Google survey finds 60 million women internet users in India

Google survey finds 60 million women internet users in India

A recent survey done by Google India has found that of a total of 150 million internet users in the country, 60 million are women.

The report, titled Women & Web Study, was designed to understand the internet usage patterns of the fairer sex, and how the internet influences purchase decisions of women in India. 'It reveals that around 60 million women use the internet to manage their day to day life', said a statement.

"With the report it is clear that the internet is empowering Indian women with easy access to information and helping them to make more informed decisions in their day-to-day life," said Rajan Anandan, vice president and managing director, Google India.

Accessing the internet has become quite easy at homes, cyber cafes, as well as smartphones. The internet is also fast becoming the favourite medium for comparisons when making a purchasing decision. The study also revealed that younger and more affluent women were more inclined to use the internet.

According to the study, nearly 24 million women in India log on daily to check emails, social networking sites, followed by downloading music, educational content, job search, etc.

The study revealed that the top searches done by women in India were on apparels and accessories, closely followed by food and drink; baby care; hair care, and skin care products. About 25% of the total queries via mobile phones were related to food, drink, hair and skin care- making it the fastest growing search category.

Google India conducted this study by compiling search data related to skin, hair care, baby care, apparels and accessories along with TNS Australia’s research survey on 1,000 women.


Source: http://www.thinkdigit.com/Internet/Google-survey-finds-60-million-women-internet_15149.html

Google launches Start Search India campaign, aims to simplify web for Indian users

Google India has announced a new initiative called 'Start Search India' in a bid to help simplify web for the Internet users in the country.

"The objective of the campaign is to help simplify the Web for Indian users, showing how they can get instant answers to their most common queries," Sandeep Menon, Director, Marketing, Google India, is quoted as saying.

He noted that more Indian users are coming to the web for the first time, therefore looking for convenient methods to explore/browse/search information on the Internet.

"Whether it is to find out about the weather, checking flight status, or even looking for a restaurant for dinner date, Google Search can give users instant answers to these common queries in the form of information cards that appear above search results," he add.

Considering growing number of Indians accessing the web via mobile phones, Menon added, "Today the next billion users are making the leap from no internet to mobile internet, without ever having used a desktop computer."

In a related development Google has launched a new ad format 'Product Listing Ads' in India. The new ad format is aimed at providing users information such as brand of products, price and images, helping users to have improved online shopping experience. Google believes the new format would provide great opportunities for merchants to display their business online and promote their products.

The new Product Listing Ads will be visible on shopping-related queries on Google.co.in. The ads will be placed on the right-hand side of the search results and labelled as 'sponsored'.


Source: http://www.thinkdigit.com/Internet/Google-launches-Start-Search-India-campaign-aims_15093.html

Google to retire Chrome Frame plugin for Internet Explorer

Google is planning to stop Chrome Frame For Internet Explorer and cease updates and support from January 2014. Chrome Frame was launched in 2009 by Google to help businesses to move to a modern framework without having to change from the Internet Explorer. Google Frame allows developers to set tags that automatically prompt Internet Explorer to Google Chrome Frame or of they do not sport Chrome Frame it directs them to their Installation Page.

Google stated, “Today, most people are using modern browsers that support the majority of the latest web technologies.” “Better yet, the usage of legacy browsers is declining significantly and newer browsers stay up to date automatically, which means the leading edge has become mainstream.”

Google elaborated that it is retiring its Chrome Frame Plug In as users for legacy browsers like Internet Explorer 6 and 7 have declined considerably and people are now using modern browsers instead. Google is recommending businesses using Google Frame to switch to either modern browsers or Chrome for Business that now.

Roger Capriotti, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer director, said that, "More and more people are using modern browsers every day. To help move the web forward, we continue to upgrade our Windows customers through Windows Update to ensure they have the latest version of IE for their PC. We also encourage developers to build modern HTML5 sites that are interoperable and help move the web forward."


Source: http://www.thinkdigit.com/Software/Google-to-retire-Chrome-Frame-plugin-for_15057.html

Gmail people widget now allows brands to promote Google+ profiles and posts

Google has introduced a new feature for its Gmail people widget that enables businesses to highlight their Google+ profiles and latest Google+ posts within customers' inboxes.

