Google Groups Tests a New Interface

Google Groups Tests a New Interface: "Google Groups tests a new interface that seems to be inspired by Google Reader. There are a lot of great new features: keyboard shortcuts, infinite scrolling, search box autocomplete, a mobile version, integration with Google Profiles and a rich text editor for composing messages.

The new version of Google Groups hasn't replaced the old version because it's not finished and there are still many issues to solve. The right sidebar shows a lot of uninteresting information (announcements, recent searches), but doesn't list your groups. You need to click on 'my groups' to see this list and you can also add some of the groups to your favorites. Another issue is that the new interface no longer has a summary view that shows a small snippet from the first message of a thread.


'When you sign in to Google Groups, you'll see a link to preview the new Google Groups. Once there, you can make it your default view (and you can switch back to the old version if you ever need it). We're excited about sharing these improvements with you, but this is just a start; we're working on improved spam controls, moderation, search, and other freatures to make Google Groups the best way to engage in discussions. We also want to hear your thoughts, ideas, and any issues you encounter, so please contribute to our Product Ideas page,' suggests Google.

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Google Will Launch Chrome Web Store and Chrome OS Today

Google Will Launch Chrome Web Store and Chrome OS Today: "Today is an important day for Google Chrome: Google will launch Chrome Web Store, a marketplace for web apps, and Chrome OS, the first browser-centric operating system. Google has uploaded two introductory videos to the YouTube channel, but they're not yet publicly available. Here are some snapshots from the videos:

Chrome OS Tour

Chrome Web Store: Museum of Thieves (Flash game)

Chrome Web Store: Sports Illustrated

Google has already announced the launch event a few days ago: 'On December 7, we will host an event in San Francisco where we plan to share some exciting news about Chrome. The event will be webcast live on YouTube at: www.youtube.com/googlechrome. Mark your calendars for 10:30 a.m. PST and tune in.'

{ Thanks, Emanuele. }

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Google Cloud Print, Now Available

Google Cloud Print, Now Available: "Google Cloud Print is now available in the latest Chrome Dev Channel build for Windows. After installing Chrome 9.0.597.10, you'll be able to enable Cloud Print from Options >> Under the hood >> Google Cloud Print. Log in to your Google account and Google will connect your local printers with Cloud Print, so that you can print documents from other devices.

'Google Cloud Print is built on the idea that printing can be more intuitive, accessible, and useful. Using Google Cloud Print you can make your printers available to you from any Google Cloud Print enabled web or mobile app,' explains Google.

Since none of your printers is Cloud Print-enabled, you'll have to use a software that connects Cloud Print with your printers. Google Chrome 9 for Windows includes a Cloud Print Connector and you'll only be able to use Cloud Print while the connector is running.

At the moment, there's no mobile app that takes advantage of Cloud Print, but Google will probably release an Android app later today. You can manage your printers and their tasks from this page. To try the new feature, print a test page.






{ Thanks, François. }

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Google Editions to Be Released This Month

Google Editions to Be Released This Month: "The Wall Street Journal reports that Google will launch this month Google Editions, the service that will allow users to read copyrighted books from Google Book Search.

The long-delayed venture — Google executives had said they hoped to launch this summer — recently has cleared several technical and legal hurdles, people close to the company say. It is set to debut in the U.S. by the end of the year and internationally in the first quarter of next year, said Scott Dougall, a Google product management director. (...)

Google Editions hopes to upend the existing e-book market by offering an open, 'read anywhere' model that is different from many competitors. Users will be able to buy books directly from Google or from multiple online retailers — including independent bookstores — and add them to an online library tied to a Google account. They will be able to access their Google accounts on most devices with a Web browser, including personal computers, smartphones and tablets.

This will finally answer the question 'How can I read an entire book in Google Book Search?'. Right now, you can only read books in the public domain and some books from the Partner Program. 'Many of the books in Google Books come from authors and publishers who participate in our Partner Program. For these books, our partners decide how much of the book is browsable - anywhere from a few sample pages to the whole book,' explains Google. Google's partners will now have an incentive to allow full access to the books: users will actually pay to read the books.

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Badges on orkut! Can you collect them all?

Badges on orkut! Can you collect them all?: "

You might have noticed something new in orkut. Some of your friends may have little icons on their profile pages, and you may start seeing some updates from friends as well. These are our new orkut badges!

Badges are another way for you to express yourself on orkut, with different sets of badges for users that engage with orkut in different ways. For example, if you've been on orkut for a long time, you might get an Early User badge! Or, if you created a popular promotion, you might get a Promoter badge. Once you win a badge, it's up to you if you want to display it on your profile or not.




There will be lots of badges available for you to collect, based on your interactions with orkut. Here's an initial list of badges that we plan to make available over the coming weeks. Can you collect them all?

Also, keep an eye out for more, because who knows what other badges might show up around here? Imagination is the limit! :)




Posted by Igor Cananea and Ranveer Kunal, software engineers

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New in Labs: Recently used emoji

New in Labs: Recently used emoji: "Posted by Darren Lewis, Software Engineer

When we added emoticons in Gmail, you responded with a nice big smile , but then you asked for more. So we added hundreds more emoticons through Gmail Labs. “But alas!” you cried. “How can I ever keep up with so many different choices? I am overwhelmed by the sheer immensity of emotion , amusement , and cute animals that Gmail has to offer.' Well, don’t despair, fine purveyor of emoticons. There is now a solution: “Recently Used Emoji” in Gmail Labs, which keeps track of the ten most recent emoticons you’ve used, and saves them for easy access. To turn it on, just visit the Labs tab of Gmail Settings.


No more searching through dozens of cat faces for the one that says, “I miss you, but I’m still ambivalent about our weekend plans.” You can now triumph over the plethora of emoticons, and easily add a pile of emotion to any email that you choose — let us know how it goes.

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