Google Overload: 10.06.09 Edition

Article by George Norman (Cybersecurity Editor)

on 06 Oct 2009

Here is one other edition of our Google Overload series. I know it’s only Tuesday, but trust me, there are plenty of news to report from the Google camp. Covering all these items independently would be one way to go, but since they are all related to the Mountain View-based search engine giant, presenting them all together would do just fine also.


Here’s what Google has been up to recently – just the essential information and the link to the official announcement


National Cyber Security Month – the month of October is focused on cyber security, at least in the US of A. Google recognizes this effort and is showing its support by setting up a Google Cyber Security Awareness Channel on YouTube (click here). Google will also post several security oriented posts on some of its product blogs.

Chrome Dev Channel – Google’s web browser has been updated to version 4.0.220.1 on the dev channel. The update introduces the Native Client as a built-in feature (for the Windows version), a few additional Extensions APIs, and fixes a few bugs.

Chrome Beta and Stable Channel – Google Chrome has been updated on the beta and stable channel to version 3.0.195.25. The update adds just one new feature: an image link to the new tab page (leads to the themes gallery).

Chrome Themes – the initial themes that Chrome provided were slim pickings. There is a new section on the Google Chrome Themes Gallery webpage – Themes by Artists – and there are 95 new themes to choose from.

Sponsored mail with enhanced content – messages you receive from select senders (newsletters and such) in Gmail will be enhanced with an interactive gadget that displays other content from the sender’s website.

Google Friend Connect – you no longer have to upload a file to activate features and gadgets in Google Friend Connect, you need only submit your website’s name and URL address.

Google Docs – two new functions add translation and language detection capabilities to Google spreadsheets.

Google Mobile – the Mountain View-based company has decided to optimize AdSense for high-end mobile devices such as the iPhone, Palm Pre and Android. With that in mind, a new feature that allows AdSense mobile publishers to serve text and image ads on their sites was launched.

Google PowerMeter – the first partners of the Google PowerMeter tool that will “how consumers their electricity consumption in near real-time in a secure iGoogle Gadget” were announced back in May. Google has now announced it has secured the first official PowerMeter device partner. Anyone in the US can now purchase the TED (The Energy Detective) 500 energy monitor and get detailed info about their power consumption via Google Power Meter, a free software tool that you can access from anywhere in the word (assuming you have access to the internet).


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