After all Google is immortal !!!

Recently, Google updated its terms of use and privacy policy. The goal was to allow Google to use your name and public photo in “Shared Endorsements.” In plain English, it wants to use you in ads.

So, if you like or “+1” something on Google+, for example, Google can show your friends that you recommend it if it pops up their searches. I’m sure Google can expand that in the future to the channels you subscribe to on YouTube or music and apps you buy in Google Play. To Google’s credit, you can opt out.

Until recently, I was of the impression that Google is GOD but not after I found out some alternatives which do a far better job of “specific tasks” and here’s the list –

DuckDuckGo – Though it’s similar to Google, it doesn’t collect any information about you when you search. It matches Google Search in features and performance with a similar simple layout. Its “Goodies” features offer geographic search, calculators and more. You could literally spend hours checking out DuckDuckGo’s cool features. Maybe there’s just one feature about Google’s search you really can’t live without, though. In most cases, you can find search sites tailored to that feature.

Wolfram Alpha, for example, runs circles around Google when it comes to research and calculations. Just type in a question and it can usually figure out what you mean. You can even upload images to get more information about them.

Blekko is usually easier to use than Google for quick answers. Instead of returning advertisers and other iffy results first, it sends you links that actually answer your question. The links are even broken down into categories, such as Top results, Shopping and Latest. You can expand a category to see more of just what you want. Blekko is more private than Google in normal mode. However, I recommend you use its “SuperPrivacy” mode for maximum privacy. This blocks ads and takes you to secure, encrypted sites by default. You can turn it on by clicking “Prefs” in the right corner of the site.

If you like how quickly Blekko gives results, you can try IxQuick, too. It encrypts your search for privacy while giving you pre-approved results from other top search sites for a faster answer. You can rate results to help other searchers find what they’re looking for faster, too.

Are you concerned about search results showing up with inappropriate content? It happens quite a bit, and — thanks to Murphy’s Law — usually when a child is present. Yippy detects adult content and blocks it automatically. That makes it great for the family computer.

Google is a popular search provider on tablets and smartphones, but it isn’t the only option. Instead, try Mazoom on smartphones and Izik on tablets. Both give you mobile-friendly results first. This helps you save on your data plan and makes pages load faster.

Of course, search isn’t the only thing Google does. Between YouTube, Gmail, Maps, Google+, Google Play, Google Drive and its many other services, it could run your whole life.

Finding alternatives for these services means some serious work and often inconvenience. Plus, most of the alternatives are run by other major companies that aren’t big on privacy either.

Instead, find alternatives for one or two services. Try using some Google services without logging in to your Google account. While Google, and other companies, will still record your information, no one company will have all of it.

Google is beautifying the web….free of cost !!!

Google is on a mission to make the web a beautiful place and they intend to do it free of cost. Today they announced the launch of Web Designer, a new tool for building interactive HTML5 sites and ads.

The company first hinted Web Designer earlier this year in June, but had been quiet about it ever since. According to Google, Web Designer is a “professional-quality design tool,” and similar to many other Google products is in public beta and available for download for Mac and Windows.

As Google notes in today’s announcement, Web Designer is an initiative that helps advertisers to create HTML5 ads for mobile and desktop with great ease. Until recently, Google argues, advertisers “didn’t have the tools they needed to easily develop content fit for today’s cross-screen experiences” and Web Designer aims to be the tool to
create these experiences.

According to Google, there is nothing in the tool that would prevent you from building interactive single-page sites and animations for other purposes, as well. Some of the features, however, are currently only available for ads, though Google says it plans to expand these tools for other purposes in the future.

At its core, Web Designer is a visual tool, but provides users with the freedom of editing the JavaScript and CSS files as per their needs. Indeed, Web Designer allows users to manipulate their code directly through a built-in editor and lets them quickly preview their creations in every browser installed on their machine.

The tools come with all the usual visual design tools you’re probably familiar with. Some of the more interesting ones Google has developed for Web Designer include a pen tool for free drawing, as well as a timeline for managing your animations. Web Designer also features the ability to create 3D content using the
power of CSS3, as well as a set of pre-built components for galleries, maps and embedded YouTube videos.