After having signed in, Gmail users can follow the brands' Google+ page from within the e-mail, without needing to visit Google+. The widget shows information culled from the business’s Google+ page, including the logo and recent Google+ activity, alongside opened Gmail messages originating from the business’s domain name.

Google says the updated widget allows brands to boost their Google+ following by prompting users right from Gmail. The widget also boosts visibility of Google+ posts. To appear in the new Gmail widget, businesses or organization needs is a verified Google+ page and digitally-signed emails. Learn more about the widget here

“Today we're expanding the +Gmail people widget to include brands and businesses (http://goo.gl/wx2mI), making it easier for your customers to connect with you on Google+. This way, when people receive emails from your domain, they can follow your Google+ page directly from their inbox! Your recent Google+ posts can also appear in the widget (alongside your email message), helping customers find and engage with your content,” says Google+ Your Business team in a post.

Google recently introduced a new dashboard for businesses and Google+ page owners that aims to make it easier to manage online presence. The new dashboard allows users to manage their activities around Google tools through a single platform. Read more about the update to Google+ Dashboard here.


Source: http://www.thinkdigit.com/Apps/Gmail-people-widget-now-allows-brands-to_15016.html

Google doodles on 160th birthday of petri dish inventor Julius Richard Petri

Google today celebrates 160th birth anniversary of German scientist Julius Richard Petri with an innovative doodle on its home page. The doodle features Petri's famous invention – the Petri Dish, used to culture cells or small moss plants.

Julius Richard Petri (May 31, 1852 – December 20, 1921) studied medicine at the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Academy for Military Physicians (1871–1875) and got his medical degree in 1876. He continued his study at the Charité Hospital in Berlin and continued as a military physician until 1882.

From 1877 to 1879 he was working at the Imperial Health Office, where he assisted Robert Koch. Petri developed the standard culture dish, also known as Petri plate. He also developed the technique of agar culture to purify or clone bacteria colonies from single cells. His work is said to have made it easier for scientists to identify the bacteria responsible for diseases.

Modern Petri dishes often come with rings on the lids and bases, which enables stacking so that they don't slide off one another. There are now “multi-well plates” as well that allow multiple dishes to be incorporated into one plastic container. Learn more about Petri dishes here.

Today's animated Google Doodle features a series of the Petri dishes in Google colours, replacing the “Google” word. On clicking, a hand appears that swabs each of them. Then you can see as the bacteria grow. There's a lens button on the right that directs users to search results on Julius Richard Petri.

Source: http://www.thinkdigit.com/Internet/Google-doodles-on-160th-birthday-of-petri_14854.html

Google to set up wireless networks in emerging markets: Report

Google is reportedly planning to set up wireless networks and offer related services in emerging markets in the near future. According to the Wall Street Journal, the networks would be set up outside the big cities where wired Internet connections aren't available. Moreover, the company is looking to partner with local companies for the deployment.

“As part of the plan, Google has been working on building an ecosystem of new microprocessors and low-cost smartphones powered by its Android mobile operating system to connect to the wireless networks, these people said. And the Internet search giant has worked on making special balloons or blimps, known as high-altitude platforms, to transmit signals to an area of hundreds of square miles, though such a network would involve frequencies other than the TV broadcast ones,” says the WSJ report.

The report goes on to say helping connect more people to the Internet would help Google get more potential users for its search engine and other products/services such as YouTube, Google Play media and app store. More users will help drive more online advertising to Google services.

Narayanan Shivakumar, a former Google engineering executive, says the expansion will help Google net more data about consumer behaviour - that would allow it create more personalized services and target users with more relevant ads. “And by profiting from data it gleans from how people use a network it operates, Google could build a business more cheaply than traditional carriers do today,” he adds.

“Providing wireless networks would allow Google to circumvent incumbent cable companies and wireless carriers. Such companies, particularly in the U.S. and Europe, have clashed with Google, believing it is unfairly reaping profits on the back of their networks. Google has long feared such companies would make it harder for its Web services to work properly on the networks,” the report quotes people with direct knowledge of the matter as saying.

