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'tis the season

Posted by David Griswold, Google Blog Team The holiday season is a time for reuniting with friends and family, reveling in <a href="http://books.google.com/books?q=christmas+stories&btnG=Search+Books" id="s7x2" title="stories">stories</a> and sentimentalities, cozying up to a cup of warm cocoa, listening to a fire slowly pop and fizzle. It's a time when we ease ourselves out of our <a href="http://www.google.com/calendar/" id="it0v">routines</a>, and have a moment to share our joys with those who are nearest to us. And the season affords us a unique opportunity to step back and empathize with people who face hardships <a href="http://www.mdgmonitor.org/" id="x5ph" title="throughout the world">throughout the world</a>. This season, Googlers everywhere are not only celebrating the joys of the holidays; quite a few of us have joined together to give back to our <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&time=&date=&ttype=&q=community+service&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=29.384021,69.257813&ie=UTF8&mrt=kmlkmz&view=text" id="jx0r" title="local communities">local communities</a>. Whether it's helping kids craft public service announcements, contributing to <a href="http://www.mytwofrontteeth.org/google" id="tztk" title="toy drives">toy drives</a>, gathering donations for food banks, working with high schoolers on their college apps, writing get-well cards for sick children, or pitting teams of chefs against one another for charity, Googlers have made it a point to get creative. We've assembled pictures from these events in this album, and encourage you <a href="http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=&q=community+service&btnG=Google+Search" id="wxem" title="to find a way">to find a way</a> to give back in your own community. <center> <embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&noautoplay=1&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fgblogphotos%2Falbumid%2F5146466862343602145%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" height="267" width="400"></embed> </center>

'tis the season

Posted by David Griswold, Google Blog Team The holiday season is a time for reuniting with friends and family, reveling in stories and sent...

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My Maps are Our Maps

Posted by Joscelin Cooper, Google Blog team The tools used for navigation and exploration are fraught with metaphorical possibility. A compass or telescope can be a powerful symbol for search, discovery, and the fearless embrace of the unknown. A map can tell you where you are, give you an idea of what lies ahead, and even better, give scale and breadth to your location. Maps connect us with the world in a way that is tangible, visual and now, even <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2007/04/map-making-so-easy-caveman-could-do-it.html" id="bfmg" title="interactive">interactive</a>. And for any of the myriad places you can point to on a map, there are traditions, stories, pictures and memories -- each is as unique and fascinating as its teller. For this year's holiday season we've created a <a href="http://maps.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=68480" id="rv7z" title="My Map">My Map</a> for you to customize. <iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&om=1&msa=0&msid=103284839433106201971.000441462e89d7d0615ea&ll=58.539595,-74.179687&spn=76.872975,-84.375&output=embed&s=AARTsJp452pOViQTv0tJF8YVlefkXT1xlA"></iframe> <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&om=1&msa=0&msid=103284839433106201971.000441462e89d7d0615ea&ll=58.539595,-74.179687&spn=76.872975,-84.375&source=embed" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a> Mark your place in the world with <a href="http://maps.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=68480#photos" id="emy6" title="photos">photos</a>, <a href="http://maps.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=68480#videos" id="wh_h" title="video">video</a> and stories that illuminate something about how you celebrate. Your stories can make for a considerably bigger map than any featuring geopolitical boundaries and highway markers; they can mark a human space of Chanukah candles, Christmas trees, family feasts and reunions great and small. We look forward to seeing how you make your mark.

My Maps are Our Maps

Posted by Joscelin Cooper, Google Blog team The tools used for navigation and exploration are fraught with metaphorical possibility. A compa...

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New Toolbar adds accessible features

