port	8080
Username	user
Password	user
Server	http://www.o2.ie
MMSC	http://mmsc.mms.o2.ie:8002
MMS Proxy	62.40.32.40
MMS Port	8080
MMS Protocol	WAP 2.0
MCC	272
MNC	02
APN Type	leave blank*

**Vodafone Ireland Data Settings**
Name	Vodafone ISP
APN	hs.vodafone.ie
Proxy	leave blank
Port	leave blank
Username	vodafone
Password	vodafone
Server	leave blank
MMSC	http://www.vodafone.ie/mms
MMS Proxy	10.24.59.200
MMS Port	80
MMS Protocol	WAP 2.0
MCC	272
MNC	01
APN Type	leave blank* or internet or default

**Vodafone Ireland MMS Settings**
Name	NA Use settings on the left
APN	na
Proxy
Port
Username
Password
Server
MMSC
MMS Proxy
MMS Port
MMS Protocol	WAP 2.0
MCC	272
MNC	01
APN Type	leave blank*

**Meteor Ireland Data Settings**
Name	Meteor Data
APN	data.mymeteor.ie
Proxy	leave blank
Port	leave blank
Username	my
Password	data
Server	leave blank
MMSC	leave blank
MMS Proxy	leave blank
MMS Port	leave blank
MMS Protocol	WAP 2.0
MCC	272
MNC	03
APN Type	leave blank*

**Meteor Ireland MMS Settings**
Name	Meteor MMS
APN	wap.mymeteor.ie
Proxy	10.85.85.85
Port	8799
Username	my
Password	meteor
Server
MMSC	http://mms.mymeteor.ie
MMS Proxy	10.85.85.85
MMS Port	8799
MMS Protocol	WAP 2.0
MCC	272
MNC	03
APN Type	leave blank*

Google Employees Get First Google Phones [Android]

Konrad Walsh-(admin) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 22:31:55 +0000

Last night, we started seeing some Tweets from Google employees and others about a new Android-powered Google phone that was apparently handed out at an “all hands” meeting. Now Google is confirming that it is indeed “dogfood” testing a new Android device with employees around the world. But this isn’t just another Android phone. Very trustworthy sources who have seen the phone say that it is the Google Phone we first wrote about last month (despite the uninformed saying we were dreaming). It will be branded Google and sold by Google as an unlocked phone, which could change everything. As we wrote in our original post:

Google is building their own branded phone that they’ll sell directly and through retailers. They were long planning to have the phone be available by the holidays, but it has now slipped to early 2010. The phone will be produced by a major phone manufacturer but will only have Google branding (Microsoft did the same thing with their first Zunes, which were built by Toshiba). There won’t be any negotiation or compromise over the phone’s design of features – Google is dictating every last piece of it. No splintering of the Android OS that makes some applications unusable. Like the iPhone for Apple, this phone will be Google’s pure vision of what a phone should be.

The phone itself is being built by HTC, with a lot of input from Google. It seems to be a tailored version of the HTC Passion or the related HD2 (Unlocker scored some leaked pictures back in October which are of the same phone). Here are the details we know so far about the phone: It will be called the Google Phone and will launch in early January, 2010. It won’t be sold by any one carrier, but instead will be an unlocked GSM phone. In the U.S., that means T-Mobile and possibly AT&T, whose exclusivity deal with the iPhone is about to run out. It will be running Android 2.1 The phone is “really, really fast,” says someone who has seen one in action. It runs on a Snapdragon chip, has a super high-resolution OLED touchscreen, is thinner than the iPhone, has no keyboard, and two mics. The mic on the back of the phone helps eliminate background noise, and it also has a “weirdly” large camera for a phone. And if you don’t like the touchscreen keyboard, a voice-to-text feature is supposed to let you dictate emails and notes by speaking directly into the phone. Google Phone VIA [techcrunch]

One Minute Languages Offers a Dozen Basic Language Guides

Konrad Walsh-(admin) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 13:18:35 +0000

Want to join the polyglot set but don’t have the time for foreign language immersion, world travel, or academic courses? One Minute Languages offers basic instructions in a dozen languages for English speakers including German, Russian and Japanese that will help get you started. The short lessons are released weekly as a podcast you can subscribe to via iTunes, or you can just visit the site to play back archived tips in your browser. If you want the complete package for a particular language, a full download of all the lessons is only £3.50. The Radio Lingua Network, which produces the series, also offers Coffee Break Spanish and Coffee Break French — for those of you with more than a minute to spare as you sip your java. Extend your lessons with ten new vocabulary items a day and the interactive language teaching tools at Mango.

