Winter greetings and happy new year to all of our Google friends. We
hope you enjoy this update on our products and services.

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POWER TIP

Create your own theme for iGoogle

Whether you like cartoons, dogs, sock puppets, or another amusing
thing, you can now create dynamic themes for the iGoogle homepage with
the iGoogle Themes API. You can even set your theme to update
automatically based on the time of day or weather.  This makes it easy
to create a narrative that unfolds throughout the day, a landscape
that changes as the sun rises and sets, or a morphing piece of digital
art.
http://code.google.com/apis/themes

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NEW PRODUCTS & UPDATES

YouTube for Mobile

The YouTube and mobile teams have just released a new YouTube for
Mobile application. It's the best way to put YouTube on your phone and
watch millions of videos wherever you are. Key features include access
to your YouTube account, your Favorites, your own uploaded Videos and
your favorite Channels; you can also share, rate, and comment directly
on videos from your phone.
http://www.youtube.com/mobile

Local Search integration with Google Maps

Now you can get directions from or to any location you can search for
on Google Maps. If the match for your query isn't exact, we'll offer
you some choices without forcing you to start over. The next time
friends in Mountain View are looking for a meal after work, try Google
Maps for [Google Mountain View to pizza]. Or if you visit our driving
directions team in Seattle, just search for [SEA Airport to Andra
Hotel Seattle] to get directions to your hotel.
http://maps.google.com

iTunes Grammys Gadget

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Grammy Awards, which will
be held in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 10. To mark the occasion,
Apple has launched a contest on iGoogle: Through February 8, you can
add the iTunes Grammy Contest gadget to your iGoogle page and submit
your predictions on who will win Grammy Awards in 10 categories. The
gadget also offers daily trivia giveaways, Grammys history, and many
links to iTunes clips. The contest is open to U.S. residents 13 and
up; the winner gets 10,000 songs from iTunes.
http://tinyurl.com/2w36r5

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MISCELLANY

Everyone knows that some New Year's resolutions stick, and some don't.
As a country gearing up for a major election, however, we seem to be
quite resolved about making some big changes happen in 2008. One fast-
moving area of concern: the environment. Earlier this month,
Google.org announced it will fund more than $25 million for projects
designed to combat climate change, poverty, and emerging threats,
complementing the work of many other groups such as the Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, and The William
and Flora Hewlett Foundation. And just last week, The World Economic
Forum concluded its annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, where top
business leaders joined political leaders, intellectuals, and
journalists to discuss and debate global issues. This year, YouTube
asked its millions of viewers to submit video questions, opening up
the Davos conversation to a global audience. None of these efforts
should end with merely posing questions. It's important to get
involved with the issues you care most about and voice your opinions
throughout the year.

http://www.google.org/
http://www.youtube.com/thedavosquestion