Posted by Jonas Klink, Software Engineer, Accessibility Last week Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer <a href="http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/annc/20071212_toolbar.html">launched version 5</a> as a public beta. This version introduces a number of exciting features, such as making your Toolbar settings available from any computer that you log into with your Google Account, improved suggestions for broken links, as well as important changes that make Toolbar more accessible for assistive technology users. This release adds support for Windows Accessibility APIs (used by screen readers, etc.) and enables keyboard navigation and access. From inside a browser with Toolbar installed, the global shortcut Alt+G places your cursor in the Google Toolbar search box. If you're using a screen reader, you'll hear "Google Toolbar Search". Pressing the Tab key brings keyboard focus to the button placed immediately after the search box, and right and left arrow keys move focus between buttons. More information on keyboard access is documented in the <a href="http://www.google.com/support/toolbar/bin/search.py?query=accessibility&Action.Search=Search&ctx=en%3Asearchbox">Toolbar Help Center</a> (query 'accessibility'). Version 5 comes as a part of our ongoing efforts to enhance accessibility in our client-side and web applications, which is a matter I hardly need to mention is very important. Personally, I see my work that went into the Toolbar as an important step forward, as the product reaches a very large number of users and enables everyone to gain quick access to a multitude of useful features, through a unified UI. Adding keyboard navigation and other features that enhance the ease of access to these features benefit everyone. We look forward to making further improvements to accessibility (including the installation process) in future releases. You can download the new Google Toolbar at <a href="http://toolbar.google.com/T5">http://toolbar.google.com/T5</a>.

New Toolbar adds accessible features

Posted by Jonas Klink, Software Engineer, Accessibility Last week Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer launched version 5 as a public beta...

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Decorate your desktop

Posted by Kathy Walrath, Google Desktop team This is the time of year when People Who Love to Decorate — you know who you are — can go all out. And while you're festooning your home and office, don't forget your computer desktop! The Inside Google Desktop Blog has a guide to the <a href="http://googledesktop.blogspot.com/2007/12/desktop-gadgets-for-holiday-season.html" id="g-_m" title="latest holiday gadgets">latest holiday gadgets</a>, with a picture of each one and tips on how you might use it. You can decorate a Christmas tree, listen to music, exchange ornaments with a friend, count down to the New Year, and more. They look right at home on your desktop, or you can put them in the Google Desktop sidebar or your iGoogle home page. <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB_XknK0NYUyKx8_I65r8X4Tf3jqOQsNiwGzmHPia19o6MBDQ53jtiGpRLjZgO_UVJNHRwjyX7NenmeBwaqtyapNWJWF6GC-bAaQaQnVKYVnxw9rc9T2wgB5ONKoC2V64tZnzot_nHN-0G/s1600-h/Desktop_tree.gif" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5146121664690181602" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB_XknK0NYUyKx8_I65r8X4Tf3jqOQsNiwGzmHPia19o6MBDQ53jtiGpRLjZgO_UVJNHRwjyX7NenmeBwaqtyapNWJWF6GC-bAaQaQnVKYVnxw9rc9T2wgB5ONKoC2V64tZnzot_nHN-0G/s320/Desktop_tree.gif" style="cursor: pointer;" /></a> </div>Take the Christmas Tree gadget, for instance. When you start it up, it's a simple tree with gently falling snow. With a few clicks you can add ornaments wherever you like. If you find the animated precipitation distracting, you can hide the snowflakes. We hope you enjoy these gadgets. And happy holidays from the Google Desktop Team!

Decorate your desktop

Posted by Kathy Walrath, Google Desktop team This is the time of year when People Who Love to Decorate — you know who you are — can go all o...

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Get your cricket scores here

Posted by Sadeesh Duraisamy and Prasanna Meda, Software Engineers Around Google we look to add value for our users in various ways. One way to do this is through our 20% time (engineers can spend one day a week working on projects that are not necessarily part of their current job responsibilities -- an integral part of our <a href="http://www.google.com/support/jobs/bin/static.py?page=about.html" target="_blank">philosophy)</a>. So the two of us decided to use our 20% time for something near to the hearts of many. If you know what a silly mid-on is and what LBW stands for, chances are you're one of the tens of millions of cricket fans that just can't get enough of the latest scores. Well, we have good news: you can now get the latest cricket scores when you visit <a href="http://news.google.com/news?ned=in" target="_blank" title="http://news.google.com/news?ned=in">Google News India</a>. There's more detail about this new feature on the <a href="http://googlenewsblog.blogspot.com/2007/12/cricket-scores-in-google-news.html">Google News Blog</a>.

Get your cricket scores here

Posted by Sadeesh Duraisamy and Prasanna Meda, Software Engineers Around Google we look to add value for our users in various ways. One way ...

