tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21884686945127805462024-03-09T08:57:18.593+08:00gSpySpy into Google™.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347066082440482385noreply@blogger.comBlogger224125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188468694512780546.post-53066635952791565142010-12-24T17:00:00.000+08:002010-12-24T17:00:10.527+08:00Even More Ads Coming to GmailGoogle has been trying hard to monetise its popular email service Gmail. Recent efforts, as noticed by <a href="http://lifehacker.com/5699089/disable-gmails-increasingly-ad+filled-web-clips">various</a> <a href="http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2010/11/gmails-web-clips-now-with-more-ads.html">bloggers</a>, include to only ads show in the Web Clips box unless a user clicks on the navigation arrows. We have noticed in some of our accounts that Google is now testing ads at the end of a email message. The ad is highlighted in yellow and is clearly labelled as an "Ad", similar to the look-and-feel in search results page.<div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_E0dlF4_71TI/TRRfqokVsfI/AAAAAAAAwy0/67YXkPAmaSg/s1600/Gmail-New-Ads.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_E0dlF4_71TI/TRRfqokVsfI/AAAAAAAAwy0/67YXkPAmaSg/s400/Gmail-New-Ads.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I personally find the ads not too intrusive but it definitely catches more attention as compared to the conventional ads on the right-hand side. What do you think about the new ads? Do you think they are too intrusive?</div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347066082440482385noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188468694512780546.post-70875209572271172112010-03-11T15:00:00.000+08:002010-03-11T15:00:15.467+08:00Google Maps Street View in Hong KongFinally, <a href="http://maps.google.com.hk/">Google Maps Hong Kong</a> adds (the long waited) Street View function. Google Street View allows you to virtually explore city neighborhoods by viewing and navigating within 360-degree scenes of street-level imagery. It was first launched back in March 2007 in major US cities. Now, available in US, Canada, Australia, some EU countries, Taiwan, and many more.<br />
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Last year, Google's Taiwan office has <a href="http://www.asmmag.com/news/google-street-view-in-hong-kong">confirmed</a> that street view would be coming to Hong Kong soon (after the launch in Taiwan in August last year). <a href="http://www.thomascrampton.com/hong-kong/google-street-view-comes-to-hk/">Several</a> <a href="http://www.hksilicon.com/kb/articles/2147/1/-Google-StreetView-/Page1.html">have</a> been spotting street view cars across Hong Kong since January 2009. So far, street view has done a good job covering major roads and streets in Hong Kong. Here are some touristy scenic spots:<br />
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Time Square:<br />
<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com.hk/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=zh-TW&geocode=&q=%E9%A9%AC%E5%A4%B4%E5%9B%B4%E9%81%9345%E5%8F%B7J&sll=22.310839,114.188113&sspn=0.00139,0.001725&brcurrent=3,0x34040055b36dac7f:0x23fa8b1e7120c6a,0,0x3404004c435d4ad9:0x6e0e524894ae1a66&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=%E9%A6%AC%E9%A0%AD%E5%9C%8D%E9%81%9345%E8%99%9F&ll=22.32221,114.192238&spn=0.00278,0.005493&z=14&layer=c&cbll=22.278739,114.182299&panoid=aPqcrUCeiWYnRrNMC2Av3w&cbp=12,216.94,,0,-14.69&output=svembed"></iframe><br />
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Golden Bauhinia Square:<br />
<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com.hk/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=zh-TW&geocode=&q=%E9%A9%AC%E5%A4%B4%E5%9B%B4%E9%81%9345%E5%8F%B7J&sll=22.310839,114.188113&sspn=0.00139,0.001725&brcurrent=3,0x34040055b36dac7f:0x23fa8b1e7120c6a,0,0x3404004c435d4ad9:0x6e0e524894ae1a66&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=%E9%A6%AC%E9%A0%AD%E5%9C%8D%E9%81%9345%E8%99%9F&ll=22.32221,114.192238&spn=0.00139,0.002747&z=14&layer=c&cbll=22.284468,114.173991&panoid=tyk-DAnwiLKZ6uyKwagE8w&cbp=12,262.04,,0,-13.81&output=svembed"></iframe><br />
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The Hong Kong International Airport Terminal 1:<br />
<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com.hk/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=zh-TW&geocode=&q=%E9%A9%AC%E5%A4%B4%E5%9B%B4%E9%81%9345%E5%8F%B7J&sll=22.310839,114.188113&sspn=0.00139,0.001725&brcurrent=3,0x3403e2ed979fb973:0x1446c5b3d14d7120,0,0x34015525e747cd15:0xf9bbe811afd9d3dd&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=%E9%A6%AC%E9%A0%AD%E5%9C%8D%E9%81%9345%E8%99%9F&ll=22.32221,114.192238&spn=0.005558,0.010986&z=14&layer=c&cbll=22.314301,113.936782&panoid=wYjp54u2sbofb6Ure6Y8nA&cbp=12,309,,0,-8.54&output=svembed"></iframe><br />
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On Tsing Ma Bridge:<br />
<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com.hk/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=zh-TW&geocode=&q=%E9%A9%AC%E5%A4%B4%E5%9B%B4%E9%81%9345%E5%8F%B7J&sll=22.310839,114.188113&sspn=0.00139,0.001725&brcurrent=3,0x3403f80f03bf95fd:0xfe0bdcdca508c0b7,0&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=%E9%A6%AC%E9%A0%AD%E5%9C%8D%E9%81%9345%E8%99%9F&ll=22.32221,114.192238&spn=0.044454,0.087891&z=14&layer=c&cbll=22.351421,114.075511&panoid=5O9myJanNkcYMnLyHUqB_w&cbp=12,251.57,,0,-0.62&output=svembed"></iframe><br />
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Google has an <a href="http://www.google.com/intl/en_us/help/maps/streetview/">official guide to Street View</a> where you can learn more about behind the scene about the vehicles and their imagery.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347066082440482385noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188468694512780546.post-90031561360241831782009-12-12T19:57:00.000+08:002009-12-12T19:57:27.903+08:00Universal Search in Suggest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_E0dlF4_71TI/SyODpNO_BzI/AAAAAAAAKkA/HkQWDXpQXA4/s1600-h/Fullscreen%20capture%2012122009%20194919.bmp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_E0dlF4_71TI/SyODpNO_BzI/AAAAAAAAKkA/HkQWDXpQXA4/s400/Fullscreen%20capture%2012122009%20194919.bmp.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
