Friday, March 30, 2012

Googland

Googland

[G] YouTube Shows comes to Korea

Posted: 30 Mar 2012 01:27 AM PDT

YouTube Blog: YouTube Shows comes to Korea

Over the last year Korean TV stations have been opening up YouTube channels and offering a wide variety and deep catalog of their shows—everything from weekly dramas to K-Pop musical programs. The main three terrestrial broadcasters all have multiple channels with their top shows — KBS (Main Channel, Drama, Entertainment, KBS Life, Documentary, KBS world), MBC (Kpop, Entertainment, Drama, MBC World), and SBS (Entertainment, Drama, FreeVOD, Culture). YouTube also has many top cable shows such as Pororo from Iconix animation studio and Sonbadak TV.



To help you find Korean TV on YouTube, viewers in Korea now have a new Shows page organizing all programs available. For the rest of the world, you can still find the shows through youtube.com/shows/other-languages, but note that not all programs are available in all countries.



On the Shows page in Korea, you'll find new programs like Infinite Challenge (무한도전) and classics like My Lovely Sam-Soon (내 이름은 김삼순), with subtitles in English, Spanish and other languages. The new Shows pages also gives you key information about the program, such as a cast list and credits.







In many cases, each episode is divided into clips, but there's no need to click on each video one at a time. The first video selected will automatically link to the next video and that one to the next. So once you start watching, you can easily flow to the end of the show.



If you have a favorite TV program, subscribe to the channel so that you'll be updated on your homepage whenever there's a new episode. We'll be adding more programs from more stations in the future, so check back frequently.



Brian Suh, head of YouTube partnerships, Google Korea, recently watched "Infinite Challenge (무한도전)."


URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/youtube/PKJx/~3/CUUaWvk3oNQ/youtube-shows-comes-to-korea.html

[G] Faster and fancier graphics

Posted: 30 Mar 2012 01:27 AM PDT

Google Chrome Blog: Faster and fancier graphics

Today's web brings beautiful, rich experiences right into your browser. With Chrome's most recent Stable channel release, we've sped up graphics and drawing performance for users on capable hardware, and enabled fancier 3D content for other users on older computers. Give Chrome a spin to see just how good the modern web can look. And if the nuts and bolts of graphics make your heart flutter, check out more technical details over on the Chromium blog.

Posted by Vangelis Kokkevis, Chrome Graphics Olympian
URL: http://chrome.blogspot.com/2012/03/faster-and-fancier-graphics.html

[G] Measuring app engagement across device & platforms

Posted: 30 Mar 2012 01:27 AM PDT

Google Analytics Blog: Measuring app engagement across device & platforms

There are more ways now to consume your favorite television shows, movies, and on demand content than ever before. People are turning to their smartphones, tablets, and Internet connected TV's to watch what they want, when they want it. For broadcasters, agencies, and advertisers the question is how are users engaging with this media and how can it be monetized?



This measurement opportunity is what drove TV App Agency to be founded in 2011. The London-based software company designed a software application that works across a variety of viewing devices to help deliver on-demand media. They turned to Google Analytics as the platform to help them measure and analyze their data.



Why turn to Google Analytics?

TV App Agency opted to use Google Analytics' server side APIs, which were more easily compatible with the on-demand media environment than JavaScript APIs. They were able to use their own in-house knowledge from previous mobile development to come up with a tagging strategy that highlighted exactly the data that mattered most to their business model. Learn more by reading the full case study.







"We are now able to track which adverts are being played and get an idea of which functions in apps are being used. Plus, the real-time reports show when people are actually using these apps."

                          Bruno Pereira, co-founder of TV App Agency







Future Analytics goals
TV App Agency is working on expanding their Analytics to track more events, and understand more about viewer engagement from Analytics robust reports. By integrating Google Analytics they are able to offer richer data and analysis than other connected TV app developers, which gives them an incredible advantage in this exciting new space.


