Now you can speak to Google Mobile App on your iPhone

Have you ever been in a hurry and really needed to find an answer to something, but there was no one to ask? Like when you're grocery shopping and looking for the last item on your list, the kids are running around you in circles, you're holding a basket in one hand, and you have no idea what "fennel bulbs" look like.<br /><br />That's why we've added voice search to Google Mobile App for the iPhone — and made it super easy to use. Once the app is running, you don't have to tap any buttons. Just hold the iPhone to your ear, wait for the beep, and say what you're looking for. For instance, last week when I was arm wrestling with fellow product manager Robert Hamilton, I said, "official arm wrestling rules" to Google Mobile App to settle a little dispute about his elbow placement. (After all, the middle of an arm-wrestling match is no time to be typing.) Turns out we were both disqualified because we were not using elbow pads.<br /><br />Our passion for making search faster and easier goes further. When you do local searches, Google Mobile App can now automatically use your location to make results more relevant to where you are. That was really useful when I was in San Francisco last weekend and my daughter got a paper cut. Having no familiarity with the neighborhood I was in, I just searched for "pharmacies" and I was quickly on my way to the nearest place to buy a bandage. The day was saved.<br /><br />Check out this video to see what other Googlers from Chicago, London, New York, and Mountain View are searching for.<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/uZapF6fqz8M&hl=en&fs=1"><!-- param--><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/uZapF6fqz8M&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />To get the latest Google Mobile App for iPhone, go to the App Store on your iPhone and search for "Google Mobile App." (Note that voice search will be enabled by default for U.S. English users only.) Then, if you have a great voice search query to share, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/login?next=/video_response_upload%3Fv%3DuZapF6fqz8M">send us a video response</a> to our video. <br /><br />Learn more about the new Google Mobile App for iPhone on the <a href="http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2008/11/google-mobile-app-for-iphone-now-with.html">Google Mobile Blog</a> and by watching this <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3z7Tw1K17A">overview video</a>.<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Gummi Hafsteinsson, Product Manager and disqualified arm wrestler, Google Mobile team</span>

Now you can speak to Google Mobile App on your iPhone

Have you ever been in a hurry and really needed to find an answer to something, but there was no one to ask? Like when you're grocery sh...

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Ads in new places

At Google we're great supporters of experimentation because it's only by trying new things (even if some of them don't work out) that you discover better, more creative ways to operate. We've been testing different advertising formats for years (some have been more successful than others), and over the next few months, you'll see us continuing to experiment with new ads in new places.<br /><br />If you're based in the U.S. you may already have spotted or clicked on the different text and image ads we’re testing on the results pages of <a href="http://images.google.com/">Google Image Search</a>. And last week you may have noticed we launched Sponsored Videos on YouTube — a great example of matching ads to content.<br /><br />In addition, we are today launching text ads on <a href="http://finance.google.com/finance">Google Finance</a> in the United States. We're also looking at how best to show display ads on Google Finance. And later, in the very near future, we will start testing text ads on a small number of news refinements within Google Search — so if, for example, you type "iPod" into Google.com and then click on the news link on the upper left-hand side, you might see text ads alongside those results.<br /><br />Whenever we make changes like these, we carefully evaluate users' reactions to ensure we're holding true to our basic principles: that ads by Google should always be relevant and useful. Of course, these experiments benefit Google because they generate revenue from new sources — but by ensuring that we show the right ads at the right time to the right people, we'll add value for users too.<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Nick Fox, Director, Business Product Management</span>

Ads in new places

At Google we're great supporters of experimentation because it's only by trying new things (even if some of them don't work out)...