One Minute Languages [via Lifehacker]

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Its Finally Time To Take Google Chrome Seriously [Extensions]

Konrad Walsh-(admin) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 12:18:45 +0000

Google promised that Chrome would be fast to launch and fast to load web pages, but people predicted it would fail with the arrival of its extensions. Well, the extensions are here (at least for some of us) and surprisingly they do not affect the browser’s performance. And not only that, but playing with Google Chrome Extensions is like child’s play, whether you’ve added a new extension, or deleted one, you won’t need to restart your browser. Extensions are so easy to manage and use that once you have access to them, I’m sure you’ll be looking forward to testing everything in this Cromeextensions Directory. This is what I basically did. I tried most of the extensions, then realized I’m not ready yet to ditch my beloved Firefox, and I’m guessing that you won’t be either. On the other hand, there are some plugins that are worthy of a mention and from that list I’ve culled some cool ones to get you started. If you already have extensions enabled (lucky you), you are welcome to try the ones in this list. If Chrome is not allowing extensions for you just yet, try to upgrade to the developer’s version (don’t worry, all of your Chrome settings will be saved). Gmail Compose One useful and lightweight chrome extension is “Gmail Compose.” It quickly allows you to compose an email through your Gmail account, and works instantly and with a single click. However, the problem with this extension is that once you click outside the extension area, the window closes and your email is automatically discarded. Personally, I prefer to have an extension that instantly lets me send a recipient the link & text of the page I’m currently viewing. Direct download QuickSearch Perform a search from Wikipedia, Yahoo, Amazon, Google, and more with the QuickSearch extension. QuickSearch provides searching on your choice of search engine, right from the Chrome browser, and also enables you to customize it to the search engine of your choice. Unfortunately, you can’t delete already existing engines, you can only edit and delete additional search engines that you add. Direct download Google Tasks for Chrome If you use Google Task List, or are a fan of to-do lists in general, you should try Google Tasks for Chrome. This simple-to-use extension gives you full control over your tasks from the Browser and provides synchronization with your Gmail task list. Direct download Chrome IE Tab Some web pages will only work properly when viewed with Internet Explorer (go figure…). The Chrome IE Tab extension allows you to run IE from within a tab in Chrome enabling you to display such web pages without leaving Chrome. The awesomest thing is that you can configure the extension to do so automatically for URLs you specify in the setting for each page. Some users complained about this plug-in crashing their Browser, but it works like a charm for me on Windows7. Direct download Bubble-Translate Translation was the first plugin I was looking for in Chrome, but so far there aren’t too many to choose from. Luckily Bubble-Translate seems worthwhile enough to use, but even this extension needs some improvement (more setting would be nice to have). Anyway, this is what you get once you install Bubble-Translate: You’ll be able to translate text on web pages from any language to yours. The extension uses Google Translate for in-line translations. How it works: After installation, go to the plug-in options, chose your desirable language, shortcut & theme. A small icon will show up in the URL address bar. Select text, then click the icon (or use one of the shortcuts suggested in the setting), and the tool tip is automatically displayed. Direct download Chromereader If you use Google Reader, this extension should make your life easier. Chromereader provides one-click subscription to blogs and websites that you like. When you see a page that you want to subscribe to, simply click on the Chromereader button and it’s goes straight into your Google Reader list – Simple as that. Direct download Fittr A really nicely done extension is Fittr, which adds some helpful features to Flickr pictures. What does Fittr offer? First of all, lots of small and easy common shortcuts, which you can see by clicking ‘?’ at any given time. It auto-completes tags by showing the most popular tag that matches the prefix you’ve already entered. Quick access to a subset of the EXIF properties by clicking the link added at the bottom left of a photo. Also, a better view of an image with the lightbox tool. But the most significant addition is the ability to see Flickr’s short URL in the right sidebar of any picture, just click it to copy to your clipboard (and may I suggest that Flickr needs this one feature badly). Direct download Chrome-Metrist There are some Twitter extensions for Chrome (again, not many, but some). However, all of them are quite simple and don’t support too many features. But since we must have at least one decent Twitter client for Chrome, I recommend Chrome-Metrist. There’s also Chromed Bird extension, but I had some problems with it, so I gave up and switched to Chrome-Metrist instead. (But you are welcome to try them both for yourself) After you install the extension, it will automatically lead to a pop-up configuration screen so that you can enter your Twitter log-in information (only the first time). You can also choose the font size, but other than that, the options are really small. The interface alone makes up for the few options available and the other issues, it really just looks awesome. Direct download Delicious If you’re a true geek, than you still must use Delicious. For me, it is one of the most important information sources on the web today, so of course an extension to Chrome is more than welcome and needed. The one that caught my eye is a simple plug in that allows you to easily save a bookmark to Delicious, see all of your bookmarks, and get quick access to your Delicious inbox (which unfortunately, not so many people use). Very simple, very clean, and a very useful extension for Delicious freaks. Direct download Google Wave Checker The future of Google Wave is still a mystery, but we all know it’s here to stay so it’s better to be prepared with all the relevant tools. Who knows, you might find yourself using it on daily basis Google Wave Checker is very similar to the Wave Notifier addon for FireFox, it simply notifies you about any unread Waves you have. Here’s an interesting stat: So far 11,446 people downloaded Google Chrome Wave Checker, compared to 23,539 on FireFox - and most Chrome users do not use extensions yet. Direct download Jamendo Radio I saved the best for last – The Jamendo Radio extension enables you to listen to music from your Browser like never before. Forget about Google’s 30sec-music, Jamendo gives you hours of free music. The service stores 27,475 independent albums, all are free to listen and free to download. And the wonderful thing is that you can listen to all of your favorite albums right from your browser. Direct download The configuration is a bit complex however: After you install the extension, go to its options. You have the ability to add albums that you like to the Jamendo Radio playlist. For that you’ll need to go to Jamendo’s site, pick an album, grab the number of the album from its URL address, and add it in the options as shown in this short demo:

