Switched http://www.switched.com Switched http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.switched.com/media/feedlogo.gif Switched http://www.switched.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[StreetView: 'Move Over, Robert Frank!' as Artist Finds Google's Oeuvre]]>http://www.switched.com/2009/11/24/streetview-move-over-robert-frank-as-artist-finds-googles/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/24/streetview-move-over-robert-frank-as-artist-finds-googles/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/24/streetview-move-over-robert-frank-as-artist-finds-googles/#commentsFiled under: , ,

It wasn't too long ago that Google Maps took to the streets with its army of camera-equipped cars as it embarked on its quest to photograph every avenue in the world. As they archived all these random images of daily life and human existence, they captured more than their fair share of comedic, and often downright embarrassing moments. One artist, though, recently trolled through that entire stockpile, and has uncovered some surprisingly beautiful -- and often powerful -- imagery.

Jon Rafman, an artist based out of Montreal, took it upon himself to find Google's artistic side, and has assembled a fascinating collection, NPR reports. The photos run the gamut from the complacently pensive (a barebacked woman staring at the Sea in Italy), to the humorous (the dilapidated facade of a Rod Stewart fan club in Scotland), to the downright harrowing (a series of curbside homeless).

Continue reading StreetView: 'Move Over, Robert Frank!' as Artist Finds Google's Oeuvre

SwitchedStreetView: 'Move Over, Robert Frank!' as Artist Finds Google's Oeuvre originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Despite Google's clean and simple design, users can still feel overwhelmed and frustrated by the freewheeling way in which search results appear on the site. To combat this problem, Marissa Meyer, Google's vice president of search product and user experience, told Mashable that the search giant will soon begin testing a new permanent sidebar on its results page, but only for a small number of users.

We know it's not often that Google changes anything, but before we get too excited, the feature is similar to the "Show options" sidebar. The new version, however, allows you to narrow a search to specific categories, and is simply more attractive. Plus, the sidebar will be, conveniently enough, permanently displayed on the left side of the page.

Continue reading Google's New Permanent Search Sidebar Could Streamline Searches

SwitchedGoogle's New Permanent Search Sidebar Could Streamline Searches originally appeared on Switched on Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>googlesearchsearch enginesSearchEngineswebSat, 21 Nov 2009 15:02:00 EST<![CDATA[Chrome OS, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Cloud]]>http://www.switched.com/2009/11/20/chrome-os-or-how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-the-cloud/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/20/chrome-os-or-how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-the-cloud/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/20/chrome-os-or-how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-the-cloud/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Chrome OS: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Cloud
Yesterday, Google finally took the cover off Chrome OS and, in so doing, gave a bunch of foamy-mouthed tech journalists an idea of what to expect once consumers are able to get their hands on it late next year. There weren't many surprises in the announcement. Chrome OS is a tweaked Chrome browser running on top of a streamlined version of Linux -- exactly what most were expecting. We can already play games, watch movies, create spreadsheets, and send IMs -- all without leaving the comfort of any number of browsers. Chrome OS just seeks to remove the middle man.

The highly customized version of Linux is designed to run on Google-certified hardware. By specifying what components can comprise a Chrome OS netbook, Google is able to strip away many "unessential" parts of the OS, making it boot and run faster. Even in this early stage (a year away from release), it only takes 10 seconds to go from pressing the power button to browsing the Web. There are some trade-offs to this design, however. Chrome OS will not support traditional hard drives, meaning you can forget about keeping your giant music collection on one of these babies. Instead, it will only feature smaller, faster, solid-state drives (SSD) and rely on the cloud to store documents and photos. It will, however, recognize and open whatever USB drives and cameras are plugged into it.

Continue reading Chrome OS, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Cloud

SwitchedChrome OS, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Cloud originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Android Explosion Poses a Problem for Developers
After getting off to a slow start, Android phones have gone gangbusters. As of last July, there was only one Android-powered device available in the U.S., but that number has since exploded. Now, there are eight Android phones available stateside, with more expected to debut in the coming months. So things must be looking pretty great for the mobile OS from Google, right?

