Google Desktop 5 in 29 languages

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Kevin Tom, Google Desktop team</span><br /><br />We are happy to be releasing the <a href="http://desktop.google.com/">Google Desktop 5</a> application in 29 languages, including our first release in Hindi. It's now easier than ever for people around the world to find content on their computer as well as on the web. We've redesigned the look and feel of the sidebar and many of our most popular gadgets. There are also previews for search results and warnings for suspicious websites, whether you're clicking on links from documents, IMs, websites, and more.<br /><br />No matter which country you're in, we hope that these changes make it easier to quickly and safely find the right information. To learn more about what's new with Desktop 5, read <a href="http://googledesktop.blogspot.com/2007/03/new-sidebar-and-gadgets.html">this post</a> on the Google Desktop Blog. And check out the recently-released version for <a href="http://desktop.google.com/mac">Mac</a>, too.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfgvqGLuhffLRqhHqOWHz7ca0UvrauJ0uneNS70ekZshbVhixNFGcils3LfQ69YFFiNZUM3GcER1RZQfMslOsvRbD0-nYFrzX7Q1H7NkRbLVh1xZ2FZjJ75ujnYXQNIhKGvH3qOcIYhyphenhyphen3l/s1600-h/Desktop5_images.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5054518061659470450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfgvqGLuhffLRqhHqOWHz7ca0UvrauJ0uneNS70ekZshbVhixNFGcils3LfQ69YFFiNZUM3GcER1RZQfMslOsvRbD0-nYFrzX7Q1H7NkRbLVh1xZ2FZjJ75ujnYXQNIhKGvH3qOcIYhyphenhyphen3l/s320/Desktop5_images.jpg" style="cursor: pointer;" /></a>

Google Desktop 5 in 29 languages

Posted by Kevin Tom, Google Desktop team We are happy to be releasing the Google Desktop 5 application in 29 languages, including our first...

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New 3-D layers from AIA on Google Earth

<span class="byline-author">Posted by RK Stewart, FAIA, President 2007, American Institute of Architects</span><br /><br />Architects are pretty passionate about architecture -– no surprise there. However, we've come to find that the American public is too. Starting today, there are two new <a href="http://earth.google.com/index.html">Google Earth</a> layers with which to explore architecture’s most popular structures and take away some ideas to help enhance the communities we live in. As president of <a href="http://www.aia150.org/">The American Institute of Architects</a> (AIA), I’m ecstatic to announce our partnership with Google Earth to launch these new layers in celebration of our the 150^th anniversary.<br /><br />Check out this <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpNaMbMr1CM">video</a> on YouTube to watch us navigate these layers from Google headquarters.<br /><br />Fly to <a href="http://www.favoritearchitecture.org/">America’s Favorite Architecture</a>, a layer featuring the American public’s favorite architecture (as selected though a national poll announced earlier this year). View all 150 structures, including many with just created 3-D models of the buildings, ballparks, bridges, and memorials that characterize architecture in the eyes of Americans. And then explore the second layer, <a href="http://www.aia150.org/bl150_default.php">Blueprint for America</a>. Blueprint is a community service effort funded by the AIA, in which AIA members donating their time and expertise are collaborating with community leaders and local citizens to enhance the quality of life in their community. You’ll be able to track the progress of these projects on Google Earth as they unfold over the next year and, we hope, become inspired to take action where you live.

New 3-D layers from AIA on Google Earth

Posted by RK Stewart, FAIA, President 2007, American Institute of Architects Architects are pretty passionate about architecture -– no surpr...

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Spelling For Muggles

<span class="byline-author">Posted by T.V. Raman, Research Scientist</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">From time to time, our own <a href="http://emacspeak.sourceforge.net/raman/">T.V. Raman</a> shares his tips on how to use Google from his perspective as a technologist who cannot see -- tips that sighted people, among others, may also find useful. - Ed.</span><br /><br />English spelling is far from being phonetic -- and commonly-used proper nouns make the problem even more complex. Often the final arbiter is "it looks correct." Try writing "success" with one trailing "s" and you'll see what I mean.<br /><br />This final aspect of spelling -- it "looks wrong" -- can be a serious challenge when one cannot see. I can spell well in English, and for regular English text, there are always dictionaries and spell-checkers that come to one's aid. But spelling commonly-used proper nouns that you've only heard others pronounce can still pose a challenge when writing them for the first time. Consider the following:<br /><ul><li>We're going on a skiing holiday to Taho.</li><li> I was in Rino last week.</li><li>My friend lives in San Luis Obispoe.</li></ul>Notice that the proper nouns in the above all contain spelling errors, and the respective Google search triggers a "did you mean" spelling suggestion as follows:<br /><ul><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Did you mean:</span> Tahoe</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;"> Did you mean: </span>Reno</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;"> Did you mean: </span>san luis obispo </li></ul>Over the years, I've come to find this an indispensible tool, especially in cases where there is general agreement on the web as to the correct spelling. And for the record, intelligence on the Web appears to believe that San Luis Obispo can also be spelt San Louis Obispo.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.google.com/help/features.html#spell">Google's spell-checking intelligence</a> comes from examining all the documents on the web. Thus, correct spellings often dominate incorrect ones. The example of San Luis Obispo is interesting; if you take the Web as representing current accepted practice, it would appear that people do write that proper noun both ways -- i.e., Luis or Louis.<br /><br />Who knows, perhaps we'll restore the o-u parity by adopting an extra "o" in Luis for the "u" that got dropped in "color."

Spelling For Muggles

Posted by T.V. Raman, Research Scientist From time to time, our own T.V. Raman shares his tips on how to use Google from his perspective as...