I can only assume this list of extensions will grow to overwhelmingly huge dimensions sometime in the near future and then it will be harder to select just a few of them to review. Although the supply is still very small, you can still stream music, or tweet from your browser, and have a list of utilities to start with—you just need to try and see if any of these suit you. And if they don’t for whatever reason, now is the perfect time to go ahead and build something or wait for someone else to build the next big extension. The niches are all ripe to be filled. Soon we will have more extensions than we need. Google Chrome Extensions vie [TechCrunch]

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Google Mobile Maps Now Syncs Your Starred Items [WinMo/Symbian]

Konrad Walsh-(admin) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 12:11:55 +0000

Windows Mobile and Symbian users don’t ever have to worry about getting lost or having to remember their favorite places again. Google recently announced that Google Maps has been upgraded to version 3.3 for Windows Mobile and Symbian. The upgrade now allows you mark your favorite items with a star and keep those synced between your computer and phone. As soon as you upgrade on your WinMo or Symbian device, Google will ask if you want those starred items synchronized between your phone and Google Account. For those of you that rely on starred items in Google Maps, you’ll also be happy to know that you don’t have to go through each favorite spot individually on your phone.

To enjoy the benefits of all this mobile synchronization goodness, download Google Maps for mobile for your Symbian or Windows Mobile phone by visiting m.google.com/maps in your mobile browser. And don’t worry, we’re busy building this same functionality into our other mobile versions of Google Maps — so sit tight.