</div>Now you can get answers directly from Google's search box without even hitting enter. Now when you're searching for the weather, flight status, local time, area codes, package tracking, answers, definitions, calculator, currency and unit conversions, Google would display the Universal Search results directly in the suggestion box. <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/two-new-features-enhance-search-beyond.html">Learn more</a><br />
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This move makes much sense as the idea of Universal Search is to deliver "smack on" answers to common queries. Why require users to hit one more button, load a new page before you can get answers to simple questions? And for Google, more relevant results means improved user experience resulting in an increased user loyalty and switching cost.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347066082440482385noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188468694512780546.post-66665919771240042012009-11-21T16:01:00.001+08:002009-11-21T16:03:11.331+08:00Sneak Preview in Google CalendarI got invited to try out a new feature in Google Calendar called Sneak Preview that allows you to simultaneously preview your friend's calendars while creating an event. Currently in Labs, the "Free or busy" gadget already allows you to check the present availability of your friends but when scheduling an event, you would still need to go to a future date, cross check your friend's calendar to make sure that all of your guests are free during a particular time before creating the event.<br />
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With Sneak Preview, you would be able to preview your friend's calendar on a new mini-calendar in the <b>Create Event</b> screen. This makes scheduling events much easier by allowing you to see when people are free and if the proposed time would conflict with existing events. Here's a screenshot of Sneak Preview in action:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_E0dlF4_71TI/SwebGdnd8ZI/AAAAAAAAKhI/4v-rZFc3XrQ/s1600/Fullscreen%20capture%2021112009%20112138.bmp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Google Calendar Sneak Preview" border="0" height="251" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_E0dlF4_71TI/SwebGdnd8ZI/AAAAAAAAKhI/4v-rZFc3XrQ/s400/Fullscreen%20capture%2021112009%20112138.bmp.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
</div>The proposed event time is highlighted with a translucent shaded box (which is also drag-able). As you add guests to your event, their calendar would show up and you can see their events along side your own calendar. Roll over to their events and details would pop up.<br />
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This feature, however, might not be as useful to users who own several personal calenders (e.g. one for work and one for personal) as it currently only shows your default calendar.<br />
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If you're invited to test the new feature, you should see a link in your Create Event page:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E0dlF4_71TI/SwedVBCfCJI/AAAAAAAAKhM/8yUJD1A8mrM/s1600/Fullscreen%20capture%2021112009%20111647.bmp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="94" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E0dlF4_71TI/SwedVBCfCJI/AAAAAAAAKhM/8yUJD1A8mrM/s400/Fullscreen%20capture%2021112009%20111647.bmp.jpg" width="400" alt="Google Calendar Sneak Preview Invitation" /></a><br />
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Do you think this feature would make creating events easier?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347066082440482385noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188468694512780546.post-14981242574677894092008-11-18T10:04:00.009+08:002008-11-18T10:18:05.077+08:00New AdSense Interactive Ad SpottedGoogle constantly experiments with different look-n-feel of their ads to see which one better performs and would generate higher click-through-rates. I've recently spotted an interactive ad (of the size of 300 x 250) which contains a seach box in the middle:<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_E0dlF4_71TI/SSIkggNta8I/AAAAAAAAHlM/s2DS8MZSJF0/s400/AdSense+Interactive+Ad.png" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 283px;" border="0" alt="AdSense Interactive Ad Search Box" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269814654798752706" /></div>It only advertises one site at a time and allows you to search <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">within</span> the content of the advertised site. Notice that the title of the ad (at the very top bolded) is not a link, rather, mere text. You could navigate through the results by clicking "Next" or "Previous" at the bottom. Here's a screen-capture that illustrates how it works in practice:<div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxOOtwJgUd4COG5TNC6DDuB0i9w7sGuPBQty3h3CIpr4nYTjmOQ9HtMPR07r_z7GafRTQ3isOUHrD34NqaPcQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347066082440482385noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188468694512780546.post-25303798146500525072008-06-08T15:30:00.002+08:002008-06-08T15:40:52.531+08:00Dragon Boat Festival<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.google.cn/logos/dragon08.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 277px; height: 110px;" src="http://www.google.cn/logos/dragon08.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a>Google celebrates the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Boat_Festival">Dragon Boat Festival</a> (also known as Duanwu Festival - 端午節 - 端午节) in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. The festival is to remember the death of poet Qu Yuan who committed suicide after a regime take-over in 278BC. Traditionally, people eat <a href="http://images.google.com/images?q=rice%20dumplings">rice dumplings</a> and participate in dragon boat races.