Google has just rolled out the new Knowledge Graph that is expected to make your search experience more engaging. Until now, search was all about queries matching keywords. The new technology is designed to deliver a more human approach to the search results rather than just a list of links. With Knowledge Graph, Google can now shed light on people, places, books and many other such things that are correlated to the query. Google presents you with 500 million objects along with 3.5 billion facts that relates those objects. That’s an impressive count to start with. Let us take a closer look at what it promises to do.

Pinpointing The Search:

Every time you search for something that may have different interpretations, you are presented with a list of possible things that relate to the search. For instance, a search for the term Taj Mahal will now show Shahjahan’s monument, a musician whose stage name was Taj Mahal and even a casino likewise with a same name. Click any of those and links having matching keywords or relevant information will show up.

Summary and Related Information:

The search for the term Frank Lloyd Wright will now show a summary about the versatile architect with information such as date of birth, education, projects etc. In addition to these, Google will also show people and data that may be of importance or concern to the user. A similar search about Marie Curie, the Noble winning erudite, will portray her as a person and not just a search term, thus depicting her as a mother(name of children) and a wife(name of spouse) as well apart from showcasing her achievements in the field of radioactivity.

Delving Deeper:

The another side of search that intrigues a user apart from the information he/she was looking for is something that he/she found out of the blue. The new search is capable of doing that(as the press release publicizes). Web seemed great so far, however, at times the pool of information seems overwhelming. The new search feature will perhaps be better enjoyed for consuming information easily.

The Knowledge Graph was rumored to change the search experience altogether and with the official launch, the response so far from the media bigwigs are quite pleasant to summarize. The feature is yet to be available for all but will soon be rolled out globally. Since Google has already implemented social search with Google+ search integration, the new technology is expected to provide better results based on facts from knowledge bases like Wikipedia, Freebase or CIA World Factbook which with time will be augmented by the search habits and shared information not only by any user but his/her network as well. Although Google predicts Google+ to be the next step, the improvement to the core product is a welcome change. To put it in a line, “I’m feeling luckier”, are you?

[via Google Blog, Forbes]

Google is one of the companies which have hidden "Easter eggs" in their search results and website alike. They have so many of them that we had to compile a list of Best Hidden Easter Eggs by Google.

However, a new Easter Egg spotted by Search Engine Land definitely takes the cake. This Google Search Easter Egg kicks in when you search Google for the keywords "zerg rush". Once you enter the keywords and hit the Search button, Google will enact the popular strategy game StarCraft and destroy all the search results. At the end of it all, you will see a popular gaming jargon called "GG"; short for Good Game displayed (see screenshot above).

This is definitely one of the best Easter Eggs I have seen from Google. Have you seen better one’s? Do let me know about them. In the meanwhile go ahead and enjoy the treat by searching for "zerg rush" at Google.com.

Mobile smartphones and tablets are the future of computing and lot of companies understand that very well. One of the most important things that make a smartphone successful is the number of apps that are available for that particular platform. Most of the major platforms like iOS, Android and Windows Phone 7 all have dedicated app stores where users can download apps for their platforms.

However, it looks like several people are also searching for those mobile apps using Google. An indication of this is a dedicated section in Google search where users can search for "Applications" as seen in the screenshot above.

The new section available in the LHS menu allows users to search for applications in various app stores. However, the list of app stores/websites seem to be limited to Apple and Google for now. For example, my search for "rowi" the popular Twitter app for Windows Phone did not yield any results from Windows Phone marketplace, however, a search for everything listed it as the second result.

The Applications search is not just limited to mobile phones though and can also be used to search for Google Chrome extension and apps, Firefox add-ons, Windows applications, Mac OS X software and more. A dedicated option for Applications is definitely good because and will allow users to quickly find download links to their applications.

I am not sure if the Applications search is new or old, but it was probably the first time I have personally seen it. Have you seen the Applications search before? Do you find it useful while looking to download apps?

Google is awesome! You already knew that, but there is new reason to think so! Google is ushering in the future. The newest innovation from Google will allow you to experience infinite possibilities, be it using your mobile phone (Android) or your laptop(Google Chrome) or just the good old reliable Google Search Engine. Here’s everything you need to know in order to get on this brand new bandwagon!

Gmail Tap – The Smartest Way to get the maximum out of your smart phone!

The basic problem that Google wanted to address is the pet peeve of every smartphone user – and there are a lot of those guys now. So here’s Google’s solution – you just use two buttons. What can be simpler than that?

A new app will allow you to use Morse code to write actual words. Each letter or digit is represented by a specific sequence of dots-and-dashes. On the screen you’ll see two large buttons, one for the dot and the other for the dash. Then on, it’s just two fingers to type out an entire text within a few seconds. Of course, there is a spacebar and a backspace key too. You even have a way to access the original QWERTY keyboard. Sure, Gmail Tap will require a bit of practise, but then, once you’re set, you’ll be blazing away.