Google Maps 3.3 Via [BGR]

Google Wave Invites Competition – 5 Free

Konrad Walsh-(admin) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:29:59 +0000

Ok, I promised ages ago there would be more invites. I finally got some more and I am giving 5 away. All you have to do is reply to this post stating which article on this blog is your favourite or what type of info you’d like to see. First 5 comments get an invite – plain and simple..

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Image Swirl – Find Specific Images On The Web Faster With Google

Konrad Walsh-(admin) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:22:33 +0000

As a Tech ‘n’ Life writer, I have to search for images regularly. In one month alone, I have added 300+ pictures and images to Tech ‘n’ Life posts. There is one tool I use for this – Google Images. If you have not used it, it’s like regular Google search, but instead of websites, you get related images. It works extremely well. This is what Google Image Search normally looks like:

Click for larger view

They have just announce Image Swirl which brings this to a new level. It works off the same idea, but displays the results more effectively. It displays specific types of images that match you search:

A Search For Washington Returns This

When you click on one image to get more that look similar:

Similar Images To The One Clicked

I am looking forward to its full release. For now you can click here to play with it – Google Image Swirl

Do you think it is something you will use?

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Google OS Launch Preview Tomorrow – Google Phone In New Year

Konrad Walsh-(admin) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:07:43 +0000

Google OS

Last week I let you in on a few secrets. Google OS was one of those. Read original post here- Google Caffeine, Google OS, Google Interface And Google Acquires Gizmo5 VOIP It is being reported everywhere that Google a giving a preview of it tomorrow. Google hope to rival Microsoft Windows, Apple Leopard and Linux variants. Part of their take over the world strategy. As more come out I will announce it here.

Google Phone

Rumors are gaining some solid ground that early in 2010 we will see the firs official Google Phone. Built by LG most likely, it will not be sold on the carriers/networks. As well described over on Kompletts Blog:

While that means that anyone looking to pick up a Google branded phone will be missing out on the usual subsidies that carriers drop in alongside hardware, it also means that networks won’t have their hands in your phone, which means that Google can essentially do whatever it wants with the innards of the device. For those who haven’t already twigged, that could mean something as simple as sending pretty much every communication the phone needs via a data connection; that would make all calls VOIP calls… a delectable prospect indeed, a and one that many networks have been actively dodging for the past few years.

This is interesting news, especially to those waiting on what Android handsets show up in the new year. A Google branded handset may be worth waiting for. There is no indication of design or price as yet. _______________________ advertisement [ad#banner2]

HTC Hero Android Phone (Meteor) – Full Review.

Konrad Walsh-(admin) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:49:07 +0000

The HTC Hero Review…..

So this review has been delayed and delayed.. Primarily because there is no screen capture utility available without “rooting” your phone. Well at least I couldn’t find one. So I have had to make do with what I could find on the Internet. I might add.. reviews are harder than they look.. I will first outline the problems with the HTC Hero Android phone and then what is good about it. The phone I am using is on the Meteor, Ireland network and has an unlimited data plan. I posted the full un-boxing photos yesterday. Look for them here - HTC Hero Unboxing – In 1000 Words or More

What is Rooting?
This is the best way I can explain the term “ROOTING. “ROOTING” is where you change the user of the handset to a superuser. It’s like when you have your user account in windows and you change it from a standard user account to administrator. Suddenly, you can install and manipulate everything. Well for some reason, that’s the way Android is set up. I guess it stops regular users mucking up the device. All the apps that allow me to screen capture were for ROOTed phones only.