- The Google Analytics team


URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/tRaA/~3/kVJtXO9XQtY/measuring-app-engagement-across-device.html

[G] Google App Engine Research Awards for scientific discovery

Posted: 30 Mar 2012 01:27 AM PDT

Google Research Blog: Google App Engine Research Awards for scientific discovery

Posted by Maggie Johnson, Director of Education and University Relations and Andrea Held, University Relations Program Manager



Since its launch four years ago, Google App Engine has been the platform for innovative and diverse applications. Today, Google's University Relations team is inviting academic researchers to explore App Engine as a platform for their research activities through a new program: the Google App Engine Research Awards.



These research awards provide an opportunity for university faculty to experiment with App Engine, which provides services for building and hosting web applications on the same systems that power Google's products and services. App Engine offers fast development and deployment, simple administration and built-in scalability -- it's designed to adapt to large-scale data storage needs and sudden traffic spikes.



As part of Google's ongoing commitment to support cutting-edge scientific research across the board, this call for applications welcomes university faculty's proposals in all fields. Projects may focus on activities such as social or economic experiments, development of academic aids, analysis of gene sequence data, or using App Engine MapReduce to crunch large datasets, just to name a few.



This new award program will support up to 15 projects by providing App Engine credits in the amount of $60,000 to each project for one year. In its first year, the program is launched in a limited number of countries. Please see the RFP for details.



If your research has the potential to advance scientific discovery, generates heavy data loads, or needs a reliable platform for running large-scale apps, we encourage you to submit your proposal. Information on how to apply is available on the Google Research website. Applications will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. PST, May 11, 2012.


URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/gJZg/~3/BbN6EwK0QEI/google-app-engine-research-awards-for.html

[G] Learning independence with Google Search features

Posted: 30 Mar 2012 01:27 AM PDT

Official Google Blog: Learning independence with Google Search features

Searches can become stories. Some are inspiring, some change the way we see the world and some just put a smile on our face. This is a story of how people can use Google to do something extraordinary. If you have a story, share it. - Ed.

We all have memories of the great teachers who shaped our childhood. They found ways to make the lightbulb go off in our heads, instilled in us a passion for learning and helped us realize our potential. The very best teachers were creative with the tools at their disposal, whether it was teaching the fundamentals of addition with Cheerios or the properties of carbon dioxide with baking soda and vinegar. As the Internet has developed, so too have the resources available for teachers to educate their students.

One teacher who has taken advantage of the web as an educational tool is Cheryl Oakes, a resource room teacher in Wells, Maine. She's also been able to tailor the vast resources available on the web to each student's ability. This approach has proven invaluable for Cheryl's students, in particular 16-year-old Morgan, whose learning disability makes it daunting to sort through search results to find those webpages that she can comfortably read. Cheryl taught Morgan how to use the Search by Reading Level feature on Google Search, which enables Morgan to focus only on those results that are most understandable to her. To address the difficulty Morgan faces with typing, Cheryl introduced her to Voice Search, so Morgan can speak her queries into the computer. Morgan is succeeding in high school, and just registered to take her first college course this summer.



There's a practically limitless amount of information available on the web, and with search features, you can find the content that is most meaningful for you. For more information, visit google.com/insidesearch/features.html.

Posted by Glen Shires, Speech Technology
URL: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/learning-independence-with-google.html

[G] Let’s fill London with startups...

Posted: 30 Mar 2012 01:27 AM PDT

Official Google Blog: Let's fill London with startups...

London has become one of the world's great digital capitals. The Internet accounts for eight percent of the U.K. economy and has become, in these days of tough public finances, a welcome engine of economic growth.

We believe there is even more potential for entrepreneurs to energize the Internet economy in the U.K., and to help spur growth, today we're opening Campus London , a seven story facility in the east London neighborhood known as Tech City. Google began as a startup in a garage. We want to empower the next generation of entrepreneurs to be successful by building and supporting a vibrant startup community. Our goal with Campus is to catalyze the startup ecosystem and build Britain's single largest community of startups under one roof.