For animations, one of the core features of the application, Web Developer features a Quick mode for building animations scene by scene and an advanced mode that  gives designers more control over each of the elements on the page.

It’s worth noting that projects like Adobe Muse, Dreamweaver, Reflow and others include most of Web Designer’s features, too. But by making Web Designer available for free, we wouldn’t be surprised if Google goes on to seize a large chunk of this market, as well.

Image Courtesy – Google

Hummingbird: Google upgrades Search Algorithm

Google, entering into 15th year of its operations this week, announced on Thursday that earlier last month it upgraded its Search Algorithm which affects 90 percent of the worldwide searches via Google.

Amit Singhal, Vice President of Search, mentioned that Google has upgraded to its latest “Hummingbird” Algorithm, the move is aimed at trying to keep pace with the evolution of internet usage. Search Queries have got more complicated by the day and technology needs to evolve from rudimentary “Boolean” or keyword-based systems because of the need to provide more and more accurate and relevant search results.

“Hummingbird” is the company’s effort to match the meaning of queries with that of documents on the Internet, said Singhal. “Remember what it was like to search in 1998? You’d sit down and boot up your bulky computer, dial up on your squawky modem, type in some keywords, and get 10 blue links to websites that had those words,” Singhal wrote in a blog. “The world has changed so much since then: billions of people have come online, the Web has grown exponentially, and now you can ask any question on the powerful little device in your pocket.”

Image Courtesy – Engadget

 

 

Google’s Secret Project

Is Google going the Microsoft way by trying to monopolize the world of internet advertisements by embarking on its new discrete ADId project?

Time will only tell if this new project of Google would change the dynamics of the $120 billion digital advertising industry or if it will prove to be dud like many other Google projects where the cake was not worth the candle.

Google, which accounts for about a third of worldwide online ad revenue, is developing an anonymous identifier for advertising called AdID which might replace third-party cookies as the way advertisers track people’s Internet browsing activity for marketing purposes.

The AdID would be transmitted to advertisers and ad networks that have agreed to basic guidelines, giving consumers more privacy and control over how they browse the Web, the person said, on condition of anonymity.

Google plans to reach out to industry participants, government bodies and consumer groups in coming weeks and months with this new proposal.

The cookie — a small line of text with an identification tag that is integrated into browsers — for years has been the staple way to recognize users when they visit websites. First-party cookies are placed on people’s computers by companies that run the websites, while third-party cookies are from other entities that collect data on browsing activity.

The technology is used by the ad industry to build a picture of people’s interests, so more relevant ads can be shown to them online. However, cookies are controversial because tracking technology has become so sophisticated that it has raised privacy concerns.

Back in 2003, when third party cookies were first introduced, Apple’s Safari browser had blocked them, and the technology giant introduced its own ad identifiers for its iOS mobile platform last year.

If Google marches ahead with its own version of this approach, that could give users more control over how they are tracked online. However, it will also put more power in the hands of two of the largest technology companies, according to some people in the advertising industry.

“There could be concern in the industry about a system that shifts more of the benefits and control to operators like Google or Apple,” said Clark Fredricksen of eMarketer, which tracks the digital ad industry.

“Restricting third-party cookies isn’t going to make relevant advertising go away; it just hands more power to big companies,” said Zach Coelius, CEO of ad technology firm Triggit.

The Interactive Advertising Bureau, which represents the industry, at least wants some type of tracking technology available for advertisers, whether third-party cookies or something else, said Mike Zaneis, the group’s general counsel.

However, leaving such ad identifiers in the hands of a few large companies is not ideal, he added.

“They could deprecate the use of that ID on a whim, basically, and severely undermine billions of dollars in digital ad spending,” Zaneis said.

The IAB is battling with Mozilla, which announced a new policy earlier this year that blocks third-party cookies in its Firefox browser by default.

Google’s proposal is not so drastic, because the company is developing its own AdID as an alternative tracking tool for advertisers.

However, the new tool will give users the ability to limit ad tracking through browser settings, according to the person familiar with the plan.

