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  Twitter Makes Searching for Names Easier, Sleeker

  JP 1:45 am on July 17, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: extra energy, nbsp (1,601), person results, Read (1,390), search, social networking (63), Twitter (167)

  Filed under: Web, Social Networking

  

  Used to be that whenever you wanted to search for a Twitter user by name, you had to expend the extra energy required to click on the site’s user search page. Those days of wasted clicks, however, are now a thing of the past, as the company has decided to feature the search bar much more prominently. As TechCrunch reports, users can now search for other people simply by meandering over to the bar on the right hand side of the main tweet stream, where they can type in anyone’s name, and instantly receive a list of results, along with real-time results from any other accounts tweeting about said person. Results of a given search are also displayed horizontally, above the real-time search, and, if you’re looking for a celebrity, the verified account will likely be among the first handles shown. Finding people has always been possible on Twitter, but not always convenient — and it certainly wasn’t as sleek and seamless as this long overdue feature appears. [From: TechCrunch]

  Twitter Makes Searching for Names Easier, Sleeker originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 14 Jul 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  Google Search Backgrounds Live for All

  JP 1:46 am on June 14, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: background, google (174), google search (5), google users (3), marissa mayer (2), Read (1,390), search, Switched HQ (3)

  Filed under: Google, Web

  

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  Update: Well that was short lived. Google users took to Twitter (and blogs and forums) to complain about the background being turned on by default, and switched back to the original Google search style about 12 hours ahead of schedule. Google’s VP for Search Products & User Experience, Marissa Mayer, made the announcement via Twitter, and we’ve got to give the company credit for quickly responding to dissatisfied customers. You can still change your background by clicking ‘Change background image’ on the bottom left.
  
  Well, it finally happened. We brought up Google this morning, and instead of the regular, soothing white background, we came face to face with a glass flower monstrosity instead of the regular relaxing whites. Starting today (and going on for the next 24 hours), Google will be displaying a background image with the logo in all white.

  Rather than simply offering users the option, Google has added an image to your search page. At Switched HQ, we’re all seeing different images, and a simple page refresh doesn’t randomize the background image. What’s more, we can’t find a simple way to ditch the pointless pic and go back to our beloved classic Google. The Next Web suggests going to the URL http://www.google.com/ncr (the “ncr” stands for “no country redirect”) to restore the old-school Google search page, but the trick didn’t work for us.

  Continue reading Google Search Backgrounds Live for All

  Google Search Backgrounds Live for All originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 10 Jun 2010 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  Google's 'Caffeine' Search Index Promises a Fresher Web

  JP 3:30 pm on June 9, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: google (174), nbsp (1,601), Read (1,390), search, search mechanism, standing at the edge, web share (4)

  Filed under: Google, Web

  

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  When most of us search for something on Google, we like to think that we’re standing at the edge of the entire Web. In reality, though, Google only exposes us to the slice of the Internet that it processes and files in its library. Because it takes time for the search engine to build its library, it can be difficult for users to get a snapshot of the Net in real time. But apparently, that’s all about to change, thanks to a new search index called Caffeine.

  As Google explains on its blog, the new search mechanism allows for the real-time tracking of data, video and other rich online content, essentially giving users access to a continually updated index of what’s going on. The company also claims that Caffeine will provide search results that are 50-percent “fresher” by simultaneously processing thousands of pages each second. The new index also stores up to 100 million gigabytes in a single database (the equivalent of 625,000 of Apple’s largest iPods), and adds hundreds of thousands of gigabytes each day.

  Continue reading Google’s ‘Caffeine’ Search Index Promises a Fresher Web

  Google’s ‘Caffeine’ Search Index Promises a Fresher Web originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 09 Jun 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  Google Lets Users Personalize Search Background

  JP 11:47 am on June 8, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: google (174), home page layout, nbsp (1,601), picasa web album, Read (1,390), search, slate design

  Filed under: Google, Web

  

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  Whether it’s a car, a professional sports logo, or Coca-Cola, every classic design, at one point or another, undergoes some sort of renovation. These cosmetic makeovers, however, are rarely as drastic as the redesign that Google has just unveiled on its trademark home page.