The U.K.'s Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt. Hon. George Osborne MP, launched Campus at this morning's official opening. The Chancellor toured the building, meeting some of the entrepreneurs currently making their home in Campus and learning more about their innovations, ranging from fashion trendsetting websites to personalized London leisure guides. He then flipped the switch on a commemorative graffiti plaque.

Campus is a collaboration between Google and partners Central Working, Tech Hub, Seedcamp and Springboard. It will provide startups with workspace in an energizing environment and will also host daily events for and with the community. We will run a regular speaker series, alongside lectures and programing, as well as provide mentorship and training from local Google teams.

Visitors will have access to a cafe and co-working space, complete with high speed wifi. We welcome members of the startup community: entrepreneurs, investors, developers, designers, lawyers, accountants, etc. and hope that this informal, highly concentrated space will lead to chance meetings and interactions that will generate the ideas and partnerships that will drive new, innovative businesses.

The buzz around Campus from within the startup community has meant that today, on day one, Campus is already at 90% capacity, with more than 100 people on site and an additional 4,500 who have signed up online to visit.

We are looking forward to getting to know the community. East London is emerging as a world-leading entrepreneurial hub, and we're excited to be a part of it. Take a photo tour of Campus here, and if you'd like to learn more, visit us at www.campuslondon.com.

Let's fill this town with startups!

Posted by Eze Vidra, Head of Campus London

(Cross-posted from the European Public Policy blog)
URL: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/lets-fill-london-with-startups.html

[G] WebM Gaining Momentum in Hardware

Posted: 29 Mar 2012 11:59 AM PDT

The WebM Open Media Project Blog: WebM Gaining Momentum in Hardware

Hardware product cycles are very long, especially from the software developer's perspective. However, in just under two years after the launch of the WebM Project, the leading chip vendors are bringing to the market full hardware support for VP8 real time and streaming video decoding and encoding at 1080p resolution.

In addition to the K3V2 application processor from Huawei and the RK30xx application processor from Rockchip announced at the Mobile World Congress 2012, ST-Ericsson has also finished developing a new platform with full VP8 support. "Working with the WebM team, ST-Ericsson is proud to demonstrate the first prototype devices using the NovaThor L9540™, a complete LTE platform for smartphones and tablets equipped with a high-performance application processor," said Itai Dadon, Smartphone Business Development at ST-Ericsson. "The NovaThor L9540 incorporates a dual-core CPU, a powerful graphics engine and optimized multimedia accelerators in a high-performance, low-power solution which is fully geared for 1080p 30fps video playback of WebM on HTML5".


And this is just the beginning. Many more of the world's top semiconductor companies are also shipping 1080p VP8 capable mobile chipsets later this year.

In addition, Smart TVs with full HD WebM support are coming to the market from LG Electronics this spring, with other OEMs following soon after that. These will demonstrate in their big screens the HD quality of WebM videos by sites such as YouTube, which has been broadly supporting WebM in its html5 player since the launch of WebM in May 2010.

The overall goals of the WebM Project are broader than just getting hardware support for VP8. We've worked hard to make the usability of VP8 hardware accelerators in devices as straightforward as possible by leveraging widely adopted industry standard interfaces. Software developers can now easily take advantage of this extra horsepower, as we've achieved our goal of getting VP8 included in the recently released OpenMAX IL 1.2 specification. OpenMAX IL is used to access the video accelerators in some of the most popular operating systems today.

WebM hardware acceleration is now quickly emerging on chipsets and we expect to achieve rapid adoption of WebM acceleration on new devices in the coming year.

Aki Kuusela is Engineering Manager for the WebM Hardware Team.

URL: http://blog.webmproject.org/2012/03/webm-gaining-momentum-in-hardware.html

[G] AnyoneButMeWebSeries is March’s YouTube partner On The Rise

Posted: 29 Mar 2012 11:59 AM PDT

YouTube Blog: AnyoneButMeWebSeries is March's YouTube partner On The Rise

Congratulations to AnyoneButMeWebSeries! The award-winning web series is our featured "On The Rise" partner for March and takes the stage in the "Spotlight" section of the YouTube homepage today.