What is WRONG with the HTC Hero and Android

One of the biggest faults with it would be the QWERTY keypad. I felt as though it was my first time using a phone and needed some teenager to explain to me why I can’t type. What’s wrong with it? It sucks. You cannot type on it. Well I can’t. Its too darn small. However, you can easily switch to compact qwerty or phone qwerty. Both of these work perfectly. Plus the T9 works very well. You get an idea from the screen shot. The next problem is that it comes with Android 1.5 software. Not 1.6 and not 2.0. And yes this matters. I have already tested 2.0 extensively and then started using 1.5. The software just has certain niggly unfinished feelings to it. For example, the Android Market is very limited in whats available compared to the apps in the upcoming 2.0 market. Another problem, is the handset locks up maybe three times a day or more if you really push the phone. The good news on this point is that HTC have already announce the 2.0 upgrade. They say it’s almost ready. Exchange Mail isn’t great. However, if you only use personal mail, its not such a big deal. It gets even better of you have a Gmail account. But Exchange, for some odd reason keeps on duplicating the account. I did a factory reset and it did it again. Odd. Possible problem: I don’t no for sure on this one and if it turns out to be wrong, I will delete this. This is a real tongue twister. Here goes.. I have a HTC Hero on Meteor Ireland with a Data Plan. It certain areas I cannot get a data connection. Other areas it works perfect. So you assume its the network, huh? OK, so when I tired of phoning support and getting nowhere, I became creative. I wanted to know if the phone had difficulty find data connections or was it the SIM card. Well I have an O2 Sim card. I stuck that in and immediately got a data connection. OK so maybe its the sim or network. I took the Meteor SIM from the HTC Hero and put it in my HTC Touch Pro. Guess what? I got full EDGE data connections in the exact same spot. So.. the Hero evidently can get a data connection. The SIM card can get a connection but together they can’t. So is it the phone or the SIM? I will update you ASAP. The volume buttons on the side. They are just in the wrong place. They get in the way, since you are most likely holding the handset in your left hand and tying with your right, then you keep hitting off the Up/Down toggle. The track ball rotates randomly to the right. I read about this on other sites, so it appears to be a problem. Well, that was short, huh? Now on to the good stuff.

This is the FULL Spec sheet

Processor	Qualcomm® MSM7200A™, 528 MHz
Operating System	Android™
Memory	ROM: 512 MB RAM: 288 MB
Dimensions (LxWxT)	112 x 56.2 x 14.35 mm ( 4.41 x 2.21 x 0.57 inches)
Weight	135 grams ( 4.76 ounces) with battery
Display	3.2-inch TFT-LCD touch-sensitive screen with 320×480 HVGA resolution
Network	HSPA/WCDMA: 900/2100 MHz Up to 2 Mbps up-link and 7.2 Mbps down-link speeds Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz (Band frequency and data speed are operator dependent.)
Device Control	Trackball with Enter button
GPS	Internal GPS antenna
Connectivity	Bluetooth® 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate and A2DP for wireless stereo headsets Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 b/g HTC ExtUSB™ (11-pin mini-USB 2.0 and audio jack in one) 3.5 mm audio jack
Camera	5.0 megapixel color camera with auto focus
Audio supported formats	MP3, AAC(AAC, AAC+, AAC-LC), AMR-NB, WAV, MIDI and Windows Media® Audio 9
Video supported formats	MPEG-4, H.263, H.264 and Windows Media® Video 9
Battery	Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery Capacity: 1350 mAh Talk time: Up to 420 minutes for WCDMA Up to 470 minutes for GSM Standby time: Up to 750 hours for WCDMA Up to 440 hours for GSM (The above are subject to network and phone usage.)
Expansion Slot	microSD™ memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)
AC Adapter	Voltage range/frequency: 100 ~ 240V AC, 50/60 Hz DC output: 5V and 1A
Special Features	G-sensor Digital Compass
Protective Coating *	Treated with a layer of polytetrafluoroethylene* This feature only applies to the white colored HTC Hero. * Your phone has been treated with a special coating to keep it looking new and clean. Keep your phone dry to prevent dirt from adhering to the finish. If your phone gets dirty, you can use a lightly dampened melamine foam eraser (aka. magic eraser) to remove any marks.

The HTC Camera Experience

I am a big HTC fan. This is about my 6th HTC. But there is one thing that always, always let HTC down, the camera. Even my HTC Touch Pro camera, 3.2 mega-pixel, was so bad it was unusable. This is not so with the Hero. It has a 5.0 mega-pixel lens. And the quality is very very good on still images. If your trying to take shots of an almost 2 year old, that won’t sit still, then its not great. All of the rest of the shots I have taken have been great. There is no flash, however, so no night time memories unless there is plenty of light.