It's notable Google already provides wired Internet in select cities of the US through its fiber-optic deployments. The company also plans to 'powerful Wi-Fi networks' in these cities.


Source: http://www.thinkdigit.com/Mobiles-PDAs/Google-to-set-up-wireless-networks-in_14789.html

Google Maps to offer panoramic images of The Galapagos Islands

Google has over the months continued to enhance its Google Maps Street View experience with panoramic images of the world's exquisite destinations. It recently added Grand Canyons and Everest, and now the latest to appear in Google's Street View panorama will be The Galapagos Islands.

Google in a detailed blog post revealed it is collecting imagery of the Islands, which includes Underwater Street View photography. The visual content is expected to appear on Google Maps later this year.

Google further says the biodiversity of the Islands inspired Charles Darwin to come up with the theory of evolution. Now taken care by Ecuador, the local government and conservationists are working together to rotect the Galapagos from threats posed by invasive species, climate change and other human impacts.

The Internet company tied up with the Ecuadorean government, the Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF), the Galapagos National Parks Directorate (GNPD), and the Catlin Seaview Survey to gather panoramic images of the Islands. For above-ground images, Google used is Street View Trekker while the coastal shelf were captured by Catlin Seaview Survey team, which has also teamed with Google, using three SVII cameras on its diver-operated, motorized underwater scooter.

“Our 10-day adventure in the Galapagos was full of hiking, boating and diving around the islands (in hot and humid conditions) to capture 360-degree images of the unique wildlife and geological features of the islands with the Trekker. We captured imagery from 10 locations that were hand-selected by CDF and GNPD. We walked past giant tortoises and blue-footed boobies, navigated through steep trails and lava fields, and picked our way down the crater of an active volcano called Sierra Negra,” said Google in a blog post.

“Life underwater in the Galapagos is just as diverse as life on land. We knew our map of the islands wouldn’t be comprehensive without exploring the ocean that surrounds them. So for the second time we teamed up with the folks at the Catlin Seaview Survey to collect underwater panoramic imagery of areas being studied by CDF and GNPD. This imagery will be used by Catlin Seaview Survey to create a visual and scientific baseline record of the marine environment surrounding the islands, allowing for any future changes to be measured and evaluated by scientists around the world.”

Source: http://www.thinkdigit.com/Internet/Google-Maps-to-offer-panoramic-images-of_14771.html

 

Google bans non-Play store app updates

Mess with Google, and Google will mess with you. Google caught Facebook updating its Android app without using the Google Play store update mechanism. Google closed the loophole in its terms and conditions, and now no Android app will be upgradeable without access to the Google Play store.

The Google Play store terms and conditions read, “An app downloaded from Google Play may not modify, replace or update its own APK binary code using any method other than Google Play's update mechanism.”

Facebook says that it was only pushing out the update to users that allowed non-Play store downloads to their phones. This worked under the old terms and conditions but now Facebook and any other app will only be able to send updates through the Google Play store.

It is good that Google is tightening the lid on their app update policy. This will help keep malicious content out of users’ devices especially those that do not download apps from the Play store. Are you wondering what will happen to all those Android devices available in the market that don’t allow access to the Play store?

Well, the policy is only aimed at updating apps and not at side loading apps. So fear not. If you are one who installs .APK files on your Android smartphone/tablet, you can continue to do so. Just don’t expect to receive any updates on those apps, but instead, you’ll have to download the new version APKs.


Source: http://www.thinkdigit.com/Apps/Google-bans-non-Play-store-app-updates_14400.html

Motorola X Phone delayed till 'August or later': Reports

The anticipated Motorola X Phone has now been delayed and may see the light of day in August or later.

Ever since Google bought Motorola we wondered what the company has been working on. Information appeared online suggesting that Motorola was working on an X phone. Some information suggests that the X phone was one of the last devices Motorola was working on before being taken over by Google. We have even seen a few leaked images of the so-called X Phone.

Now, information is circulating on the Internet, which suggests that the Motorola X Phone is delayed and will launch in August or later. The device was originally slated for a June/July launch. There is no official reason as to why the smartphones release has been pushed back.