 Shot on location in NYC and LA and written and produced by Susan Miller and Tina Cesa Ward, Anyone But Me centers around gay, straight and ethnically diverse teenagers who deal with all-too-common questions about identity and modern relationships. Throughout the series, viewers may identify with the emotional struggles of moving, relationship changes and being true to yourself. The third and final season just wrapped, and you can watch the complete series on their YouTube channel. Check out the video below for more background on the series and its history:














 Here are a few words from the show's executives, Tina and Susan:


We love making drama. And we love making it on the web. It's as if the gods gave us a piece of this huge creative territory and said "Own it. Plant weird, wonderful new things. Do what you want here." As creators, we couldn't ask for more. Anyone But Me is a rare thing in the indie television world. For one thing, we don't have zombies. (Alas!) We get off on writing about real humans and their relationships. Anyone But Me launched in 2008. After our second season, we had a never been done before Webathon, and the fans funded us for Season 3. So many people had our back. We got press in Fast Company. Salon.com, The LA Times, Tubefilter, AfterEllen. And we collected a lot of cool awards along the way. But it's thanks to the passion of our fans that we're here! We're grateful to YouTube for this honor and the opportunity to connect with people we hope will become new fans. (Oh, and if you subscribe to our channel you not only get 26 episodes of our show & some fun video extras, we also link you to other shows we like. What could be bad about that?) 



 If you've enjoyed this monthly On The Rise blog series and want to see more rising YouTube partners, check out our On The Rise Channel. Keep an eye out for next month's blog post, as your channel may be the next one On The Rise!



 Christine Wang and Devon Storbeck, YouTube partner support, recently watched "Elephant Plays with a Galaxy Note!"


URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/youtube/PKJx/~3/pWBKoyaLTB8/anyonebutmewebseries-is-marchs-youtube.html

[G] Giving you more insight into your Google Account activity

Posted: 29 Mar 2012 11:59 AM PDT

Google Public Policy Blog: Giving you more insight into your Google Account activity

Posted by Andreas Tuerk, Product Manager

(Cross-posted from the Official Google Blog)

Every day we aim to make technology so simple and intuitive that you stop thinking about it—we want Google to work so well, it just blends into your life. But sometimes it's helpful to step back and take stock of what you're doing online.

Today we're introducing Account Activity, a new feature in your Google Account. If you sign up, each month we'll send you a link to a password-protected report with insights into your signed-in use of Google services.

For example, my most recent Account Activity report told me that I sent 5 percent more email than the previous month and received 3 percent more. An Italian hotel was my top Gmail contact for the month. I conducted 12 percent more Google searches than in the previous month, and my top queries reflected the vacation I was planning: [rome] and [hotel].

Click the image for a larger version

Knowing more about your own account activity also can help you take steps to protect your Google Account. For example, if you notice sign-ins from countries where you haven't been or devices you've never owned, you can change your password immediately and sign up for the extra level of security provided by 2-step verification.

Give Account Activity a try, and tell us what you think by clicking on the "Send feedback" button in the lower right corner of your report. Over the next few months, we plan to incorporate more Google services. Meanwhile, we hope this feature helps you better understand and manage your information on Google.
URL: http://googlepublicpolicy.blogspot.com/2012/03/giving-you-more-insight-into-your.html

[G] New 45° imagery available for 15 cities

Posted: 29 Mar 2012 11:59 AM PDT

Google Lat Long: New 45° imagery available for 15 cities


Just in time for spring break, we're updating the 45° imagery coverage in Google Maps for several spots around the world. This time the new imagery includes 13 U.S. cities and 2 international locations.

Atlanta is a cultural and economic center the Southeastern United States. Growing from a settlement at the beginning of a railroad line, it's now the headquarters of global brands like Coca Cola, CNN and Delta Airlines. It's also a major transportation hub. Atlanta's international airport, Hartsfield-Jackson, is the world's busiest airport by passenger traffic, serving 89 million passengers per year.