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347066082440482385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188468694512780546.post-21911364860922509762008-06-01T16:36:00.003+08:002008-06-01T16:45:36.418+08:00Google Docs - Most Loved Office Suite<img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 180px;" src="http://images.pcworld.com/shared/graphics/cms/100BestOf2008_180.jpg" alt="" border="0" />Google Docs was voted as <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,146165/article.html">PC World</a>'s readers' favorite office suite beating a competitive product Zoho Office which offers similar services. It also ranked #27 in the editors' list. Other Google products on the list of the <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,146161-page,12-c,electronics/article.html">100 Best Products of 2008</a> include #25 Google Maps Street View, #41 Gmail, #81 YouTube.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347066082440482385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188468694512780546.post-73208366521413272542008-05-19T15:17:00.004+08:002008-05-19T15:28:01.306+08:00Condolence to Si Chuan Earthquake Victims<img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; height: 110px;" src="http://www.google.cn/intl/zh-CN_cn/images/google_bk.gif" alt="Black and White Google Logo" border="0" /><br />Google China turned its logo to black and white in memory of those who died in the Si Chuan Earthquake. Also, the banner below is showed on Google.cn which is translated into: "Let us remember the moment [of earthquake]. Hope that those who died with rest in peace, those who survived will strive on."<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.google.cn/intl/zh-CN/images/mourning.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://www.google.cn/intl/zh-CN/images/mourning.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a>gSpy would like to express deepest condolence to the 32476 [to date] who died in the Si Chuan earthquake.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347066082440482385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188468694512780546.post-8897272622767605882008-05-11T12:55:00.002+08:002008-05-11T13:12:16.612+08:00Happy Mother's DayThe Mother's Day doodle is up in Google Hong Kong and China:<br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 276px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 120px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.google.com.hk/logos/mothers_day08.gif" border="0" /> If you search for <a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=happy+mother%27s+day">Happy Mother's Day</a> on Google, you would see the power of OneBox as you would see related searches, iamges, news and blog posts all mixed together. ;)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347066082440482385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188468694512780546.post-39486404553004817412008-05-09T17:52:00.006+08:002008-05-09T18:33:28.167+08:00Social Networking Potential for GoogleGoogle Reader recently launched something called <a href="http://googlereader.blogspot.com/2008/05/share-anything-anytime-anywhere.html">Notes</a> which a combination of <a href="http://www.twitter.com/">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://www.google.com/s2/sharing/stuff">Google Shared Stuff</a>. Basically, <span style="font-style: italic;">notes</span> made Google Reader a platform for you to stay connected with your friends and update each other on stuff you are up to lately (kind of). But it seems so far that Google's attempts to <span style="font-style: italic;">socialize</span> its products have been bits and pieces here and there. Imagine grouping all Google product feeds into one place, probably your Gmail Chat window, just like this:<br /><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_E0dlF4_71TI/SCQlkUdOKgI/AAAAAAAAEWI/FFq7r0dqLqg/s400/gmail-chat-mock-up.png" alt="Google Social Networking Potential" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5198321175789185538" border="0" />Not just your shared notes would be showed, but also public events in Google Calendar, Google Docs documents you share with your friends, YouTube videos, photos in Picasa Web Album, or even comments you make on Blogger. One platform that informs you of your friend's latest Google activities just like what Facebook is doing. However, this could potentially be more powerful than Facebook since Google products focuses on productivity while Facebook is <a href="http://flowingdata.com/2008/05/01/chart-of-the-day-a-breakdown-of-facebook-applications/">just for fun</a>. Corporates would find this a perfect tool to better connect its employees and improve efficiency. What do<span style="font-style: italic;"> you</span> think?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347066082440482385noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188468694512780546.post-90829786607871229282008-05-09T16:55:00.004+08:002008-05-09T17:21:56.005+08:00Google Maps in Hong KongToday is a rather big day for Hong Kong users since Google has updated their Google Maps database in Hong Kong and <a href="http://googlefinanceblog.blogspot.com/2008/05/hong-kong-stock-exchange-pricing-data.html">Google Finance now supports Hong Kong stock listings</a>. Google Maps will now show building names and <a href="http://www.mtr.com.hk">MTR</a> exits in Hong Kong. However, searching building names will only return user-created content (if any). Although there is still no official word from Google yet, the copyright notice at the bottom right suggests that Google has partnered with <a href="http://www.mapking.com">MapKing</a>, a famous local mapping company. Hopefully, business listing will soon be available in Hong Kong.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_E0dlF4_71TI/SCQT1kdOKeI/AAAAAAAAEVs/ZUdklQOPJk8/s1600-h/google-maps-hong-kong.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_E0dlF4_71TI/SCQT1kdOKeI/AAAAAAAAEVs/ZUdklQOPJk8/s400/google-maps-hong-kong.