google

Once you sign in your Google account, you can check out Google Experiment for potential upcoming features. I've tried alternate views for search results and really liked the timeline view and the map view.

Timeline view Example: postgresql vs mysql I just want to see the recent comparison between postgresql and mysql. so I can limit the timeline to show only pages from 2008 to 2009. But Google's first result is definitely wrong as the article was written back in 2003.

Tags: google search timeline

Google's nexus one is coming out this week. While most of attentions have been focusing on Android-based phones vs iPhone, Flurry shined some lights on the not-so-secret weapon of Apple - iPod Touch(which I own one): iPod Touch Downloads Explode on Christmas Day, Surpassing iPhone for the First Time!

iPod Touch is a great device for anyone that doesn't need a phone or can't afford all the expenses(monthly data/voice plans) associated with a phone. I am talking about teenagers/college students here. I bet many teenagers get their first tastes of apps through the App Store on iPod Touch. I am still waiting for companies to come up with a Andorid-based iPod Touch-like device(zii is supposed to be the one, but it's not yet ready for consumer).

Tags: google apple iphone android nexus-one app-store ipod-touch

Android Development - the good

• Easy to extend/customize existing functions - a few examples:
  • You can write a new dialer to handle calling - in fact, I am using StartContact because the default dialer sucks(no contact search function, need to scroll).
  • Add your application to contextual menu of native functions(eg: handling the calling of a number)
  • You can override the home screen lock. see FlyScreen
• With the backing of Google, Android SDK evolves very quickly( this is really a double-edged sword).

Tags: google android android-market apple-app-store android-development

We are constantly getting overloaded with data. Data itself isn't good enough without analysis and insights. We need to be able to visualize data, see trends and get insights. The following is a list of data visualization resources:

• visualization strategies hierarchical data
• Many Eyes from IBM is a bet on the power of human visual intelligence to find patterns
• bewitched.com has a list of data visualization developed.

One advance in charting is motion chart which can show five dimensions.

Tags: google data visualization chart motion

In case you have too much money to experiment or to spend, you can use Google Adwords' default match type broad match.

• Save Money on PPC Ad Campaigns
• Don’t Get Duped By Google And Yahoo! Match Typing
• SEM News, The Ultimate Guide To Search Marketing Optimization, & Broad Match Or Not?

Tags: google adwords ppc broad_match match_type sem

Google hot trends show how people are googling "santa" at Wed, Dec 24, 2008 3:52 PM:

• santa tracker 2008
• google earth santa tracker
• where is santa right now
• where is santa claus
• santatracks.com
• santa radar norad
• track santa christmas eve
• santa claus tracker norad
• www.santatracks.com
• santaclaus.net
• is santa real
• santa locator
• santa sightings
• santa finder
• when will santa come to my house
• santa s naughty or nice list
• santa radar.com
• santa s phone number
• santa search
• noradsantatracker
• tracksanta.com

Tags: google christmas hot trend santa_claus

Clickriver Ads, the sponsored links program from Amazon, lets service providers reach active shoppers on Amazon.com via pay per click advertising. For example, for a lawyer, he can advertise his service targeting users in his region that browses and searches for legal books on Amazon. Amazon has a good "How it works" page.

Here's my impression with Clickriver:

• Clickriver structures your ppc marketing with the hierarchy of campaigns and ads. * A campaign with a daily budget can hold multiple ads.

Tags: google yahoo amazon adwords ppc msn service clickriver panama adcenter advertising

Microsoft(MS) recently introduced cashback on your purchases through participating merchants if you find your items through MSN's Live search. Given that Google has been gaining search shares again and again, it's not surprising that people view Microsoft's move as desperate. Well, they are trying something that have been proven to work by Ebates, Fatwallet.

Basically, MS has nothing much to lose in this cashback program. They are betting that price-sensitive consumers in this recession period will want to save a few more bucks via cashback. With a CPA-based pricing model, MS hopes E-commerce retailers will increase their spend on advertising through Live when they see more leads through Live and good conversion rates/ROI(return on investment). MS is just giving up a little bit of income to potentially increase their search market share and e-commerce's advertising spend.

Tags: google live search msn cashback

If you can't fight the biggest player. Unite others to fight him.

OpenSocial API, proposed by Google, and supported by popular social networks including hi5, iLike, Slide, LinkedIn, Plaxo, Ning, Bebo, MySpace and SixApart, but excluding FaceBook, are going live in any minute(supposedly to be open tonight).

The open API will have three parts(from Oreilly Radar

• People
• Storage
• Activity stream

All of these calls will have a GData counterpart and they will use HTML and JavaScript only. Google is considering adding OAuth (Radar post) to the API.

Tags: google facebook microsoft opensocial platform myspace

According to Clikz's post Google Ports AdWords Listings to Its Mobile Search Product: "Google will run listings free on Google Mobile Search pages through November 18. As of November 19, SEM buyers will have to opt out through the campaign summary page or pay for mobile clicks. While it is said ads will run across both the Web and mobile platforms, an e-mail sent to AdWords customers indicated that only ads with landing pages adaptable to mobile handsets will qualify for disbursement to the mobile search product." Here's the FAQ from Google.

Tags: google adwords mobile search ppc analytics tracking