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Introducing SketchUp 7

We're very excited to announce the new release of <a href="http://sketchup.google.com/" id="p-w9" target="_blank" title="Google SketchUp 7">Google SketchUp 7</a>. If you don't already know about the fun you can have with SketchUp, here's a quick recap:<br /><br />SketchUp is software you can use to build 3D models of anything: your house, killer robots, furniture, trees, <a href="http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/cldetails?mid=d64f9fd934a566437fff1e42c246688a&ct=mdcc&prevstart=0" id="wb8c" target="_blank" title="abstract art">abstract art</a> — anything. Architects and engineers use it to design buildings and other structures. Woodworkers use it to plan their projects. And lots of people use it to figure out where to put their furniture. SketchUp is easy to learn, it comes in <a href="http://sketchup.google.com/product/gsu.html" id="un:7" target="_blank" title="free">free</a> and <a href="http://sketchup.google.com/product/gsup.html" id="y7yt" target="_blank" title="Pro">Pro</a> versions, and it's more fun than a houseful of clowns. Oh, and you can use it to <a href="http://www.google.com/intl/en/sketchup/3dwh/index.html" id="d0.i" target="_blank" title="build models for Google Earth">build models for Google Earth</a>, too.<br /><br />So what's new in SketchUp 7? There's too much to list here, but we focused on three major areas for this release:<br /><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Making it even easier to get started –</span> We've created a new class of "smart" objects called <a href="http://sketchup.google.com/product/dcs.html" id="xqhe" target="_blank" title="Dynamic Components">Dynamic Components</a>, which are simpler to work with for new modelers. Take a look at this video to see what I mean:</li></ul><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4aVW5X-tb8s&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4aVW5X-tb8s&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br /><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Making it easier to share what you make and collaborate with other people –</span> We built a better link between SketchUp and the rest of the 3D world, made it possible to "sign" your models, and added Google Docs–style <a href="http://sketchupdate.blogspot.com/2008/09/this-model-is-your-model-this-model-is.html" id="py.e" target="_blank" title="collaboration and sharing">collaboration and sharing</a> to our <a href="http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse" id="pw.:" target="_blank" title="Google 3D Warehouse">3D Warehouse</a>.</li></ul><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Adding powerful features for experienced SketchUp Pro users – </span>SketchUp is only half of the SketchUp Pro suite; the other half is all about sharing your work with your clients. <a href="http://sketchup.google.com/product/layout.html" id="o3mi" target="_blank" title="LayOut 2">LayOut 2</a> (which is now officially out of beta and rarin' to go) lets you create multi-page documents and presentations. Your models are linked to your LayOut file so that changing the former automatically updates the latter.</li></ul>Take a look at the <a href="http://sketchup.google.com/product/newin7.html" id="pdb2" target="_blank" title="What's New in 7 page">What's New in 7 page</a> on the SketchUp website to get the whole scoop. There's a great video to watch, and it stars some of the more prone-to-sunlight members of our engineering team — in lab coats, no less. Don't miss it.<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Aidan Chopra, SketchUp Product Evangelist<br /></span>

Introducing SketchUp 7

We're very excited to announce the new release of Google SketchUp 7 . If you don't already know about the fun you can have with Sket...

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It's Jam time

Today we hosted the <a href="http://code.google.com/codejam/">Google Code Jam</a> finals, inviting 100 of the world's top programmers to flex their brains in a grand coding showdown. This is our <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/google-code-jam-is-back.html">fifth annual</a> Global Code Jam competition, and thanks to a new platform created by a 20%-time team that includes previous Code Jam winners, more than 11,000 contestants tackled complex algorithmic challenges, programming in the language of their choice. After a series of online rounds in July and August, the top 500 semi-finalists competed in regional semifinals at 15 offices across Europe, Asia and the Americas to determine the final 100.<br /><br />We're pleased to announce that after three hours of furious typing, debugging and problem-solving at the onsite finals in Mountain View. this afternoon, Tiancheng Lou of China took home the $10,000 Grand Prize. Zeyuan Zhu from China won second place, Bruce Merry from the UK came in third, and cash prizes went to the other finalists. Overall, the 100 finalists represented 23 different countries.<br /><br />Congratulations to all the Code Jammers. We hope to see you at the next Jam. It's never too early to start practicing!<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Jeanne Williams, Google Code Jam Program Manager<br /></span>

It's Jam time

Today we hosted the Google Code Jam finals, inviting 100 of the world's top programmers to flex their brains in a grand coding showdown...

