Download Squad http://www.downloadsquad.com Download Squad http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/%SiteURL%/media/feedlogo.gif Download Squad http://www.downloadsquad.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[Google's SafeSearch mode gets safer with new lock feature]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/12/googles-safesearch-mode-gets-safer-with-new-lock-feature/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/12/googles-safesearch-mode-gets-safer-with-new-lock-feature/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/12/googles-safesearch-mode-gets-safer-with-new-lock-feature/#commentsFiled under: ,

If you've ever used Google to search for, ahem, "adult" content, you're aware of the site's SafeSearch feature. It filters out questionable content, to the delight of parents and the dismay of porn-seekers. Now there's a new "lock" function for SafeSearch, which keeps your account's settings locked in strict filtering mode until you enter a password and change them. The obvious use here is for parents looking to keep risque material out of view of their kids, but I can also see it being handy to prevent embarrassing search results from accidentally popping up at work.

When SafeSearch is locked, you'll see four extremely conspicuous, very large colored balls in the top right corner of your search results. Google says this is so parents and teachers can tell from across the room whether the lock is still in place, and come over to reset it if it's not. It even works across Google's various languages, so clever kids can't get around it that way. Could they thwart SafeSearch in an even more obvious way, though, by simply logging out of Google? I guess that's where keeping a close eye on the giant colored balls comes in.

If you're confused about how to go about turning the lock on, the very clear video instructions in Google's official blog post will shed some light.

[via AppScout]

Google's SafeSearch mode gets safer with new lock feature originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>filtergooglekidslockParentalControlssafesearchsearchThu, 12 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Bing rolls out new features, partnership with Wolfram Alpha]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/11/bing-rolls-out-new-features-partnership-with-wolfram-alpha/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/11/bing-rolls-out-new-features-partnership-with-wolfram-alpha/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/11/bing-rolls-out-new-features-partnership-with-wolfram-alpha/#commentsFiled under: ,

Bing BMI calculator (Wolfram Alpha)
Microsoft's Bing search engine is still pretty new. It just launched this summer. But the company is giving the site a minor facelift which includes improved local search results and a deal with Wolfram Alpha that allows Bing to answer some complex questions about math and health-related information.

It looks like the new features are coming in a phased rollout, because I can't seem to access them yet. But the Bing blog has a number of examples, showing the kind of results the search engine can nor provide thanks to Wolfram Alpha's computations. For example, if you search for "BMI Calculator," you'll get boxes to enter your height and weight and Bing will spit out your body mass index. If you ask it for nutritional information for steak or chicken, Bing will return a chart that looks a lot like the nutritional information that you find on food packaging in the US.

Microsoft is also merging MSN Vido and Bing, and adding features to Bing Maps such as the ability to change a route by dragging and dropping the lines on a map (which you can already can with Google Maps and Mapquest).

Bing rolls out new features, partnership with Wolfram Alpha originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bingbing mapsbing videoBingMapsBingVideomsn videoMsnVideowolfram alphaWolframAlphaWed, 11 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Google's next-gen search, aka Caffeine, may arrive soon]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/10/googles-next-gen-search-aka-caffeine-may-arrive-soon/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/10/googles-next-gen-search-aka-caffeine-may-arrive-soon/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/10/googles-next-gen-search-aka-caffeine-may-arrive-soon/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Over the summer, we told you how Google had enlisted users to test the next generation of its search technology. The new version of search, called Caffeine, might be ready to roll out very soon, according to some evidence dug up by Mashable. The sandbox link - for testing Caffeine - that we gave you back in August no longer works, because "the sandbox has been retired."

It's been replaced with the following announcement:
"Based on the success we've seen, we believe Caffeine is ready for a larger audience. Soon we will activate Caffeine more widely, beginning with one data center. This sandbox is no longer necessary and has been retired, but we appreciate the testing and positive input that webmasters and publishers have given. "

All signs indicate that Caffeine will apparently be arriving soon. The thing is, you might not notice at first when it does. Caffeine's improvements to Google Search are all under-the-hood, focusing on faster, more accurate results. There probably won't be an overhaul of the iconic design of Google's search pages to go along with it.

