Action! Roll orkut videos!

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Anisha Malhotra, Software Engineer</span><br /><br />We've all been obsessed lately with watching videos on the web. And when we come across something that strikes our fancy, we can't wait to share it with our friends. That got us thinking: rather than sending multiple emails and IMs to share the video URL, wouldn't it be nice to have a feature for sharing videos on <a href="http://www.orkut.com/" title="orkut">orkut</a>?<br /><br />From now on, when you see that crazy video you feel is a must see for all your friends, now you can create your own video playlist on orkut to share with anyone who visits your profile. Just copy the video URL from your favorite <a href="http://www.youtube.com/" title="YouTube">YouTube</a> or <a href="http://video.google.com/" title="Google Video">Google Video</a> hosted videos, and your friends can enjoy watching your top videos through orkut. And because we know your friends will love your videos as much as you do, we've added an "Add to my favorites" button that lets you easily make your friend's favorite videos appear on your list. <br /><br />So next time you log into orkut, sit back, relax, and break out the popcorn.

Action! Roll orkut videos!

Posted by Anisha Malhotra, Software Engineer We've all been obsessed lately with watching videos on the web. And when we come across so...

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More real-time data on the way

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Jennifer Hyman, Product Marketing Manager</span><br /><br />A few weeks ago we were delighted to support <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2007/01/real-time-quotes-for-free.html"> the New York Stock Exchange's proposal</a> which would allow Google, including <a href="http://finance.google.com">Google Finance</a>, to display streaming real-time last sale prices to everyone. Today we're equally pleased that <a href="http://nasdaq.complinet.com/file_store/pdf/rulebooks/NASDAQ-2006-060_Amendment_1.pdf">NASDAQ has a similar filing</a> which would include both real-time last sale prices and volume. We think these proposals are steps in the right direction, and encourage the SEC to give them a big thumbs up so we can start giving you the data you want, when you need it.

More real-time data on the way

Posted by Jennifer Hyman, Product Marketing Manager A few weeks ago we were delighted to support the New York Stock Exchange's proposal...

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Real-world testing

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Marcus Bulach, Software Engineer</span><br /><br />User feedback is always an important part of our product development process, and for our latest version of Google Maps for mobile, we decided to put ourselves in the driver's seat. Hailing from London, I recently hopped across the pond with my fellow software engineer Jonathan Dixon to help test out the new features on the Windows Mobile<span style="font-size:78%;">^TM</span> edition of Google Maps for mobile while visiting the Mountain View campus. I focused on staying on the right side of the road while Jonathan, oblivious to the sights around him, focused on trying out the satellite imagery on his mobile phone.<br /><br />Like other versions of Google Maps for mobile, with this Windows Mobile version you can find businesses and see real-time traffic updates, along with unique features like contacts integration, GPS support, draggable maps, and tap and hold menus. The business search function proved particularly useful to find<span style="font-family:monospace;"> </span><a href="http://tinyurl.com/ywolp9">delicious Italian food in Half Moon Bay</a><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> </span>to sate our jet-lagged stomachs. You can download the application <a href="http://www.google.com/gmm/winm">here</a> and ActiveSync, or visit <a href="http://www.google.com/gmm">google.com/gmm</a> for more information.<br /><br />And remember -- you can see traffic delays, but don't cause them. Please don't use Google Maps while driving. Instead, give your passengers something fun to do.

Real-world testing

Posted by Marcus Bulach, Software Engineer User feedback is always an important part of our product development process, and for our latest ...

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Google Mini turns 2

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Ryan Pollock, Product Marketing Manager</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.google.com/enterprise/mini/">Our blue box</a> is now two years old! To commemorate the Google Mini's second birthday, the enterprise team has developed an upgrade with greater security features and the ability to search across various business applications, all from the same search box. We've also made the Mini a better fit for public sites by integrating <a href="http://www.google.com/analytics/">Google Analytics</a> and adding the ability to generate <a href="https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/siteoverview">Google Sitemaps</a>. There's more about how the Mini is growing up on the <a href="http://googleenterprise.blogspot.com/2007/01/little-blue-box-big-business-tech-for.html">Google Enterprise blog</a>.

Google Mini turns 2

Posted by Ryan Pollock, Product Marketing Manager Our blue box is now two years old! To commemorate the Google Mini's second birthday, ...