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Google Site Search gets more demanding

Customers today demand speed. Waiting around is so, well, yesterday -- as so many of the things we used to have to wait for are now at our fingertips online. We can read <a href="http://news.google.com/">up to the minute news</a>, <a href="http://maps.google.com/">get directions</a>, and find the answers to our <a href="http://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1GGCM_enUS299&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=election+results">most pressing questions</a> simply by entering them into a search box.<br /><br />For a business running their own website, this means that visitors who turn to search expect to have access to the newest products, pages and announcements a site has to offer.<br /><br />That's why today we're excited to bring you <a href="http://www.google.com/sitesearch/">On-Demand Indexing</a> for Google Site Search. On-Demand Indexing is like a turbocharger for Google Site Search, ensuring that your newest pages appear in search results on your website fast. Whether you're promoting a new line of products, sharing breaking news or reports, or updating your site in time for the holiday season, On-Demand Indexing puts businesses in control with an "Index Now" button, giving them the flexibility to quickly update search results whenever they have new content to update or add.<br /><br />Google Site Search builds on the <a href="http://www.google.com/coop/cse/">Google Custom Search Engine</a> by adding business integration features, the option to turn off ads, a more customized look and feel, as well as email and phone support. Check out this video to learn more:<br /><center><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/uUB04YCUQ7k&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/uUB04YCUQ7k&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /></center><br />Anyone with a website can take advantage of On-Demand Indexing today by signing up for Google Site Search. For more information about On-Demand Indexing, and how Google Site Search can help your online business or website, check out the <a href="http://googleenterprise.blogspot.com/2008/11/meeting-your-demands-with-google-site.html">Google Enterprise Blog</a> or visit <a href="http://www.google.com/sitesearch">www.google.com/sitesearch</a>.<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Nitin Mangtani, Lead Product Manager, Enterprise Search, and Tom Duerig, Software Engineer </span>

Google Site Search gets more demanding

Customers today demand speed. Waiting around is so, well, yesterday -- as so many of the things we used to have to wait for are now at our f...

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How we help track flu trends

<span style="font-style: italic;">This post is the latest in an ongoing <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/using-data-to-fight-webspam.html">series</a> about how we harness the data we collect to improve our products and services for our users. - Ed.</span><br /><br />Google search isn't just about looking up <a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=football+scores">football scores</a> from last weekend or finding a great <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=rome+hotel">hotel</a> for your next vacation. It can also be used for the public good. Yesterday, we <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/tracking-flu-trends.html">announced Google Flu Trends</a>, which uses aggregated search data in an effort to confront the challenge of influenza outbreaks.<br /><br />By taking <a href="http://www.google.com/intl/en/trends/about.html">Google Trends</a> — where you can see snapshots of what's on the public's collective mind — and applying the tool to a public health problem, our engineers found that there was a correlation between flu-related queries and the actual flu. They created a model for near real-time estimates about outbreaks, in the hopes that both health care professionals and the general public would use this tool to better prepare for flu season.<br /><br />Since we launched yesterday, the response from the medical community has been positive. "The earlier the warning, the earlier prevention and control measures can be put in place," said Dr. Lyn Finelli of the influenza division at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/12/technology/internet/12flu.html?_r=2&ref=todayspaper&oref=slogin&oref=slogin">The New York Times</a>. "[T]his could prevent cases of influenza." You can <a href="http://www.google.org/flutrends/">check out the tool</a> for yourself.<br /><br />We couldn't have built this flu detection system without analyzing historical patterns. Because flu season is different every year, just a few months of data wouldn't have done the trick. For example, the 2003-2004 flu season was unusually severe in many regions. The data from that season was especially robust and allowed us to discover a more accurate, reliable set of flu-related terms. To learn more about how we built the system, see this page on <a href="http://www.google.org/about/flutrends/how.html">how Flu Trends works</a>.<br /><br />Because we're committed to protecting your privacy, we made sure that the searches that we analyze for Google Flu Trends are not drawn from personally-identifiable search histories but rather from an aggregated set of hundreds of billions of searches.<br /><br />In order to provide a rough geographic breakdown of potential flu outbreaks, we use IP address information from our <a href="http://www.google.com/privacy_faq.html#serverlogs">server logs</a> to make a best guess about where queries originate. To protect your privacy, we <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/another-step-to-protect-user-privacy.html">anonymize</a> those IP addresses at nine months. And we don't provide this aggregated, anonymized data to third parties. For more information about the privacy protections for Flu Trends check out our <a href="http://www.google.org/about/flutrends/faq.html">FAQs</a> and <a href="http://www.google.com/privacypolicy.html">privacy policy</a>.<br /><br />This is just the first launch in what we hope will be several public service applications of Google Trends in the future. And as we continue to think of ways to use aggregated and anonymized search data in helpful ways, we're also committed to <a href="http://www.google.com/intl/en/privacy.html">safeguarding</a> our users' privacy.<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Pablo Chavez, Senior Policy Counsel</span>