Not necessarily. A few issues have both Google and the developers of Android-friendly applications worried. For the most part, the issue can be reduced to the term "splintering." Right now, those eight phones share three different versions of the Android core: 1.5, 1.6, and 2.0. The phones also have vast hardware differences between them; for instance, some models have keyboards while others don't, and some cameras have flashes while others do not. Then, there are the customized interfaces (or skins), like HTC's Sense on the Hero and Motorola's Blur on the Cliq. These differences make it difficult to build apps, since even basic updates need to be tested against every possible combination of hardware, skin, and Android version. And a smartphone OS lives and dies by its developers.

Continue reading Is the Android OS Growing Too Quickly?

SwitchedIs the Android OS Growing Too Quickly? originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Slowly but surely, we're getting an idea of what Google's Chrome OS will look like. We know that it will be Linux-based and that the primary interface will likely be the Chrome browser. Still, the search giant was not content to simply turn a Web browser into an operating system. Soon Google was launching a new programing language, called Go, that would allow programmers to build faster and more efficient applications. Then it announced Native Client, a feature built into Chrome (both the browser and the OS) that would allow software to be run inside the browser. Any program launched could be treated as just another tab in Chrome, and, when paired with the new Go programming language, could lead to dramatic speed increases for Web-based applications.

So Chrome OS, and the various enhancements Google is developing to milk every bit of potential from the Internet, are shaping up nicely. But there is still one major hurdle to overcome -- HTTP, or hyper text transfer protocol. HTTP is what browsers and and Web sites use to define how and when data is passed back and forth. The problem is that HTTP has existed, more or less in its current form, since 1996, a time when Web sites were primarily simple documents with static text and images.

Continue reading Google Could Double Web Speeds With SPDY Protocol

SwitchedGoogle Could Double Web Speeds With SPDY Protocol originally appeared on Switched on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 08:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Find a Flu Shot Near You With Google Maps
Having conquered general Web searches, e-mail, video, and advertising, Google is now trying to become a one-stop repository for all your flu information needs. You can already look up information about general flu trends, and track outbreaks of the swine flu, so it only makes sense that the next step would pertain to prevention. Google has partnered with the Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pharmacy chains, and various state and local agencies to map out where you can get vaccinations for both the seasonal flu and H1N1.

The Flu Shot Finder isn't comprehensive, as Google is still collecting data from many localities. But even in its current state, the tool is a great help for finding where you can get yourself inoculated. After searching by address or ZIP code, you can click on any result to find the location's hours of operation and to see whether or not it currently has the vaccine in stock.

Continue reading Find a Flu Shot Near You With Google Maps

SwitchedFind a Flu Shot Near You With Google Maps originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Statistics nerds, rejoice! The World Bank, the institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital projects, released an application programming interface (API) for its wealth of statistics shortly after Google introduced searchable public data back in April. Now, the two have married their strengths and brought searchable World Bank data to Google.

Google Search now has access to 17 world development indicators, including life expectancy, military spending as percentage of GDP, and energy use per capita. (Follow the source link to find the complete list of available indicators.) We've already had some fun by checking out who in the world has a higher percentage of Internet use than the U.S. The fact that the always progressive Denmark, Switzerland, and Netherlands bested the America's 72-percent doesn't come as much of a surprise -- but the Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda's 76-percent rate of use did throw us for a loop. Scroll over the country names in the chart above to see their individual statistics.

Unfortunately, there's currently no way to overlay different indicators' data points on the same chart (if you want to see fertility rates compared to CO2 emissions per capita, for example), but that can't be too far out. The ease of accessing and displaying this information really ratchets up the case for the Internet as a place of learning rather than polemical disinformation. As Google's blog notes, the purpose of incorporating the World Banks' data into searches is "to encourage debate based on fact rather than intuition." We can get behind that. [From: The Official Google Blog]

SwitchedGoogle Now Offering Searchable World Bank Database originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Googling yourself can be daunting. Some people are morbidly afraid of what they might find, and others fear disappointment with what they don't find. But every now and then, self-googling can return the kind of life-changing results you never thought possible.

In a story that is pretty much destined to be made into a movie (albeit a Lifetime one), according to the Huffington Post, a Georgia woman recently reunited with her father after more than 30 years of separation. The catalyst behind the event, of course, was Google. April Becker-Antoniou googled her own name and, while sifting through the search results, came across a site that her father, Dr. Scott Becker, had set up nearly 10 years prior in the hopes that she might one day stumble across it. Titled "Scott Becker looking for April," the Web site reads: "Dear April, When you read this, please send an email to: april@aprilbecker.com. I'm your dad and I would really like to talk to ya. When I get your email, I will ask you a couple of questions that only you would know so I can filter out the crazies out there. By the way, You have a lil sister that REALLY wants to talk to you :-) Dad Scott Robert Becker."