Browser

The browser and visual bookmarks are amazing. They just work so well. A bit like the iPhone browser. It renders pages correctly. Visual bookmarks is a welcome change to old hum-drum list of bookmarks. Instead you get something akin to the Coverflow feature of iTunes. Swipes left and right show snapshots of your bookmarks. It works really well and is nice a smooth. It comes with a home screen widget too, so you can flick through even faster and load them from there. The browser supports every website I tested on it. Facebook is a dream to use on it. Although, I can’t seem to figure out the zoom feature in the browser. It sometimes zooms in and doesn’t zoom back out. I am not saying it’s a fault, but more a learning curve.

Contacts, Agenda, Tasks, Social Networking and Google Mail.

This is a real strong point for the Hero. When you first setup the phone and you already have a Google account, you input these details and the phone automagically has all your contacts, calendar entries and tasks downloaded and ready to go. It even has your email account setup. By the time you have gotten to this part of the phone, all mail and contacts have been downloaded. Also, during start up, it asks for your Twitter, Facebook and Flickr log in details. So this means that the Twitter widget is up and running immediately. Take a photo and immediately have the option to share it on Facebook or Flickr. No extra confirmations or logins. Another great feature is how the social networking options integrate with your contacts list. You look up your contact on your phone and go in the detailed view. At the bottom there are tabs and one is for Facebook. Tap that and you get to add their photo and date of birth to the contact details. Seamless. It also shows you their latest updates. The other tabs so you all your interactions with that person, whether its emails, text messages or call history. Yes, I have seen features like this on Windows Mobile, but not done this well.

Messages

Text messages are grouped together as conversations. Its another feature I have seen HTC do on the Windows Platform but again, it’s done better on the Hero. I downloaded Handcent SMS manger which made this experience amazing. It somehow has made text messaging fun. On the widget, you flick with your finger up or down to cycle through your text messages. You have a list and pen button. List will give you the normal text message interface. The pen automatically starts a new message windows. I love too how it shows the persons photo in each text. You also have to option to delete the text there and then. However, I do recommend downloading the Handcent app. Its free and has themes available for it. But makes the experience even more fun, as I said. It displays your messages in bubbles. And you can configure the colours and icons to suit each person. And set specific tones just for that persons text message.

Phone/Dialer/Contacts

Nothing over the top here. Just looks clean and polished, no extra clutter. Nice full screen caller picture when placing/taking a call. Again, nothing new but integrated well. They keypad is responsive. One thing that needs fixing, is the screen doesn’t go off when held to your face. I have accidentally hung up on someone because the hang up button is so big. Like this screenshot, select from your favourites is also a great and fun experience.

Home Screen and Hardware Buttons

The home screen is great. It has HTC’s SenseUI which is quite fluid. You can slide or roll between 7 screens. Each screen is customizable with a ton of built in widgets of various sizes and types. So I have my music player on one and weather on one. Twitter on the next. Favourite contacts on another.. etc… But it gets better. They built in Scene modes. Which effectively gives you unlimited multiples of 7 screens. You need to see it in action to understand.. But you click scene and choose another one and you can have all new widgets loaded with different backgrounds. You can have one that focuses on social networking and then one on business with agenda and mail to the forefront, with its own wallpaper look. The hardware buttons consist of four function buttons in a row being Call > Home > Menu > End Call. Then you have a track ball from Blackberry world and two more function buttons – Search > Return The top four a self explanatory. The Menu button context changes depending on what screen or app your in. The trackball Obviously moves about and works well. Its also and enter button. This is great for allowing one thumb control. The Hero is curved at the bottom, so this also helps when using one hand. The Search button is just FANTASTIC. Press it anywhere!!! On the home screen, its an automatic Google search button. Press it in contacts, and guess what! It searches any contact details. Press it is messages and its the same. Press it inside a web page and you can search that page. Press it inside Android Market and it searches apps… It is so useful.

