Google Friends Newsletter - January 2007
Google Friends Newsletter
Happy new year to all of our Google Friends. We hope you enjoy this
month's update on our products and services.
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POWER TIP
If you were lucky enough to get a new PC over the holidays, you may be
wondering what kind of interesting things you can do with it. Might we
suggest the Google Pack? It's a free collection of essential software
for your Windows PC. With the programs in Google Pack, you can explore
the world in 3D, organize your photos, removespyware and viruses, and
more. You can download and install the whole Google Pack in just a few
clicks, and the Google Updater (included) helps you discover new
programs and keep your current software up to date.
http:// pack.google.com
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NEW PRODUCTS & UPDATES
Google Video + YouTube
Recently, we've added YouTube videos to the Google Video search index.
Now you can search Google Video to find content hosted on both Google
Video and on YouTube. This is part of our overall goal to give you the
highest quality search results possible. Give it a try: search for
[Labradoodle] on Google Video to watch some incredibly cute puppy
footage from YouTube.
http://video.google.com
Google Groups out of beta
Google Groups doesn't just have a new look; now there are additional
features that make it easier to manage and share activities and ideas
online with your friends, family, colleagues and teammates. You can
create and edit web pages with other group members, customize the look
of your group, upload and share files and photos, and view member
profiles. The next time you need to organize your soccer team, family
reunion, knitting club or pretty much anything else, look to Google
Groups for online collaboration.
http://groups.google.com
Google Earth 4
Six months after it was first introduced as a beta product, Google
Earth 4 is now out. Along with a new interface, we've added tons of
multimedia content that's been created by online communities plus
content from such established sources as Discovery Networks and
National Geographic. Be it photo-sharing through Panaramio, hiking
trails from Tracks4Africa, Wikipedia articles, or restaurant reviews
from Yelp, you can explore all this information in Google Earth's 3D
view. And it now also includes the highest-quality textured 3D models
of buildings from the 3D Warehouse as a layer ("Best of 3D
Warehouse"). For example, check out Canary Wharf in London, landmarks
in Manhattan, or the entire Denver downtown.
http://earth.google.com/
Google SkectchUp 6:
Design enthusiasts take note: there's a new version of Google
SketchUp. This 3D modeling software tool is easy to learn, simple to
use, and lets you place your models in Google Earth. One of the cool
new features is Photo Match, with which you can trace a photo to
create a 3D model of the photographed object or match an existing
model with a background photo. To stylize your models, there are
features for adding fog, creating sketched effects, watermarks, 3D
text, and more. And now the integration between Google Earth, 3D
Warehouse and SketchUp is seamless, so that you can easily share and
reuse models from other 3D Warehouse users. And as noted above, Google
Earth now has the "Best of 3D Warehouse" layer that showcases the
highest quality models from SketchUp users.
http://sketchup.google.com/
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MISCELLANY
+ The Best Place to Work +
What makes a job somewhere you want to go day in and day out -- or
not? The pay and the benefits should be good, however you define
those; the culture should fit well with you and each of the employees,
so that you (all) feel like doing your best. At the end of the day,
though, it's the ineffable chemistry of the people, along with
whatever the specific perks are, that seems to be the right
combination. Recently Google was honored to be recognized as #1 in the
annual 100 Best Companies to Work For, an annual survey published by
Fortune Magazine. This time, 446 companies applied for consideration,
and 100,000 workers evaluated their employers. Of course we're very
pleased to have been chosen. But even more, we appreciate being in the
company of many great businesses (all of them older than Google) that
know the way to be successful is to pay attention to the people first.
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