Google has been working hard to offer universal search results to more devices in more countries around the world. Back in March, Google expanded the availability of the new iPhone and Android format to over 20 countries. Today Google announced that Google Search results pages on your mobile phone is now available in just about anywhere in the world.
The new improved universal Google Search includes:
When available, News, Images, Blog, Video and Product Search results are blended right into your result page.
Many of your favorite Google Search features now appear in the first result to provide direct answers to your searches.
Google continues to optimize specific results for mobile, so local listings for restaurants in London, for example, provide easy-to-select phone number links.
Visit Google.com in your mobile browser and test it out!
Google announced today the release of Google SMS in Uganda. Google SMS offers various mobile apps that provide access using SMS to deliver a diverse source of information which includes health, agriculture, news, local weather, sports, etc.
Google SMS also includes Google Trader, which is a marketplace application that allows buyers and sellers to find each other. They can sell and buy from each other various products and services from used cards, mobile phones, crops, livestock, etc.
Google SMS also offers Tips which is an SMS based query and answer service. When the user texts a free-form query, Google algorithms will restructure the query to identify keywords, then search a database to identify relevant answers and return it to the user. For more information visit Google Mobile Blog.
Google has opened up their beta AdSense for Mobile Applications. Google AdSense is a free program that enables website publishers to display relevant Google ads and earn money. AdSense for Mobile now allows publishers to easily display relevant image and text ads on their mobile web pages. The correct ads are displayed at the right time as mobile users look for information on the go.
Google claims they have had a successful trial of this service with a small number of partners and is now offering this solution to a broader group.
For the beta launch, Google created a site where developers can learn more about the AdSense for mobile applications program, see answers to frequently asked questions and sign up to participate in our beta. Advertisers can also learn about the benefits of advertising in mobile applications.
Adobe Systems Incorporated and HTC today announced that the new HTC Hero is the first Android phone to ship with support for Adobe Flash Platform technology. The new phone delivers a more complete Web browsing experience and provides access to a broad variety of Flash technology based content available on the Web today.
The new HTC Hero is a key element of the HTC experience and a new generation of HTC mobile phones and devices. Users can browse and discover a broad set of Web content and applications not supported by mobile phones in the past. People can also view YouTube videos using Flash technology, and enable full screen viewing mode by simply double tapping the screen.
The HTC Hero delivers powerful, compatible video playback performance using Flash technology, and interactive content enabled by ActionScript 2.0. Users can enjoy and navigate through Web videos using intuitive video controls. With progressive streaming of large MP3 audio files from a Web server and the local file storage, the HTC Hero provides a seamless audio experience.
HTC Corporation today debuted HTC Sense, an intuitive and seamless experience that will be introduced across a portfolio of phones beginning with the new HTC Hero. With its distinct design and powerful capabilities fully integrated with HTC Sense, Hero introduces a unique blend of form and function that takes Android to new heights.
HTC Sense is focused on putting people at the center by making your phone work in a more simple and natural way. This experience revolves around three fundamental principles that were designed by quietly listening and observing how people live and communicate.
HTC Hero continues HTCs leadership in cutting-edge design that focuses on introducing a variety of distinct devices to represent your own individuality. Boasting bevelled edges and an angled bottom, the HTC Hero is contoured to fit comfortably in your hand and against your face while youre on a call.
The countdown is on for the launch of T-Mobile's second Android Powered Smartphone called the myTouch 3G. You can see the countdown at t-mobilemytouch.com. At the website you can reserve your myTouch 3G which goes on sale in about 15 days, starting July 8th. The myTouch 3G will feature:
Touch Screen
3.2MP Camera
Virtual keyboard
Personalized Features
Google Search & Gmail
One-Click Sharing
Email, Music & More
The myTouch 3G will come with themes and skins that lets you show off your style.
T-Mobile is on track to announce their second Google's Android powered smartphone. The new smartphone phone will be names myTouch 3G. Like the G1, the new handset will be manufacture red by HTC and is expected to go on sale this summer. Google executives are forecasting about 18 Android powered smartphones to hit the market this year. For more information visit Wall Street Journal.
