Monday, April 2, 2012

Googland

Googland

[G] Interplanetary Reporting Comes To Google Analytics

Posted: 01 Apr 2012 11:17 AM PDT

Google Analytics Blog: Interplanetary Reporting Comes To Google Analytics

At Google we like to create solutions for the future. And we imagine a future where web use won't be restricted simply to Earth. Rather, people will want to visit their favorite sites while cruising around the rings of Saturn with friends or relaxing at the (inevitable) Mercury tanning facility.

When the galaxy is our playground, marketers, analysts and webmasters will want to understand location use beyond Earth. For example, if you had a chain of taco stands and noticed many users visiting your website from the Mars outpost, well, that might help you make a business case to begin expanding your business to serve Mars colonists.

That's why today we're announcing a sneak preview of our new Interplanetary Reports. While currently you only get a partial picture of website visitor location, we want to expand beyond Earth to help you understand visitor activities from neighboring stars and planets. You'll also be able to drill down on each planet to see greater detail. For example, which colony or outpost your visitors came from similar to the city drill down available for Earth today. 



In order to help you improve slow interplanetary site speed we're also adding an average page load time to this report to help you understand latency issues caused by distances between planets. 

When you slice and dice the data from these new reports, you might discover some interesting things. For example, we noticed a direct correlation between gravity and site bounce rate. Visitors coming from the moon bounced 6 times higher than those from earth.

We figured you might have questions. So, following is a quick FAQ for current Google Analytics users:

When will the new reports be released?
The new reports are scheduled to be released to all users starting in the year 2030, when we anticipate local space travel becomes widespread. 

How far across space will the new reports track?
We'll start by tracking location from as far away as the Andromeda Galaxy, however as light speed travel becomes more widespread we'll be integrating new (patent-pending) technologies to track visitors from greater locations.

Does Google Analytics plan to also segment traffic by species?
Non-human traffic is something we've been thinking about. As we work together with our space-faring friends, we'll be introducing a new section within demographics to take into account any new species discovered. 

We hope you're as excited as we are to explore the galaxy and also keep connected to the web. After all, updating your space logs (slogs) should be a social activity that users from across the galaxy can comment on, share, and of course measure.

- The Google Analytics team

photo courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech
...and yes, this is our April Fools' Day joke.
URL: http://analytics.blogspot.com/2012/04/interplanetary-reporting-comes-to.html

[G] Begin your quest with Google Maps 8-bit for NES

Posted: 01 Apr 2012 11:17 AM PDT

Google Lat Long: Begin your quest with Google Maps 8-bit for NES


We're constantly making improvements to Google Maps in order to take advantage of better hardware and web standards. For example, last October we launched MapsGL to capitalize on the improved graphics capabilities offered by WebGL.

In our pursuit of new digital frontiers, we realized that we may have left behind a large number of users who couldn't access Google Maps on their classic hardware. Surprisingly, the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was unsupported, despite its tremendous popularity with over 60 million units sold worldwide.

Our engineering team in Japan understood the importance of maps on retro game systems. With the power of Google's immense data centers, and support from Nintendo and Square Enix, we were able to overcome the technical and design hurdles of developing 8-bit maps. Today, we're excited to announce the result: a version of Google Maps for NES, with beautiful low-res graphics, simple and intuitive controls, and a timeless soundtrack.




With Google Maps 8-bit, you can do all the things you already do on regular Google Maps. Search for famous landmarks and sites around the world. Take an epic journey with 8-bit Street View. Get detailed directions to avoid dangerous paths, and battle your way through a world of powerful monsters and mystic treasures.

Coming soon to the Google Store

As the first NES cartridge to be released in nearly 18 years, we're working hard to make Google Maps 8-bit for NES available in the Google Store as soon as possible. A mobile version for Game Boy is also under development.

For those who are eager to try Google Maps 8-bit now, we've made a limited trial available on desktop: just click the "Quest" box in the top right corner of Google Maps to get started. Please be mindful of dragons while playing. We wish you a safe and happy quest.

Posted by Tatsuo Nomura, Software Engineer, Google Maps
URL: http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2012/03/begin-your-quest-with-google-maps-8-bit.html

[G] Introducing Jargon-Bot for Google Apps: translating business jargon into plain English

Posted: 01 Apr 2012 11:17 AM PDT

Official Google Enterprise Blog: Introducing Jargon-Bot for Google Apps: translating business jargon into plain English

Posted by Adam Swidler, Google Apps Product Manager

Think back to your first day of work. Do you remember that blank look of sheer confusion you had throughout the day? Your coworker approached, "Hi! Great to meet you, welcome aboard! Can you calendar me in for a 1:1 to talk about our c-level action plan for the all hands?" That's when you learned it only got worse if you smiled in acknowledgement. Even after you've been at a company for years, business jargon continues to invade your day and ruin productivity. When your boss asks, "Can we take a step back for a second?" what he really means is, "Wow, you have completely gone in the wrong direction." These kind of interactions are not only annoying, but studies from the Foundation of Office Language show that such interactions also significantly reduce productivity and morale amongst employees.