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Analysis: The FTC clears our acquisition of DoubleClick

Posted by David Drummond, Senior Vice President, Corporate Development and Chief Legal Officer Earlier today, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) <a href="http://www.google.com/press/pressrel/20071220_doubleclick.html" id="g78_" title="cleared our acquisition of DoubleClick">cleared our acquisition of DoubleClick</a>. This is obviously excellent news for both companies, and I would like to comment on its significance and what it means for us going forward. Perhaps most importantly, the FTC’s decision publicly affirms what we and numerous independent analysts <a href="http://googlepublicpolicy.blogspot.com/2007/09/our-senate-testimony-on-online.html" id="sl3h" title="have been saying">have been saying</a> for months: our acquisition does not threaten competition in what is a robust, innovative, and quickly evolving online advertising space. In fact, we firmly believe the transaction will increase competition and bring substantial benefits to consumers, web publishers, and online advertisers. Looking at the FTC's <a href="http://ftc.gov/opa/2007/12/googledc.shtm" id="y_2g" title="clearance opinion">clearance statement</a>, a few key points jump out as noteworthy: <ul><li> Transaction was cleared with no conditions. The FTC cleared the acquisition unconditionally, without demanding any changes in or commitments concerning the companies’ business practices. This will allow us to remain flexible as we continue to innovate and provide the best services to our customers and users. </li><li> Google and DoubleClick are not competitors. The FTC stated that its "thorough analysis of the evidence showed that the companies are not direct competitors in any relevant antitrust market." Furthermore, the FTC concluded that the merger would not eliminate beneficial potential competition, writing that "it is unlikely that the elimination of Google as a potential competitor in the third party ad serving markets would have a significant impact on competition." We agree with both of these findings. Google and DoubleClick provide complementary services, and competition between the companies was not necessary to create benefits for consumers. To the contrary, consumers will benefit from the two companies working together and combining our resources. </li><li> Third party ad serving markets are highly competitive. The FTC noted that "the evidence shows that the third party ad serving markets are competitive," and said that "the evidence also shows that firms can and do switch ad serving firms when it is in their self-interest to do so." This is an important finding, because it means that ad serving customers will continue to benefit from innovation and product development by the many players in this space, and that they can always select the ad serving provider that offers them the best services. </li><li> Privacy not a part of the merger review. Though we strongly believe in protecting our users' privacy, the FTC clearance decision reaffirmed the law by noting that privacy concerns played no role in its merger review. This is an important principle, as privacy issues need to be addressed on an industry-wide basis, and not on a company-by-company basis. The FTC wrote, "although such issues may present important policy questions for the Nation, the sole purpose of federal antitrust review of mergers and acquisitions is to identify and remedy transactions that harm competition. Not only does the Commission lack legal authority to require conditions to this merger that do not relate to antitrust, regulating the privacy requirements of just one company could itself pose a serious detriment to competition in this vast and rapidly evolving industry." The FTC also noted, however, "that the evidence does not support a conclusion" that this particular transaction will harm consumer privacy. </li><li> Data combination wouldn't pose problems. The FTC rejected the suggestion from competitors that Google would combine user information with DoubleClick's customers' data to obtain an advantage in the market, writing that the data is owned by DoubleClick’s customers and that "at bottom, the concerns raised by Google’s competitors regarding the integration of these two data sets -- should privacy concerns not prevent such integration -- really amount to a fear that the transaction will lead to Google offering a superior product to its customers." Moreover, "a number of Google’s competitors have at their disposal valuable stores of data not available to Google. For instance, Google’s most significant competitors in the ad intermediation market, Microsoft, Yahoo!, and Time Warner have access to their own unique data stores." </li><li> Advertisers and publishers aren't concerned. The FTC noted that "the clear majority of third parties expressing [competitive] concerns [about the deal] were Google’s current or potential competitors." Additionally, Commissioner Jon Liebowitz noted in his <a href="http://ftc.gov/os/caselist/0710170/071220leib.pdf" id="wp4." title="concurring opinion">concurring opinion</a> that "my staff and I independently spoke with publishers and advertisers potentially affected by this deal and, somewhat surprisingly, they raised few anticompetitive concerns. In fact, many seem unruffled by the alternatives in the post-merger market." It is telling that while our competitors tried hard to come up with theories of how our customers and partners could be harmed by the deal, those customers and partners themselves did not agree with those theories. In fact, we know that many of these advertisers and publishers are excited about the transaction and look forward to benefiting from it.</li></ul>But as I said at the outset, perhaps the most important aspect of the clearance decision is its recognition of the fact that both Google and DoubleClick do business in a competitive and rapidly evolving arena. Indeed, as the FTC noted, all of the recent acquisitions that have occurred in the online advertising space have confirmed this. "The entry and expansion of...well-financed competitors has transformed the ad intermediation marketplace over the last six months," the FTC wrote. "All of these firms are vertically integrated, and all appear to be well-positioned to compete vigorously against Google in this new marketplace." I should also note that, separate from its clearance decision, the FTC this morning released some suggested <a href="http://ftc.gov/opa/2007/12/principles.shtm" id="b0_:" title="principles">principles</a> to guide online companies engaging in online advertising. We support the FTC's effort to develop industry-wide standards in this area, and we are studying these proposals carefully. Receiving clearance from the FTC is of course an important step forward, but it does not mean that we can now close the acquisition. For that, we must also receive clearance from European Commission (EC), which is still conducting its review. We are cooperating fully with the EC and are hopeful that they will soon reach the same conclusion as their U.S. counterparts.