Market Apps

This is what sells Android a thousand times over. In the 1.5 Firmware, the Market App is a bit rubbish. I tolerate it because I have played with the 2.0 Firmware Market App and its a much better experience. That said, the amount of apps available is amazing, given that the Android software is only just gaining ground. Now, I know there are plenty of iPhone users who will say their market place is much better. I sort of agree, but iPhone has been around a long time. Android is gaining quickly on them.

Some notable apps I have downloaded.

Compass – Just that.. but its fun Metal Detector – It really works.. its amazing Feedr – An excellent feed reader Facebook App – It is better than actual Facebook… Call Location – Tells me where and what network a person is calling me on. Bar-code Scanner – When shopping, scan a bar-code and look up online what the going price for it is. Layar and Wikitude – Amazing Augmented Reality App – Read about it here – My favourite apps so far Phonolyser – Analyses your phone usage so you know what plan/tariff to be on. Much more including CoPilot Navigation software and wpToGo – Blog editor on the go.

Call and Sound Quality

So far, call quality is very good. Sound quality is a little on the low side. There is a small problem that I have read elsewhere. I have experienced this problem – Slight crackling when the volume is turn up too high. I know, why not turn it down. But that’s not the point, internally, the levels are off and it is something that needs fixing. Overall, I wouldn’t say its annoying.. just a shame..

General Interface View

Overall, the interface feels polished and smooth. It all integrates extremely well. In fact, I’d go so far as to say its beautiful.. Its simple and yet so extensive with the scenes mode. The pull down tray handles all messages and status updates. The pull up tray takes you to your install apps. Otherwise they are out of your way at all times. The clock is great. Tap it and you have World Clock, Stop watch, Timer and Alarm clock. All in one place. The Music tab is really simple and easy to use. Gathers all you albums into the library. Sounds good and integrates into the home screen and screen-saver. It has a nice Coverflow for your album art. Generally, making changes or entering data is quite simple and easy.

Battery Life

I am used to heavy powered handsets. I expected this one to be bad. And I guess on some counts it is. But I have WIFI on all day long. And I get one full day out of the phone. This is because, from what I can tell, Android has some sort of WIFI power saver in place. When I am not actively using the phone, it turns WIFI off and on as it needs to check for email and feeds, etc…

PC Sync

This feels more like something they forgot to do. It works and does what it is supposed to do but there are no extras. Noting fancy. It allows you to sync your Contacts, Calendar, Tasks and Email. You can also install apps directly.

Overall Opinion

Overall, I absolutely love this phone. I love the Android software and know its only going to get better. If apps are the big thing on iPhone, then I predict that Android will eat iPhones marketplace in 2010 and over take all of them in 2011. Why, because Android is open source. Its free and Google encourage development. I can’t remember a handset, interface and features that have excited me as much as this. And that’s despite the faults that I have mentioned. Its all but guaranteed my migration from Windows Phone and Nokia are only keeping me because my N86 is fantastic for photos and music, but that’s all.. The browser experience is so far the best I have seen and yes I know it doesn’t have pinch like the iPhone. But how it displays a page is more important to me. The auto rotate feature is good, although a little slow. Incidentally, auto-rotate works nearly everywhere. The track ball and other keys work really well and make for a great one-handed experience. As far as I can see, they took the best from the iPhone, Nokia, Blackberry and Windows Mobile and lumped it together. After all this is Google. Whatever they do works out.. Just check out their new Navigation software.

So should you buy it?

Hmmm.. yes and no. If you a hardware junkie like me, you will not be disappointed. Go and buy it now. In fact, I have that issue with Meteors data connection. if it can’t be fixed, then I will return the contract and gladly pay full price for the handset. But if you are the type who doesn’t care about cutting edge, then I would wait. Only because, HTC have not given a date on the 2.0 release. They could release it next week or next February. February, of course, will see the launch of quite a few Android handsets. I will post details soon. I hope you enjoyed this article. I know I left things out but if you would like me to elaborate on anything, just comment below and I will gladly fill in the blanks. I already cut quite a bit from it. For more photos of the handset itself -HTC Hero Unboxing – In 1000 Words or More Please consider commenting and offer your thoughts below.