Our engineers have worked tirelessly for the past two years to fight this epidemic that has plagued efficiency in the business world. Today, we are launching a new alpha feature in Google Apps for Business, Jargon-Bot. Jargon-Bot will automatically detect business jargon or business speak and provide you with real-time translation in plain English. Yes, simple, plain English. Jargon-Bot has been integrated across the entire suite of Google Apps so that next time you are on an IM chat with your manager, it will help you recognize and say no to unrealistic expectations. When you receive an e-mail from your supplier, Jargon-Bot won't let you get ripped off by demystifying the fine print. And even when you're on a Google+ Hangout with your accounting team, jargon-bot will be by your side, so you don't break your e-reader when you have to help "close the books."



We've been alpha testing Jargon-Bot internally for the past 6 months, and the results have been dramatic: a 10X increase in employee productivity, a 35.4% increase in worker productivity, and IM conversations that are 90% shorter. Best of all, meetings which are normally an hour long, now average just 17 minutes because people actually understand each other.

Turn on Jargon-Bot today and avoid making a fool of yourself.
URL: http://googleenterprise.blogspot.com/2012/04/introducing-jargon-bot-for-google-apps.html

[G] Google Voice expands to new markets

Posted: 01 Apr 2012 11:17 AM PDT

Google Voice Blog: Google Voice expands to new markets

When we asked our users what features they'd like to see in Google Voice, we heard a lot of different answers. And we listened very closely to all of them. A few themes stood out for us: you'd like to see us bring more awesome features to your phones, and you'd like to see Google Voice in other countries. But we asked ourselves: is this ambitious enough? Surely we can do something even better than that. And that's when the future became clear to us: Dogs and cats. Texting. Together.

Introducing Google Voice...For Pets.

You might ask yourself, "Google Voice? For my pets? How is that even possible? There's only a few bluetooth headsets that can fit my dog, and they're so expensive!" The secret is in our special Voice Communication Collars. The collars fit around your pet's neck and use a series of sensors to record audio directly from your dog or cat's vocal cords, using technology originally developed for NASA spacesuits. Using your WiFi network, audio messages are uploaded to your Google Voice account within seconds. Alternately, a tiny micro-LED emitter built into the collar can project a keyboard onto the floor, so your pet can tap their front paws to send text messages. With a little training, your beloved Fluffy will be able to let you know exactly what she wants every minute of every day. Wherever you go.


We didn't just stop there. Voicemails from your pet would be pretty silly if you haven't been trained how to understand cat or dog. Thankfully, we've solved that problem too. We took our voicemail transcription engine and combined it with millions of adorable pet videos from the Internet, training it to understand our furry friends. Now our transcription engine can now translate cat meows or dog growls into English!


Thanks to our mobile apps, you can always keep in touch with your pets, no matter how far away they are.



We're rolling out Google Voice for Pets in a limited beta. Click here to apply to be one of the first pet owners to try our special communication collars.

Posted by Alex Wiesen, Software Engineer
URL: http://googlevoiceblog.blogspot.com/2012/04/google-voice-expands-to-new-markets.html

[G] Introducing Gmail Tap

Posted: 01 Apr 2012 11:17 AM PDT

The Google Apps Blog: Introducing Gmail Tap

Posted by Reed Morse, Software Engineer

The QWERTY keyboard was invented in 1874 and yet it is still used today, largely unchanged. Today we're excited to introduce a new input method designed for the future: Gmail Tap for Android and iOS. Watch the video for an overview:

Gmail Tap takes the keyboard from 26 keys to just two. Every letter of the alphabet is represented by a simple pattern of dots and dashes, and once you know them you can type without even looking at your screen. This makes it ideal for situations where you need to discreetly send emails, such as when you're on a date or in a meeting with your boss.


We're also introducing a new mode, multi-email. Double your productivity by typing multiple emails at once:


To get started with Gmail Tap, head over to our informational page and watch our video. Then let us know what you think on Google+.
URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GoogleAppsBlog/~3/Tvt8adkVl8Y/introducing-gmail-tap.html
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