Google's next-gen search, aka Caffeine, may arrive soon originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>caffeinegooglenext-gensearchTue, 10 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Rejoice, surfers! Bing it up with free WiFi access across the US]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/10/rejoice-surfers-bing-it-up-with-free-wifi-access-across-the-us/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/10/rejoice-surfers-bing-it-up-with-free-wifi-access-across-the-us/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/10/rejoice-surfers-bing-it-up-with-free-wifi-access-across-the-us/#commentsFiled under: , ,

In exchange for just one search on Bing, Microsoft's new search engine, Microsoft will grant you free WiFi access on hotspots nationwide (but mostly in airports and hotels).

Apparently the offer began in September but perhaps they've been steadily unrolling it across the country as they only just announced it officially yesterday.

It's an interesting approach to marketing, and no doubt not the cheapest one either. But they're reporting good 'engagement rates' well above the usual .1 or .2% and will continue the scheme for the foreseeable future -- so enjoy your free wireless access! (As a juicy, related titbit, and in no way coincidental, Yahoo will be providing free wireless access at Times Square in New York City, for an entire year.)

Whether it's worth Microsoft's money or not may never be known. But one thing's for certain: Microsoft are famous for their brazen and fearless love of loss-leading -- they have the cash to do it, so why not?

And I tell you what... I would switch to Bing if Microsoft paid for my Internet connection. Wouldn't you? Now there's an interesting thought.

[via MediaPost]

Rejoice, surfers! Bing it up with free WiFi access across the US originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bingmarketingmicrosoftsearchwifiTue, 10 Nov 2009 09:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Rupert Murdoch to remove News Corp sites from Google, institute paywall]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/09/rupert-murdoch-to-remove-news-corp-sites-from-google-institute/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/09/rupert-murdoch-to-remove-news-corp-sites-from-google-institute/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/09/rupert-murdoch-to-remove-news-corp-sites-from-google-institute/#commentsFiled under: , ,

There's been talk in journalistic circles for months about News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch's plan to start putting the company's web sites behind a paywall. In other words, you might not be able to access news content from FOX, Sky Network, and dozens of newspapers including The Wall Street Journal, Barron's, Marketwatch, and The Sun, without paying.

The move already strikes some as a bad idea since it could essentially drive potential readers to get their news elsewhere. After all, on the web, information is always just a click away. But theoretically if News Corp can offer readers exclusive content that they won't find anywhere else, loyal readers might be willing to pay up.

OK, so that could work... but Murdoch's latest idea sounds like business suicide: He wants to remove News Corp content from Google's index. In an interview with Sky News Australia, Murdoch said that search engines are essentially stealing News Corp content without paying for it -- and that he plans to remove the corporation's web sites from Google's index.

While Murdoch claims that he doesn't see much value in searchers who often come to web sites without becoming repeat visitors, he's pretty much just plain wrong. Search engines pretty much make the web go round. If Google wasn't the dominant force in search, another company would probably rise to the challenge.

Back when there were only a few hundred web sites worth visiting, it might have been easy to find what you were looking for through old fashioned bookmarks and links. But today users rely heavily on search engines to find information, and web sites rely even more heavily on search engines for traffic and for revenue. Because who's more likely to clickon an ad? Someone who bookmarks your page and comes to it every day and has a pretty good sense of where the ads are on the page and how to ignore them, or someone who was searching for information about cheap automobiles and then came to your auto web site that also happens to have ads for good deals on new and used cars?

Still, Murdoch says he'd rather have fewer people visit his sites, but pay for it. It's possible that Murdoch is bluffing. If not, it should be very interesting to see what happens to News Corp's revenue when the paywall goes up and the sites are removed from Google. If the company winds up making more money than it does today, I'd offer to eat my own hat... you know, if I wore a hat.