Google today released an upgrade to Google Maps for Android-powered phones. The upgrade includes new features and fixing a few issues with Google Latitude.
Users can now search Google Maps for Android by using their voice, making it easier to look up places while on the go. Just speak your query and Google Maps will find it. Google's voice recognition engine currently understands English in American, Australian, and British accents. Google has also improved their business listings to include store hours, prices, ratings, and reviews.
Google has also added transit and walking directions to Google Maps for Android. Data for public transportation is available for over 250 cities, including New York City and San Francisco. If you're looking for the best route on foot, use walking directions to take advantage of pedestrian-only pathways and to avoid one-way restrictions.
Last April Google announced a new version of Gmail for mobile for the iPhone and Android-powered devices. Among the improvements included a redesign of the Web application's underlying code which allowed Google to rapidly develop and release new features that users have been asking for.
Today Google announced two improvements that will speed up your Gmail for mobile experience.
The first improvement is faster address auto-completion. When you begin typing the first few letters of your friend or colleague's name or email address, Gmail for mobile will quickly display possible contacts.
The second improvement is enabled keyboard shortcuts for Android-powered devices with a physical keyboard. Now you can use all those familiar Gmail keyboard shortcuts to quickly move through your inbox. For example, if you're reading an email you can press 'u' to return to the inbox or 'n' to move to the next conversation.
Google today introduced the first downloadable orkut mobile app, available for most Java-enabled devices, with more features to keep you connected to your orkut friends and phone contacts. The features include:
Take a photo on your phone and upload into your orkut album.
Share photos with orkut friends or SMS the photos to phone contacts not yet on orkut.
Call or SMS any of your orkut friends or phone contacts without leaving the app.
View scraps, updates from friends, and photo albums in offline mode.
To install the beta version of the orkut mobile app, visit m.google.com/orkut on your phone.
Google today announced that their Google Mobile application is now available for the Nokia S60 smartphones. The app provided Google an opportunity to address three aspects of an issue Google regularly hears; which includes immediacy of access, location and query formulation.
The new app for the S60 allows quick access to programs directly from the home screen, making search, Google Maps, Gmail and other Google mobile services quickly available.
The new app includes location awareness. When you use the My Location feature, you'll get search results that relate to where you are.
Google today announced it has added a new feature to its GOOG-411 information service. GOOG-411 allows you to call 1-800-466-4411 for information about businesses. However, now you can request "more details" and GOOG-411 will give the address, phone number and the nearest street intersection or adjacent streets.
Want to test it out by finding "Google in New York"? If so call 1-800-466-4411, look up "Google in New York", ask us for more "details", and the service will tell you that Google's Chelsea office is "near the intersection with West 16th Street".
The nearby intersections are available for most businesses in the US and Canada. Google claims the intersections are "derived automatically by an algorithm written on 20% time by Googlers in New York and London" which means, Googlers get 20% of their time to pursue projects outside the normal scope of work. Google News and Google Talk are products of Googlers getting 20% of their time to pursue projects.
With the recent launch of Google Android G2 paving the way for other new Android phones, mobile technology specialist Mobile Distillery has launched its Celsius Android solution to optimise and port mobile applications to Android phones. This will help developers overcome inherent platform fragmentation issues they face when launching new mobile content and services to the wider market, which now also includes Android phones.
In this fast-moving and rapidly expanding industry, it has become very important to develop and implement mobile applications across all platforms time efficiently to ensure a quick return on investment. Having significantly simplified the porting process for mobile applications to native Brew, WindowsMobile and BlackBerry, Mobile Distillery is now also greatly speeding up application development cycles for Google’s Android phones with Celsius Android, automatically with JavaME or semi-automatic from iPhone.
Google today announced that Google Sync for Mobile is now available for Nokia S60 smartphones. Users can now synchronize your Google Contacts and Calendars with your mobile device.
