Thursday 8 October 2009

Free calling now to Hawaii and Alaska

When we launched Google Voice, we offered free calling to the continental US. We've just expanded this to all 50 states by adding free calling to Alaska and Hawaii.

You can initiate free calls to Alaska and Hawaii from your inbox online, from our mobile apps, or by dialing your own Google Voice number from one of your phones and selecting option 2 to place a call. You can also forward calls to your Google Voice number to Alaskan or Hawaiian phones for free.

Please note that Google Voice is only available in the US, and you'll need a working US phone to setup a Google Voice account.

Quickly view formatted PDFs in your search results

Two weeks ago, we launched the Google Docs viewer, which made it easier for webmasters to embed PDFs in their sites and let visitors view these PDFs in their browsers with the formatting intact. Today, the search team has brought the same functionality to PDFs in Google search results. To learn more, check out the post on the Official Google Blog.




Quickly view formatted PDFs in your search results

Two weeks ago, we launched the Google Docs viewer, which made it easier for webmasters to embed PDFs in their sites and let visitors view these PDFs in their browsers with the formatting intact. Today, the search team has brought the same functionality to PDFs in Google search results. To learn more, check out the post on the Official Google Blog.


Posted by: Jesse Kinkead, Software Engineer

A gold medal-worthy Street View update


As a former Toronto resident, one of the most enjoyable experiences I look back on is taking in the city from a street car gliding along Queen Street West. From my perch high atop cars and cyclists it afforded me the chance to see vibrant, colourful shops, parks and developing residential communities. I'm happy to share that we've expanded our coverage of
Street View on Google Maps to include parts of Canada, so others can virtually experience that same street car ride.


Now, whether from your chesterfield or smart phone, you can explore 360-degree street-level photographs of Canadian hotspots ranging from Parliament Hill and the CN Tower to Old Quebec City and Halifax's Pier 21. We're also thrilled to be shining a light on the site of the 2010 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games by including imagery of Vancouver and Whistler.



View Larger Map

Whistler Creekside



View Larger Map

Toronto's CN Tower


As you might expect, I am quite a hockey fan - which is why I'm excited that today we're also launching brand new imagery in the Czech Republic, another hockey "hot"spot. You can see some of the beautiful landmarks of Prague, such as the famous Charles Bridge:


or the National Museum in Wenceslas Square:

In Canada, we're thrilled to be partnering with several organizations for this launch:
  • City of Vancouver - With the world coming to this great Canadian city for the 2010 Winter Olympics, explore what it has to offer using Street View and plan your visit
  • Tourism British Columbia - Using Street View imagery embedded on pages throughout their site, plan your trip to the province hosting the 2010 Winter Games
  • Tourisme Montréal - Get down to street level and find out why this is considered one of North America's most unique cities
  • Heritage Toronto - Explore Toronto's storied buildings, museums and iconic structures
  • ChicWalks.com - Take a shopping tour of top fashion cities using Street View

We've also consulted with the data-protection authorities in Canada and the Czech Republic, and have made user privacy a priority. The imagery was gathered from public roads, and is not real-time. Identifiable faces and licenses plates are blurred automatically, but we also allow any user to flag an image for removal by clicking on the "Report a problem" link at the bottom of every Street View window.

Along with Vancouver, Squamish and Whistler, today's launch includes imagery from Banff, Calgary, Kitchener-Waterloo, Toronto, Ottawa, Montréal, Quebec City and Halifax. If you're disappointed that your hometown or your favorite vacation spot isn't featured yet, sit tight: we're working to add new places!

Whether you want to virtually wander the next Olympic city, or feel like you're strolling across one of Prague's historic bridges, we hope you enjoy exploring Canada and the Czech Republic like never before.

Promenez-vous virtuellement au Canada et en République tchèque


En tant qu'ancien résident de Toronto, l'une des plus belles expériences dont je me souviens est la découverte de la ville à bord d'un tramway le long de Queen Street West. Perché au-dessus des voitures et des cyclistes, j'ai pu découvrir les boutiques vibrantes et animées, les parcs et les communautés résidentielles en développement. Je suis heureux de vous annoncer que nous avons élargi notre couverture de Street View dans Google Maps afin d'inclure certaines régions du Canada et de permettre à d'autres personnes de découvrir virtuellement cette même promenade en tramway.

