Google Friends Newsletter - February 2010
Google Friends Newsletter
products and services.
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POWER TIP
Social Search
Google Social Search helps you discover relevant web content from your
friends and online contacts. Social Search is based on the idea that
content from your friends and social contacts is often more relevant
to you than content from strangers. For example, a movie review from
an expert is useful- but a movie review from your best friend can be
even better. You'll see Social Search results under "Results from
people in your social circle" on the results page. You can also see
social results by clicking the "Social" option on the Search Options
menu. Of course, you'll only see social results when relevant content
to your query exists. Social Search is in beta.
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/search-is-getting-more-social.html
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NEW PRODUCTS & UPDATES
Google Buzz
Earlier this month, we launched Google Buzz, a new way to start
conversations about things you find interesting like photos, videos,
web pages or whatever might be on your mind. Buzz is built right into
Gmail and available on mobile phones. You can connect other sites you
use like Twitter, Picasa Web Albums and Google Reader, and you can
choose to post privately or publicly. Since we released Google Buzz,
we've already made a number of improvements based on input from users,
and we're committed to continuing to improve the Buzz experience.
http://buzz.google.com
Google Fiber for Communities
To encourage the deployment of better, faster Internet access, we're
planning to build ultra high-speed broadband networks in a small
number of trial locations across the United States. We'll deliver
Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most Americans
have access to today with 1 gigabit per second, fiber-to-the-home
connections. The service will be available at a competitive price to
at least 50,000 and potentially up to 500,000 people. Local
governments, residents and community groups can visit our website to
express their interest in being part of this initiative.
http://www.google.com/appserve/fiberrfi
Winter Games updates
To help celebrate the Winter Games, we expanded our Street View
coverage in Canada and launched the world's first Street View
snowmobile imagery. Now you can use Street View in 130 new Canadian
cities and see special collections of all venues, including the
Whistler Blackcomb ski slopes. In addition, you can keep up with the
latest from the Games, including schedules and results, YouTube
videos, highlights from Google News and "Favorite Places" in
Vancouver, on our comprehensive site.
http://google.com/games10
Doodle 4 Google
The third annual Doodle 4 Google competition in the U.S. began on
February 3. This year's theme is "If I Could Do Anything, I Would..."
The contest is open to all students grades K-12 attending schools
within the 50 states and the District of Columbia (student entrants
must also be U.S. residents). The winning doodler will have his or her
artwork featured on the Google homepage, win a $15,000 college
scholarship, earn $25,000 towards new computers for his or her school
and have his or her winning design exhibited in the Smithsonian's
Cooper Hewitt, National Design Museum in New York. Teachers must
register their schools by March 17, 2010, and the deadline for entries
is March 31, 2010.
http://www.google.com/doodle4google
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MISCELLANY
If you use Gmail, Google Docs and the rest of Google Apps at home, at
work or at school, check out our Official Google Blog series
highlighting the latest and greatest in the world of Google Apps.
Every couple of weeks, we post about useful improvements to the
product suite, as well as share news about the latest businesses and
schools switching to Google Apps. Recently, for example, we described
how you can upload, store and share any kind of file with Google Docs.
The Google Apps Highlights series makes it easy to catch up on recent
developments, especially if you're not already tuning into the Google
Apps Blog.
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/search/label/Google%20Apps%20highlights
http://googleapps.blogspot.com/