Google Sync offers two-way, over-the-air contacts and calendar synchronization allowing you to make changes to your contacts and calendar on your phone or in your desktop Google account. (See video of Google Sync for Mobile) Because Sync uses push technology, the changes will automatically appear within minutes. And your information is constantly syncing, so it's up-to-date and securely stored within your Google account, even if you lose your phone.
Google Sync for S60 requires Nokia software to be installed on the phone. Google recommends backing up your calendar and contacts before setting up Sync. To find out more about setting up Google Sync on Nokia S60 phones, please visit Google's help center. To try Google Sync for Mobile, visit m.google.com/sync from your desktop.
Google has launched barcode scanning to Google Product Search for Mobile for the Android devices. Barcode Scanner and Product Search for mobile is available in the US and UK, for Android-powered devices.
To get the barcode scanning application, visit the Google Product Search for mobile homepage at Google.com via your browser and select "Shopping" from the "more" tab. Then tap on the "Scan Barcode" button to install the latest version of the Barcode Scanner app, if you don't already have it, from Android Market.
After installing the application, go back to Product Search in your browser and tap on the "Scan Barcode" button again. Select "Use by default for this action" and tap on the Barcode Scanner option. After the app opens, center the red line over the barcode and hold the phone steady. When the barcode is read successfully, you'll see a Google Product Search results page back in the browser.
Google has launched Google Sky Map for Android, which turns your Android-powered mobile phone into a dynamic window on the night sky.
Sky Map is an official Google App that allows you to learn about the night sky with their Android phone. When you point your phone upwards you will see a map of planets, the brightest stars and constellations in that part of the sky.
The app uses GPS, compass data, date and time to show you a labeled map of the area you are observing. The next time you see a bright star and want to know what it's called, Sky Map can help you identify it. To download Sky Map visit Android Market and search for Sky Map.
For more information watch the video below or visit the Lat Long Blog and Sky Map landing page .
According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global Android smartphone shipments will grow 900 percent in 2009. Healthy support from operators, vendors and developers is driving adoption. Apple iPhone OS will be the next fastest-growing smartphone operating system in 2009, with a 79 percent growth rate.
Tom Kang, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, said, “We forecast global Android smartphone shipments to grow an impressive 900 percent annually during 2009. The Android mobile operating system from Google gained early traction in the United States in the second half of 2008 and it is gradually spreading its presence into Europe and Asia during 2009. Android is expanding from a low base and it is consequently outgrowing the iPhone OS from Apple, which we estimate will grow at a relatively lower 79 percent annually in 2009.”
Neil Mawston, Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “Android has fast been winning healthy support among operators, vendors and developers.
Rogers Wireless today announced the exclusive Canadian launch in June 2009 of the HTC Dream and HTC Magic smartphones, the first cellphones in Canada powered by the Google - Android platform, allowing for fast and easy access to a wide range of Google mobile services, including Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail and more.
"Who else but Rogers would be the first carrier to offer Canadians the first chance to join the mobile revolution with a choice of not one, but two, handsets powered by the Android platform?", said John Boynton, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Rogers Wireless. "The HTC Magic offers a responsive touch screen and the HTC Dream delivers both a touch screen and a slide out QWERTY keyboard. Both devices offer outstanding wireless internet search capabilities and a full suite of applications that run two times faster on Canada's fastest mobile network.".
Google today announced that you can now use your Android-powered phone to record and then even upload them to Youtube.
Video uploads is one of several new features and improvements for the new Android 1.5 release:
YouTube: record and easily upload videos to YouTube.
Picasa Web Albums: upload photos directly to your Picasa Web Albums.
Gmail: multiple-thread selection to easily archive, delete, label or mute several threads at once.
Search by voice: improved speech recognition.
When uploading your video to YouTube you will have full control of your privacy. You can make your videos available to the entire Internet or to invited friends. This Android update also enables easier Picasa uploading by reducing the number of clicks needed to share your pictures with others. Like YouTube, after taking a picture tap 'share' when viewing a photo and select Picasa.
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