PhoneArena has reported that the device is still in its early prototype stages. It is expected that the X Phone will have a 4.7-inch 1080p display and a very slim bezel. The leaked images we saw some time back were images of this same prototype. The device is also expected to run on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. The smartphone is also expected to have a 2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor along with a 4000mAh battery.

The delay means that Google has something up its sleeve, which will be unveiled at the annual Google I/O event that will happen in May 2013. Google I/O is generally the place where Google shows off the developments in the Android OS and the Nexus family of devices.

Recent speculations on the Internet suggest that we will see a white Nexus 4 with higher built-in storage capacity. It is also expected that the Nexus 7 will be refreshed with updated specifications. Since Google glass has received quite a bit of attention and competition in development, we thing it will get its fair share of attention at the event too. Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie too seems to be on the horizon. With so much happening Google can also slip in the launch of this mysterious Motorola X phone. For all we know, it could be the next Android flagship phone showing off Key Lime Pie. What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below.



Source: http://www.thinkdigit.com/Mobiles-PDAs/Motorola-X-Phone-delayed-till-August-or_14211.html

Google doodle celebrates Miriam Makeba's 81st birthday

The Google doodle is back. Today, Google's innovative take on its home page logo celebrates what is the 81st birth anniversary of South African singer and civil rights activist, Miriam Makeba. The legendary singer (March 4, 1932 – November 9, 2008), is popularly known as Mama Africa.

Miriam Makeba was among the first African artists to popularise African music in the U.S. and the world in the 60's. Makeba is highly famous for the song "Pata Pata", first recorded in 1957 and released in the U.S. in 1967. Makeba has worked with various popular artists including Harry Belafonte, Paul Simon and Hugh Masekela.

Besides her illustrious music career, Makeba is also known for her active campaigns against the South African system of apartheid. She was sent to exile due to her protests in 1959. She returned home for the first time in 1990. Read more about Miriam Makeba here.

Today's doodle is a static one, displaying Miriam Makeba holding a mike and performing. In the background, there is African-style graffiti wall with the five letters of Google in white. Check out today's doodle below:

Source: http://www.thinkdigit.com/Internet/Google-doodle-celebrates-Miriam-Makebas-81st-birthday_13718.html

Google expands Gmail Search Field trial to include Calendar results

Google has expanded its Gmail Search Field Trial by adding Calendar results. Now users can find their schedule by simply typing "What is on my calendar today" into the search bar.

“With all that you juggle every day, its easy to lose track of appointments, plans, and reminders. With today's expansion of our Gmail Search Field Trial (http://goo.gl/dQGNs), we've added Calendar results to your Gmail and Drive results,” says Google in an post.

“You can learn your entire schedule for the day by searching for [what is on my calendar today]. Or if you'd want to know when you're meeting up with your friend Bryan for lunch, type [when am i meeting bryan]. A search is a search, and with the field trial you can securely see results that are important to you, no matter where the answer may be.”

To recall, Google's field trial is available only after you opt in. The trial brings information from Gmail, reciepts, reservations and even Google Drive documents onto the search engine results page.

Last year, Google added Gmail messages into the search results with an objective to make the search “truly universal”. "Sometimes the best answer to your question isn't available on the public web — it may be contained somewhere else, such as in your email. We think you shouldn't have to be your own mini-search engine to find the most useful information — it should just work,” Google then said in a blog post.


Source: http://www.thinkdigit.com/Internet/Google-expands-Gmail-Search-Field-trial-to_13668.html

Yahoo enters into a deal with Google for contextual online ads

Yahoo has entered into a global advertising deal with the search giant Google which will result in Google ads appearing on Yahoo websites. Yahoo announced this deal on Wednesday, February 6. 

 

The deal seems to be a win-win situation for both the companies as Yahoo gets relevant ads on its website and Google gets a larger platform to display its ads.

The deal comes seven months after Marissa Mayer took the chair as CEO of Yahoo. Marissa Mayer was formerly one of Google’s top executives.

Yahoo’s official blog post on the deal reads, “Today, we’re excited to announce that we recently signed a global, non-exclusive agreement with Google to display ads on various Yahoo! properties and certain co-branded sites using Google’s AdSense for Content and Google’s AdMob services.