The AdID may be automatically reset by the browser every year, and users will be able to create a secondary AdID for online browsing sessions they want to keep particularly private.

Advertisers will get access to these AdIDs, as long as they adhere to the terms of the program. However, users may be able to change the list of approved advertisers, through controls in the browser, to exclude specific firms, the person added.

Google Creative Lab ups the ante !!!

A few days ago we wrote about the Raspberry Pi and how such innovation touches the lives of people but a small team of Googlers in New York working at the Google’s Creative Lab has upped the ante. They have created a project called Coder. Coder is a free piece of software that turns Raspberry Pi into a simple web development platform that educators and parents can use to teach the basics of building for the web. Amateurs developers can create projects in HTML, CSS and Javascript, right from their web browser.

Coder is designed for creating, editing, and running simple web apps. Setting Coder up should only take a few minutes and for those who already know to code, though, it’s also a handy platform to play with; it also provides a cheap sandboxed environment for experimenting with new ideas. Working on the Coder is pretty straight forward, to run it on your Mac or PC, you’ll need a Raspberry Pi computer, a compatible power cord, the Google Chrome browser, and a 4GB (or larger) SD Card. There are a ton of resources for learning HTML, CSS and Javascript—Codecademy and Khan Academy, to name two—and you can use Coder to accompany this instruction as you experiment with making your own programs.

Image Courtesy – Coder

Mashable’s Android App Predicts Whats Going Viral

Mashable has launched a new Android App called Mashable Velocity. Mashable Velocity is built on top of a predictive algorithm which has the capability to predict if some content is about to go viral. If the app predicts a particular piece of content is about to go viral then it sends out an instant notification to all the users who have installed the app. The app has an adaptive design and responsively fits to a phone to a mini to an over-sized tablet. The app is available in full public release on Google Play.

Images Courtesy – Mashable

Yahoo pips Google to the top spot

Yahoo has surpassed Google as the most visited website in July, according to comScore’s monthly report on top 50 internet properties released earlier this week.

Yahoo received 196.6 million unique visitors last month, compared to Google’s 192.3 million. It marked the first time in two years Google isn’t the reigning internet king, according to Marketing Land, a news site about internet marketing. Yahoo last held the top spot in May 2011. Looks like Marissa Mayer has started to turn things around for Yahoo, dethroning Google from the top spot is a good start.

Images Courtesy – Topnews.in

Hottest Smartphones !!!

With Apple’s latest iPhone still a glimmer on the grapevine, anyone shopping for a new phone right now has a lot to consider. Here’s a roundup of hottest handsets, in no particular order, keeping in mind that pricing and availability may change:

ANDROID

How to choose? Android fans have a shelf full of offerings to consider from every major Android maker. Google-owned Motorola just unveiled the Moto X, the first flagship phone under the Google umbrella. This week also brought the unveiling of LG’s G2, which will be coming to U.S. carriers sometime later this summer or early fall. And for Android purists, the Google Play store now offers stock Android versions of the Samsung Galaxy line’s popular S 4 and the HTC One.

HTC ONE

HTC’s thin and stylish HTC One reached consumers this spring on every major wireless carrier in the US except for Verizon, where the release date has been pushed back several times. With sleek unibody construction and premium feel, the HTC One offers an excellent screen display, some slick photo features and a unique BlinkFeed interface that pushes your content front and center. Rather than typical icons, you can get a stream of your photos, news and more.

This is a knockout phone. It has great-sounding speakers. And among other things, it can capture a few seconds of video and still images through a feature called “Zoe.” But it’s not without flaws. The Zoe software isn’t very intuitive, and the phone’s on-screen home button is in an odd place.

Pricing: $199.99 for a 32GB version ($299 for 64GB) at AT&T and Sprint with two-year service contracts. At T-Mobile: $99.99 down payment and $20 monthly payments over 24 months.  In Indi, it is available around Rs.40,000 with all leading retailers. Most of the retailers provide attractive smartphone exchange schemes along with Interest free EMIs

Key specs: HTC UltraPixel Camera, 1080p HD video capture and playback, Beats Audio, quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.