View Larger Map

Founded 540 years ago, Córdoba, Argentina, is the second oldest Spanish colonial capital within Argentina. In 1613, the order of the Jesuits established Argentina's first university here. At the end of the 19th Century, a European immigration wave – mainly from Spain and Italy – contributed significantly to the city's industrialization. These days, due to the many churches, Córdoba is often referred to as la ciudad de las campanas, or "City of the Bells." The link below features the Córdoba Cathedral of the Jesuit Order.


View Larger Map

San Luis Obispo, California, developed as a city from the fifth mission of the Catholic Church, founded by Spanish Franciscan Junipero Serra in 1772. With the start of mass mobility, it became a popular stop on U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1. Some even say San Luis Obispo is the happiest city in the country. The link below will direct you to the historic mission buildings.


View Larger Map

Have fun exploring the new sites!

Below is the full list of updated cities:

US:
Atlanta, GA; Canyon Lake, TX; Charleston, SC; Dallas, TX; Houston, TX; Lakeland, FL; Lubbock, TX; Orlando, FL; Port Charlotte, FL; Roanoke, TX; San Luis Obispo, CA; Smyrna, TN; Walker, LA

International:
Adelaide, Australia; Cordoba, Argentina

Posted by Bernd Steinert, Geo Data Specialist
URL: http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2012/03/new-45-imagery-available-for-15-cities.html

[G] Crossing the 50 billion km mark & giving Google Maps for Android a fresh look

Posted: 29 Mar 2012 11:59 AM PDT

Google Lat Long: Crossing the 50 billion km mark & giving Google Maps for Android a fresh look


(Cross-posted on the Official Google Blog)

Every day, millions of people turn to Google Maps for Android for free, voice-guided GPS navigation to guide them to their destination. So far, Navigation on Google Maps for Android has provided 50 billion kilometers of turn-by-turn directions, the equivalent of 130,000 trips to the moon, 334 trips to the sun, 10 trips to Neptune or 0.005 light years! When getting to your destination matters most, Google Maps for Android will get you there:


A new look for Navigation on Android 4.0+ phones

In today's release of Google Maps 6.5 for Android we've redesigned the Navigation home screen in Android 4.0+ to make it easier to enter a new destination or select from recent and favorite locations by swiping left or right.

Left: New Navigation home screen   Right: Navigation in Google Maps for Android


Crisper, faster maps for high pixel density devices

If your device has a high pixel density screen, such as those on Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy S II, Droid Razr and others, you'll now get higher resolution map tiles that take better advantage of the pixels-per-inch on your screen. The result is a crisper, less cluttered map that is easier to read:

Left: Previous style Right:New style in Google Maps 6.5 for Android

Compare our new map on the right to the previous map on the left. The road network is easier to see, less obstructed by labels, and has more color contrast. At more zoomed-in levels, you'll notice a more controlled amount of maps labels to avoid cluttering the map and blocking out street names. The new style also helps maps react faster to panning, zooming, and twisting.

You'll start seeing the new style as you navigate around new areas on the map; however, you can see these changes immediately by clearing your cache from the Maps settings.

Pick your preferred public transit mode and route option

Google Maps 6.5 for Android now lets you choose to prioritize a particular transit mode (such as the bus or subway) and route option (like taking the recommended route, one with fewer transfers or one with less walking). Whether you just need to get somewhere as fast as possible, or you want to avoid the risk of a missed connection or you prefer not to tire your legs, you can get the transit directions that best suit you. Transit directions and schedules are available for 475 cities around the world.


To start using Google Maps 6.5 for Android, download the update from Google Play. Learn more about how to use other great features of Google Maps for Android on the redesigned Google Maps YouTube channel that has 12 new videos available today.

Posted by Harlan Hile, Software Engineer
URL: http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2012/03/crossing-50-billion-km-mark-giving.html

[G] Google makes great films available in France

Posted: 29 Mar 2012 11:59 AM PDT

YouTube Blog: Google makes great films available in France

Cross-posted on the Google France Blog



Earlier this month, we introduced Google Play, a digital entertainment destination where you can find, enjoy and share your favorite apps on your Android phone or tablet in France. Today we're adding movies for rent to Google Play for people in France, including hundreds of full-length feature films from major Hollywood and French studios. These movies will also be available for rent on YouTube.