This is the interface. Note the dual key set on the right, meant exclusively for power users.

There is also an option of dual tap – the advanced version of this app, made exclusively for power users (Picture above, right). This will create another set of buttons – dot, dash, space etc. – which will allow you to use two hands simultaneously, doubling your typing speed! Now, ain’t that cool?

Says David Brooks, Communication Services, Google :

You can say two things with your finger, that your mouth can say only one of!

Here’s the promo page: https://mail.google.com/mail/help/promos/tap/index.html
And here’s the download link: https://mail.google.com/mail/help/promos/tap/download.html

Google’s Really Advanced Search

Google, the synonym for internet search, just got more synonymous with internet search. In a wonderful new move, Google introduced the Really Advanced Search loaded with features you’d have to think really hard to come up with! Genius these guys!

So what’s new, you ask? Obviously, you have to enter the search phrase. Then, you can enter various other fields that might be useful to Google for providing you with just the information you’re looking for. You might enter a slang with the search word, or an innuendo. What do you do when you want to search a sentence you read the other day, but just can’t recollect? Just enter the phrases and you’ll be greeted with the results!

Of course, being really advanced, you can narrow down the search results by providing any grammatical faux pas that someone made or even by putting in the chromatic number of the background. In addition to all this, Google will definitely allow you to tickle a unicorn or search out things by their odour, thus fulfilling your long-time need for a virtual dog.

Really Advanced Search Team: https://www.google.com/js/reallyadvanced.html

Multi-tasking Mice

Google Chrome now uses two mice, instead of one. Why? The philosophy is quite simple really! Google realises that you use just one of your hands, instead of two. So that you can use both, you can now go to the Chrome Multitask Mode where you can use two mouse cursors, instead of the ordinary one. Now, two people can use the same computer. Again, it’ll take a bit of time to get used to, but you’ll soon grow into it, becoming a pro very soon!

Chrome Multitasking Mode is something to grow into. I am hooked!

Promo Video: https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/multitask.html
Try Chrome Multitask Mode: https://www.google.com/chrome/multitask.html

…

Simply brilliant from Google!

Or it would be, if any of this were true. If you haven’t realized this as yet, this entire post has been an April Fool Joke. Of course, we are just riding piggy back on Google. Do have fun clicking on the links and forwarding the news of the latest breathtaking innovations from Google. And don’t forget to laugh!

Happy April Fools’ Day Everyone!

In the US, Google is being investigated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on anti-trust charges. There’s a lot being said against Google and the company is being even considered as a monopoly. The company’s policies regarding user privacy, social and advertising have raised concerns. The FTC investigations are focusing on Google’s advertising pricing and search ranking favoritism.

In an update on the FTC investigations, Bloomberg’s Sara Forden and Jeff Bliss are reporting that Apple has been subpoenaed by the FTC for having Google as the default service for iOS features. Google and Apple have had a strained relation since the launch of Android and Apple is trying to reduce their reliance on Google. Back in 2010, Apple added Bing as a search engine option in Safari and much recently, during the launch of the new iPad, the company made its intentions clear when they showed OpenStreetMaps integration in iPhoto for iOS.

It may be possible that Apple saw the FTC investigation coming and this was a reason for switching to OpenStreetMaps. Or it is spite. Or economy.

Over the past few weeks Google has started considering Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 as an OS to stay. Google Analytics started listing Windows Phone as OS under mobile, followed by Google enabling multiple calendar sync for Windows Phone 7.

The love did not stop there. If one visited Google’s homepage via IE on WP7, there’s a big option to pin Google on your homescreen. Here’s what it looks like:

Once pinned, a tile to google.com’s mobile website is added to the homescreen and I quite like the tile icon:

While Google doesn’t have an official app for WP7, it is an interesting approach of using Microsoft’s new found love for turning web pages into applications; a trend that will continue with Windows 8.

Update: @harsha_g11 pointed out that the guys at WPCentral spotted this two weeks back.

Google has rolled out a new update for the Google Search widget in the Android Market. The new update brings in quite a few changes including a new color scheme and simplified UI.’

Below is the whole change-log of the update -:

1. New color scheme and simplified UI
2. Faster
3. Enhanced suggestions and query editing
4. Better localized suggestions and search results for more countries
5. Long press on history items to remove them

An update for the Google Search widget was over-due for quite sometime now. In fact, Google had not updated the app since it released Android 2.2 FroYo.

The new update makes the widget much more usable and the UI simpler. The whole UI of the Google Search bar now feels similar to the Google Maps and other Google products, which is a good thing, since Google is known for inconsistent UIs across its product line.

