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Filed under: Windows, Freeware, Browsers

FoxGLove is Firefox for Google addicts

FoxGLove
You would think that Google Chrome would be the perfect web browser for people who spend most of their day using Google applications like Gmail, Google Calendar, and GTalk. But Chrome lacks some of the features that draw many people to browsers like Firefox. So one Firefox user who uses a ton of Google services decided to mash the two together and create an alternate browser he calls FoxGLove, which you can download from Lifehacker.

The browser is based on the portable version of Firefox, which means you can run it without messing up your normal Firefox settings. You can also run it from a USB flash drive. At first glance, the browser looks a lot like Google Chrome, thanks to the ChromiFox theme. The home pages have been set to Gmail, Google Reader, and Google Docs, and there are bookmarklets that will open GTalk, Google Calendar, or Google Notes in your sidebar. But that's just the start.

FoxGLove also comes preloaded with a ton of Firefox addons that provide enhancements for Google applications. It also replaces the Firefox search bar with the Google Toolbar. And the developer even figured out how to make Google Gears portable so you can have online/offline access to web pages and applications that support Gears.

Filed under: Fun, Google, Search, Web

Friends asking you stupid questions? Let me Google that for you.


We've all been there. You're working, and an instant message window pops up. It's your friend, who I'll call "Captain Obvious," and he wants to know what that new James Bond movie is called. Even if you know, why is he asking you? That's what Google is for. Instead of answering his question straight away, just say "Here, let me Google that for you."

Let Me Google That For You will give your friend a step-by-step reminder about how to Google. Step 1 (type In your question) shows the question being input into the Google search box. Step 2: click search. Step 3 is "Was that so hard?" and then your friend jumps to the relevant Google results page. That ought to be a strong enough hint for Captain Obvious, but it's funny enough not to feel too mean.

Filed under: Fun, Internet, Google

Lively from Google going the way of the dodo


Not that we were huge fans of Lively to begin with, but I'm sure someone out there loved it. Right? No? Perhaps that explains Google's announcement that, "despite all the virtual high fives and creative rooms everyone has enjoyed in the last four and a half months, we've decided to shut Lively down at the end of the year." So grab those screenies before 2009 and your avatars and rooms go dead.

One or two of you may cry out in anguish as a few million vertices are silenced with the click of a mouse: "why Google, why?" Well, I'm sure it wasn't the fact that it was PC-only (and Firefox or IE7-only). Or that it wasn't the most stable thing Google has produced. Or that it was, ya know, like Second Life Lite but for chat. Because, clearly, the world needs a few zillion more Second Life-style chat clients, right?

If you are to believe Google, it's because they want to focus on their core business. You know, search and ads and apps that don't look like Animal Crossing. Besides, they can always roll this into Sketchup, so you could have a virtual barn raising. We can dream, can't we?

Filed under: Internet, Web services, Google

Google experiences downtime, so does faith in cloud computing

Google down
Google is experiencing some downtime this afternoon. While some users report that they experienced a hiccup or two when sending an email using Gmail, others (myself included) seem to be experiencing a total Google blackout. No Gmail, no Google Reader, no Google Docs, and no Google Talk. Oh, and the search engine isn't accessible either.

I have no doubt that service will be restored momentarily. But I suddenly find myself temporarily helpless. I rely heavily on Google Reader and Gmail for my workflow as a home office worker. And I'm not alone. A quick scan of Twitter Search shows that a lot of other people are experiencing the same problems.

While there are many advantages to cloud computing (like being able to access your data from any computer, anywhere in the world), this outage shows one of the most significant downsides. If Google experiences technical difficulties, millions of people around the world who rely on Google services experience those difficulties as well. It's almost enough to make me go back to Thunderbid and FeedDemon.

Oh wait, after about 18 minutes of downtime, Google's back online. Nevermind.

Update: Word on the street is that the problem was with Verizon, not Google. Verizon high speed internet customers were also unable to access Facebook, CNN, and a number of other sites during the same period.