À présent, à partir de votre canapé ou de votre
téléphone intelligent
, vous pouvez découvrir des images à 360° au niveau de la rue de lieux prisés du Canada, de l'Assemblée Nationale, à la Tour CN, en passant par le Vieux-Québec et la Jetée 21 d'Halifax. Nous sommes également heureux de pouvoir mettre en vedette les sites des Jeux olympiques et paralympiques de 2010 en proposant des images de Vancouver et Whistler.

Parallèlement à la mise à jour de Street View Canada, nous sommes heureux de déployer Street View dans Google Maps en République tchèque - un autre pays qui adore le hockey!


Au Canada, nous sommes enchantés de notre partenariat avec les organisations suivantes dans le cadre de ce lancement :

  • Ville de Vancouver—Le monde afflue vers cette ville fantastique du Canada, alors découvrez ce qu'elle a à offrir en utilisant Street View sur Google Maps
  • Tourism British Columbia—En utilisant les images Street View intégrées sur les pages de leur site Web tout entier, planifiez votre voyage dans cette province qui accueillera les Jeux olympiques d'hiver 2010
  • Tourisme Montréal—Plongez dans les rues pour découvrir pourquoi cette ville est considérée comme l'une des plus exceptionnelles d'Amérique du Nord
  • Heritage Toronto—Explorez les bâtiments étagés de Toronto, ses musées et ses structures iconiques
  • ChicWalks.com—Visitez les boutiques des plus grandes villes de la mode en utilisant Street View sur Google Maps

Pour regarder ces images, il vous suffit de vous rendre sur Google Maps et de glisser le bonhomme (icône en haut à gauche) à l’endroit de votre choix sur la carte. Les bordures bleues indiquent l’emplacement où vous pouvez obtenir un point de vue au niveau de la rue. À partir de là, vous pouvez repérer un lieu de rencontre avec vos amis, voir si votre destination offre une aire de stationnement, ou encore explorer votre nouveau quartier ou votre nouvelle ville. Nous vous prions de bien vouloir nous excuser si votre région n'est pas encore couverte : nous y travaillons.


Visitez le site global de Street View où vous trouverez différents conseils utiles et des vidéos de présentation. Si vous êtes responsable d'un site Web ou d'un blog, vous pouvez également y ajouter ces nouvelles images Street View en utilisant My Maps ou l'API Google Maps.


Veuillez noter également que nous avons pris des mesures exceptionnelles afin de protéger la vie privée de nos utilisateurs, tout en nous assurant que chacun puisse tirer parti de ce service. Street View dans Google Maps contient uniquement des images déjà visibles par toute personne qui se promène ou circule sur la voie publique, et aucune image n’est en « temps réel ». En outre, Street View utilise une technologie de brouillage pour masquer les visages identifiables et les plaques d’immatriculation des véhicules.


Si vous découvrez une image que vous considérez inacceptable ou inappropriée, vous pouvez facilement la signaler pour en demander le retrait en cliquant sur « Signaler un problème » dans n’importe quelle fenêtre Street View. Lors du développement de Street View dans Google Maps et de ses mécanismes de protection de la vie privée, nous avons consulté les autorités à la protection de la vie privée du Canada et de la République tchèque.

En plus de Vancouver, Squamish et Whistler, on propose des images de Banff, Calgary, Kitchener-Waterloo, Toronto, Ottawa, Montréal, Québec et Halifax. Nous espérons que vous apprécierez votre visite virtuelle unique du Canada et de la République tchèque.




YouTube EDU goes international - a global classroom for all

Universities from the Europe and Israel have now joined YouTube EDU. The site now provides over 45,000 videos from over 20 top universities in nine countries with academic lectures, public talks and college life from universities including Cambridge University, The Open University, (UK), INSEAD, (France),Bocconi University (Italy), Open University of Catalonia, (Spain) University of Gronigen (The Netherlands), Moscow State University (Russia) - in addition to the 200 US universities already on the site.

The international version now includes a drop-down menu to filter content based on language of choice. For example, select French and find content from HEC in Paris and also the French-Canadian University of Montreal, or set to 'All' to browse videos in all languages. The Directory also enables subjects to be browsed - e.g. select 'Business', 'Engineering' or 'Literature' to see content available. Although this feature is currently only available for English at the moment, we are looking to roll-out to languages as more universities join.

Now, go learn something!

Posted by Anna De Paula Hanika on behalf of the YouTube EDU team

Wednesday 7 October 2009

Get your money's worth with cloud-based messaging

Do you know how much your email system is costing you? More than just the necessary hardware and software systems, email also requires substantial time and money for maintenance and upkeep. In-house email calls for patches, precautions to maintain high availability and disaster recovery, and the never-ending work it takes to secure and protect email from spam, phishing, and malware.

In a September 2009 study, Osterman Research found that decision makers typically underestimate the cost of providing messaging services. According to Osterman, one-quarter of decision makers believe that their organizations spend less than $10 per seat per month to provide messaging services, while another one-third believe they spend anywhere from $10 to $15 per seat per month – but this cost estimate leaves out several important factors, particularly maintenance.

The research firm also found that the use of cloud-based email can allow organizations to focus more on their core business rather than devote resources to managing the messaging infrastructure.

Another analyst firm, Forrester Research, found that for a 15,000-person firm requiring archiving, the fully loaded cost of on-premise email was $25.18 per user per month compared to a cost of $8.47 for Google Apps.

But it's not all about cost savings – you need more than just a cheaper messaging solution. You also want one that can help your workforce achieve more. Moving to the cloud and Google Apps can help you streamline your IT infrastructure and provide a platform for innovation and increased employee satisfaction.

On October 8, join us for a live webcast as Google Apps expert, Rhonda Stites, walks through a simple financial model that evaluates the savings in adopting Google Apps. You will hear about real customer experiences, get your questions answered and have the tools you need to bring substantial value to your organization.

Register now to learn more about the potential cost savings for your organization.

Save Money with Cloud Computing and Google Apps
Thursday, October 8, 2009
11:00 a.m. PDT / 2:00 p.m. EDT / 6:00 p.m. GMT

We hope to see you there!

Posted by Serena Satyasai, Google Apps team

*Note: The pricing and features available in each architecture vary by provider. Download the full independent research report, “Should Your Email Live In The Cloud? A Comparative Cost Analysis,” Forrester Research, Inc., January 2009.

Get timely updates on new features in Google Apps by subscribing to our RSS feed or email alerts.

Tuesday 6 October 2009

A splash of color to your browser: Artist Themes for Google Chrome

In the most recent stable release of Google Chrome, we looked at ways to make a snappy, simple browser even more customizable, and we're happy to hear that you've enjoyed personalizing Google Chrome's look and feel with a few of our early themes for the browser.

Today, we are introducing Artist Themes for Google Chrome. We invited leading artists, architects, musicians, illustrators, filmmakers and fashion and interior designers from across the globe to create artwork for an unusual canvas: the modern web browser. The result is a vibrant fusion of art and technology, with a hundred Artist Themes that we hope will add a touch of inspiration and delight to your web browsing experience with Google Chrome.

One of our favorite themes comes from Yulia Brodskaya, whose innovative paper art techniques and passion for typography and illustration have brought her into the international spotlight. We were particularly intrigued by Yulia's approach to the design challenge at hand, explained in her own words:


I was really curious to see how the traditional paper craft, which I use for creating my work, can be applied to the Google Chrome browser. I made a quick pencil sketch first, choosing the two main elements for my theme: green jungle leaves for the top and a very colourful parrot to accompany it. Then I followed my usual working pattern and created a physical artwork out of edge glued paper stripes. I used the photographs of the paper leaves and parrot to design my theme layout, and sent the resulting mock-up to Google designers who brought the whole thing to life.

Yulia's original pencil sketch


Yulia's final theme in Google Chrome

We're honored to have the opportunity to work with a hundred artists around the world, including Jeff Koons, Jenny Holzer, Karim Rashid, Jonathan Adler, Oscar de la Renta, Anita Kunz, Tom Sachs, Kate Spade, Donna Karan, Kid Robot, Dolce & Gabbana, Michael Graves, Todd Oldham, Yann Arthus-Bertrand, Mariah Carey, and Wes Craven (and that's just to name a few!). Many, many thanks to all the artists for lending their vision, imagination, and hard work to this collaboration.

If you haven't tried Google Chrome recently, download the latest version and give the Artist Themes a whirl. If you're already using Google Chrome, you can check out the themes gallery and try on your favorite Artist Themes.



Featured Map Makers: Faraz & Jabran

Name: Faraz Ahmad (farazilu)
Day job: Web programmer
Region mapped: Pakistan

Name: Jabran Rafique (جabran)
Day job: IT administrator
Region mapped: Pakistan

Faraz and Jabran are both Pakistani-born, high tech workers living in the United Kingdom. They both learned about Map Maker on the Internet, and they have formed a virtual team with a mission to map Pakistan. Although they live 400 miles apart and have never met in person, they collaborate on mapping Pakistan and providing other mappers with advice and tips on mapping the region.

Time lapse video of Gujranwala, Pakistan:

Faraz started using Map Maker shortly after it launched in 2008, and he is now the top mapper with more edits than any other user. Jabran found Map Maker a few months after Faraz. Both mappers started with their home towns and have subsequently mapped many cities in Pakistan. "It's like mapping your own world -- describing your world to other people. In the UK, we use Google Maps to find directions if we want to go somewhere. But we couldn't do that in Pakistan. This is a big opportunity to help other people find things," says Faraz.

Time lapse video of Karachi, Pakistan:

"I spend so much time on the Internet looking at new technologies. It's like a hobby for me to develop maps -- time spent positively because I know it will help others. In Pakistan, using Map Maker to find an efficient way to get somewhere can save a life in an emergency situation," says Faraz.

Experienced and accomplished mappers with more than 70,000 map edits between them, Faraz and Jabran collaborate with many others to map the region as well. Jabran explains, "I post on the group when I finish mapping a city. A fellow who just joined recently is making some edits near Lahore, adding names to streets and local businesses. So we help each other. If one can map it and another can name it, that's great. Someday I will open Google Maps and see all of Pakistan mapped!"

In areas of Pakistan that the virtual team knows less well, they use the satellite imagery on Map Maker to draw the roads. When they meet people from Pakistan, Faraz & Jabran ask them where they are from and what areas they know. "Then I drag them to Map Maker and ask them the names of roads, shops, hospitals, whatever. We're trying to make the maps more and more elaborate. Together we can make a difference."

Jabran recalls that, one weekend, a couple of guys with local knowledge of an area sat with him as he edited the maps -- here's one small example of an addition to the map he made based on their knowledge. "Great thanks to all those many people who agree to help in such a way," says Jabran.

Living in the UK, Faraz and Jabran use Google Maps extensively, particularly on their mobile phones, to find their way around and explore new places. Through their contributions to mapping Pakistan with Google Map Maker, their goal is to help all Google Maps users in Pakistan to find their way, too. We wish both of these Map Maker "power users" all the best in their efforts to map their worlds, and look forward to seeing their goal of completing the Pakistan map fully realized!



Monday 5 October 2009

Download Capitalism: A Love Story torrent

Download Capitalism: A Love Story torrent ( Coming soon)

Download Whip It torrent

Download Whip It torrent ( Coming soon)

Download Surrogates torrent

Download Surrogates torrent ( Coming soon)

Download The Invention of Lying torrent

Download The Invention of Lying torrent ( Coming soon)

Download Toy Story torrent

Download Toy Story torrent ( Coming soon)

Download Zombieland torrent

Download Zombieland torrent ( Coming soon)