  After the search engine tested a new, minimally altered site design back in April, the company has now decided to completely change its home page layout — by opening it up to its users. As Google announced on its blog yesterday, individual Web surfers can now personalize their Google search pages by uploading their own photos to use as the background. Over the course of the next few days, users will be able to upload photos from their computer, the Google-owned Picasa Web Album, or any public Picasa gallery. Should you suddenly tire of seeing your vacation photos pop up every time you begin a search, you can always switch back to the original, clean-slate design. The search engine is rolling out the new feature in a piecemeal fashion across the globe, so if you don’t see a new link in the bottom left hand corner of Google’s home page, it’ll probably be added within the coming days.

  Continue reading Google Lets Users Personalize Search Background

  Google Lets Users Personalize Search Background originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 03 Jun 2010 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  Google Facelift Adds Updated Logo, New Search Results Layout

  JP 11:22 pm on May 5, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: google (174), nbsp (1,601), Read (1,390), search, toolbar google, vertical toolbar

  Filed under: Google, Web

  

  Simplicity and navigability reign supreme on Google, but the site has recently introduced a new format to select users. Google is now incrementally implementing those changes to its search results page, and the New York Times grabbed some screen shots of the updated system. While the new scheme may initially appear needlessly confusing and busy, the upgrades definitely include a few awesome, highly desirable features.

  At first glance, the new layout definitely appears similar to Facebook’s left-side vertical toolbar. Google’s new left-side menu includes familiar choices like Maps, Videos and Shopping, but the most appealing alteration — a dropbox — appears immediately below this section. The drop-down menu adds visibility to the Google Wonder Wheel and to various search filters. These now easy-to-find filters allow users to sort results depending on relevance and date, with the option to narrow the focus by time or style (news or blog).

  Continue reading Google Facelift Adds Updated Logo, New Search Results Layout

  Google Facelift Adds Updated Logo, New Search Results Layout originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 05 May 2010 17:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  Google Makes Suggestions Location-Aware, Improves Spelling Correction

  JP 7:30 pm on April 18, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Bay Area (2), bay area rapid transit, google (174), nbsp (1,601), New York (32), rapid transit system, Read (1,390), San Francisco (13), search, spelling correction

  Filed under: Google, Web

  

  Google, it seems, is never content with its search product. The Big G is constantly tweaking, updating and generally improving the results and suggestions it offers. The latest round of improvements both makes Google Suggest location-aware, and extends the spelling correction feature to cover common names as well as other languages.

  Google Suggest will now use the city of origin in order to provide better suggested queries. For instance, if you type “bart” into the search bar, and you live in San Francisco, the suggestions relate to the Bay Area Rapid Transit system. Here in New York, the first suggestion is “bartending school.”

  Continue reading Google Makes Suggestions Location-Aware, Improves Spelling Correction

  Google Makes Suggestions Location-Aware, Improves Spelling Correction originally appeared on Switched on Sun, 18 Apr 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  Breaking Point: China Begins Blocking Google Searches

  JP 1:50 am on March 29, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Beijing (5), China (19), chinese search, google (174), google searches (4), google users (3), nbsp (1,601), Read (1,390), search

  Filed under: Google, Web

  

  Well, we knew that wouldn’t take long. Following Google’s decision to end its tacit censorship of Chinese search results, the Chinese government called the search company’s decision “totally wrong,” and, within hours, began blocking sites and filtering out search results it found objectionable. China hasn’t yet blocked Google.com.hk, the uncensored site to which Google has begun forwarding Chinese searchers, but its effectiveness is severely hampered with so many search results blocked.