By adding Google to our list of world-class contextual ads partners, we’ll be able to expand our network, which means we can serve users with ads that are even more meaningful.

For our users, there won’t be a noticeable difference in how or where ads appear. More options simply mean greater flexibility. We look forward to working with all of our contextual ads partners to ensure we’re delivering the right ad to the right user at the right time.”

The advertising will be on a more contextual basis, something that we have come to see in Google ads as well as on the social networking website, Facebook. If you are searching for shoes, or clothes or a new TV set, the ads that will appear will be relevant to what you are looking for instead of something irrelevant like property or hair care. This relevance makes it easier and more likely for a user browsing the Internet to click on the ad.


Source: http://www.thinkdigit.com/Internet/Yahoo-enters-into-a-deal-with-Google_13374.html

YouTube to offer paid channel subscriptions: Report

Google has been exploring options to generate more revenue from its services, YouTube in particular. More ads (skippable and non-skippable) are definitely noticeable on YouTube. And now reports suggest the largest video sharing site will be soon introducing new paid subscription-only channels.

Citing multiple people familiar with the plans, AdAge claims YouTube team is already in talks with several video producers to come up with channels that would require a fee for viewing. First producers that are supposed to come with paid channels are Machinima, Maker Studios, and Fullscreen while Google is looking for more partners.

The paid channels would priced between $1 and $5 a month. Google is also planning to charge for other features on the site such as libraries of videos, financial advice shows, self-help and live events.

Google is likely to begin with about 25 such paid channels, which are expected to be launched by the second quarter of this year.

"We have long maintained that different content requires different types of payment models," a Google spokesman said in a statement to AdAge. "The important thing is that, regardless of the model, our creators succeed on the platform. There are a lot of our content creators that think they would benefit from subscriptions, so we're looking at that."

Paid video on YouTube has been often rumoured, especially after the company hinted it was considering paid services for its users. At the AllThingsD media conference last year, YouTube CEO Salar Kamangar revealed plans to poaching second or third-tier cable networks.


Source: http://www.thinkdigit.com/Internet/YouTube-to-offer-paid-channel-subscriptions-Report_13260.html

Google updates Gmail, allows adding Label, Star from Compose box

Google has been updating its Gmail web client for quite some time now. The recent update brought in ability to compose a new mail with a new pop-up method, improved search engine and deeper integration with Google+ social networking site. Google kicks off 2013 with yet another round of updates to its Gmail services.

The new update allows users to add Labels and Stars to the message from the new compose feature. Gmail users can do this by clicking on the More options menu in the bottom right and hovering over Label. Earlier, users needed to first send the message and then go to their Sent folder to access the message sent, open it and then could add a Label or a Star to the mail.

Google had launched the new Compose feature in October last year. The feature is available as an option from users' inbox.

“How many times have you been writing an email and had to reference something in another message? Saving a draft, opening the old email, and then reopening your draft wastes valuable minutes. The new compose pops up in a window, just like chats (only larger),” Google's product manager Phil Sharp had said while announcing the new feature.

“This makes it easy to reference any other emails without ever having to close your draft. You can even do a search or keep an eye on new mail as it comes in. And because the compose window works the same way as chats, you can write multiple messages at once and minimize a message to finish it later.”

Source: http://www.thinkdigit.com/Internet/Google-updates-Gmail-allows-adding-Label-Star_13041.html

Ray Kurzweil joins Google as director of engineering

Ray Kurzweil, the famed inventor and futurist, said today that he would join Google, starting Monday, to work on "some of the hardest problems in computer science."

Kurzweil's title will be director of engineering. In a long statement on his Web site, he said he would focus on machine learning and language processing:

"I've been interested in technology, and machine learning in particular, for a long time: when I was 14, I designed software that wrote original music, and later went on to invent the first print-to-speech reading machine for the blind, among other inventions. I've always worked to create practical systems that will make a difference in people's lives, which is what excites me as an inventor.

"In 1999, I said that in about a decade we would see technologies such as self-driving cars, and mobile phones that could answer your questions, and people criticized these predictions as unrealistic. Fast-forward a decade -- Google has demonstrated self-driving cars, and people are indeed asking questions of their Android phones. It's easy to shrug our collective shoulders as if these technologies have always been around, but we're really on a remarkable trajectory of quickening innovation, and Google is at the forefront of much of this development.