We've got some fantastic films to keep everyone entertained through the upcoming summer months and beyond. From blockbusters like Les Aventures de Tintin: Le Secret de la Licorne and Les Schtroumpfs, to new releases such as Twilight Chapitre 4 : Révélation 1ère partie, Le Stratege, The Thing, and Drive, and even French classics like Le Bal Des Actrices and La Grotte Des Rêves Perdus, you can find many of your favourite movies in high quality available to rent now on Google Play and YouTube. To make these films available, we've partnered with many independent French studios including Cinéma(s) à la Demande, EuropaCorp, M6 Video / SND, Under The Milky Way, UniversCiné and Wild Side as well as major film studios such as Disney Europe, NBC Universal and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment France.



On Android phones and tablets, you can rent films from the Google Play Store and start watching them instantly in the Google Play Movies app. Movies can also be downloaded to the device so they're available for viewing during the rental period without an internet connection. On the web, you can rent and watch movies on the Google Play website (play.google.com/movies) or on YouTube (youtube.com/movies). Using your Google Account, you can rent the same movies across both Google Play and YouTube.



Movies are available at competitive pricing, with new releases starting at €3.99 for standard definition and €4.99 for high definition and library titles at €2.99 for standard definition and €3.99 for high definition. For most movies, viewers will have 30 days to begin watching their rental, and, once started, 48 hours to finish.



The concept of cinema was invented in France -- the Lumière brothers screened their film The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat Station in 1895. So it's exciting to be bringing this great content to our users in France through Google Play and YouTube.



Ben Serridge, Product Manager, recently watched "Cyrano De Bergerac."


URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/youtube/PKJx/~3/fAWGtqQu-kM/google-makes-great-films-available-in.html

[G] Follow the Burma Elections on YouTube

Posted: 29 Mar 2012 11:59 AM PDT

YouTube Blog: Follow the Burma Elections on YouTube

On Sunday, April 1, millions of voters in Burma will cast a ballot in the parliamentary by-elections. This year, Burma is opening its doors to media and election observers alike to document the election proceedings in real-time. With support from Google Ideas, our friends at the J-School News Lab, a real-time reporting training program for Burmese journalists, will be curating a Burma Elections news channel on YouTube. Here, they will feature original reporting from J-School journalists on the ground, Burmese media outlets, and international broadcasters.

Until recently, Burma has been more or less closed to the outside world, making it difficult to find news and information about what was happening inside the country. We're pleased that people around the world will be able follow what's happening as Burmese voters head to the polls on election day.

Visit youtube.com/burmaelections for the latest news and developments.

Olivia Ma, YouTube News and Politics, recently watched "Wine: 'I've Never Voted'".


URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/youtube/PKJx/~3/aSFIh8KwgS4/follow-burma-elections-on-youtube_29.html

[G] Follow the Burma Elections on YouTube

Posted: 29 Mar 2012 11:59 AM PDT

YouTube Blog: Follow the Burma Elections on YouTube

On Sunday, April 1, millions of voters in Burma will cast a ballot in the parliamentary by-elections. This year, Burma is opening its doors to media and election observers alike to document the election proceedings in real-time. With support from Google Ideas, our friends at the J-School News Lab, a real-time reporting training program for Burmese journalists, will be curating a Burma Elections news channel on YouTube. Here, they will feature original reporting from J-School journalists on the ground, Burmese media outlets, and international broadcasters.

Until recently, Burma has been more or less closed to the outside world, making it difficult to find news and information about what was happening inside the country. We're pleased that people around the world will be able follow what's happening as Burmese voters head to the polls on election day.

Visit youtube.com/burmaelections for the latest news and developments.

Olivia Ma, YouTube News and Politics, recently watched "Wine: 'I've Never Voted'".


URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/youtube/PKJx/~3/h45wSPZtUac/follow-burma-elections-on-youtube.html
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