My favorite browser, regardless of platform, is Google Chrome and I wondered how long it would take for Google to release Chrome for Android. Well, the wait is finally over. Sort of.… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

I have been fairly critical of Google’s Music service, largely for two reasons: first off it was ‘worst in class’ and made every other music service look great in comparison; and second because as a Google service there were legions of blind Google fanboys spewing effusive praise because it was free. That was 9 months ago when it was in Beta. Then it got out of beta and … it was still the worst music service available, just slightly less crappy than before.

Now Google has made a major update to the service … they added a button.

This button allows you to download your purchases and any free music added to your account. How much control do you have? Binary – you can check a box that only downloads things newer than your last download, or uncheck it to download everything.… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

The title is a Portal reference … if you haven’t played, you should. I’ll provide a video at the end for context. The basic theme is that Aperture Science (Google) does what it ‘must’ (cruel human experimentation in the name of science) because it ‘can’ (no one can stop them). But also realize that it is presented humorously in-game, and I don’t intent it seriously here.

Today we learn that Google is going to be combining all of the login and account data across every service we access with the same credentials.

Yawn, right? Well, not exactly Orwellian, but not innocent either.

Here are some details from the Washington Post:

The

When someone mentions a song I want to check out or something from my past, I turn to iTunes or Rdio or perhaps Slacker Premium. My kids? YouTube, YouTube and YouTube. And apparently that is the trend according to Reuters, which has exclusive data from YouTube claiming 4 BILLION daily views!

Here is some of the article:

YouTube, Google Inc’s video website, is streaming 4 billion online videos every day, a 25 percent increase in the past eight months, according to the company.

The jump in video views comes as Google pushes YouTube beyond the personal computer, with versions of the site that work on smartphones and televisions, and as the company

I have been thinking quite a bit about HOW to address all of the ‘stuff’ flying around about Google, Google +, ‘search your world’, Twitter, Facebook, and a partridge in a pear tree … because in some ways things seem very clear but in other ways not. So what I decided was to drop a couple of ideas and then open it up for everyone to discuss.

First off, let us start with the baseline assumptions.

You would think that with close to 50% of the smartphone world now using an Android phone, looking back at 2011 would be a uniformly positive experience. Yet it is not – in fact, it is easier for me to draw up a list of very negative things than an equally list of positives. Of course, some will say ‘that is because you hate Google and Samsung and Android and never say anything nice about them’. Am I critical? Certainly … but I believe I am just pointing out things too many folks gloss over – ironically the same folks who get enraged about folks glossing over Apple’s many flaws (which I… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

I should have known better than to rush into buying music on Google. As I say repeatedly, they have the absolute worst music service bar none. Yet that old siren song of ‘great music, low prices’ lulled me into not checking Amazon. BIG MISTAKE.

On Google I got the music, can play it on my PC or Android phone, and download it one … track … at … a … time. And THEN manually import it into iTunes. And THEN fix the FUBAR MP3 info and tags, because Google can’t even manage that 2002 level of technology.

Had I gone to Amazon, I would have gotten the same… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

If you have been using Google to search for a while, chances are you have picked up a few tricks along the way such as putting quotes to specify phrases to find, or adding a ‘+’ or ‘-’ to specify things that must be included or excluded. But now the folks at HackCollege have come up with a great new infographic to help you see even more possibilities for searching.… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Over the last couple of days, Google has released updates for Google Reader and GMail. Each has a new UI, and has further integration of Google +, as well as the removal of Buzz.

In the case of GMail, it is mostly about a visual overhaul, as noted on the Google Blog here are the main features:

- Streamlined conversations
- Elastic density
- New HD themes
- Smarter navigation
- Better search

In the case of Google Reader the changes are two-fold: the removal of ‘Share’, and a visual overhaul.

To say that the reaction to removing ‘Share’ was swift, loud and negative would be a… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

If you have a Google Music Beta account, and an iPad or iPhone … this message is for YOU!

Google has enabled their Music Beta site to work as a HTML5 web app on iOS 4 devices. That means it will run from an icon on your device’s “desktop” and has allocated storage space for buffering tracks and so on.

To get it just point your iPad browser at the Google Music site and then choose to add to your desktop!

The app is rather spartan – it is a player-only, so you will need to handle any uploading and organization of tracks on the main site and through… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Today’s Gear Deal is nothing short of impressive. This 46″ Sony Internet TV is powered by Google TV, comes with a wireless keyboard, has built-in 802.11n wireless and includes Gigabit Ethernet connectivity. It is even compatible with most smartphones. Normally $1,399.99 it is on sale for $400 less AND, thanks to a coupon code our Gear Sponsor found, you can save an additional $200. That brings the price down to an amazingly low $799.99 with no tax in most states. $799.99 for an internet connected 46″ HDTV from Sony… now THAT’S a deal!

Gear Deal: Sony 46″ Internet LED HDTV (powered by Google TV) via LogicBUY

Yesterday the Google + iOS app was updated, with the following changes noted:

- Huddle settings
- Aggregated circle add notifications
- iPod touch & iPad support
- Performance and stability improvements

So … they are claiming iPad ‘support’? What does that actually mean, anyway? That it will install and be a minimally functional app that looks and performs terribly? Well, if that is the case, I guess they are correct.

When I think of ‘support’ I look to the iPod Touch version, which looks like this:

These are the identical screenshots, yet… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Last week saw us post a larger number of videos than ever. In them we took a first look at the AT&T Status phone running Android 3.2.2, Carly talked to us about the benefits of Chromebooks and why they might be a great choice for you and we launched not one but two contest/giveaways. Missed any of them? Well we’ve gather all of them together along with links to each post…

Gear Talk: iPad 2 Case Roundup

 Read It!

Judie’s Orbino Padova for iPad 2 Has Arrived: Here’s a First Look

 Read It!

Several months ago, Gear Diary’s email switched to Google Apps. As a result, I learned about a pretty neat Google trick — multiple account sign-in. Effectively, it lets me be logged in at my primary email address on one tab and have my Gear Diary email opened and signed in on a separate tab. Helpful, but not earth shattering.

However, in the last few weeks, I’ve had two different people flip out with excitement when I taught them this trick, mainly because their schools and businesses have switched to Google Apps. Both of them thought they were stuck signing in and out of accounts, or giving up their Gmail accounts. One of them thanked me on Facebook, and… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Looks like Google Books is taking some tentative steps towards being more than just a hobby. The folks at Google have fired a shot across the bow of Amazon, B&N and Kobo by partnering with iRiver to offer an ebook reader with integrated Google Books access.

According to the Google Blog:

We built the Google eBooks platform to be open to all publishers, retailers and manufacturers. Manufacturers like iriver can use Google Books APIs and services to connect their devices to the full Google eBooks catalog for out-of-the-box access to a complete ebookstore. You can also store your personal ebooks library in the cloud—picking up where you left off in any ebook you’re reading as