Google Tips

Sunday, September 03, 2006

Gmail’s jukebox

I tend to email myself a lot of MP3s. Today, I did it for the first time using my Gmail account, and was pleasantly surprised to find an embedded play button directly in the mail item. Clicking on it brings up a Google Video style player that streams your MP3 from Gmail’s server.

I always love finding these small feature nuggets that Google embeds into its applications.


gmail_play_1.png

via http://www.buzzshout.com/

Using Google to organise your life

Google Logo

Google have launched an online outlook-esque calendar system for googlemail (gmail) users. The system will allow you to store appointments, receiver reminders and share schedules, importing information directly into emails. While Yahoo have been running a calendar service for 8 years now, they are now claiming they will update their system in direct response to Google’s launch.

What makes Google’s calendar more interesting than your usual planning service is it uses ‘natural language processing technology’….which means that you can enter something like ‘lunch on Monday at 12pm’ and it will automatically add it in the correct slot on your calendar. You can also create multiple calendars.

The good news is (and the reason I can write about this on Jill’s Corner) is that Google plan to synchronise the calendar service with Outlook and make it mobile device friendly within the next few months. As always, I’ll let you know if I hear any more.

[via Jill]

Saturday, September 02, 2006

Top Ten Web 2.0 Games

1. Chihuahua

A Boggle type game in which the player has to make as many words as possible out of the given letters. Each game is open for 24 hours. Most activity is seen around midnight (GMT) when new games begin and players frantically try to get to the top of the leaderboard.

2. WeBoggle

WeBoggle is Boggle as you online. The fun is enhanced by seeing how high you can make it on the leaderboard. Each game lasts for 2 and a half minutes.

3. Linez

Linez is an intriguing game in which the player has to place coloured cubes in a line to remove them from the board. The problem is more cubes keep appearing. The game features a high score table and a weekly competition.

4. Sudoku Craving

Sudoku Craving offers a new Sudoku challenge everyday. Players are invited to rate each finished game which gives the site a nice community feel.

5. Alexadex

Alexadex is an on-line trading game in which players buy and sell imaginary shares in web sites. Shares rise and fall based on the site's Alexa rating.

6. Trendio

Similar in concept to Alexadex this is a trading game in which players bet on the popularity of politicians, sporting teams or events, ideas, stars, natural catastrophies, etc. However whereas Alexadex is based on Alexa rankings Trendio rates words according to the number of times they appear in 3000 anglophone media web sites from around the world.

7. TagMan

TagMan is the classic game of hangman but using tags from Web 2.0 sites such as Technorati, del.icio.us and Flickr.

8. Solitaire Craving

Each day a new solitaire card challenge is set for players to solve. Again it is rated by the players and the comment box under the game often includes clues submitted by other players.

9. MorfikChess

MorfikChess is an AJAX chess game. The game features single-player and multi-player options, with a chat utility so that you can attempt to psyche out/distract your opponent.

10. SinkMyShip

SinkMyShip is an AJAX driven battleship game. The game sports a chat room so you can communicate with fellow players as you play.

55 Ways to Have Fun with Google in chinese

55 Ways to Have Fun with Google》中文翻译

55ways_covers.jpg

作者:Philipp Lenssen

ISBN:1411693418

Released under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerical-ShareAlike 2.0 License
网站:http://www.55fun.com/

英文原版下载:PDF | DOC



55 Ways to Have Fun with Googlein chinese


Philipp Lenssen:55 Ways to Have Fun With Google


It's time for a little guest post from Germany -- thanks, Google, for inviting me over! I'm the author of a blog on Google (Google Blogoscoped), and this year I've written a book called 55 Ways to Have Fun With Google. In it, I present Google-related riddles, games, cartoons, search tips, stories, and miscellaneous insights (no programming skills needed -- and most of the time, you don't need to be close to a computer, either).

[via http://googleblog.blogspot.com/]