"I'm thrilled to be teaming up with Google to work on some of the hardest problems in computer science so we can turn the next decade's 'unrealistic' visions into reality."

Google confirmed the news and said Kurzweil's long history of invention would prove useful.

"Ray's contributions to science and technology, through research in character and speech recognition and machine learning, have led to technological achievements that have had an enormous impact on society," Peter Norvig, Google's director of research, said in a statement. Norvig cited the Kurzweil Reading Machine, used by Stevie Wonder and others for having words read aloud to them. "We appreciate his ambitious, long-term thinking, and we think his approach to problem-solving will be incredibly valuable to projects we're working on at Google."

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57559346-93/ray-kurzweil-joins-google-as-director-of-engineering/

Apple and Google making joint bid for Kodak patents, report says

Apple and Google might be opponents competing for smartphone and tablet customers, but according to a Bloomberg report they have joined forces to acquire Eastman Kodak's 1,000 imaging patents for more than $500 million. The Wall Street Journal first reported on the possible alliance in August. Previously, the Journal reported that Apple and Google were each leading separate consortiums to purchase the patents in the range of $150 million to $250 million.

Eastman Kodak, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January, needs to sell the patents to help pay down a $950 million loan from Citigroup. The company said that it expects to exit bankruptcy in 2013. Court documents earlier this year revealed that the company valued its patent portfolio in the range of $2.6 billion.

Read: Foss Patents: Rumors of Apple-Google alliance to buy Kodak patents show smartphone giants' auction fatigue

Apple and Google were on opposite sides in another contest for high-stakes technology patents. In July 2011, a consortium of technology companies comprising Apple, EMC, Ericsson, Microsoft, Research In Motion, and Sony bought some 6,000 patents and patent applications from Nortel Networks for $4.5 billion. Rivals Google and Intel reportedly began the bidding for the intellectual property, which included patents and patent applications for wireless, wireless 4G, data networking, optical, voice, Internet, and semiconductor technologies, at $900 million.

The digital imaging patents, which are relevant to cameras, smartphones, and other devices, could help both Apple and Google, who are engaged in numerous patent disputes. Apple has been embroiled in patent disputes with Samsung and other Google Android-based vendors. The joint effort to procure the patents could auger a less litigious atmosphere in the future.

CNET's Don Reisinger and Steven Musil contributed to this report.


Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-57558033-92/apple-and-google-making-joint-bid-for-kodak-patents-report-says/

Google+ rolls out Communities feature; grows to 135 mln active users

Google has ceaselessly worked to improve its social networking venture Google+ and increase the user engagement on the site. Google's latest effort to ramp up Google+ comes in the form a new 'Communities' feature. With Communities, Google+ users can join/create groups devoted a particular set of interest such as work project, photography, soccer team and so on.

"Today we're launching two new improvements that help bring the nuance and richness of real-life sharing to software," Google's senior vice president, Vic Gundotra, said in a blog post. Communities allows Google+ users to create "permanent homes for all the stuff you love ... the wonderful, the weird, and yes, even the things that are waaay out there," Gundotra added.

Google+ Communities gives users public or private membership for people looking for a platform to share their opinions with other like-minded users. Discussion categories can be of any topic a user wants to create. Google has also integrated the option to start Hangouts, plan events with fellow users and share/recommend a favourite community by clicking the +1 button.

You can spot the new “Communities” icon as a green circle with three floating heads. The roll-out is in its initial stage right and if you are looking to be part of any network, you'll be glad to know there's already National Geographic's Exploration, Liverpool FC Fans, and the Star Wars group. Google will be making the feature available on mobile devices very soon.

Despite allegations of Google+ being a ghost town, Google says its social networking service has shown signs of sustained growth. The service has now more than 135 million monthly active users, up from 100 million registered in September.

“We have a momentum story,” says vice president Brad Horowitz. “We're absolutely thrilled by the adoption and uptake,” he said, adding that Google+ features—such as the “+1” button, which is similar to Facebook’s “Like” button—increasingly have been embedded in other parts of Google, including its search engine and business listings.