Analysis: The FTC clears our acquisition of DoubleClick

Posted by David Drummond, Senior Vice President, Corporate Development and Chief Legal Officer Earlier today, the U.S. Federal Trade Commiss...

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Accessibility mashups: AxsJAX fun with XKCD Comics

Posted by T.V. Raman, Research Scientist 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. Earlier this year, I blogged about the potential presented by <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2007/02/web-apis-web-mashups-and-accessibility.html" target="_blank" title="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2007/02/web-apis-web-mashups-and-accessibility.html">accessibility mashups</a> with respect to delivering web interfaces that are optimized to a user's special needs. More recently, my office-mate Charles Chen and I blogged about our work on <a href="http://google-code-updates.blogspot.com/2007/11/introducing-axsjax-access-enabling-ajax.html" target="_blank" title="http://google-code-updates.blogspot.com/2007/11/introducing-axsjax-access-enabling-ajax.html">AxsJAX</a> as a framework for leveraging Web-2.0 for injecting accessibility enhancements into web applications. As we head into the holiday season, we decided it was time to have some fun and generate a few laughs based on what we've worked on during the year. As chance would have it, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randall_Munroe">Randall Munroe</a>, the creator of the <a href="http://www.xkcd.com/" target="_blank">XKCD comic strip,</a> visited our Mountain View campus to give an <a com="" href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=zJOS0sV2a24" v="zJOS0sV2a24">extremely entertaining talk</a>. He even made a reference to blind hacker geeks! So the temptation was too hard to resist. We had to speech-enable his comic strip. The XKCD comics are highly visual, with a short comment from the author accompanying many of the episodes. Having a detailed written description that is visible to everyone would spoil the comic for the average user; part of the fun is to understand the jokes purely from the sketches. At the same time, notice that indexing and searching online comics runs into the same challenge that blind users face: to be able to locate past episodes, one needs access to textual transcripts that capture the essence of each sketch. To help with the latter, fans of online comics like XKCD have created a <a href="http://www.ohnorobot.com/" target="_blank" title="http://www.ohnorobot.com">search engine</a> devoted to indexing comic strips, replete with full text transcriptions. This is an example of a social Web application where fans can transcribe their favorite comics including XKCD. In the Web 1.0 world, I would have to pull up an XKCD episode, then go to the site containing the transcripts, and finally find the associated transcript in order to make sense of the comic. But this is exactly where Web 2.0 mashups excel; mashups are all about bringing data from multiple Web sources into a single integrated view. Once we realized this, we were able to AxsJAX the XKCD site with a small amount of code. Now, I can browse to the XKCD comic site, and listen to each episode -- with the underlying AxsJAX-based mashup taking care of the minutiae of retrieving the relevant transcript and integrating it into the comic strip. This approach leverages all that is powerful about web-based applications: <ul><li>Distributed accessibility --- the XKCD author does not need to create the transcripts. </li><li>Transcripts can be integrated from across the web. </li><li>The accessibility enhancements do not spoil the fun for XKCD readers in general. </li><li>And with Open Source self-voicing plugins like <a href="http://firevox.clcworld.net/" target="_blank" title="http://firevox.clcworld.net">Fire Vox</a>, every XKCD user can listen to the strip when desired. </li></ul>

Accessibility mashups: AxsJAX fun with XKCD Comics

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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