You can check out the Sky News interview with Murdoch after the break.

[via The Inquisitr]

Continue reading Rupert Murdoch to remove News Corp sites from Google, institute paywall

Rupert Murdoch to remove News Corp sites from Google, institute paywall originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>news corpNewsCorprupert murdochRupertMurdochsearchMon, 09 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[MSN.com gets its first major redesign in a decade]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/04/msn-com-gets-its-first-major-redesign-in-a-decade/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/04/msn-com-gets-its-first-major-redesign-in-a-decade/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/04/msn-com-gets-its-first-major-redesign-in-a-decade/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


MSN.com, Microsoft's search, news and services portal page, hasn't weathered the years well. Tweaking the same basic design for a decade left it far behind the times in terms of design and usability. With today's clean, whitespace-friendly, reimagining of MSN.com, Microsoft ditches the spectre of MSN search and delivers a site that's a little more worthy of showcasing the company's new search hotness, Bing.

A prettier, less cluttered layout and a prominent Bing search bar aren't the only upgrades to the homepage. In a touch that says Microsoft actually knows what year it is after all, you can add your Facebook newsfeed and your Twitter stream to an area on the right side of the page. The news is still there, but it's more customizable, and the layout presents fewer stories at a time than the cluttered old MSN.com did. There's also a local focus, with local weather and a Bing-powered local news widget at the bottom left.

I have to say that, compared to the MSN of old, this new design looks attractive and functional. Speaking of comparisons, though, have a look at our gallery of MSN.com designs since 2001. Looking at how slowly the site changed over the years only underlines how much it just changed overnight.

Gallery: MSN.com through the years

20012002200320042005

MSN.com gets its first major redesign in a decade originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>binghomepagemicrosoftmsnmsn.comredesignWed, 04 Nov 2009 06:00:00 EST<![CDATA[That annoying site-preview thing on Wordpress blogs -- now also on Google searches!]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/03/that-annoying-site-preview-thing-on-wordpress-blogs-now-also/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/03/that-annoying-site-preview-thing-on-wordpress-blogs-now-also/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/03/that-annoying-site-preview-thing-on-wordpress-blogs-now-also/#commentsFiled under: , ,

... but, in true Google fashion, it's less annoying and invasive! Hooray!

Google keeps rolling out the big guns to their search service -- which is good, as people might've been beginning to think that Google has their attention on other things. But no, Google has their attention on everything. Fingers in every pie.

Today, if you're in a subset of Google's users, you can now choose even more ways to display your search results. You've probably noticed that 'More Options' button in the top left corner -- well now, at the bottom of that list, there are now the following options:
  • More text -- you can get a good 50-100 words from each page now, without having to click through!
  • Images from the page -- this option shows you a couple of images from each search result. I'm sure there's a good use for this, I just haven't worked it out yet.
  • Page previews -- the big one! Now you get a little thumbnail showing you what the target page looks like.
And that's about it. Some of you will have none of the above options -- and if you're like me, I have all of the options on my laptop, but only two of them on my desktop. I have no idea why -- I guess they are all being gradually unfurled.

That annoying site-preview thing on Wordpress blogs -- now also on Google searches! originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>googlesearchTue, 03 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Track Black Friday prices with Invisible Hand add on for Firefox]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/03/track-black-friday-prices-with-invisible-hand-add-on-for-firefox/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/03/track-black-friday-prices-with-invisible-hand-add-on-for-firefox/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/03/track-black-friday-prices-with-invisible-hand-add-on-for-firefox/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

We've covered Invisible Hand, the discreet shopping comparison add on for Firefox, which displays prices on items you are searching on the web. Just in time for Black Friday, the hand has trotted out a new add on which along with other improvements, incorporates Google search results.

Now, you can get your price results in real time so you know you're getting the best deal. My test drive of the hand went smooth, the results loaded up within a second or two and updates were very discreet. This is a real time saver for getting price results.

The add on will be officially released to the Mozilla site within a few weeks, but the first 200 Download Squad readers can download the beta version. Just click on the link below and key in invisibleDLS for the access code.

http://preview.getinvisiblehand.com/




Track Black Friday prices with Invisible Hand add on for Firefox originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Black Friday dealsBlack Friday SalesBlackFridayDealsBlackFridaySalesfirefox-add-onHGGInvisible hand add on for firefoxInvisibleHandAddOnForFirefoxonline price comparisonOnlinePriceComparisonshopping comparison toolsShoppingComparisonToolsTue, 03 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Don't stop believing. ANOTHER Google search enhancement -- music this time!]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/28/dont-stop-believing-another-google-search-enhancement-music/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/28/dont-stop-believing-another-google-search-enhancement-music/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/28/dont-stop-believing-another-google-search-enhancement-music/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Courtesy of Google
Did you know that 'lyrics' is the most searched term on Google in the last five years? Lyrics! Of all things! Not porn, not news, not even games -- but lyrics. And Google, de facto masters of search, know that there's more to search than merely quality or quantity or veracity -- it's about getting the results, when you want them -- i.e. right now. They call it 'time to result': How long does it take to find what you're looking for? If you search for 'Journey', there's a fairly good chance that you're looking for a Journey video or lyrics, and not a journey-planning site -- and that's what their latest search feature brings you.


You don't even need to know the song title -- if Google can match your lyric fragment against a song, it'll pop up at the top of your search results. Neat.

Courtesy of Google
Google might've been developing this one for some time, but instead of implementing their own library of music and needlessly repeating a vast wealth of data already out there on the Internet, Google have partnered with Pandora, imeem and Rhapsody to give you direct links to the songs and artists you're searching for. Rejoice! No longer are we limited to shoddy-quality live videos on YouTube! But how long will it be before Google sets its sights on the music equivalent of YouTube? Lee called this one a yawner -- but I think this might be the best of Google's newly-released features.

Don't stop believing. ANOTHER Google search enhancement -- music this time! originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>googlegoogle musicGoogleMusicmusicstreamingWed, 28 Oct 2009 23:53:00 EST<![CDATA[Similar Images feature emerges from Google Labs]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/27/similar-images-feature-emerges-from-google-labs/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/27/similar-images-feature-emerges-from-google-labs/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/27/similar-images-feature-emerges-from-google-labs/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Google Labs has been putting together some great new search technology lately. They just introduced Social Search, and now the Similar Images feature has graduated from Labs and become a permanent part of Google Image Search. When you search for an image, you'll see "find similar images" links below most of the results: clicking it gives you a pretty accurate collection of images of the same subject.

I tested out similar images on some easy stuff (umbrellas) and some tougher stuff (celebrities), and found that it worked really well. Similar Images is good at matching backgrounds, and even manages to find similarly-posed photos if you're searching for an animal or a person. It obviously doesn't do as well when the subject is obscure or abstract, or there aren't a lot of photos of it in the database. In cases like that, it'll be more likely to match your image's color scheme than to find a picture of the same person or thing.

Similar Images isn't made to find identical images hosted on different sites. If you're trying to determine where an image came from, try putting it into TinEye instead.

Similar Images feature emerges from Google Labs originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>google labsGoogleLabsimage searchimagesImageSearchsimilar imagesSimilarImagesTue, 27 Oct 2009 23:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Google's Social Search is now live]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/27/googles-social-search-is-now-live/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/27/googles-social-search-is-now-live/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/27/googles-social-search-is-now-live/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Last week, at the Web2.0 Expo, Google demoed a new Social Search feature that delivers targeted search results based on your social circle. Now, this feature is available in Google Labs, so anyone with a Google account can try it out. When social search gives you "results from your social circle," who does it mean? Google looks at your Gmail chat buddies and contacts, as well as your Twitter and FriendFeed buddies and your Google Reader subscriptions to find relevant results. So far, it doesn't seem like Social Search is for everyone, but you should definitely give it a look if you're a social networking junkie.

Social Search results show you which of your connections a particular result came from, and how you're connected to that person. For example, I searched for Download Squad, and found a blog post from fellow Squadder Nik Fletcher, who I follow on Twitter. Results aren't limited to direct connections, though, Social Search also finds more obscure stuff, like your friends-of-friends on Flickr. It's clearly still a work in progress, but right now it's great for finding blog posts by people you know, and keeping up with your friends across the various networks they're signed up for.





Google's Social Search is now live originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>googlegoogle labsGoogleLabssocial searchSocialSearchTue, 27 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Blinkx launches a mediocre music search engine]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/27/blinkx-launches-a-mediocre-music-search-engine/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/27/blinkx-launches-a-mediocre-music-search-engine/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/27/blinkx-launches-a-mediocre-music-search-engine/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Blinkx Music
Online video site Blinkx is branching out into music with the launch of Blinkx Music Beta, a search engine for online music videos. The front page is simple enough. You're greeted with a search box, a list of top artists, and the ability to click a letter to see results starting with A through Z. You can search for artists, albums, or songs.

Unfortunately, the search index is pretty sparse. There are a number of songs, artists, and albums that return no results. And the search engine's not that intelligent. While a search for Coldplay returns a fair number of results, searching for Cold Play or Caldplay results in a "no results matching your query" message. So you'd better not include a typo or not know the proper phrasing of your favorite band name. Heck, on a whim, I tried searching for Hootie and the Blowfish and got zero results, which normally wouldn't upset me in the least. But Hootie & The Blowfish actually did return results.

Blinkx doesn't host the videos on its own site. Instead, when you click on a song you'll be taken to the page where the video rests, whether it be on YouTube, Last.fm, or another site. A Blinkx toolbar hangs out at the top of the screen to take you back to where you started or let you begin another search.

A fairly large number of videos I did find were cellphone recordings shot at concerts rather than professional music videos.

That's the bad news. Here's the good news: the Blinkbox online video service keeps getting better. I got an email today letting me know that Blinkbox had added a number of BBC TV shows which are now available to watch for free including episodes from the first two seasons of the original (William Hartnell) Doctor Who as well as episodes of The Young Ones, Hustle, and The League of Gentlemen. Update: It's just been pointed out to me that Blinkbox (which I mistakenly referred to as Blinkxbox at first) is not actually related to Blinkx. I'm still excited about the BBC content though.

[via VentureBeat]

Blinkx launches a mediocre music search engine originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blinkxblinkx-music-betablinkxboxmusic-videosonline-videoTue, 27 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Twitter takes deleted tweets out of search results]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/26/twitter-takes-deleted-tweets-out-of-search-results/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/26/twitter-takes-deleted-tweets-out-of-search-results/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/26/twitter-takes-deleted-tweets-out-of-search-results/#commentsFiled under: ,

Even before Twitter purchased Summize and turned it into Twitter Search, users started to realize that a deleted tweet was never truly deleted. If you knew what it said, you could easily find it by searching for some of the words, and even if you didn't, you could see someone's deleted tweets in the results for "from:username." M.G. Siegler over at TechCrunch noticed that after Twitter made high-profile search deals with Google and Microsoft, they also decided to clean up the problem and stop indexing deleted tweets.

This is a big win for personal privacy, because although Twitter Search is relatively low-volume and you'd have to know where to look to find a deleted tweet, the sheer number of Google searches that happen every day would inevitably result in people seeing tweets they weren't meant to. I think it's great that Twitter has closed this privacy loophole, but it's also important to think before you post anything, because with retweets, third-party aggregators and the like, your tweets aren't always going to be isolated to your Twitter page. Treating them as public, Google-indexable info is probably the best policy.