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5198301680932628962" border="0" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347066082440482385noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188468694512780546.post-83081358485293142872008-03-26T17:19:00.004+08:002008-03-26T17:43:10.846+08:00Google Docs Updates<a href="http://docs.google.com/">Google Docs</a> has been one of the most frequently updated Google product. Here are some of the latest updates:<div><ol><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Gadgets in Spreadsheet</span><br />With the help of open source <a href="http://documents.google.com/support/spreadsheets/bin/topic.py?topic=14187">gadgets API</a>, you can create more interactive charts and graphs in your spreadsheets. There are already some pretty useful ones such as <a href="http://documents.google.com/support/spreadsheets/bin/answer.py?answer=91610&topic=14186">motion chart</a>, <a href="http://documents.google.com/support/spreadsheets/bin/answer.py?answer=91608&topic=14186">scatter chart</a>, <a href="http://documents.google.com/support/spreadsheets/bin/answer.py?answer=91609&topic=14186">time series</a>, <a href="http://documents.google.com/support/spreadsheets/bin/answer.py?answer=91599&topic=14186">heat maps</a>, etc.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.google.com/google-d-s/images/new_ssgadgets.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://www.google.com/google-d-s/images/new_ssgadgets.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">New Menu Bars</span><br />The menu bar is renovated and looks more Office 2003-ish. Some tools have been rearranged to different tabs.<a href="http://documents.google.com/support/spreadsheets/bin/answer.py?answer=91588"><br /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ng6Ql8hkZfk/R-makoC0SCI/AAAAAAAAAPw/NurH-aDgdX8/s400/newToolbarAndMenus.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ng6Ql8hkZfk/R-makoC0SCI/AAAAAAAAAPw/NurH-aDgdX8/s400/newToolbarAndMenus.png" alt="" border="0" /></a></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Set Up Notifications</span><br />Receive alerts whenever edits are made in your spreadsheets. <a href="http://documents.google.com/support/spreadsheets/bin/answer.py?answer=91588">Learn more</a><br /><br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Colored Folders</span><br />Just like in the 'Newer Gmail' you can now give a folder a particular color.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.google.com/google-d-s/images/new_doclistlabels.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 127px; height: 82px;" src="http://www.google.com/google-d-s/images/new_doclistlabels.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Change Ownership</span><br />You can now change the 'owner' of a document or presentation (not spreadsheets) to someone else in the dashboard. Go to "More Actions > Change Onwer".<br /></li></ol></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347066082440482385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188468694512780546.post-45447966172081059102008-03-05T21:20:00.005+08:002008-03-05T22:21:00.974+08:00Help Center RestructuresGoogle has been restructuring its Help Centers for Gmail, Google Calender and Google Docs according to usability and user feedbacks. <a href="http://mail.google.com/support/bin/static.py?page=known_issues.cs"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">A</span></a><a href="http://mail.google.com/support/bin/static.py?page=known_issues.cs">ll</a> <a href="http://www.google.com/support/calendar/bin/static.py?page=known_issues.cs#form">of</a> <a href="http://documents.google.com/support/bin/static.py?page=known_issues.cs">them</a> have (updated) <span style="font-style: italic;">Known Issues</span> pages which lists out common but unsolved problems. Users can view the detailed description of the issue and report it if they are experiencing it. This is Gmail's <span style="font-style: italic;">Known Issues</span> page:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_E0dlF4_71TI/R86jWAKVMgI/AAAAAAAAEI4/BnaxWS2k52o/s1600-h/gmail-known-issues.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_E0dlF4_71TI/R86jWAKVMgI/AAAAAAAAEI4/BnaxWS2k52o/s400/gmail-known-issues.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174252620291060226" border="0" /></a>The similar voting system is used for feature suggestions where Google determines which feature to develop next:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_E0dlF4_71TI/R86jWQKVMhI/AAAAAAAAEJA/NorLQO1my7w/s1600-h/google-calendar-feature-suggestion.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_E0dlF4_71TI/R86jWQKVMhI/AAAAAAAAEJA/NorLQO1my7w/s400/google-calendar-feature-suggestion.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174252624586027538" border="0" /></a>Another improvement is that Google attempts to show relevant problems that users might also have when searching for a particular topic: <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E0dlF4_71TI/R86jWwKVMiI/AAAAAAAAEJI/WdrXo6ycbio/s1600-h/help-center-flags.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E0dlF4_71TI/R86jWwKVMiI/AAAAAAAAEJI/WdrXo6ycbio/s400/help-center-flags.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174252633175962146" border="0" /></a>Given the huge amount of users, to answer all emails received from users might take up to years. Therefore, for common "How-tos" and "Know-hows", Google is (more strictly) directing its users to official user groups or Help Center by hiding the Contact Us link or by using directories to divert users to appropriate sections. Google only provides (limited) email support to users who have gone through the entire Troubleshooter and find no answers.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E0dlF4_71TI/R86jXwKVMkI/AAAAAAAAEJY/BZVvwM5Z0bM/s1600-h/how-to-contact-google.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E0dlF4_71TI/R86jXwKVMkI/AAAAAAAAEJY/BZVvwM5Z0bM/s400/how-to-contact-google.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174252650355831362" border="0" /></a>I suppose more updates would be expected as Google continues to collect feedback from its users with this box appearing in most Help Centers:<br /><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_E0dlF4_71TI/R86jXQKVMjI/AAAAAAAAEJQ/8pz3dukQP4U/s400/help-center-survey.