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New Java-based Mobile Gmail

Nov 02 by Andre

Google is doing a spectacular job building Java-based mobile apps for my phone. I just downloaded the new Gmail app for my Samsung A900. Installation is very, very, easy -- I just pointed my phone's browser to gmail.com/app, and Google correctly detected my phone brand/model.

Using the app feels a lot like using the Ajax-ified Gmail site (aside: have you tried the non-ajax version of Gmail? They must maintain a significantly different code base for it). For example, it provides as-you-type filtering of names/email addresses when you address an email.

Google's mobile apps are shaping up to be the only ones I use on my phone. While the Gmail app isn't quite as groundbreaking as Google Maps Mobile, it's still solid.

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New Stuff from Google

Oct 05 by Andre

Google's Ajax Search API goes 1.0. Now you can get Google news in your results, and (with some restrictions) use the API in an intranet site.

Google Code Search is up and running in Labs. Looking for some example Ruby code? Try searching for file:.*.rb acts_as_nested_set (for example).

You can ping Google when your blog is updated for faster inclusion in their Blog Search results.

Google Groups has been redone -- There's a good writeup here

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Google Sketchup goodness

Apr 27 by Andre
Google's free version of the sketchup 3D modeling tool includes two awesome features:
  • the warehouse, an online repository of 3D models of any scale, which are downloadable and reusable by anyone. And anyone can upload to the warehouse as well. There's a great example in the video below of a user who uploads a gate, and someone using the gate model in their house.
  • Google Earth integration -- anyone can "find their house in Google Earth, import the aerial photo and terrain into SketchUp, model their house (or apartment, or whatever), and send it back to Google Earth —for free".
Furthermore, everything can be tagged to a real-world location:
Models shared in the 3D Warehouse will even be able to be geo-referenced, meaning that they'll "know" where they belong in the world. When you submit your models to the warehouse, you'll have the option of including geo-referencing information
Watch the video, you will be impressed: http://download.sketchup.com/downloads/training/tutorials50/The_Story/The_Story.html

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Craigslist "for sale" Google toolbar button

Apr 12 by Andre
Do you live in San Francisco? Use Craigslist.org a lot? Why don't you have a Google toolbar button to take out the drudgery of actually going to the craigslist site?

This button can save you SEVERAL MOUSE CLICKS each time you look on craigslist for something to buy! What the hell are you waiting for?! Download it!

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Google Page Creator

Mar 24 by Andre
I must have missed this when it was being talked about - or was it talked about? Page Creator is a recent development from Google Labs. It's a WYSIWYG editor for pages (or collections of pages) hosted by the big G. It's currently not accepting signups, but you can read about here:
Not a ground-breaking idea by any means. However, I am sure that Google's execution will be distinguised by their trademark ease of use and simplicity.

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Google Pagerank www vs. non-www

Mar 15 by Andre

My pagerank isn't making a lot of sense. I am happy to see it go up, but the way in which it is going up seems random, particularly as the rank of the www and non-www representations of earthcode.com differ a lot.

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