Twitter takes deleted tweets out of search results originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>deletedindexingsearchtweetstwitterMon, 26 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[It's not just Bing - Google makes Twitter search deal, too]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/21/bing-google-twitter-search-deals/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/21/bing-google-twitter-search-deals/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/21/bing-google-twitter-search-deals/#commentsFiled under: ,

When Microsoft partnered with Twitter to allow its Bing search engine to index tweets in real time, it looked like they had finally gotten the jump on Google at something. Just hours later, Google VP Marissa Mayer announced that the big G had made a Twitter deal, too. Although Bing's Twitter product is out today, Google's won't be too far behind.

It looks like Google intends to use tweets to augment search results for up-to-the-minute data. In the official Google blog post on the subject, Mayer gives the example of weather conditions at a ski resort. Getting access to tweets is good for Google, but Bing still has the advantage of being the first to snag the Facebook deal. How long until Google gets one of those, as well?

It's not just Bing - Google makes Twitter search deal, too originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>binggooglereal-timerealtimesearchtwitterWed, 21 Oct 2009 22:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Bing makes search deals with Facebook and Twitter]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/21/bing-makes-search-deals-with-facebook-and-twitter/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/21/bing-makes-search-deals-with-facebook-and-twitter/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/21/bing-makes-search-deals-with-facebook-and-twitter/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

With so much hype about real-time as the future of search, it makes sense that the major players in search would make moves to partner up with real-time networks like Facebook and Twitter. What's surprising is that the first big move is coming from Microsoft Bing, and not from Google. At today's Web 2.0 summit, Bing announced deals with Twitter and Facebook, which will allow Bing to start searching those sites' status updates. The Twitter search was demonstrated at the conference, and you should be able to play with it later today at bing.com/twitter. The Facebook product isn't due out until later, but it will give Bing access to all Facebook's public status updates.

Bing showed off some impressive features of its Twitter search product at the conference, including filtering of duplicate tweets and adult content. It also expands bit.ly URLs, so you know where those shortlinks lead. Unlike Twitter's own search, Bing's product attempts to deliver not just the most recent tweets, but the most relevant.

Apparently, both Twitter and Facebook have been talking to Google as well, but Bing is first to make a deal. The two deals are separate and non-exclusive, meaning that Twitter and Facebook aren't getting into bed together (yet) and that there's still room for Google to make a play like the one Microsoft just pulled off.

[via CNET]

Bing makes search deals with Facebook and Twitter originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bingfacebookreal-timerealtimesearchtwitterWed, 21 Oct 2009 15:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Google Voice messages start showing up in search results, Google responds]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/19/google-voice-messages-start-showing-up-in-search-results-google/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/19/google-voice-messages-start-showing-up-in-search-results-google/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/19/google-voice-messages-start-showing-up-in-search-results-google/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Google Voice search results
Google Voice is an internet service that lets people make, receive private phone calls. Google.com is a search engine that makes it easy for users to find just about anything stored on the internet. See how these two things might possibly not play well together?

Earlier today Boy Genius Report noticed that if you did a search for site:https://www.google.com/voice/fm/* on Google, you found a few dozen Google Voice messages. As of this afternoon you can still find those search results. Click on them and you can listen to voicemail messages or read the automated transcripts.

It turns out things weren't quite as bad as they may have looked at first. Google wasn't including all Google Voice messages in its public search index. But the company was crawling messages that users had posted publicly on the web.

But after this information became public today Google told Boy Genius Report that it would begin restricting crawling of even these messages, allowing users to post their voicemail messages on personal blogs without worrying quite so much about the whole world finding them (although if you're posting it on the internet maybe you should expect the whole world to be able to find it).

Google Voice messages start showing up in search results, Google responds originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When Wolfram Alpha, the (don't call it a search engine!) computation knowledge engine, announced an iPhone app, I assumed it would just be a nice front end for the website. I also figured it would be free. Surprise! The Wolfram Alpha app does a lot more than expected, and it also carries a hefty $50 price tag. This might not be the smartest business decision for Wolfram, considering that App Store reviewers are notorious for complaining that even $10 is too much to pay for any iPhone app.