Continue reading Google Search Reunites Dad With Daughter After 30 Years

SwitchedGoogle Search Reunites Dad With Daughter After 30 Years originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A surreptitious message about possible search engine upgrades appeared on the Google Blog back in August, and the rumored changes, which have officially been dubbed 'Caffeine,' seem ready to launch at any time. Google originally stated that its "next-generation architecture" would incorporate "under the hood" modifications, expanding search parameters while maximizing both indexing speed and accuracy.

During a subsequent testing period, the Big G allowed Web developers to experiment with, and critique, 'Caffeine.' (The company is going to wait a few more years before unrolling Google 'Crystal Meth.' Badum bum!) Citing positive feedback, the Goog has proclaimed the test run a success, and has deemed the new, stimulated search engine ready for general consumption (barring Rupert Murdoch, apparently).

Continue reading Google 'Caffeine' to Jack Up Your Searches

SwitchedGoogle 'Caffeine' to Jack Up Your Searches originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Trends Reveal the Most Obscenity Obsessed Cities in America
Last year, The Business Insider -- inspired by an obscenity case in Pensacola, Florida -- checked out the Google Trends data for each of the "seven dirty words." The defense attorney in the case had planned to use Google search data to show that Pensacola's morals were lax in comparison to the rest of the country. The research never saw the light of day, but that didn't stop The Business Insider from performing its own analysis of search statistics to determine the most obscene cities in America.

A year later, The Business Insider decided it was time to update the rankings, and last year's surprise winner -- Louisville, Kentucky -- really cleaned up its act and dropped to number 10. Several major cities are featured on the list, including Boston and Philadelphia, but, amazingly, New York avoided placing in the top 10. Take that, other East Coast metropolitan areas!

Continue reading Google Data Shows the Most Obscenity-Obsessed U.S. Cities

SwitchedGoogle Data Shows the Most Obscenity-Obsessed U.S. Cities originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Many of us are fascinated by Google's super laid-back, just-wanna-have-fun work environment, especially when juxtaposed with its massive financial success. The company having long been considered one of the world's best employers, dorks people like us have always wondered what it takes to land a cushy position in those San Francisco offices. Now, thanks to the release of some alleged sample interview questions, we know. You've just got to know the "significance of dead beef."

Well, that, and a host of other really weird things (e.g., How many piano tuners are there in the world? How many golf balls can fit inside a school bus?). The interview does have its fair share of typically techie, super-complex questions -- the kinds of things you'd expect most Google geniuses to know -- but the oddball questions are by far the most fascinating. That being said, we're not so much intrigued by their impossible difficulty (Asking impossible questions can give you a feel for someone's thought process.) as we are by their tinges of quirky humor. We don't know this for certain, but we assume that the Google execs would probably approve of anyone who would appreciate the weird sense of humor underscoring these questions and would answer accordingly. Above all, the queries give some insight into that rare breed of brilliant yet zany person that Google is clearly seeking.

Continue reading Think You Can Answer Google's Job Interview Questions?

SwitchedThink You Can Answer Google's Job Interview Questions? originally appeared on Switched on Sun, 08 Nov 2009 08:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Launches Dashboard, Reveals What it Knows About You
We've before pondered the question: How much does Google know about you? Now, Google wants to give you the answer. In excruciating detail.

The big 'G' just launched Google Dashboard, a service that summarizes the data stored by the various Google services you use, and then provides quick links to the privacy and personal settings of each. According to Google, the aim is to provide a transparent look into the information of yours that it has stored.

Continue reading Google Dashboard Reveals Your Digital Dossier

SwitchedGoogle Dashboard Reveals Your Digital Dossier originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Legend of Argleton: The Town That Wasn't
So here's an interesting mystery. How did a town that doesn't exist in reality find itself nestled in an empty green field between two actually real towns in Lancashire, U.K. on Google Maps? Theories are plentiful, but is seems no one knows the true origins of Argleton -- the town that wasn't there.