Editor Note – I own this and I am loving it.

MOTO X.

The first phone produced from scratch by Motorola Mobility since being acquired last year by Google is loaded with cutting-edge features. It promises to push hands-free operation to new levels, and its innovative Moto Maker platform means you can custom-design the look of it (for AT&T customers only to start). It will be available in the U.S. on all major carriers beginning later this month or early September.

Moto X seems to want a place in your car. Its Touchless Control feature lets you speak a command to the phone to make a call, find out what the weather is and a lot more. The phone can tell if you are in a moving vehicle and automatically turn on a Driving mode that will read text messages aloud to you, or tell you who’s calling. You can automatically respond with a text reply that lets callers know you’re behind the wheel. The cool part is that you don’t have to press physical buttons for any of this. You just speak “OK, Google Now” to tell the phone what you want it to deliver. But Touchless Controls have limits — in some instances you have to enter passcodes before you can proceed.

Another distinctive feature, Active Display, wakes up the phone when it is sleeping, sort of. If the phone is in your pocket or otherwise resting, it lets you pull it out to check the time. You’ll also see an icon for some notifications — say, if you have gotten an e-mail or a text message. There’s been some quibbling among techies about specs. The Moto X doesn’t have the world’s fanciest phone camera, but at 10 megapixels it is decent. And the screen is on the middling end of the spectrum.

Pricing: $199.99 or $249.99 with contract on major carriers. In India, it is yet to make to the shelfs. Moto Droid X is price around Rs.30,000 with some retailers.

Key specs: 2 GB of RAM. X8 Mobile Computing System, a series of chips that includes a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro. Android (Jelly Bean). 4.7-inch AMOLED high-definition display with a resolution of 720 x 1080.

Also worth noting: Motorola and Verizon Wireless also recently refreshed the Droid lineup with three new models headlined by the Droid Maxx. With varying specs, they share some Moto X features like Touchless Control.

LG G2.

The new flagship phone from LG offers a unique design with volume and power controls on the back. And how about this: Just pick up the phone to answer a call.

Yes, like the Moto X the G2 wants to let you take a step back from the habit of pressing a bunch of buttons for phone operation. On the G2, if you get a call you can answer just by picking up the phone rather than fumbling to hit a button. Among other features, you can knock on the screen twice to wake up the phone or shut it off. And LG has placed the power and volume control buttons on the back of the phone, which it believes is a more natural location.

LG is also touting the handset’s high-quality audio, and a Guest Mode sharing feature. The company hasn’t announced details on pricing or release date, but it says the G2 will be available all major U.S. carriers. In India, it is expected to be priced in the Rs.45,000 to Rs.50,000 price range.

Key specs: 5.2-inch full-high-definition IPS display. Android (Jelly Bean). Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor. 32 GB of internal storage. LG is promising an all-day battery.

SONY XPERIA Z.

This handsome phone has a lovely 5-inch display, 13-megapixel camera and a battery that gets a boost from so-called Stamina Mode, which shuts down wireless radios and background activities when you’re not using them. But the phone, a smaller version of Sony’s similarly named Android tablet, can also withstand a dunking, as it’s water-resistant down to 1 meter of water for up to a half-hour, provided all connectors and ports are sealed. It’s not the only phone that promotes resistance to spills and splashes. A Galaxy S 4 variant (see below), called the Galaxy S 4 Active promises a similar defense against water.

Key specs: 5-inch high resolution (1920 x 1080) screen, quad-core Qualcomm processor, water resistant, long-life battery.

It is available exclusively from T-Mobile, for $579.99 or for $25 a month for 24 months with nothing down.

India – Xperia Z Ultra – Around Rs.45,000. Xperia Z – Around Rs.37,000

GALAXY S 4.

Samsung’s solid flagship phone is teeming with clever bells and whistles, along with parlor-trick gimmicks you will likely never take advantage of. On the plus side, a dual camera feature lets you take pictures with front and rear cameras simultaneously to, say, display an image of a beaming parent alongside a picture captured of a child scoring a goal in soccer. Answer calls or skip songs with a wave of your hand. Hover over the screen with your finger to magnify text or make other things happen. The battery is removable.