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Google Docs Not Ready Till Next Year – Googles Honesty

Konrad Walsh-(admin) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 19:53:01 +0000

In a year, most enterprises will have the choice to “get rid of [Microsoft] Office if they chose to”, suggests Dave Girouard, president of Google’s enterprise division. Girouard, one of the company’s four presidents including founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, said in an interview with ZDNet Asia that he expects Google’s online document application, Google Docs, to reach a “point of capability” next year that will serve the “vast majority’s needs”. He acknowledged that Docs is currently “much less mature” than Google Mail or Calendar. “We know it. We wouldn’t ask people to get rid of Microsoft Office and use Google Docs because it is not mature yet,” he said. But, this is expected to change in a year, when the company’s introduces some “thirty to fifty” updates to Docs to beef up the SaaS (software-as-a-service) office suite. These will include updates to features and performance, Girouard said. “That having been said, I don’t think Office will entirely disappear,” he added. Instead, Microsoft’s offering will become a specialized offering for office workers who need its additional functions, akin to Adobe Photoshop, which is targeted at skilled workers, said Girouard. Microsoft Office is “an overkill tool for most people”, he noted. Microsoft recently released Exchange 2010, the first product to be updated within its Office suite, and announced price cuts to its SaaS Office offerings. Girouard admitted Google Docs is “not perfect” at retaining the intricacies of other document formats imported into the platform, but he said it “will get there”. Eventually, he added, market demand will push vendors away from proprietary formats entirely, making this barrier less of a likelihood in future. This story was first written over at ZDNet.

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Google Caffeine, Google OS, Google Interface And Google Acquires Gizmo5 VOIP

Konrad Walsh-(admin) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:04:54 +0000

. . Just some snippet news items regarding Google;

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Google Caffeine – Their New Search System

For a while, Google have been testing out Caffeine. It will replace their current search engine. It won’t look extremely different or even much different. But it has been built from the ground up and is designed to handle searches better and display more relevant results. Here are screen shots borrowed from Lifehacker. Proof that its about to become available:

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Google OS – Their Own Operating System

Rumors are still abound on whats happening with this but Google decided to just come out with it: A special event is happening tomorrow night (Thursday) and Google will be revealing details of the new OS. As soon as I hear, I iwll post up the details.

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Google Acquires Gizmo5

Gizmo5 is a good fit with a number of Google products. Google Talk allows voice calls between users but has no PSTN link to allow incoming or outbound calls to real phones. Gizmo5 does this well already. And Google Voice is a great VoIP and phone identity service, but they have no endpoint for calls. Gizmo5, which by the way already integrates with Google Voice, is a soft phone end point for Google phone users. In other words, you will be able to make and receive calls to your Google Voice phone number from your computer. This looks to me like Gizmo5 will be the glue that puts Google Voice and Google Talk together into a single product. And that product looks a lot like a Skype competitor.

Read the full story here – TechCrunch

Google Interface Changes

Google will be applying the new Wave interface to all products shortly. Here is a shot

Again, more info as it comes through.

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What Personal Information Has Google Recorded On You? You Now Know

Konrad Walsh-(admin) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:26:24 +0000

I am/was a little apprehensive on doing another post that has anything to do with Google. However, it is what it is. They make the news regularly. But I am not a Google through and through, I just find them interesting to watch.. With that said, I know a lot of people DO NOT trust Google. Hey, and maybe their right. But, for some reason I do. And now a little more.

Google Dashboard

As of this week, Google now show you what personal information they have on you, with the option of removing any of it. It’s called Google Dashboard and you can access it, whilst logged into your Google account, by going to Google.com/Dashboard It covers nearly all Google products, with the remaining few being added soon. Gmail, Google Talk, Calendar,Web History, Orkut, YouTube , Picasa , Docs, Google Reader, Alerts and more. I didn’t even know i had an Orkut account. I was surprised when I looked at what websites I unknowingly allowed access to my Google details. Video on dashboard:

Did you enjoy reading this post? If so, leave a comment.

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