Google Tablet On Verizon To Take On iPad
Chief Executive Officer of Verizon Wireless, Lowell McAdam has indicated that his company is working with Google in the launch of a new tablet PC that could take on the iPad.
In a conversation with the Wall Street Journal, McAdam has said that his company will look at all things Google has “in its archives” to bring the new tablet. McAdam said,
“What do we think the next big wave of opportunities are? We’re working on tablets together, for example. We’re looking at all the things Google has in its archives that we could put on a tablet to make it a great experience.”
From what we know of the device, it shall be Android based (not Chrome OS). More information is likely to be revealed later this week.
[via TechCrunch]
How To Remove Sidebar In Google Search
Earlier this week, Google rolled out its new search engine interface that has quite a few additions. Among the most annoying additions is the always-on left hand sidebar that offers links to Image search, News search, etc.
Hate that sidebar? Want to go back to the older interface where the sidebar was an option? Follow these steps below
Step 1 : This trick will only work on Google Chrome. Click here to download and install Google Chrome web browser.
Step 2 : On the right hand top corner of the browser, click on the ‘Spanner‘ icon. This is the tools option. Here select ‘Options‘
Step 3 : Under the ‘Basics‘ tab, you will find an option called ‘Default Search‘. Click on ‘Manage‘ against this text
Step 4 : You will find a list of search engines listed. Click on ‘Add‘ option on the right
Step 5 : In the ‘Add Search Engine‘ field, enter the following details
Name : Google Old (can be modified to text of your choice)
Keyword : google.com/ (preferred to keep it this way)
URL : {google:baseURL}search?hl=all&sourceid=chrome&ie={inputEncoding}&q=%s (do not change anything here)
Press Ok once done
Step 6 : You will now find the ‘Google Old‘ search engine listed in the list of ‘Other Search Engines‘. Click once on the text and select the ‘Make Default’ option
Step 7 : You are done. Please however note that this option will not work if you visit Google.com directly. Instead, you may directly type the search query on the Chrome address bar and the results shall be displayed on the older search interface.
Google Editions : A Browser Based eReader
Google has officially announced its plans to launch a web browser based eReader that will take on the present crop of ebook reading devices like Kindle, Nook and iPad without an actual physical device. Unlike these devices, Google’s virtual bookstore is based completely on the web browser which means users may be able to access the store from any device that can connect to the internet – Laptop, cellphone or anything else.
The launch is expected to happen in late June or early July and Google Editions is expected to give its Google Books product a fresh lease of life. An open access to your bookshelf from anywhere and anytime – that’s the way companies need to solve problems. Not by locking devices.
[via PC World]
Facebook Fan Pages Advertising On Google Adsense
I am not sure if this has existed for quite a while. However this is probably the first time I see a Facebook fan page advertising on Google Adsense. A complete block of Facebook fan page for Kissmetrics showing up where my Adsense blocks should have been
Display and video ads are not exactly new. However, this ad had a distinctive Facebook feel to it. Look at the ad as it loads – so unlike regular Adsense ads.
Have you seen such ads before? Let us know in the comments.
Asus UL30A On O2 Tech Specs And Price Announced
O2 has announced the launch of a new Asus UL30A netbook PC for business travellers. The netbook is 3G based allowing you to do away with the dongle. The device shall launch in May and will come with a 2 year contract that will set you back by £30 a month.
Here are the notable features and tech specs on Asus UL30A
13.3″ HD screen
Windows 7 Premium OS
Intel ULV Core 2 Duo processor
3GB Internal memory
320GB hard drive storage
[via ElectricPig]
Most Searched Keywords On Google
Hitwise has released its latest report for March 2010 where it has published its list of the most searched terms on Google. Unsurprisingly, it is ‘Facebook’ that is the most searched term on Google. Unsurprising because of two reasons – One, because Facebook is the most popular social network with a lot of people likely to visit the site by keying in the term on Google and Two, because recent studies from Hitwise have always called upon the impending dominance of Facebook – remember the ‘Facebook is bigger than Google‘ story?
Here is the list of the most searched terms on Google and the percentage of keyword share that they constituted
1. Facebook : 1.17%
2. Youtube : 0.66%
3. Facebook Login : 0.58%
4. Craigslist : 0.54%
5. MySpace : 0.51%
6. Yahoo Mail : 0.50%
7. Yahoo : 0.30%
8. eBay : 0.23%
9. Yahoo.com : 0.19%
10. Gmail : 0.18%
ASUS Eee PC 1218 Features Revealed
Images of a new fourth generation Eee PC from Asustek, the Asus Eee PC 1218 netbook has been doing the rounds which point to an interesting all-aluminium finish. Besides, the new netbook shall come with rear-end ports, a retractable webcam, chiclet keyboard,etc.
The complete list of technical specifications, price and launch date are yet to be announced. However, we will leave you with pictures of the upcoming netbook lest you unconvinced.
[via Slashgear]
Google TV Launch In May
The much famed Google TV could be coming soon. According to a report published on Bloomberg, Sony is expected to make an announcement regarding the anticipated Google TV at a conference sponsored by Google on the 19th or 20th of next month.
The new range of televisions will sport Intel Atom chips customized to run with a new version of Android OS called DragonPoint. The result would be televisions and Blu-Ray DVD players with internet access. Logitech is also expected to play a part in this partnership by developing a keyboard that could work as a remote control.
[via Bloomberg]
Adobe Flash Support For Android OS 2.2
Full support to Adobe Flash could be coming with the next version of Android Operating System, codenamed Froyo. An indication towards this has been offered by Andy Rubin, Vice President for Engineering at Google.
In a recent interview to The New York Times, Rubin said that the move was necessary to keep the platform as open as possible. Taking a jab at Apple’s closed garden policies, Rubin said that being Open “means not being militant about the things consumer are actually enjoying”.
Unfortunately for us, there is no word on when Froyo shall be made available. If rumors doing the rounds are to be believed Google has been contemplating a delay in launch of future Android OS versions owing to the slowdown in sales effected due to the rate at which new platforms are being released.
Automatic App Upgrading Coming On Android 2.2 Froyo
It is pretty unlikely that “trusted testers” of any product could actually be loitering around 4chan. But Phandroid writes of one “Android trusted tester” on 4chan who haas revealed screenshots of the soon to be launched Android 2.2 Froyo that could possibly include automatic app upgrades.
Faking such a stunt is not exactly hard. Photoshoppers do it all the time by creating elaborate photoshopped screens and opening the images on the handset of choice to make it look like it actually is real. Nevertheless, as Phandroid notes, an automatic app upgrade feature is very likely to be implemented as it has been awaited since version 1.5