How we help track flu trends

This post is the latest in an ongoing series about how we harness the data we collect to improve our products and services for our users. -...

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Promote your video with YouTube Sponsored Videos

<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Update</span> on 8/10/09: The name of this product has <a href="http://youtube-global.blogspot.com/2009/03/few-name-changes-on-site.html">changed</a> from Sponsored Videos to Promoted Videos.<br /><br />With 13 hours of video uploaded to YouTube every minute and millions of viewers watching hundreds of millions of videos every day, the popularity of YouTube can be a mixed blessing for users. While it's easier to get your 15 minutes of fame (or more, depending on who you are), it can be difficult for people to find your video in the first place, even if it's exactly what they're looking for.<br /><br />But what if you could promote your video on YouTube and make it easier for people to find it?<br /><br />Today, we are excited to announce a way to do just that. YouTube Sponsored Videos is our new advertising program that enables all video creators -- from the everyday user to a Fortune 500 advertiser -- to reach people who are interested in their content, products, or services, with relevant videos. Anyone can use Sponsored Videos to make sure their videos find a larger audience, whether you're a start-up band trying to break out with a new single, a film studio seeking to promote an exciting movie trailer, or even a first-time uploader trying to quickly build a following on the site.<br /><br />So how does Sponsored Videos work? Easy-to-use automated tools allow content owners to decide where they'd like their videos to appear, place bids in an automated online auction, and set daily spending budgets. Then, when people search for videos, YouTube will display relevant videos alongside the search results. These videos are clearly labeled as "sponsored videos" and are priced on a cost-per-click basis. (You can learn more about these tools in the video below.)<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hTffb8OF8_U&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hTffb8OF8_U&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />We are constantly working to develop the right advertising format for the right content and experience on YouTube. That's why our primary focus with Sponsored Videos is to build a platform consistent with the site's search and discovery experience. Just as AdWords provides people with relevant, non-obtrusive advertising, we hope that Sponsored Videos will provide useful, engaging content, accessible to advertisers of all kinds.<br /><br />We think this is a great first step for offering users, partners, and advertisers search marketing solutions on YouTube. Like Google, our philosophy at YouTube is continuous innovation, so we will work to improve Sponsored Videos by listening to your feedback and observing the auction as it takes time to fully develop. We hope that by leveraging much of the technology and insight of the AdWords team, we can make this transition as easy as possible.<br /><br />We do not believe there is one advertising solution for YouTube, but lots of valuable ways for advertisers to engage with our audience. The scale of YouTube Sponsored Videos -- with the branding power of InVideo ads, the engagement of our <a href="http://www.youtube.com/contests_main">contests</a>, the analytics of <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/insight-into-youtube-videos.html">YouTube Insight</a>, etc. -- should create exciting opportunities for users, partners, and advertisers.<br /><br />YouTube Sponsored Videos is currently only available in the United States, but we're working to bring it to other countries soon. If you're interested in running your own Sponsored Videos campaign, please visit <a href="http://ads.youtube.com/">ads.youtube.com</a>.<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Matthew Liu, Product Manager, YouTube</span>

Promote your video with YouTube Sponsored Videos

Update on 8/10/09: The name of this product has changed from Sponsored Videos to Promoted Videos. With 13 hours of video uploaded to YouTu...

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