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Our Seattle-Beijing collaboration

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Feng Hu, Software Engineer</span><br /><br />The one and only Dr. Kai-Fu Lee visited our Seattle office last week to speak with some 150 Googlers and guests about everything from future plans between our Beijing and Seattle offices to the way the Internet is used in China. Watch the video [warning: 53 mins]--and consider joining our <a href="http://www.google.com/jobs/seattlechina">pan-Pacific collaboration</a>.<br /><br /><embed style="width: 400px; height: 326px;" id="VideoPlayback" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=1230747464670307641&hl=en" flashvars=""> </embed><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Update:</span> The video of the talk is now also available on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=An+Inside+Look+at+Google+China+&search=Search">YouTube</a> [due to it's length the video is in six parts].

Our Seattle-Beijing collaboration

Posted by Feng Hu, Software Engineer The one and only Dr. Kai-Fu Lee visited our Seattle office last week to speak with some 150 Googlers an...

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Find and compare local businesses

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Ronojoy Chakrabarti, Product Manager</span><br /><br />Many people come to Google.com to navigate the web, but are you aware that you can use it to navigate the real world as well? Over the past few months, we've been hard at work making it easier to find and compare local businesses and services right from the standard web results page. Here's what we've come up with:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4U7SLJXfO3O-sirDONS2EyD6dczJBxe21dlH-dULMiElcNGAxOoi98VAqPCqTwgLDL078JXgqC0VT4aRtBDofTWz6uQqLa0fPTkUcYBygbEaI59RLLCoU22g2bGQHd-Y-jEEdkX0GRf6a/s1600-h/LOCALONEBOX_new.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5025595742053174722" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4U7SLJXfO3O-sirDONS2EyD6dczJBxe21dlH-dULMiElcNGAxOoi98VAqPCqTwgLDL078JXgqC0VT4aRtBDofTWz6uQqLa0fPTkUcYBygbEaI59RLLCoU22g2bGQHd-Y-jEEdkX0GRf6a/s320/LOCALONEBOX_new.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" /></a> From now on, you'll see this every time you search for a place, business, or other local information. In addition to providing the basic contact information and map locations for several choices at the top of the page, we also show ratings and provide one-click access to reviews on the search results page so that you can make more informed decisions about where you want to go.<br /><br />Here are a few specific examples of how you can use Google to search and compare local businesses and services.<p></p> <ul type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Find the location of and driving directions to the <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rlz=1B2GGGL_enUS176&q=1600+Amphitheatre+Parkway+Mountain+View+CA&btnG=Search" target="_blank">Googleplex</a> (or any specific address).</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Find and compare <a href="http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient-ff&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1B2GGGL_enUS176&q=Mexican+restaurants+in+Pasadena%2C+CA">Mexican restaurants</a> in <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Pasadena</st1:city>, <st1:state st="on">CA</st1:state></st1:place> </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Get directions to and read reviews about a <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rlz=1B2GGGL_enUS176&q=Fat+heads+Pittsburgh%2C+PA&btnG=Search" target="_blank">local eatery</a> in <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Pittsburgh</st1:city></st1:place>.</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Find <a href="http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient-ff&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1B2GGGL_enUS176&q=movies+Toronto" target="_blank">movie showtimes </a>for films that are playing in your neighborhood.</li></ul> We're really excited to offer this easier access to qualitative information about local spots. We find the reviews and ratings generated by others in the know to be quite useful when we want to head to a restaurant, catch a movie, or stay at a hotel -- and we hope you will too.

Find and compare local businesses

Posted by Ronojoy Chakrabarti, Product Manager Many people come to Google.com to navigate the web, but are you aware that you can use it to ...

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SMS on orkut

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Pedram Keyani, Software Engineer</span><br /><br />While <a href="http://www.orkut.com/About.aspx">orkut</a> users love having an online social network, we understand that a good deal of your social life happens offline. We wanted orkut to enrich the offline social life of its members, so we thought we could either give you computers with really long cords or we could bring orkut to the device you carry around in your pocket: the mobile phone. Thus the idea for an orkut SMS service was born.<br /><br />With orkut's new SMS feature, you can <a href="http://help.orkut.com/support/bin/topic.py?topic=10322">scrap</a> your friends, look up their contact information and receive scrap notifications. Now you can send scraps from the bus, bar or bathroom, and your friends can get notified of those scraps when on bicycle, beach or bed. Along with the standard orkut features, we've included a few hidden goodies for the adventurous to find.<br /><br />This week, orkut SMS will become available to orkut members in Brazil who use Claro as their mobile service provider. When the feature becomes available to you, a message will be displayed when you sign in to your account. We hope to expand soon to other mobile service providers in Brazil and around the globe.<br /><br />So next time you want to scrap your friend Sergio about a party, just text message orkut with "scrap Sergio it's party time man!"

SMS on orkut

Posted by Pedram Keyani, Software Engineer While orkut users love having an online social network, we understand that a good deal of your s...

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