Filed under: News, Google

How Google knows when you're likely to get the flu

Google Flu

Google Trends is a fun way to compare the popularity of search terms, but the technology behind it can also be put to some important uses. Google.org, the nonprofit arm of Google, is using Trends to generate a flu tracker, showing the prevalence of flu outbreaks across America. Flu-related search terms are tracked to estimate when and where the flu happens, with data going back to 2003.

The data is tracked by state, so you can check and prepare when the flu starts to pick up in your area. According to Google's data, December is historically the worst flu month, so this is an apt time for Google Flu Trends to launch. Google is hoping that the tracker will be quicker and more accurate than the traditional method of waiting for doctors to report the flu, and they estimate that people are likely to Google the flu 1 to 2 weeks before they tell their doctors about it.

Filed under: Internet, Video, Windows, Macintosh, Google, VoIP, Web

Google adds Video and Audio chats to Gmail web interface

It's been over two years since Google brought text-only Chat to the Gmail web interface: and whilst the feature has certainly seen a number of small additions in that time, I think it's fairly safe to say that the efforts with Chat to date will pale into insignificance with Google's announcement on the Gmail blog that Video and Audio chat will shortly be arriving in an inbox near you.

The features, which require a plugin [available for both PC and Mac OS X] allow you to initiate video and audio chats from within the web browser. You can even expand the size of the video chat, and thanks to the feature being based on a number of widely used standards, you should in theory be able to chat with a fairly large number of contacts who don't need to be using the web interface [it's also worth noting that one-way video and audio chat is also possible].

Unfortunately, the feature isn't available just yet: the Googlers say the feature has only just begun rollout - however you can visit the Gmail videochat page to download the browser plugin and get ready for your account to be enabled in the next few days.

Filed under: Web services, Google, Googleholic, web 2.0

Googleholic for November 7, 2008

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Filed under: Internet, Google, Yahoo!, Search

Google kills Yahoo! ad deal

Yahoo! AdSense
Remember how Yahoo! and Google announced this summer that they would be partnering to place Google AdSense ads next to Yahoo! search results? Yeah, that's not going to happen.

Basically, Google says it's pulling out of the deal because government regulators and "some advertisers" are uncomfortable with the idea. The New York Times puts things a bit more strongly, mentioning that regulators planned to file a lawsuit to block the patnership between two of the largest web search portals.

The deal was first announced back in June, shortly after Microsoft walked away from negotiations to purchase the company. At this point, it's not clear what the future holds for Yahoo!, a company that's clearly looking for ways to revitalize its brand.

Filed under: Fun, Mozilla, Browsers

How to Chrome out your Firefox


When Google's Chrome browser first came out, the first thing everyone commented on was its minimal blue look. Sure, it's got Webkit under the hood, and it was put out by one of the hugest players in the web game, but ... it's blue! If you'd rather have a Gecko-based browser with tons of add-ons, you're probably sticking with Firefox. This doesn't mean you have to compromise: there's a Chrome skin for Firefox that keeps getting better with each update.

It's called Chromifox, and it's available as an experimental add-on. All "experimental" means is that you have to log into the Firefox add-ons site to download the theme, and you install it at your own risk. I've been testing it for about a week now, and I haven't hit any problems. The only thing Chrome can do, UI-wise, that Chromifox can't, is that cute little effect with the transparency and the tabs on top of the window. Unfortunately, your tabs are stuck in the default position in Firefox.

Filed under: Web services, Google, Googleholic, web 2.0

Googleholic for October 31, 2008

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Filed under: Fun, Utilities, Google, iPhone

Google Earth comes to the iPhone, and it is good

In an impressive case of two great tastes that taste great together, Google Earth for the iPhone is now available in the iTunes app store. If you like Google Earth on the desktop, you'll like it even more when you can manipulate the globe with your fingertips. Zooming and rotating are easy with the familiar iPhone pinch motion, and the iPhone's GPS adds a new dimension to Earth.

I was hooked on this app from the first time I made Google Earth zoom in on my location. The visuals are stunning, and you can activate Street View once you're zoomed in. It literally took two clicks to get a view of my front door: one click on the location button, and one to allow Google Earth to use the GPS data. There's also a compass button to point you North, and a search function that even includes your Address Book contacts. The only thing missing is a tilt mode: it would be fun to explore the earth by using the accelerometer, but it wouldn't be very practical.

