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After months of talking and testing, Wikia Search has announced that it will be open to the “general public” next week. Founder Jimmy Wales is sending it the way of Wikipedia, i.e. allowing volunteers to improve on its technology as it develops. The site will open with about 50 to 100 million Web pages indexed, as opposed to other search engines that run in the billions. Interestingly enough, Google is planning to launch its own version of Wikipedia, knol, where authors actually get credit and share in its advertising revenue.
Read More 
| ABC
Gallery: Wiki and Google Trade Tech
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For those of you who admit to googling yourself or others, you are not alone. An actual study shows that 47% do it, up from 22% in 2002, with 74% having only done it once or twice and only 3% doing it regularly. When queried about how much information is released, 60% of Netters are not concerned about the amount that is out there. The survey was done by telephone and contained data from experts in the field of privacy, identity management, and searching.
Read More | Pew
Gallery: Self-Googlers, Come Out of the Closet
Keeping track of multiple projects? Gmail has now made it even easier to keep your inbox straight. The newly introduced colored labels make it easy to see at a glance what’s on your plate. Easy to create and edit, and even easier to add to existing filters, consider it another way to manage your email without actually having to look at it.
Gallery: In Brief: Gmail Introduces Colored Labels
Google Launches GPS-less Mapping
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Smartphones, Google, GPS, Transportation,
Google is back with more mapping fun. This time they have created a new mobile phone technology for those without GPS. My Location is now in more than twenty countries and lets you in on real-time traffic conditions, detailed directions, integrated searches, satellite images and interactive maps. It will work on most web-enabled phones, including Java, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, and the latest Nokia/Symbian. iPhone and Treo users will just have to wait their turn.
Not quite as accurate as GPS, Google says that locating the user’s phone is still in transition and hopes that will change in time.The company claims that it will not use any personal information on the user. No ads will be posted on the service, but we suspect it won’t be long before that becomes a reality, too.
Read More | Google My Location
Gallery: Google Launches GPS-less Mapping
Maps and directions are available on cell phones, PDA’s, GPS units, Onstar, or heaven forbid: actual paper maps. This doesn’t stop people from getting lost from time to time, so Google is partnering with gas companies to embed the Google Maps application into gas pumps at 3,500 gas stations across the United States starting next month.
The newly teched-out gas pumps will feature an Internet connection and the Google Maps application. By providing this at the pump motorists will be able to both fill up on gas and get directions to their destination. The participating gas stations will likely get a boost in business from drivers too stubborn or embarrassed to ask for directions from anything other than a shiny, all-knowing machine. This sounds like a win for retailers, motorists, and Google alike.
Read More | LA Times
Gallery: Google Maps headed to gas pumps nationwide
U.N. Teams With Google for MDG
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Editorial, Google, Internet, Science,
The U.N. has gotten together with Google and Cisco Systems to launch a site this week that they say will let us know of the planet’s poverty fighting efforts. The Millenium Development Goals site gives statistics on health, education, malnutrition and women’s equality. Google Earth maps will show by satellite where the areas are established.
The U.N. is hoping that by 2015 the MGD Monitor will aid in accomplishing such goals as beginning to reverse HIV/AIDS, cutting child mortality by 2/3, and reducing people without safe drinking water by half. While we applaud the plan, we hope any money spent creating the MDG is justified by not spending it on the project itself.
Read More | Googland
Gallery: U.N. Teams With Google for MDG
Google has just announced some behind the scenes code changes to Gmail and other Google applications aimed at enabling great new information services in the near future. The new version of Gmail is rolling out to all users within the next few weeks, and brings a significant re-architecture to both their back end servers as well as the client side JavaScript.
The new JavaScript will make email pre-load in the background for faster access, unify the Gmail and Pages HTML editor boxes, provide richer keyboard shortcut support, and introduce a better contacts manager. While these might seem like minor features, Google promises that the upgrades will make it easier to roll out future (and as of yet unannounced) functionality, so keep your eyes peeled for a bigger, better Gmail 2.0 just around the corner.
Read More | Official Gmail Blog
Gallery: Gmail 2.0 - It’s coming
Keep Track of Your Kids by Their Coats
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Wearables, Google, GPS,
The British clothing company Bladerunner has created a coat for children that features a GPS SiRF III in its lining. Originally made for mountain climbers and other sports fanatics, the jacket operates by the use of Google Earth maps and therefore can be used worldwide. Updated every 10 minutes, the image will narrow the view down to within 4 square meters. It also features Bladerunner’s slash-resistant lining and 2 dedicated buttons for emergencies. Considering that the outerwear has a price of $500.00 and $20.00 a month for the technology, we just hope you have one of those kids that is not the first to leave his/her coat at the local playground.
Read More | Toronto Sun
Gallery: Keep Track of Your Kids by Their Coats
Microsoft Scores With Facebook
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Google, Microsoft,
Take that, Google! Microsoft has managed to one-up Google by investing $240 million for a 1.6% share in Facebook. It also has the rights to sell ads on the site outside of the U.S. Some experts say that they are hoping that the company will expand and become a “hub” for its various Net applications. So far, Facebook has about 50 million subscribers and claims that it receives 250,000 new ones every day. Microsoft hopes that it will reach a forecasted 300 million. We figure that MS is partying hearty over this one since Google beat them out last year with its acquisition of YouTube.
Read More | Reuters
Gallery: Microsoft Scores With Facebook
In Brief: Gmail to get IMAP support
Posted by Sparky Categories: Google, Internet, Misc. Tech, Software,
Gmail, Google‘s popular web based email solution is likely about to get IMAP features - a welcome addition for email power-users. It appears that some users are seeing options to IMAP-enable their account in the settings page. This will help Google’s service compete with Yahoo Mail which has offered IMAP access for some time now.
We don’t yet have the option on our accounts here at Gear Live, but we definitely look forward to trying it out. If your account has the new option, be a pal and leave a comment to let the world know what you think.
Read More | Download Squad