Key specs: 5-inch-high resolution (1920 x 1080 screen), quad-core Qualcomm processor, long-battery life, water-resistant (Galaxy S 4 Active model only).

Phone is available from all the major U.S. wireless carriers and several minor ones. Pricing varies, but $199.99 is the typical starting price with a two-year contract.

India – Around Rs.41,000. Samsung provides an exchange offer on old smartphones upto Rs.7,000 + Interest Free EMIs.

 

WINDOWS PHONE

NOKIA LUMIA 1020.

The Lumia 1020 sets the standard for smartphone cameras with a whopping 41-megapixel sensor with image stabilization. The state-of-the-art camera features high-end Zeiss optics, xenon flash, manual shutter, and other photographic controls. Nokia captures two images automatically each time you shoot. One of those is a full-resolution picture that turns out to be either 34 or 38 megapixels, depending on formats. You also get a very good-quality 5-megapixel image that can be more easily shared via e-mail or message or posted onto a social network. But some of the photo apps are a bit confusing.

No small feat: You can make out the display in direct sunlight.

Key specs: It’s mostly about the camera. But it also has a dual-core Qualcomm processor and 4.5-inch (1280 x 768) display.

It is available exclusively on AT&T at $299.99 with a two-year contract.

India – It is expected to be priced around Rs.39,000

BLACKBERRY

Q10. A phone for BlackBerry loyalists looking for the kind of physical Qwerty keyboard they were so enamored with on prior generation handsets, when Research In Motion was a smartphone leader. It’s also a touch-screen device preloaded with BlackBerry 10, the new, more modern mobile operating system. BlackBerry Balance can separate enterprise stuff from personal. Removable battery. But the screen is much smaller than on most rival smartphones, and BlackBerry lags behind competitors on apps.

Key specs: 3.1-inch display with 720 x 720 resolution.

It is available from AT&T and Verizon at $199.99 with a two-year contract. You can get it from T-Mobile with nothing down, if you pay $25 a month for 24 months. You may see other promotional deals that lower the price.

Editor’s Note – Considering that Blackberry might be on the market for sale anytime soon…not sure how many would like to put their money on BB.

 

APPLE

iPhone

Whatever the next act for the iPhone turns out to be, we already know the handset or handsets will have a fresh new mobile operating system called iOS 7. The latest software sports an edge-to-edge design, handy new Control Center, and improved notifications, among other changes. But there are lots of questions on where Apple will take the hardware. Might there be a smaller and cheaper iPhone? Or at the other extreme, a version with a larger display to bring the iPhone screen closer in size to many popular Android models? Maybe both. And how about an iPhone with a fingerprint scanner? We likely won’t know for sure until the fall, but it’s a fair bet you’ll continue to hear lots of rumors, and when Apple does get around to introducing its latest products, expect a few surprises.

Images Courtesy Amazon, PCMag and HTC.

Google Chromecast is a huge hit!!!

It appears Google’s TV device Chromecast is a big hit among consumers. The dongle that allows users to stream Web video straight to their television has already sold out on Amazon and Best Buy. It’s still available through the Google Play store, but consumers must wait 2-3 weeks to receive the device. On Thursday, Google said they had to halt a promotion that offered 3 free months of streaming service Netflix with the Chromecast due to “overwhelming demand,” reports The Los Angeles Times.

Unveiled Wednesday, the Chromecast plugs into an user’s TV through HDMI input, and streams video content wirelessly. Users search for content through a tablet, smartphone or computer, then hit a Chromecast button to send it to your big screen. The $35 device is compatible with apps such as Pandora, YouTube and Netflix.

Though this particular feature is still in a beta testing phase, Google will also let you stream the Web via the Chrome browser on certain Macs, Windows PCs and Chromebooks. Google made a big point out of the fact that Chromecast not only works on Android and Chrome based machines as you would expect, but on the rival iOS-based iPhone and iPad too.

Image courtesy – CNN