Hasta La Gadget!

Google Instant on a PC browser has always been a clever idea in search of a use case. With the new mobile beta for Android and iOS, the search giant has found its first.

“Wouldn’t it be great to have Google Instant on mobile devices, where each keystroke and page load is much slower and you frequently have just a moment to find the information you need?” writes Google engineer Steve Kanefsky.

Indeed. With fast hands and a full QWERTY keyboard, the time between typing “Google Instant” and “Google Ins” is minimal. On a non-PC keyboard like a phone, e-reader or remote control, it’s considerable.

To activate the beta, you need to be running Android 2.2 (Froyo) or iOS. Then go to google.com in your mobile browser and tap the Google Instant “Turn on” link beneath the search box.

The only trouble with Google Instant on mobile devices is the net connection. Google Instant works by making server calls with each stroke. To even make it work in a mobile browser, google had to create a new AJAX and HTML5 implementation to dynamically update the page with new results.

On a good Wi-Fi network, that’s no big deal. On 3G, it’s not a major problem. On (gasp) EDGE, it can actually make search much, much slower.

“With Google Instant on mobile, we’re pushing the limits of mobile browsers and wireless networks,” Kanefsky writes. “Since the quality of any wireless connection can fluctuate, we’ve made it easy to enable or disable Google Instant without ever leaving the page. Just tap the ‘Turn on’ or ‘Turn off’ link.”

See Also:

• How Google Instant Could Reinvent Channel Flipping
• Chrome 8 Adds Google Instant to the URL Bar
• Google Debuts 'Instant' Search (Updated)
• What's In A Search, If You Don't Hit the Search Button …
• Google Adds Gesture Search to Android Phones
• Google Beefs Up Voice Search, Mobile Sync

This article was written on May 20, 2008 by CyberNet.

Almost two years ago, Ryan wrote an article titled “Will Google Ever Release Google Health?” This was back on July 10th, 2006 when login screens for the service managed to surface and we learned what Google was working on. Google Health has been rumored and anticipated for so long, and after their pilot program (at the Cleveland Clinic) launched back in February this year, we knew it was only a matter of time before it became available to the public. That time is now, and Google Health is available to anybody over the age of 18, living in the United States, who can read English.

Those who want to use the service will use their Google username and password to login. Once you’re logged in, you’ll quickly see everything that you can do:

1. Track your medical history and learn more about your conditions
2. Import medical records from various hospitals, labs, and pharmacies that Google has partnered with so that you don’t have to manually enter everything in
3. View your medical history
4. Learn how some of your medications might interact
5. Make your health information work for you (refill prescriptions online, ask for a second opinion, get personalized health information)
6. Search for doctors and hospitals based on specialty or location

To sum-up the service, users will use it to collect, store, and manage medical records and health information all online. Google’s Marissa Mayer says, “in this day and age of information, isn’t it crazy that you don’t have a copy of your medical records under your control?” She went on to say, “You could use those records to develop a better understanding of your health and ultimately get better care. It’s your data about your own health; why shouldn’t you own and control it?”

We’re sure everybody agrees with her in that people should have a copy of their medical records under their control. The problem that people are going to have in allowing Google to help them have control of their records though, is privacy. Proving that Google Health is secure and the contents of profiles will remain private is one obstacle that Google is facing. They clearly outline in their privacy policy how they will use your information, but still, some people will be skeptical and for good reason.

It must have taken Google some time to construct both their privacy policy, but also the “Google Health terms of service” to cover everything. Any time the health of someone is involved, it can result in law suits which means Google and their lawyers had to very carefully come up with their terms of service to include lines like “do not ignore or delay obtaining professional medical advice because of information accessed through Google Health. Call 911 or your doctor for all medical emergencies.” If they didn’t include that, can you imagine how many people would have tried to sue to make an easy buck?

This is Google’s first step in Health and they say that there’s a lot left to do with many partnerships to make and lots of data to move. Using the service is very easy too, for example, when you go to enter in a medication, you just start typing it and a drop-down list appears. While the interface for Google Health may be user-friendly, the concept of storing pertinent medical information online may not be so “friendly.” It’ll be interesting to see how the public warms-up to this and if they feel confident enough in the service to use it regularly. I do have to say though, that this is one of Google’s services that the general public could really latch onto and use because it requires very little tech saviness, and most people do care about their health or have health concerns these days.

Checkout Google Health

Thanks for tip Trip and CoryC!

Source: Yahoo News

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Verizon has just announced that its lovely HTC Droid Incredible will be getting a fresh software update pushed over-the-air starting next week, and among the “software enhancements” will be the automatic installation of the carrier’s V CAST Apps app store. Since this doesn’t mean the Android Market is going away, we suppose it’s not the end of the world — and Verizon is quick to note that V CAST Apps supports carrier billing — but the benefit of having two app stores on a phone is still anyone’s guess. Here’s Verizon’s full statement:

“Verizon Wireless will begin pushing a software update to the DROID Incredible next week. The update includes software enhancements that will pre-install V CAST Apps on the phone. We said earlier this year that we’d be expanding V CAST Apps to the Android platform, and the DROID Incredible is the first Android phone with the store. Developers continue to submit apps, and as a reminder, V CAST Apps allows carrier billing, so customers who purchase applications through our store will see those charges on their monthly bill. For more information about the update customers can go to www.verizonwireless.com/droidincrediblesupport.”

Droid Incredible getting V CAST Apps next week, whether you like it or not originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Nov 2010 12:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This article was written on March 26, 2008 by CyberNet.

A few weeks ago we posted an article about some of the tools Google uses internally. In the presentation that Google gave there was (inadvertently?) a screenshot of a Google Docs that was not available to the public. In it we saw a more complete menu structure located above the recently revamped toolbar. Well, they just added those menus to everyone’s Google Docs.

Is a menu really that big of a deal? Many of the things that have been placed in them are also available on the toolbar, but some people find that it is easier to locate commands by shuffling through menus. The main reason why I like the menus is that they serve as a quick reminder of the keyboard shortcuts associated with any of the features.

The thing that I find really disappointing is that Google seems to be forgetting about their Spreadsheet counterpart. When Google Docs got the redesigned toolbar earlier this month Google Spreadsheet stayed the same, and now it also lacks the menu structure that can be found in Google Docs. Hopefully this isn’t another instance of where Google is becoming careless with adding consistency across their other products.

So what’s next? I’m not sure what else Google may have in store for us, but if the screenshot from their earlier presentation is anything to go by I think we might be seeing a different layout when editing our documents. Notice that the page is centered on the screen instead of having a full-width editing window:

We’ll keep you posted with any other new features they decide to add.

Google Docs Homepage [via Google OS]

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Hard to say if this is the direct (or indirect) replacement to the Creative X-Fi2 we toyed with 13 months ago, but the new Zen Touch 2 has snuck out behind the cover of two ZiiO touch tablets. This here PMP sports a 3.2-inch touchscreen, Android 2.1 underneath, Bluetooth 2.1, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, an accelerometer, inbuilt speaker, two megapixel camera, microSD card slot, GPS, digital compass, FM radio tuner and a run-of-the-mill plastic enclosure. That last bit is according to Pocket-lint‘s brief hands-on with the device, noting that the touch panel is of the resistive variety and the user interface was jumpy and problematic to say the least. It’ll be landing soon in 8GB and 16GB sizes for S$279 ($216 in Greenbacks) and up, but we get the impression that price and availability may not matter much in the grand scheme of things.

Creative gets official with Android-based Zen Touch 2 PMP originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Nov 2010 19:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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