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174252641765896754" border="0" />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347066082440482385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188468694512780546.post-31200184642595840372008-03-02T14:46:00.001+08:002008-03-02T14:48:25.083+08:00Time Lapse Video of Google Doodle CreationWhat to know how Google's Chief Doodler Dennis Hwang draws a Google Doodle from scrap to finish? Watch this video:<br /><center><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/TOOY0xuQ3TU"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/TOOY0xuQ3TU" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object></center>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347066082440482385noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188468694512780546.post-49540588538585320862008-02-23T15:32:00.006+08:002008-05-11T13:29:30.622+08:00Be Invisible in Gmail Chat<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E0dlF4_71TI/R7_N_xmsdwI/AAAAAAAAEGU/YSFpTQSwZR0/s1600-h/gmail-chat-invisible.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E0dlF4_71TI/R7_N_xmsdwI/AAAAAAAAEGU/YSFpTQSwZR0/s400/gmail-chat-invisible.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5170077392775706370" border="0" /></a>Finally, there is a way for you to hide from your friends when you are checking your Gmail. You can now be 'invisible' in <a href="http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=33781">Gmail Chat</a>, the built in IM tool in Gmail. Just like the invisible (or some like to call it Appear Offline) in other IM, you can see others status while you will be shown as offline to your contacts. You can still be able to initiate a conversation. However, if you are using <a href="http://talk.google.com/">Google Talk</a>, the desktop application, at the same time, you would see this error message:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E0dlF4_71TI/R7_QRxmsdzI/AAAAAAAAEGs/6u-8hBY0ffQ/s1600-h/gmail-chat-invisible-oops.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E0dlF4_71TI/R7_QRxmsdzI/AAAAAAAAEGs/6u-8hBY0ffQ/s400/gmail-chat-invisible-oops.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5170079901036607282" border="0" /></a>The invisible function only works for Gmail. And there is no official word from Google yet.<br /><br />Related Posts:<br /><a href="http://gspy.blogspot.com/2007/12/gmail-colored-labels.html">Gmail Colored Labels</a> - <span style="font-style: italic;">Color-code your labels in Gmail</span><br /><a href="http://gspy.blogspot.com/2006/12/gmail-fetcher.html">Gmail Fetcher</a> - <span style="font-style: italic;">Receive emails from other email accounts</span><br /><a href="http://gspy.blogspot.com/2007/01/open-gmail-document-attachemnts-in.html">Open Gmail Document Attachments in Google Docs</a> - <span style="font-style: italic;">New way to view your attachments</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347066082440482385noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188468694512780546.post-67556908924019199562008-02-17T16:41:00.003+08:002008-02-17T16:46:53.360+08:00Google Vespa<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh6.google.com/sknaster/R4919JPWpDI/AAAAAAAABOQ/zPa_9r_dORs/markdMacworld-195.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://lh6.google.com/sknaster/R4919JPWpDI/AAAAAAAABOQ/zPa_9r_dORs/markdMacworld-195.jpg" alt="Google Vespa" border="0" /></a>Taken in Macworld 2008<br /></div><br />[Image Credit: <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/sknaster">Scott</a>]Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347066082440482385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188468694512780546.post-18791319738817818482008-02-15T20:58:00.004+08:002008-02-15T21:14:32.529+08:00Google AdWords Ads in Netherlands<a href="http://drhenkenstein.blogspot.com/">Henk</a> spotted this pretty cool billboard advertisement in Netherlands featuring two case studies about a <a href="http://www.google.nl/stephen">restaurant owner</a> and an <a href="http://www.google.nl/ari">automobile part retailer</a>. They also offer €50 AdWords promotional credit.<span style="background-color: rgb(230, 236, 249);" onmouseover="_tipon(this)" onmouseout="_tipoff()"></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2107/2265672530_a5850d0254.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2107/2265672530_a5850d0254.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2322/2264882155_690b2b9023.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2322/2264882155_690b2b9023.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>Image credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drhenkenstein/">Henk</a> shared under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/nl/">CC 2.5 License</a><br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347066082440482385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188468694512780546.post-76588212488193325532008-02-15T19:48:00.004+08:002008-02-15T20:46:59.229+08:00Video Ads Test in Google Search ResultsAccording to <a href="http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/14/google-tests-video-ads-on-search-results-pages/">New York Times</a>, Google is testing videos ads in its search results. Google is also testing ads that uses images, interactive maps and other more elaborate features.<br /><blockquote>At first, users will barely notice the change because the videos will not be immediately obvious. Ads with accompanying videos will have a small button with a plus sign. Google has increasingly used the plus icon to indicate that certain information — such as a map — can pop up on a search results page. Users that click the plus button on an ad will see a small video player that shows a commercial, movie trailer or other clip.<br /><br />For now, advertisers will not pay extra to put video in the ads. They enter a price they will pay for a click in Google’s regular text-ad auction. But in the video ads, the advertiser pays when users click to see the video, even if they never click through to the advertiser’s site.<br /><br />“People who advertise a movie want to show a trailer. Why shouldn’t they have the same format we use for search results and have a little plus box that says watch the trailer?” said Marissa Mayer, Google’s vice president of search products and user experience.</blockquote>There is no official word from Google at the moment.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347066082440482385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188468694512780546.post-66160595177439131072008-02-15T19:36:00.002+08:002008-02-15T19:43:24.295+08:00New Android SDK ReleasesGoogle released an updated version of <a href="http://code.google.com/android/index.html">Android SDK</a>. It includes a <a href="http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2007/11/posted-by-jason-chen-android-advocate.html">new user interface</a>, <a href="http://code.google.com/android/migrating/m3-to-m5/m5-api-changes.html#animations">layout animations</a>, <a href="http://code.google.com/android/reference/android/location/Geocoder.html">geo-coding</a> and <a href="http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2008/02/android-sdk-m5-rc14-now-available.html">more</a>. Here are some mock-ups of the new user interface:<br /><center><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&noautoplay=1&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fgspy.radar%2Falbumid%2F5166902590522869409%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" height="267" width="400"></embed></center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188468694512780546.post-91993195854821902182008-01-19T12:23:00.000+08:002008-01-19T12:35:56.150+08:00Google Gadget Center Launched<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_E0dlF4_71TI/R5F7u64VnBI/AAAAAAAAD6o/YzxnHu_BC34/s1600-h/google-gadget-center.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_E0dlF4_71TI/R5F7u64VnBI/AAAAAAAAD6o/YzxnHu_BC34/s400/google-gadget-center.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157039094325681170" border="0" /></a>Google quietly launched a <a href="http://www.google.com/webmasters/gadgets/about/">Gadget Center</a> for its gadget developers that would "guide you through all the steps needed to make your gadget a success".Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347066082440482385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188468694512780546.post-89482092787670537602008-01-19T11:59:00.000+08:002008-01-19T12:23:08.879+08:00iGoogle Compound Gadget Fixed<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_E0dlF4_71TI/R5F2dq4Vm_I/AAAAAAAAD6U/BfQdl2ARjQM/s1600-h/igoogle-compound-gadget-fixed.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_E0dlF4_71TI/R5F2dq4Vm_I/AAAAAAAAD6U/BfQdl2ARjQM/s400/igoogle-compound-gadget-fixed.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157033300414798834" border="0" /></a>Over the past few weeks, users of the <a href="http://www.google.com/ig/directory?url=compound.xml">iGoogle compound gadget</a> has <a href="http://blogoscoped.com/forum/118848.html">reported</a> instances where child gadgets within disappears. The problem is now fixed and the developer behind even improved the gadget so that you could actually edit the settings and rename tabs of child gadgets by clicking on the drop down menu in each tab. Add it back to iGoogle:<br /><center><a href="http://fusion.google.com/add?source=atgs&moduleurl=http%3A//www.google.com/ig/modules/compound.xml"><img src="http://buttons.googlesyndication.com/fusion/add.gif" alt="Add to Google" border="0" /></a></center><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_E0dlF4_71TI/R5F6B64VnAI/AAAAAAAAD6g/jRviK62Vjmw/s1600-h/igoogle-theme-directory.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_E0dlF4_71TI/R5F6B64VnAI/AAAAAAAAD6g/jRviK62Vjmw/s400/igoogle-theme-directory.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157037221719940098" border="0" /></a>Also, iGoogle launched a theme directory and opened up a <a href="http://code.google.com/apis/themes/docs/dev_guide.html">Themes API</a> that lets you create your own customized designs for iGoogle. Here are some <a href="http://code.google.com/apis/themes/programpolicy.html">program policies</a> that you might want to keep in mind before designing a new theme:<br /><ol><li>The search box and related links may not be moved or removed from the iGoogle page.</li><li>Don’t mimic or resemble Windows/Mac/Unix dialogue boxes or error messages.</li></ol>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347066082440482385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188468694512780546.post-46902243559271115872008-01-13T19:25:00.002+08:002008-05-11T13:37:48.532+08:0010 Reasons to Use Gmail<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.google.com/mail/help/images/logo1.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 144px; height: 59px;" src="http://www.google.com/mail/help/images/logo1.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a>When you click on the '<a href="http://mail.google.com/mail/help/intl/en/about.html">About Gmail</a>' link in the Gmail homepage, you will noticed top ten reasons why (Google thinks) you should use Gmail. Some of these reasons have been (are) featured on the homepage already (marked in *):<br /><div style="float: left;"></div><blockquote><div style="float: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img src="http://mail.google.com/mail/help/intl/en/images/icons/spam_new.gif" class="icon" /></span></div> <div class="list-item"> <h3><span style="font-size:85%;">1. You don't like spam. Neither do we.*</span></h3> <div> <p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Don't waste time with junk mail and unwanted messages. Gmail blocks spam before it gets to your inbox. If an unwanted message ever finds its way through, you can fight back by <a href="http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=6602&topic=1520&hl=en">reporting it</a> and help make our spam filters even better. <a href="http://mail.google.com/mail/help/intl/en/fightspam/spamexplained.html">Learn more</a></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FVme_xIRYk">Watch a video</a> to see how we combat spam.</span></p> </div> </div> <span style="font-size:85%;"> </span> <div style="float: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img src="http://mail.google.com/mail/help/intl/en/images/icons/search.gif" class="icon" /></span></div> <div class="list-item"> <h3><span style="font-size:85%;">2. Search your mail instantly*</span></h3> <div> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">Use <a href="http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=6593&hl=en">Google search within Gmail</a> to find the exact message you want, no matter when it was sent or received. You don't have to spend time sorting your email, just search for a message when you need it and we'll find it for you.</span></p> </div> </div> <span style="font-size:85%;"> </span> <div style="float: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img src="http://mail.google.com/mail/help/intl/en/images/icons/conversation.gif" class="icon" /></span></div> <div class="list-item"> <h3><span style="font-size:85%;">3. Organize replies into conversations</span></h3> <div> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">With Gmail, each message you send is grouped with all the responses you receive. This <a href="http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=5900&hl=en">conversation view</a> continues to grow as new replies arrive, so you can always see your messages in context.</span></p> </div> </div> <span style="font-size:85%;"> </span> <div style="float: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img src="http://mail.google.com/mail/help/intl/en/images/icons/chat.gif" class="icon" /></span></div> <div class="list-item"> <h3><span style="font-size:85%;">4. Chat is built right in*</span></h3> <div> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">With just one click, you can <a href="http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=33781&topic=13292&hl=en">chat in Gmail</a> with the people you already email. You can even reply to an email by chat. And Gmail can archive all of your chats, making them searchable, so you never lose any valuable information.</span></p> </div> </div> <span style="font-size:85%;"> </span> <div style="float: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img src="http://mail.google.com/mail/help/intl/en/images/icons/labels.gif" class="icon" /></span></div> <div class="list-item"> <h3><span style="font-size:85%;">5. Labels, filters, and stars...oh my!</span></h3> <div> <p><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=6560&hl=en">Gmail uses labels</a> to help you organize with more flexibility. A conversation can have several labels, so you're not forced to choose one particular folder for messages. You can also <a href="http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=6579&hl=en">create filters</a> to automatically manage incoming mail. <a href="https://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=6561&hl=en">Starring messages</a> is another way you can organize your inbox. Plus, it looks pretty.</span></p> </div> </div> <span style="font-size:85%;"> </span> <div style="float: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img src="http://mail.google.com/mail/help/intl/en/images/icons/cell.gif" class="icon" /></span></div> <div class="list-item"> <h3><span style="font-size:85%;">6. Get your mail on the go*</span></h3> <div> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">The days of needing your computer to get to your inbox are long gone. You can now use <a href="http://www.google.com/mobile/mail/index.html">Gmail on your mobile device</a> to access your email from anywhere.</span></p> </div> </div> <span style="font-size:85%;"> </span> <div style="float: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img src="http://mail.google.com/mail/help/intl/en/images/icons/storage.gif" class="icon" /></span></div> <div class="list-item"> <h3><span style="font-size:85%;">7. Lots of space (and counting)*</span></h3> <div> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">We're always working to increase the amount of <a href="http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2007/10/more-gmail-storage-coming-for-all.html">free storage</a> we offer in Gmail, and if you want even more, you can always <a href="https://www.google.com/support/accounts/bin/answer.py?answer=65431&hl=en">purchase additional space</a>. With all that space, you can <a href="http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=6576&topic=1514&hl=en">archive</a> instead of deleting messages, so they won't clutter your inbox but will remain searchable in case you ever need them again.</span></p> </div> </div> <span style="font-size:85%;"> </span> <div style="float: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img src="http://mail.google.com/mail/help/intl/en/images/icons/ads.gif" class="icon" /></span></div> <div class="list-item"> <h3><span style="font-size:85%;">8. We have ads, but only the good kind</span></h3> <div> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">With Gmail, you'll never see pop-ups or untargeted banner ads. Instead we display text ads and related links you might find useful and interesting. <a href="http://mail.google.com/mail/help/about_privacy.html">Learn more</a> about how seriously we protect your privacy.</span></p> </div> </div> <span style="font-size:85%;"> </span> <div style="float: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img src="http://mail.google.com/mail/help/intl/en/images/icons/time.gif" class="icon" /></span></div> <div class="list-item"> <h3><span style="font-size:85%;">9. Save time</span></h3> <div> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">Take advantage of <a href="http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=29293&hl=en">Quick Contacts</a> and <a href="http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=6594&hl=en">Keyboard Shortcuts</a> in Gmail to get through your email even faster. And don't forget that you can quickly find messages using <a href="http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=6593&hl=en">Gmail's search feature</a> powered by Google search technology.</span></p> </div> </div> <span style="font-size:85%;"> </span> <div style="float: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img src="http://mail.google.com/mail/help/intl/en/images/icons/free.gif" class="icon" /></span></div> <div class="list-item"> <h3><span style="font-size:85%;">10. All this is free?</span></h3> <div> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">Yep.</span></p></div></div></blockquote><div class="list-item"><div><p><span style="font-size:100%;"></span></p><p><span style="font-size:100%;">Gmail has been testing with <a href="http://gspy.blogspot.com/2007/11/new-gmail-login-pages.html">different homepage</a> designs recently and spam prevention has been the most stressed feature replacing the 'infinity + 1' storage that used to make Gmail stands out.