Hasta La Gadget!

When Google announced that it plans on shutting down Google Reader, many users were outraged. Many people took to blogs and Twitter to voice their opinions, and many users started petitions to change Google’s mind. Everyone hopes that with enough people showing their disapproval towards Google’s decisions, Google may change its decision. One person (probably many actually), has stated that he doesn’t understand what the big deal is.

Dave Winer, the creator of the first version of RSS, stated on his blog that he won’t miss Google Reader. He stated, ‘Never used the damn thing. Didn’t trust the idea of a big company like Google’s interests being so aligned with mine that I could trust them to get all my news.” He continues to say that he didn’t like Google’s “Mailbox” approach when it came to RSS feeds, and that he likes the “river of news approach”.

Winer believes that Google Reader shutting down is a good thing for RSS. He believed that Google was in the business of controlling the news, especially with services like Google Now. Google Now brings you the latest updates on stories you have recently searched for and/or read. He said that it’s bad because one, it’s snooping on your information and searches, and two, it’s deciding what news “you don’t see”.

While Winer does have some interesting points, the point of RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds is to frequently publish updated works from subscriptions, which Google Reader had done exceedingly well. Unlike what Winer said, I believe that Google Readers did have a choice of deciding what type of news stories came to them, and Google in no way tried to omit any of that information out of its Reader service.

[via ZDNet]

Creator of RSS says he won’t miss Google Reader is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

A video that is said to be of Google Now for the iPhone and iPad was leaked onto YouTube earlier today, only to be pulled a short while later – not before it was downloaded, it would seem. The video has since been reappeared on the video sharing website, where it is still available for all to enjoy. You can check it out after the jump.

The video surfaced over at Engadget, where a tipster made its existence known. As they point out, a careful ear will note that the voice in the alleged promotional video sounds the same as the one featured in official Google Now promotional videos. That and the fact that it was pulled shortly after surfacing publicly gives it an air of legitimacy.

According to the video, using the iOS version of Google Now is as simple as “swiping up.” It provides all the goodies current users enjoy, including contextual data cards and alerts. This leak follows a non-functional tease of Google Now on Chromium, indicating that the service is at least finding its way to the desktop.

Of course, while it is nice to believe this to be a legit foreshadowing of what is to come, there are some other possibilities, the most of obvious one of which is forgery (although it would be quite a high-quality fake if that is the case). And it is also possible that this low-res promotional video shows a project that Google toyed around with but ultimately abandoned. For now, at least, the search engine giant hasn’t commented either way.

[via Engadget]

Google Now for iPhone and iPad video leaked on YouTube is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Google Now, the uber useful Android Jelly Bean do it all, may be coming to iOS. Of course it won’t have all the widgets and wizardry that the Android version provides but if this leaked promo ad for Google Now on iOS is to be believed, it will show you all the personalized information you didn’t know you needed on your iPhone. More »

Signs that Google Now, the search giant’s context and prediction engine currently featured on Android phones, is coming to the desktop have been spotted, with a new Chromium feature teasing the functionality though not currently functional. Evidence of Google Now in the open-source browser was spotted by François Beaufort; however, without the correct server address, it can’t actually be used. Still, it indicates that Google is readying to expand Google Now’s footprint from mobile to the desktop.

At the moment, the latest Chromium build has an entry for enabling Google Now testing. However, it requires manual input of the relevant server address, since Google Now does most of its processing in the cloud; without that URL, none of the Now cards will be generated.

Exactly when Google will make Now functionality public is unclear, but the fact that it’s in testing suggests it could be sooner rather than later. That would certainly fit in with the ambitions of Android user experience chief Matias Duarte, who we talked to about Google Now back at Mobile World Congress; he sees the system as the next gateway to smart devices, leveraging context as part of a new, more confident Google that allows prediction to take a stronger role.

Google Now is already likely to feature strongly in Glass, Google’s head-mounted wearable computer, which uses the system to respond to voice commands. As we exclusively previewed last month, the pared-back Glass interface is very close to what we’ve seen of Now already.

[via The Verge; via Francois Beaufort]

Google Now quietly arrives in Chromium (but refuses to work) is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Have you checked out all of the possible love combination in today’s Google Doodle to commemorate Valentine’s Day as well as the life of George Ferris? My personal favorites were the ones where the bear went out with the octopus to a sushi bar, while the other would be the “Forever Alone” wolf, snacking on some popcorn on his couch while enjoying TV.

Well, if you have been waiting for a good reason to have Google Now on your smartphone or tablet, wait no longer. Google Now is now fully capable of pulling in Google Doodles after yesterday’s update, allowing you to see the very same Google Doodle that appears on Google.com. It is nice to see the Android mobile operating system being less serious this time around. After all, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, and we certainly do not want Google or Android to end up as a dull boy, do we? Oh, as a side question, just which of the odd couple is your favorite in today’s Google Doodle?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Google Launches Nexus 4 Store Locator, Apple Plans To Fix iOS 6.1 Passcode Lock Bypass Exploit,