GeekSugar

5 (Other) Big Tech IPOs

Kristy Korcz — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:05:38 PST

Facebook filed its $5 billion IPO this week, and while it's a historic amount (and the highest ever for an Internet company), other tech companies have also raised massive amounts of cash with their own initial public offerings. See who and how much here!

5 Facts on Google's New Privacy Policy

Kelly Schwarze — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:35:35 PST

In a policy revision announced this week, Google will be instituting one blanket privacy policy across their many web products with the reasoning that they're building a streamlined user experience. The data from your activity and habits on one Google-owned site will be stored in their servers and shared across all their sites. The legal speak details for Google's new Terms of Service are available on their website, but we've broken down what you need to know and how the changes affect your digital life below.

When logged into any Google product account, the personal information provided will be shared among all of Google's products. Searches and text provided in Google Search may pop back up in YouTube as recommended videos or Gmail as targeted ads.
Those ads across Google services will be more finely targeted than ever, thanks to your activity across the company's network of products, after all the servers see your most visited websites on Chrome and your recurring destinations on Maps. If personalized ads aren't for you, the function can be turned off with the Ads Preference Manager.
Google says your data privacy is secure. They will not sell your personal information or share it without permission, unless with a valid court order.
Google social search elements are still happening. When applicable, Google+ personal results will continue to appear in a search query, with the thinking that a friend's recommendation or recent article share on the social network ties closer to what you're scouring the Internet for.
The Google products policy change goes into effect March 1.

Tell us your feelings on the Internet giant's changes in the comments and watch Google's video explanation of the new policy after the break.

Why Everyone Wants to Work at Google

Emily Co — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:07:07 PST

It didn't surprise me that Google was rated the best company to work for this year by Fortune. The tech giant has consistently been in the top five firms to work for in the last few years. Although the interview process is grueling, many will say it's well worth their efforts. Here are some of the reasons people want to work at Google:

Free lunch and dinner by gourmet chefs.
Convenient on-site services like oil change, car wash, dry cleaning, massage therapy, gym, hair stylist, eyebrow maintenance, doctor visits, fitness classes, and bike repair. Some of these services like laundry are actually for free!
WiFi-equipped shuttle buses that pick up employees from several locations.
Gym, swimming pool, rock climbing wall, bowling alley, outdoor volleyball court, and bocce court.
Up to 18 weeks maternity leave with full pay.
Full benefits for the partners of lesbian, gay, and transgender workers.
Bringing your dog to work.
Tuition reimbursement is up to $12,000 every year as long as you keep your grades above a B.
Donation matches up to $12,000.
401(k) match.

Which perk are you interested in?

4 Free Alternatives to Siri

Kristy Korcz — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 11:13:34 PST

Didn't get an iPhone 4S this holiday? Don't worry - there are other voice-recognition apps on the market that can stand up to Siri's voice-controlled awesomeness on your devices. In fact, a few of these apps are available for Android and BlackBerry users as well. Check out some download-worthy and free Siri alternatives below.

Vlingo - Vlingo doesn't just take voice commands to make calls, SMS, emails, search the web, or get directions, it does something Siri can't - interfaces with your Twitter and Facebook accounts to let you update with your voice . . . and it really works, even without workarounds.
Dragon Go - Available for iPhone and iPod Touch owners running iOS 4.0 or later, this app works similarly to Siri in that it will interpret and take commands from your voice. You can ask for directions, to draft an email or SMS, and get show times to upcoming movies in your area by directing you to external websites.
Google - Google Mobile's voice abilities let you find information available on Search. For example, you can search with your voice for movie times, photos, websites, nearby restaurants, and more.
Voice Control - Your iPhone's included voice search isn't as powerful as Siri (or any of these other apps), but it does the trick when making calls, searching music on your phone, and getting the time. It's a good start, anyway.

6 Ways to Track Santa on Christmas Eve

Kristy Korcz — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 09:30:10 PST

The big day is upon us - Christmas Eve is tomorrow, and if you've got little ones in your house, they're surely getting pumped for jolly ol' St. Nick to make his rounds. Although your kids (or nieces, nephews, cousins) can't meet Santa face to face, you can keep the magic alive by tracking the big guy all night with some help from Google.