If you search Google for Argleton, U.K. you'll turn up plenty of results for businesses, real estate, even weather forecasts for the area. Click on over to Maps and you'll find the little British townlet sitting between Aughton and Aughton Park. The problem is that residents of neither Aughton or Aughton Park have ever heard of Argleton. What's stranger, if you follow Google Maps to where Argleton supposedly sits, all you'll find is an empty grass field.

Continue reading The Legend of Argleton: A Town That Only Exists in Google

SwitchedThe Legend of Argleton: A Town That Only Exists in Google originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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At a media panel discussion and concert in Hollywood yesterday, Google finally unveiled its long awaited music search service, Music Onebox. The new tool will streamline and centralize the music-searching world, creating a one-stop shopping hub for all our music needs. Current music searches on Google usually result in lots of Wikipedia entries, lyrics, and YouTube videos -- nearly everything but the music, itself. With Music Onebox, though, users can now enter the name of an artist or song, and the very first result will be an informational page about the artist, followed by links to streaming songs on either Lala or MySpace Music. Typically, users will be able to stream a song one time for free before being asked to purchase it.

Google has also forged ties with Gracenote in order to more easily search for a song by its lyrics. A new 'Google Suggest' feature will even help you to pinpoint those lyrics that are especially hard to grasp. Pandora, imeem, and Rhapsody have all hopped on Google's soul train, as well, meaning that music searches will now automatically include those sites, too.

Continue reading Google Unveils Music Onebox Search Service

SwitchedGoogle Unveils Music Onebox Search Service originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon has some powerful new ammunition for its anti-iPhone attack campaign. Considering a public statement made today by Google, Verizon's newest anti-Apple ad will likely read, "iDon't have free, default GPS." That's right, the rumored Google Maps Navigation service is officially for real, and Android 2.0 software will debut first on Verizon's Motorola DROID.

According to Google's statement, the free Navigator service (video after the break) will provide unparalleled services, including voice search (It does have a car dock mode.), up-to-the-minute traffic view, a "search along route" function, actual photographs of destination points so you know exactly where you're going, and several other exclusive features. Judging from the demonstration video (above), Navigator definitely passes the eye test. The alluring route search function, in particular, looks perfect for finding pit stops during a road trip.

Continue reading Google Maps Navigation Debuts on DROID, Android 2.0 Phones

SwitchedGoogle Maps Navigation Debuts on DROID, Android 2.0 Phones originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Eric Schmidt, chairman and CEO of Google, has looked into the crystal ball hidden deep inside the company's headquarters. Besides plenty of dollar signs for Google, Schmidt envisions a drastically different Internet five years from now than the one we know today.

According to ReadWriteWeb, the CEO remarked during a speech atGartner Symposium/ITxpo Orlando 2009 last week that the Web of the future will feature much more Chinese-language content, and believe it or not, more social media. Information access will increase, along with bandwidth speeds. Schmidt says broadband will be delivered at rates above 100 megabits per second, effectively erasing the lines between different media -- like TV, radio, and the Web. Bottom line: The debate between user-generated, real-time content and traditional, 'professional' sources will rage on, as speedy broadband lines equal more -- and more immediate -- accessibility to real-time information. Anyone, anywhere will have the ability to witness and upload an event, making it worldwide in seconds, effectively changing today's Webscape.

Continue reading Google CEO on Web in Five Years: Faster, More Social, More Chinese

SwitchedGoogle CEO on Web in Five Years: Faster, More Social, More Chinese originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Unveils Social Search Results

Last week, both Microsoft and Google announced deals with Twitter that allowed them to index and search the micro-blogging site's public content. But while Microsoft immediately offered its Twitter search abilities, Google only made vague references to its possible integration into Google search, and ensured the relevancy of the results. Well, it's been less than a week, and Google has a preview of the function available in the form of Google Labs' Social Search.

The new search will add results from your "social circle" whenever you perform a query that Google determines would be enhanced by content from social networks. The results won't just include data from Twitter, however. It will also pull information from Facebook, FriendFeed, and blogs. (We have no word on whether that would only include the Google-owned Blogger, or if it would also include services like WordPress or Tumblr). The key to getting these results is sticking a link to your Google Profile in your various social accounts. Google doesn't stop there, though. It will also automatically pull content from your Google Talk contacts, provided they've posted their own Google Profile links.