UPDATE: Google Earth does have a tilt mode! You can turn it on and off in the preferences. Thanks, Belden.

CORRECTION: Street View isn't coming until the iPhone 2.2 firmware is released. The satellite image of my apartment is just at an odd angle and looks really good on an iPhone screen. Thanks, Steve.

Filed under: Web services, Google, Googleholic, web 2.0, Android

Googleholic for October 24, 2008

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Filed under: Audio, Google, Android

Android First-look: Amazon.com MP3 Store

Buying music directly from the Amazon.com MP3 store is one of Android's coolest features. Although it might not be the "killer feature" that some were hoping it would be, it offers a great way to get quality, DRM free music directly to your device. The only downside is that you have to download music over WiFi (the iTunes WiFi Store works the same way).

As a huge music junkie (my total collection, including digitzed CDs is probably about 2 TB in size -- and that's not 2 TB of FLAC either, that's 2 TB of mostly V0 LAME MP3s), Amazon's MP3 store is easily my favorite place to buy digitial music. Although it might not be making a dent in iTunes sales figures (here's a hint - get in more countries ASAP and start offering digitial exclusives like iTunes does), its increasing selection and weekly deals and promotions continue to make it the best game in town.

So how does the Android version of the store stack up? It hits the most crucial points, but it does lack some of the finesses that could make this a real mobile destination.

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Filed under: Google, web 2.0, Android

Android First-Look: YouTube



YouTube was undoubtedly one of the Big G's best acquisitions. For good or for bad, it's addictive. While watching short, low resolution video clips is hardly an activity you want to do from your HDTV (or even really large computer monitor), it's actually a nice thing to do on a smartphone, especially if you are in a long line.

We can thank the iPhone for saying "no" to Flash and getting YouTube to provide .h264 videos for its YouTube app because Android doesn't have to mess with Flash either (though Silverlight is a possibility). The YouTube implementaton is very similar to the implementation on the iPhone.

The Android version, unsurprisingly, has a bit more pizzazz. When you load the app, in addition to a listing of videos like on the iPhone, there is a top carousel of different categories featuring videos and you can then click on each category to get more previews. It's a nice touch.

Playback is nearly identical to the experience on the iPhone. The screen automatically switches to landscape mode and playback starts. If the connection is weakened or cut, the video stops and ports you back to the main page. You can advance through the video by dragging your finger across the screen or using the little trackball to control the cursor.

As I covered yesterday, if you see a YouTube clip embedded in another site or in a Google News piece, you are given the option to load the video in the browesr or in the YouTube app. Because Flash is absent, you ned to select "open in YouTube."

Featured Time Waster

Forumwarz - a potentially offensive time waster

I pwn UAfter spending the better part of an hour on Forumwarz I still can't decide if it's just sick or if it's kind of fun. It's a bit like a car wreck on the highway. I know I shouldn't be looking but I can't quite turn away.

It's sick, it's twisted, it's the internet on it's worst level and darn it, it's kind of fun. At least for a little while.

Forumwarz is a parody role-playing game that takes place on the internet - or at least the Forumwarz version of it. Your goal is to complete missions that are given to you through a mock up of GoogleTalk called Sentrillion.

Your first "friend" is ShallowEsophagus who begins giving you missions to pwn various forums by being a troll. Depending on the character type you are assigned at start up, you have tools like drooling on the keyboard or bashing your head on the keyboard that you can use to destroy forum threads and eventually, pwn a forum.

Future missions involve buying illegal software from the Russians, pwning more difficult forums and other internet oddness.

Completing missions gives you cash, called Flezz in game, and items that you can pawn or use in other missions. The game is NOT for those easily offended. It's crass, coarse and there are frequent f-bombs in the fake chat sessions.

This is also a game for a more mature audience as it requires you to shop at the Drugs R Fun store to get various concoctions to improve your playing, engage in certain cyber activities to get more Flezz and just generally use a more adult perspective.

If you can get past that, here are the more enjoyable and time-wasting aspects.

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