Google posts

When I heard that Google had put out their first Google+ television commercial, I was both impressed and a little excited. “Finally,” I thought, “they’re going to make a push to bring Google+ into mainstream consciousness.” I watched the commercial and immediately facepalmed. Despite clear indications from users and bloggers that Google+ Circles is a nice feature but not the thing that would separate it from Facebook, Google continues to highlight it as something special. “Sharing but like real life.” That’s the message. It’s very Applesque in styling and concept. It’s even delivered in…

The future of the internet and computing might be in the cloud, but people are reluctant to give up their hard drives and programs. This has been made clear by the assumed poor performance of the Chromebook line of laptops over the last six months. The most recent price reductions of Acer and Samsung Chromebooks to a base of $299 just prior to Christmas is enough circumstantial evidence to show that we’re just not ready to dish out big bucks for cloud-based computers. Like it or not, we use Microsoft Word. We feel safer storing our pictures on our hard drives. We don’t want to rely on persistent internet…

According to the LA Times, Google+ interest is fading. According to logic, history, and common sense, Google+ is exactly where it needs to be. Lest we forget, Google+ grew to 20 million and then to 50 million users ten times faster than Facebook. “Fading interest” is not a challenge for a site that grew that quickly. It’s a fact that would happen to any site that grew through buzz. Simply stated, buzz excitement is unsustainable. Google knows this. The LA Times and other bloggers apparently do not. Most things are falling into place exactly as Google has predicted. They’ve had some major missteps…

When people talk about mega-deals in the tech industry, it usually involves hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars. On Monday, a deal will be announced for $10-$15 million dollars. The waves of this deal will likely be felt by a good portion of the world in the near future. According to the New York Times, Disney Interactive Media and YouTube will be working on original video series in the form of shorts.  They will be produced by Disney and distributed on a co-branded channel on Disney.com and YouTube. There will be some amateur video pulled in from the plethora of videos uploaded to YouTube…

Original content is the cornerstone of most content channels, but YouTube has been conspicuous over the years as a place for finding unoriginal content. Much of the site is absolutely unique, but there has always been a strong lean towards posting content that originally appeared elsewhere. Google’s push to change this hit a tipping point yesterday as they announced plans to add 100 more channels of unique content to their lineup. Celebrities, news publications, and brands were amongst the channels being created. Name such as Reuters, Jay-Z, and The Onion were amongst the list of those receiving…

Steve Ballmer can never be called shy. Within moments of opening his appearance oat the Web 2.0 Summit this week, he started his offensive against Google with jabs about their Apps cloud collaboration software and Android, then went after the Apple iPhone. As a speaker at the event 2 years ago, Ballmer lauded the recently-released Bing. Yesterday, he noted that Bing’s reach had more than doubled since then, going from 7% market share to 15% itself and twice that when you factor in Bing-powered search such as Yahoo!. “Together with Yahoo, we’re between 25 percent and 30 percent market share,” Ballmer…

Jobs are scarce in most sectors. Silicon Valley is one of those rare areas where the top tech talent is actually being aggressively sought. They aren’t fighting for jobs as much as the companies are fighting for them. One of the most important ways that a company is able to differentiate itself is by offering perks that others do not. It goes well-beyond having 401K and medical insurance. In the competitive world of tech-talent acquisition, many of the bigger companies go out of their way to make sure their employees are nurtured and feel special. Whether it’s onsite breakfast and daily catered…

There was a time not too long ago when a search on Google for “ice cream parlor” done in Newark, NJ, would look pretty much the same as searching for “ice cream parlor” in Long Beach, CA. One would have to type in geographical specifics to something other than national or world-wide results. Those days are behind us and both the search giants Google and Bing as well as many social networking sites have localized search to allow for more relevant results depending on GPS or ISP location of the device doing the search. The main reason is, of course, user experience; the more useful a service is, the more…

In 6 years, Google Earth has been downloaded one billion times. The desktop client, mobile app, and plug-in combination have taken geospacial technology and put it at the fingertips of users across the globe, allowing us to see places, explore the seas, and view the sky from anywhere with a reliable internet connection. Google has built a website dedicated to the experiences that people have shared using Google Earth: “One World. Many Stories.” Here’s the video that the Google Earth YouTube channel released yesterday: …

The down economy is keeping many people across America and the world unemployed. One area that is not seeing the same challenges is the high-end tech industry. Companies like Apple are hiring and they’re willing to pay big bucks for those who have the right stuff. According to recent research, nearly 1 in 4 young professionals want to work at Google. Fewer than 1 in every 250 applicants will ever end up working there, but with the right skills and the right approach, a coveted Google job could be yours. That is, at least, what this infographic is telling us. Created by: Masters Degree…