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Collaborating with Marratech

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Douglas Merrill, VP Engineering</span><br /><br />As a company, we thrive on casual interactions and spontaneous collaboration. So we're excited about acquiring <a href="http://www.marratech.com/">Marratech's video conferencing software</a>, which will enable from-the-desktop participation for Googlers in videoconference meetings wherever there's an Internet connection.<br /><br />We look forward to learning from the extraordinary ingenuity of Marratech's engineers as they focus on desktop conferencing research and development in Sweden, where they will continue to be located.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Update: </span>To clarify some confusion, we acquired Marratech's software, not the company itself.

Collaborating with Marratech

Posted by Douglas Merrill, VP Engineering As a company, we thrive on casual interactions and spontaneous collaboration. So we're excited...

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Your slice of the web

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Payam Shodjai, Product Manager for Personalization</span><br /><br />I'll probably visit more than 100 web pages today, and so will hundreds of millions of people. Printed and bound together, the web pages you'll visit in just one day are probably bigger than the book sitting on your night table. Over the next month alone, that's an entire bookcase full! The idea of having access to this virtual library of information has always fascinated me. Imagine being able to search over the full text of pages you've visited online and finding that one particular quote you remember reading somewhere months ago. Imagine always knowing exactly where you saw something online, like that priceless YouTube video of your friend attempting to perform dance moves from a bygone age. Better yet, imagine having this wealth of information work for you to make searching for new information easier and faster.<br /><br />Today, we're pleased to announce the launch of Web History, a new feature for Google Account users that makes it easy to view and search across the pages you've visited. If you remember seeing something online, you'll be able to find it faster and from any computer with Web History. Web History lets you look back in time, revisit the sites you've browsed, and search over the full text of pages you've seen. It's your slice of the web, at your fingertips.<br /><br />How does Web History work? All you need is a Google Account and the Google Toolbar with PageRank enabled. The Toolbar, as part of your browser, helps us associate the pages you visit with your Google Account. If you're currently a Search History user, you'll notice that we've renamed Search History to Web History to reflect this new functionality. To sign up for Web History, visit <a href="http://www.google.com/history" title="http://www.google.com/history">http://www.google.com/history</a>.

Your slice of the web

Posted by Payam Shodjai, Product Manager for Personalization I'll probably visit more than 100 web pages today, and so will hundreds of ...

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Back to basics

<span class="byline-author">Posted by </span>Marissa Mayer, VP, Search & User Experience, and Jeff Bartelma, Product Manager, Google <b>Product Search</b> (the product formerly known as Froogle :) )<br /><br />Today, we're making some changes to how we help users find things to buy. You may be familiar with our product Froogle (a pun on "frugal"). Froogle offers a lot of great functionality and has helped many users find things to buy over the years, but the name caused confusion for some because it doesn't clearly describe what the product does.<br /><br />So we're renaming Froogle as <a href="http://www.google.com/products">Google Product Search</a>. We're taking the opportunity to refocus the user experience on providing the most comprehensive, relevant results in a clean, simple, easy-to-use UI. We're also excited about how Google Checkout can help searchers have a fast and secure purchase experience, so the new interface makes it easier to buy with Checkout.<br /><br /><span class="q"> One thing we didn't change is the wide variety of items you can find with Product Search. Perhaps you're looking for a </span><a href="http://www.google.com/products?q=toaster" title="toaster">toaster</a><span class="q">, a</span><a href="http://www.google.com/products?q=wireless+router&btnG=Search+Products" title="wireless router"> wireless router</a><span class="q">, or an </span><a href="http://www.google.com/products?q=apple+slicer&btnG=Search+Products" title="apple slicer">apple slicer</a><span class="q">. Or maybe you're in the market</span> for a <a href="http://www.google.com/products?q=kids+lego+watch&btnG=Search+Products" title="Lego watch">Lego watch</a> (like Jeff's) or a new <a href="http://www.google.com/products?q=loaded+vanguard+bamboo&btnG=Search+Products" title="longboard">longboard</a> (go for Flashback wheels). We<span class="q"> hope this update makes it easier to find whatever you're looking to buy.<br /></span>

Back to basics

Posted by Marissa Mayer, VP, Search & User Experience, and Jeff Bartelma, Product Manager, Google Product Search (the product formerly...

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Searching without a query

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Sep Kamvar, Engineering Lead for Personalization</span><br /><br />You already know that search is at the core of everything we do: we want to deliver useful and relevant information every time you do a search. But what about when you don't have a query in mind, or if you just don't feel like typing in a query? Today we're releasing two features that reduce the need for you to type in specific queries to get the information you want. Both of these are available to <a href="http://www.google.com/searchhistory">Search History</a> users.<br /><br />The first is a recommendations button on the Google Toolbar that looks like a pair of dice. Click on the dice, and we'll take you to a site that may be interesting to you based on your past searches. If you want another, just click the dice again and we'll show you a new one. We'll give you up to 50 new sites per day that might be of interest. Just <a href="http://toolbar.google.com/buttons/add?url=http://toolbar.google.com/buttons/defs/picks_for_you.xml">add the button to your Toolbar</a>. (In order to use this feature, you need the <a href="http://toolbar.google.com/">latest version</a> of the Toolbar.)<br /><br />If you prefer to get your information at a glance, we've added a recommendations tab that you can add to your personalized homepage. Simply click on "Add A Tab" on your Google Personalized Homepage, and type in "Recommendations" for the tab name (keep the "I'm feeling lucky" checkbox checked). We'll give you a page of recommendations that are updated daily.<br /><br />Don't expect very much at the beginning, but the more you build up your search history, and the more you use these features, the better they'll become. Over time, we will give you more and better recommendations.

Searching without a query

Posted by Sep Kamvar, Engineering Lead for Personalization You already know that search is at the core of everything we do: we want to deliv...

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