  The government might still move towards completely blocking access to Google.com.hk, but doing so would not only hurt Google and the people of China, but the government as well. Reuters reported that citizens of Beijing had turned the sign outside of that city’s Google offices into an impromptu memorial — leaving flowers and chocolates in front of it. Additionally, the most loyal of Chinese Google users tend to be the more vocal and educated members of society, and they could prove difficult to control if access were completely removed.

  Continue reading Breaking Point: China Begins Blocking Google Searches

  Breaking Point: China Begins Blocking Google Searches originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 23 Mar 2010 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  Google Halts Censorship of China Search Results

  JP 1:50 am on March 29, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: China (19), china search, communist regime, google (174), government censorship, Hong Kong (2), nbsp (1,601), Read (1,390), search

  Filed under: Google, Web

  

  Google announced today that it has officially stopped censoring search results in China. Following some rather damning evidence that the Chinese government was, in some regard, behind the December attacks on Google and 30 other companies, the search giant took a stand against the pseudo-communist regime. Now, after months of seemingly pointless talks, Google has shut down its Google.cn servers, and has begun directing all traffic to the uncensored Google.com.hk.

  The Hong Kong-based servers are (for now) not blocked by China, and have been updated to offer results in both traditional and simplified Chinese. China made clear to Google that allowing government censorship was a legal requirement for operating in the country, so Google merely shipped the heavy lifting out to Hong Kong, where the company can operate with much greater freedom.

  Continue reading Google Halts Censorship of China Search Results

  Google Halts Censorship of China Search Results originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  Android 'Gesture Search' Reads Your Toddler Scrawl

  JP 12:51 am on March 8, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: cave wall, google (174), google labs (3), nbsp (1,601), Read (1,390), roman script, search

  Filed under: Cell Phones, Google

  

  Only sissies use voice commands on their mobile phones, and physically typing a search term is really no better than scratching a crude picture of a bison on a cave wall. Google has recognized that Android users are waaay too savvy for those antiquarian methods of search, so yesterday, the geniuses at Google Labs released the Gesture Search app for users running Android’s version 2.0 and above.

  Once you’ve opened Gesture Search, apply your trusty finger to the touchscreen, make broad stokes that barely resemble Roman script, and behold as your phone starts listing the contacts, apps, bookmarks and music that begin with that squiggly mutation of a letter. As the Official Google Mobile Blog points out, even if your ‘A’ looks like an ‘H,’ Gesture Search will list results for both letters. The fact that you have the handwriting of a two-year-old child will no longer bar you from searching to your heart’s content. [From: The Official Google Blog]

  Android ‘Gesture Search’ Reads Your Toddler Scrawl originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  Google Gets Glam With a Makeover From Fashion's Brightest

  JP 4:08 pm on February 9, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Fashion (2), G. Google, Gary Graham, house of waris, nbsp (1,601), patrik ervell, Read (1,390), search, Sophie Theallet, vogue fashion

  Filed under: Google

  A good designer can find inspiration in anything. Similarly, a good search engine can be used to find everything.Yet, beware of Google, good readers. While the super-company has conquered all things virtual from e-mail to maps, the world of high fashion is a tough one to master.

  Teaming up with the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund (which basically picks and chooses, based on talent, hype and creativity, what fashion designers we’ll be adoring in about four years), Google challenged designers to produce sartorial search engine gear. Young hopefuls, like Patrik Ervell or Sophie Theallet, interpreted Google, creating homepage themes and prints, and then created a garment or accessory infused with The Big G.

  Google’s three favorites were released last week, and, while the simple search box doesn’t exactly scream ‘The Devil Wears Prada,’ the three creations are actually decently wearable. A tee, by womenswear designer Gary Graham, is a vintage-y shirt with a red Google marker emblazoned on the front. Duo Ohne Titel imbued a cardigan with the Goog’s signature primary colors (with a similar scarf for sale), and House of Waris fabricated an antiqued magnifying glass for old-fashioned ’search.’

  Continue reading Google Gets Glam With a Makeover From Fashion’s Brightest

  Google Gets Glam With a Makeover From Fashion’s Brightest originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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