According to Google, such integrations have a huge impact with 235 million people per month now use Google+ features across all Google sites, up from 150 million in late June.

Launch of Google+ Communities comes along with roll-out of an Android version of the popular Snapseed photo app from Nik Software, which Google had taken over in September. The Android app comes with the ability to share your creations via Google+ and other services.

Also dubbed as Instagram-competitor, the Snapseed app is now also available for free on Apple's App Store. Read more about the launch of Snapseed photo app for Android here. In the meanwhile, check out video below where Google illustrates its new Communities feature.

 Source: http://www.thinkdigit.com/Internet/Google-rolls-out-Communities-feature-grows-to_11665.html

Google updates Translate for Android, adds slew of new features

Google has rolled out an updated Translate app for Android platform, adding a slew of new features such as camera-input support for new languages such as Chinese, Japenese and Korean. The update also includes handwriting support for 11 more languages.

The updated Google Translate for Android allows users to translate text between 65 languages. The handwriting recognition support now supports languages such as Afrikaans, Croatian, Czech, Icelandic, Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Slovak, Slovenian, Ukrainian and Welsh. For Chinese, Japanese and Korean languages, the camera-input currently only supports horizontal text.

The updated app for Android comes shortly after rolled out an update for the Web version. The update for the Web version adds reverse translations and synonym clusters while prioritizing the most popular results. Download the updated Google Translate for Android from here.

Source: http://www.thinkdigit.com/Apps/Google-updates-Translate-for-Android-adds-slew_11654.html

Google rolls out new search page layout, shifts navigation bar

Google has announced some changes to its search page layout, shifting its navigational tools from the upper left of the page to the top of the page. The updated layout will be initially rolled out to the U.S. users. The changes had hit the tablets last year, arrived on mobile phones a few weeks ago, and is now rolling out to the desktop.

Google in a blog post announced the update brings in a more streamlined search page. “You’ll notice a new simpler, cleaner design on the search results page — we’ve been working on ways to create a consistent search experience across the wide variety of devices and screen sizes people use today,” said Google.

Google further says the new design gives more breathing room, and more focus on the answers you’re looking for, whether from web results or from a feature like the Knowledge Graph.

The same advanced tools you’re used to are still there when you need them. Just click on “Search tools” to filter or drill down on your results:

CNET in its report points out the results currently do not display the advertisements but that could be a glitch from the testing. The report quotes Google as saying the advertising placements will remain the same.

Source:  http://www.thinkdigit.com/Internet/Google-rolls-out-new-search-page-layout_11292.html

YouTube pay-per-view services coming to India soon: Report

Google is planning to launch a YouTube pay-per-view services for users in India. The move is likely to help the film industry cope with the piracy and give consumers a wider range for viewing movies or other videos. Google's pay-per-view services are already available in multiple countries such as Australia, Korea and Japan.

“Our pay-per-view services or ‘rental’ model is a natural step here in India for the partners that we are working with. For instance, Eros Entertainment who has been with us for a long time already has a lot of content up on YouTube,” The Hindu quotes Gautam Anand, Director Content Partnerships, Google Asia Pacific as saying.

“Once we have the functionality in, it will be done. There are many Indian media companies which are interested,” he added.

YouTube's rental model includes a one-time fee to stream the movie for a limited period of time. Google, however, pointed out its main concern is the payment mechanism. “The major roadblock, which we are working on, is the payment mechanism – enabling carrier billing for example. We want to be able to ensure a seamless experience. Once this is done it will happen.”

Google's official also hinted at the company's growing focus on the regional content. According to Mr. Anand, regional channels in India have the potential to be converted into YouTube content, considering the fact that about 33 per cent of television content broadcast in regional languages.

Google has already its YouTube Box Office services in India. The YouTube BoxOffice features various Indian movies which users can watch for free.

In India, there are very few options for online video rental services right now such as BigFlix. Telecom operator Airtel in coordination with Bigflix last year launched Airtel Movies for computers/laptops and other devices over ethernet/Wi-Fi.

Source: http://www.thinkdigit.com/Internet/YouTube-pay-per-view-services-coming-to-India-soon_11089.html