Have Laptop Will Travel

Google Checkout Opens for Business

Originally posted on June 29, 2006 @ 7:50 am

Google CheckoutToday Google, Inc. announced the launch of Google Checkout, a checkout process that makes online shopping faster, more convenient and more secure for Google users.

Google Checkout offers an easy and trusted checkout option that enables shoppers to purchase from participating stores with a single Google login. It also works with Google’s search advertising program, AdWords, to help merchants acquire new customers and process all or a portion of their Checkout sales for free.

“By integrating the checkout process with search and advertising, we’re helping our users complete the cycle of searching, finding and buying,” said Salar Kamangar, Vice President of Product Management at Google. “In the offline world, shoppers don’t tolerate long lines and tedious data entry just to buy something. They shouldn’t have to in the online world either. Google Checkout simplifies and improves the online purchase experience for both consumers and merchants.”

Source: Google.com Press Release

Google’s Picasa Web Albums

Originally posted on June 14, 2006 @ 4:57 pm

Yesterday afternoon Google started testing a new Picasa feature. It’s called Picasa Web Albums.

Google's Picasa Web Albums

In case you’re not familiar with Picasa, it’s Google’s free desktop photo management software. I know a lot of people will compare it to Flickr, which is of course expected.

Picasa is a quick download that makes it easy for people to organize and edit their pictures using something that’s simple and clutter-free. It’s all about the photos. And now we’ve tried to bring that same experience to online photo sharing with Picasa Web Albums.

Don’t get me wrong, Flickr is a great service, and I do have an account there as well but when Google releases something new and exciting, I’m first in line to try it out.

According to the Official Google Picasa page, Picasa Web Albums is in a limited test run right now and only available by invitation.

I’m now testing it out myself and once I get a few things loaded up, I’ll post a link of my web album for all to view.

Viacom, Google Aim Ad-Backed Videos At Web Sites

Originally posted on August 7, 2006 @ 7:23 am

Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) and MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), are collaborating to test an innovative video distribution model that will serve consumers, web publishers and advertisers. Google will distribute ad-supported content from MTV Networks to targeted website publishers, allowing publishers to showcase clips from premium programming like Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants and MTV’s Laguna Beach to enhance the content on their websites. As the first-of-its-kind offering from both companies, this new model will provide users with new ways to experience content and create targeted marketing vehicles for advertisers. It will also serve to promote programming that is available via cable, satellite and other distribution platforms carrying MTVN’s on-air channels. The companies expect to be testing the model later this month.

This venture marks the first time integrated video programming and advertising will be made available directly to Google’s extensive AdSense network, which delivers targeted text and image ads to its network of websites and blogs. This also represents the first time clips from MTV Networks’ kids and family, music and entertainment programming will be available to consumers widely across the Web on an ad-supported basis on sites outside MTVN’s proprietary sites.

“Collaborating with Google gives us a terrific opportunity to take our content and distribute it even more widely on the web in a seamless and targeted way,” said Tom Freston, President and CEO, Viacom. “This deal fits in perfectly with our strategy to deliver the best content to our audiences – wherever they are. We’re very happy to be working with Google, a true innovator in content distribution.”

“We’re excited to work with MTV Networks on new ways of distributing its content to consumers via the Internet and on Google Video,” said Eric Schmidt, Google’s CEO. “With the combination of our video technology, and extensive advertiser and publisher network, Google is in a leading position to help content owners, web publishers and advertisers generate interest and increase revenue opportunities.”

Source: Google Press Release

Googling Now Official

Originally posted on July 7, 2006 @ 10:03 am

Google (Transitive Verb): To use the Google search engine to obtain information about (as a person) on the World Wide Web.

Merriam-Webster on Thursday stamped its approval on 100 new words that will appear in its next dictionary update, including the technology-related “google,” “spyware,” and “mouse potato.”

Mouse potato? Hehe. That’s a great word! Apparently it means “a person who spends a great deal of time using a computer“, so I guess that means most of my readers including myself are mouse potatos :)

The words will show in the 11th edition of the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, which will be available this fall in bookstores everywhere.

Google Earth Release 4 BETA

Originally posted on June 12, 2006 @ 5:55 pm

Google EarthTo celebrate the first anniversary of Google Earth, you can download a brand new version, Google Earth 4.

What’s really exciting about this new release is it’s now available for multiple Operating Systems and not just Windows anymore. Running on OS X? Feel the love. Prefer Linux? Ditto. That’s right, Google is releasing simultaneously for PC, Mac (universal binary for full performance on both Intel and PowerPC based Macs) and for the first time ever, native support for popular Linux distributions. Google rocks!

They’ve also localized the new version of Google Earth so it supports French, Italian, German and Spanish users in addition to English. This includes a UI localized to French, Italian, German, and Spanish, as well as local search, driving directions, geo-coding, and unique local information layers for those countries. Can it get any better? Of course it can because it’s in Beta and Google listens to user feedback.

There are so many great improvements with Google Earth 4:

Google reorganized the data layers to make it easier to find layers and turn them on and off, they added support for “textured” 3D buildings, meaning the bricks look like real bricks, the glass like real glass, and overall, the world looks more like, well, the real world.

Google did such a great job with this release that even the snauze berries, taste like snauze berries!