The update is only meant for Android handsets running Android 2.2 or Android 2.3.  The new Google Search widget can be downloaded from the Android Market for free.

When Google launched Plus, it made it pretty clear that Plus itself was just one facet of Google’s social plans. Now, it is ready to unveil the other major component. Google Plus will soon become an integral part of Google Search – the core product on which Google built its empire.

Amit Singhal, the person who has shaped Google Search for more than a decade, wrote, “We’re transforming Google into a search engine that understands not only content, but also people and relationships”. Google has been experimenting with Social Search for over two years. However, empowered by its own social network, Google is now going to go where it couldn’t or wouldn’t go earlier. It is dubbing the new experience as “Search, plus Your World”. It centers around three crucial features.

Personal Results: Just as the name suggests, Google will tap into your Google Plus circles to fetch content created and shared by your friends. Looking for a place to party on a Friday night? Google can pull up places your friends have visited along with their comments. The objective is to add more context to information so that the search results do a better job at answering your queries.

Profiles Search: Google is adding profile autocomplete that will scan your circles to suggest friends, in addition to celebrities and other public personalities. “So when I search for [ben smith], I now find my dear friend Ben every time, instead of the hundreds of other Ben Smiths out there”, explained Singhal. The results themselves will also have tight integration with Google Plus. The results will be hyperlinked to Google Plus profiles, and you will be able to add people to your circles directly from the search results page.

People and Pages: The new Google search results page will have a little sidebar called “People and Pages on Google+” that will highlight personalities and communities related to your search term. For example, if you search for music you will see profiles of popular singers and musicians like Britney Spears and Alicia Keys.

“Search, plus Your World” is possibly the most radical update to Google Search ever. Make no mistake about it, as it begins rolling out to the millions of Google users across the world, ramifications are going to be felt. Most people resist change, and even the smallest of them often triggers vociferous protests. Google’s new personalized search dramatically alters search results, and often pushes Google Plus in your face. While there are plenty of cases where a personalized result will be more relevant, there are plenty of occasions where they will in fact be detrimental. Personalized search often creates a myopic world where new and useful information is buried beneath the familiar and old. So it’s no wonder that some people are going to hate “Search, plus World”. In fact, lots of people are going to hate the new Google Search. Fortunately, Google also realizes this. For the first time ever, it will be really easy to opt out of personalized and social search. With the click of a button you will be able to toggle between global results and your personal results, on a query to query basis. You will be able to see and judge the pros and cons of personalized search for yourself.

Earlier this week, Mozilla announced a new search agreement with Google that will ensure that Google remains Firefox’s default search provider for at least the next three years. However, Mozilla had declined to share exactly how much Google had agreed to pony up for this privilege. Now, Kara Swisher has managed to learn the juicy details.

Contrary to speculation from so-called pundits and analysts, the renewal of the search partnership got delayed not because of lack of interest from Google, but due to intense competition from Microsoft. Even Yahoo, which also uses Bing’s results, was in the race. As a result of Microsoft’s heightened interest, Google was forced to provide a minimum revenue guarantee of 300 million per year for three years, which is almost a three folds increase from the previous agreement.

Mozilla will continue to have search partnerships with Microsoft Bing, Amazon, eBay, and Yahoo. However, it is the default search engine agreement that yields the maximum benefits for both sides. Opera’s default search agreement with Google will expire at the end of March, 2012. It will be interesting to see how much Opera Software, whose desktop browser is estimated to have less than 10% of Firefox’s market share, will be able to extract from a search deal.

The latest edition of Zeitgeist, Google’s annual summary of the year’s trending searches, is out, and it all but reinforces that we have gotten our priorities horribly wrong. In a year in which we witnessed inspiring revolutions in the Middle East, tragic floods in South America and elsewhere, and devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the Zeitgeist is dominated by celebrities and frivolous events.

Rebecca Black was the fastest rising search term in the US as well as around the world, while the Britons were captivated by the Royal Wedding, and Indians were perplexingly enough searching for Facebook on Google. Google Plus, Ryan Dunn, Casey Anthony, Battlefield 3, iPhone 5, Adele, and Steve Jobs were some of the other things the masses were searching for. The only news related search term to make it to the top ten was related to the TEPCO power outage.

The Zeitgeist is a reflection of public sentiment, and a sorry one at that. Enough Indian men were intrigued by a model’s promise of nudity to have propelled her into the top ten, while more pressing issues such as inflation and corruption didn’t even register. Year end reports published by Yahoo and Facebook also painted an equally embarrassing picture.

Zeitgeist 2011 features improved visualization tools and allows you to dig into month wise trend reports from across the globe spread over dozens of categories. Head over to googlezeitgeist.com and start exploring.