On the other hand, the app does the kind of high-level math that would make Texas Instruments weep. If you're a student or someone in a math-intensive technical field, it might rock your world. Integrals, derivatives, differential equations, and all of the other stuff I've forgotten from years of math classes? Look no further than Wolfram Alpha. It's more than just a graph generator and equation-solver, though. Wolfram Alpha offers data on everything from finances to books, movies and music, and it's often quicker than the equivalent Google Search.

Is it worth $50? That depends on what you intend to use it for, but it's certainly less expensive (and less bulky) than a graphing calculator.

[via Mashable]

Wolfram Alpha for iPhone packs big features and a big $50 pricetag originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wolfram Alpha was hyped as better than Google for finding certain info, especially in the areas of math and science computation, but the hype died down a bit when people realized that it was finicky and a bit tricky to use. Wolfram Alpha hasn't gone away, though. In fact, they've just announced an API for developers and a new iPhone app. It's quite possible that third-party applications harnessing the power of Wolfram Alpha might prove more popular than the engine itself.

The iPhone app, due to be released soon, is sort of a demonstration of what developers can do with the API. It should be a big improvement on the iPhone-optimized version of the Wolfram Alpha site. It will be interesting to see what uses developers find for Wolfram Alpha, because the problem with the site is that it requires more specific, more complex search queries than most users are going to bother with. Third-party apps could narrow those queries down, and direct users toward some of the things Wolfram Alpha does really well.

[via Mashable]

Wolfram Alpha gets an iPhone app and a developer API originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>APIdeveloperiphonesearchwolfram alphaWolframAlphaThu, 15 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[SearchTabs uses Xmarks bookmark data for better Google results]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/14/searchtabs-uses-xmarks-bookmark-data-for-better-google-results/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/14/searchtabs-uses-xmarks-bookmark-data-for-better-google-results/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/14/searchtabs-uses-xmarks-bookmark-data-for-better-google-results/#commentsFiled under: ,


SearchTabs is a Firefox add-on from the makers of cross-browser bookmarking syncing utility Xmarks. Xmarks has a database of over a billion bookmarks, and SearchTabs puts that to work to get you better search results. When you Google something with SearchTabs installed, you'll see tabs with related terms. Clicking on one gives you a list of the most-bookmarked sites for that term, which usually looks quite a bit different from the Google results.

SearchTabs also adds additional info to the Google results themselves, displaying badges next to various results to indicate how they rank on Xmarks for a given search term. For example, if you Google "Download Squad," you'll see a badge indicating that we're #3 on Foxmarks for "tech software internet blogs." Some suggested terms are more helpful than others, though: Google "software blogs" and you'll see tabs for blogging software and CMS. Close, but not quite.

SearchTabs uses Xmarks bookmark data for better Google results originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bookmarkssearchsearchtabsxmarksWed, 14 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Google launches Search Options for Mobile ... but not Windows Mobile]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/12/google-launches-search-options-for-mobile-but-not-windows-mo/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/12/google-launches-search-options-for-mobile-but-not-windows-mo/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/12/google-launches-search-options-for-mobile-but-not-windows-mo/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Searching Google from your mobile browser just got a little bit easier, as long as you're an iPhone, Android or Palm device. Windows Mobile and Blackberry users are left out of Google's new Search Options for Mobile feature, and they're complaining about it in the comments of the Google Search blog. The thing is, they're not really missing much. Search Options for Mobile is marginally useful, but I suspect most users will never realize it's there.

Search Options lets you switch from a general web search to forums or reviews only, which I suppose is useful if you need reviews on the go. You can also filter your results by date, which is useful, but certainly not essential. Finally, there are two new ways to view search results: with images from the pages, or with longer snippets. It's nice that this stuff is there, but we've all lived without it since May, when it was first introduced to the non-mobile version of Google. WinMo and Blackberry users hardly have anything to cry about here - except how woefully inadequate their browsers are.

[via Daring Fireball]

Google launches Search Options for Mobile ... but not Windows Mobile originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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