Continue reading Google 'Social Search' Results Include Your Friends

SwitchedGoogle 'Social Search' Results Include Your Friends originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google and Microsoft to Add Twitter to Search Results

Yesterday, both Bing and Google announced that they had respectively struck deals to index the 140-character bits of information found on Twitter and compile them in real-time search results. Twitter currently has its own tool for searching Tweets, but results are organized by chronology. Bing and Google will be applying algorithms to ensure users get the most relevant and trusted results, hopefully bringing order to the chaos that is finding info on Twitter.

Bing has already posted a beta version of its Twitter search tool -- www.bing.com/twitter/ -- providing a quick glance at the hottest topics and a collection of related links shared on Twitter. Google, on the other hand, has no concrete work to show off thus far. Google announced in a blog post that it will launch a "product" in the coming months showing how Twitter-aided search results might look. The Bing Twitter beta shows a short list of the most recent Tweets matching a search, and also lists the most popular links posted on Twitter (and tweets that include those links).

Continue reading Tweets to Appear in Google and Microsoft Search Results

SwitchedTweets to Appear in Google and Microsoft Search Results originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>binggooglenewssearchtoptwitterThu, 22 Oct 2009 13:58:00 EST<![CDATA[Google Offering Free In-Flight Wi-Fi on Holiday Virgin Flights]]>http://www.switched.com/2009/10/20/google-offers-free-in-flight-wi-fi-on-holiday-virgin-flights/http://www.switched.com/2009/10/20/google-offers-free-in-flight-wi-fi-on-holiday-virgin-flights/http://www.switched.com/2009/10/20/google-offers-free-in-flight-wi-fi-on-holiday-virgin-flights/#commentsFiled under: ,

Google and Virgin Offer Free In-Flight Wi-Fi for the Holidays
Virgin has been offering in-flight Wi-Fi on all of its flights since May, but prices for the convenience of checking Twitter at 30,000 feet have probably stopped some passengers in their tracks. That is, of course, if they've been able to decipher the convoluted pricing scheme: $12.95 for flights longer than 3 hours; $9.95 for flights under 3 hours; $5.95 for red-eyes; and $7.95 if you want to use a cell phone, media player, or portable gaming device.

Google is giving all passengers on Virgin Airlines a bit of a holiday treat this year by providing free Wi-Fi service from November 10, 2009 through January 15, 2010. You can find out all the details at freeholidaywifi.com.

Google, of course, hopes that you will use this gratis service to check your Gmail, or do some last minute holiday shopping with Google product search. But we know you're just going to use it to tweet about how bad the airline food is. [From: Official Google Blog, Via: Lifehacker]

SwitchedGoogle Offering Free In-Flight Wi-Fi on Holiday Virgin Flights originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>airlinesgooglein flight wifiin-flight wifiIn-flightWifitopvirginwi-fiTue, 20 Oct 2009 09:25:00 EST<![CDATA[Google Street View: The Movie, A Buddy Comedy]]>http://www.switched.com/2009/10/18/google-street-view-the-movie-a-buddy-comedy/http://www.switched.com/2009/10/18/google-street-view-the-movie-a-buddy-comedy/http://www.switched.com/2009/10/18/google-street-view-the-movie-a-buddy-comedy/#commentsFiled under: ,

Google Street View: The Movie, A Buddy Comedy
Google has photographed nearly every street in America, and it's working on expanding Street View to the rest of the planet. Ever wonder how Google put together this impressive and intrusive feature for Maps? Well College Humor would like to imagine it started with two pasty, humanoid blobs hired by Google to take a road trip across the entire country.

Minus the Gumby like appearance (and bizarrely slow beard growth) of the characters, we hope that if Google had actually tossed two complete strangers in a car together and asked them to take the world's longest road trip and photograph every single street, they would have been smart enough to turn it into a reality show. Fox or ABC would gobble that crap up.

The highlight for us? When Evan cries and pleads to stop as Mike drives past his mother on the street. Mike's one word reply: "Google..." Watch the video below. [From: College Humor]

Continue reading Google Street View: The Movie, A Buddy Comedy

SwitchedGoogle Street View: The Movie, A Buddy Comedy originally appeared on Switched on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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