</span><br /></p>Related Posts:<br /><a href="http://gspy.blogspot.com/2007/12/gmail-colored-labels.html">Gmail Colored Labels</a> - <span style="font-style: italic;">Color-code your labels in Gmail</span><br /><a href="http://gspy.blogspot.com/2007/04/gmail-paper.html">Gmail Paper</a> - <span style="font-style: italic;">Print your emails on paper! [April's Fool]</span><br /><a href="http://gspy.blogspot.com/2007/06/gmail-adds-view-as-slideshow-function.html">View as Slideshow in Gmail</a> - <span style="font-style: italic;">View PowerPoint attachments without leaving your browser</span><br /></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347066082440482385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188468694512780546.post-68536632577385246842007-12-31T12:09:00.000+08:002007-12-31T13:04:08.662+08:00Real Time Flight StatusGoogle's flight stats search feature now delivers real time status and information in the search result OneBox. Just type the name of the airline and flight number (e.g. American 123, ua226) into the search box and you shall see something like this:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_E0dlF4_71TI/R3hz864VlrI/AAAAAAAADgU/3uubNEpx_Xs/s1600-h/real-time-flight-status.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_E0dlF4_71TI/R3hz864VlrI/AAAAAAAADgU/3uubNEpx_Xs/s400/real-time-flight-status.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149993664333059762" border="0" /></a>The information is provided by FlightStats.com which uses data feeds from the US Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Aircraft Situation Display to Industry (ASDI). I have tested it with some flights departing from Hong Kong and it works fine so I guess it is available for all international flights.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347066082440482385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188468694512780546.post-2541888046468397582007-12-14T21:14:00.000+08:002007-12-14T21:32:44.923+08:00Google Soon To Enter Online Encyclopedia Market<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_E0dlF4_71TI/R2KCpK4VkeI/AAAAAAAADRI/SZIaRKtyfFY/s1600-h/google-knol.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_E0dlF4_71TI/R2KCpK4VkeI/AAAAAAAADRI/SZIaRKtyfFY/s400/google-knol.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143817368217424354" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><a href="http://www.google.com/images/blogs/knol_lg.png">Screenshot of the entire sample knol</a></span><br /></div>Google is privately testing an online encyclopedia called Google Knol. Here are a few fast facts that differentiates it from Wikipedia (by far one of the most popular free encyclopedia on the web):<br /><ol><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">One author, one wiki.</span> Users no longer collaborate to produce one page, rather, each author posts his own page. Google says: "We hope that knols will include the opinions and points of view of the authors who will put their reputation on the line. Anyone will be free to write. For many topics, there will likely be competing knols on the same subject. Competition of ideas is a good thing."</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">More community features.</span> Google says: "Knols will include strong community tools. People will be able to submit <span style="font-style: italic;">comments, questions, edits, additional content</span>, and so on. Anyone will be able to <span style="font-style: italic;">rate</span> a knol or write a <span style="font-style: italic;">review</span> of it."</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Revenue-share with authors.</span> Google says: "At the discretion of the author, a knol may include ads. If an author chooses to include ads, Google will provide the author with substantial revenue share from the proceeds of those ads."</li></ol>[Via <a href="googleblog.blogspot.com/2007/12/encouraging-people-to-contribute.html">Official Google Blog</a>]<br /><a href="http://www.google.com/images/blogs/knol_lg.png"></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347066082440482385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188468694512780546.post-3020713766359492772007-12-14T20:50:00.000+08:002007-12-14T21:38:42.387+08:00YouTube Updates Videos PageBack in <a href="http://www.youtube.com/blog?entry=qbnbG2JO05Q">October</a>, YouTube let its users to preview the upcoming <a href="http://www.youtube.com/browse">Videos page</a> which aroused <a href="http://blogoscoped.com/forum/112403.html#id113445">a</a> <a href="http://googlified.com/2007preview-youtubes-new-design/">number</a> <a href="http://blogoscoped.com/forum/112403.html#id112419">of</a> negative feedback.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://googlified.com/files/preview-youtube-new-design.gif" alt="" border="0" /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Image Credit: <a href="http://googlified.com/2007preview-youtubes-new-design/">Googlified</a></span></span><br /></div>In <a href="http://www.youtube.com/blog?entry=bw4vCLj4dLc">November</a>, they rolled out an updated version which took away the shinning red and popup AJAX menus. And recently, they further updated it by adding in related videos for 'spotlight' videos and allows you to go back and forth with AJAX buttons:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_E0dlF4_71TI/R2J8pa4VkdI/AAAAAAAADQ8/8pRaiRtN-8s/s1600-h/youtube-new-layout.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_E0dlF4_71TI/R2J8pa4VkdI/AAAAAAAADQ8/8pRaiRtN-8s/s400/youtube-new-layout.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143810775442624978" border="0" /></a>The updated Videos page is running across all local versions of YouTube though only the US version shows spotlight videos.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Update:</span> You will also see a Add to Google button (<img src="http://hk.youtube.com/img/igoogle.gif" alt="Add to Google" />) at the bottom of each page right next to the search box at the very bottom.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347066082440482385noreply@blogger.com0