Online - Norad is tracking Santa on Google Earth in 3D! Keep track of his whereabouts starting tomorrow and throughout Christmas Day.
On the Phone - Dial Norad's official Santa tracking hotline (1-877-Hi-NORAD) to get updates from phone operators on flight preparations and location.
Via email - Shoot an email over to Norad's Santa inbox (noradtrackssanta@gmail.com) to get a message back with his current location.
On Twitter - Follow the NoradSanta Twitter feed for live updates on Kris Kringle's whereabouts.
On Facebook - Check out videos from around the globe and get up to the minute info on Santa's sleigh on the official Facebook page.
Get a Call - Excite your little ones with a call from Santa, or let them leave the jolly man a message on his own Google Voice number.

Download of the Day: Google Shopper

Kelly Schwarze — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 07:33:36 PST

When you're doing the right-before-the-holidays gift scramble, you've got no time to lose wading through crowds looking for the best bargain. Vanquish hours of time spent on the phone calling shops searching for one item. Google's here to save the day and your sanity with the Google Shopper app that identifies local stores with the products you've been searching for.

Free for both Android and iOS devices, use the Google Shopper app to scan product barcodes to look for competitive prices and availability near your location. Or, if you're not sure exactly what you're looking for, use the keyword search to compare the shopping selection of both online and local retailers.

As an added bonus for Android users, hop on over to the latest version of Google Maps for floor-by-floor guides to select department stores. Shop now with a purpose and in the right direction!

2011: The Year in Google

Kelly Schwarze — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 13:32:21 PST

What was on the world's mind in 2011? Rebecca Black, according to Google's Zeitgeist 2011 roundup. The teen singer's viral video wonder "Friday" had over 167 million view on YouTube, and searches for her name made it the number one fastest-rising search term on the site in 2011.

Google's Zeitgeist review of the year is largely made up of the fastest-rising search terms in categories such as people, entertainment, consumer electronics, and news for every region worldwide. Interestingly, the fastest-falling searches are also listed with the once top social network, MySpace, securing the number one spot for losing the most global interest online this year.

Here's a detail of the fastest-moving US search terms in their respective categories:

Google News - Hurricane Irene
Image Search - Planking
Google Maps - International airport, with Ikea not far behind at number two
Product Search - HP TouchPad

For a closer look at the world's last 12 months through an Internet lens, get your tissues ready to watch Google's 2011 year in review video after the break.

Google Airs First Google+ TV Ad Over Holiday Weekend

Kristy Korcz — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 04:21:32 PST

ICYMI, Google aired its first Google+ TV ad over Thanksgiving. The one-and-a-half-minute spot makes the case for sharing certain information with certain people and shows how easy it is to create new circles in order to keep your work, personal, and "epic bro" lives separate. Check out the video below and tell me - are you still using Google+?

6 Things to Know About Today's Google Music Announcement

Kelly Schwarze — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 17:09:28 PST

After six months of Beta trials, Google Music gets official and becomes a fully operational cloud music platform. Available to US users, Google Music automatically syncs an entire music library across any and all devices using cloud storage. Offline listening is also available as long as the user tags the specific tracks for offline use.

Adding to the storage capacity of Google Music is the creation of the music store tab in the Android Market. Every day the store will offer a selection of free songs handpicked by the Google Music team; additional songs can be purchased starting at $1.

Here are six key features to know about the service:

Google Music is free and available to anyone. Though previously available by invite only, any Web user can now download and use the latest offering in online music storage. Up to 20,000 tracks can be stored within each Google Music account.
Android users can download the Google Music app to store their music libraries to the cloud, but must upgrade their systems to Android 2.2 to use the service. Apple iOS and Linux users can access Google Music and buy tunes via the Android Market on the web.
13 million tracks will be available for purchase through licensing deals with various record labels. Eight million of those songs are available immediately, while the rest roll out over the next several months.

Learn how you can share Google Music with friends after the break.

It's the Great Halloween Doodle, Google

Kelly Schwarze — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 11:58:48 PDT

The Google homepage doodles are known for their whimsical celebration of holidays, but past creations can't hold a candle to the jack-o'-lantern heavyweights featured in today's Halloween Google Doodle.

Six giant pumpkins, the biggest weighing in at 1,298 pounds, were brought to the Google campus ready for a team of doodlers to start their G-O-O-G-L-E carvings. With the seeds emptied out of each pumpkin, people were easily able to fit their heads within the cavernous walls. In fact, some of the pumpkins' exteriors measured six inches deep, requiring a saw to carve through the thickest parts. See how these great pumpkins were carved in the full behind-the-scenes video:

To watch the final product, a time-lapse video of the carving event, check out the completed Halloween Doodle: