Google Dashboard Overview

At the risk of making an assumption, I'm going to say that the majority of us reading this blog use quite a number of Google services. The question is, do you know just how many Google services you have signed up for over the years?

Well, Google has finally made it easy for you to keep track of all of your Google services, with Google Dashboard. If you go to www.google.com/dashboard you will see a list of the Google services that you are signed up for. From there, you can manage any accounts you may have; modify the information that is shared on a Google search from those accounts; and edit the personal information that is tied to said account(s).

This is a quick way to get a glimpse at some of the statistics of your Google accounts as well as an easy way to manage everything all at once. I hope you find it helpful.

Ads Now On Google Maps iPhone App

Apparently, now on the Google Maps iPhone app there are “Sponsored Links”. As you can see, the object that holds the links are a customized icon rather than the thumbtacks. Apple’s recent purchase of the mapping service company Placebase could suggest that Apple may be into making some new maps and stray away from Google. Google Maps is an app that comes pre-installed on the iPhone and never had ads. Since this came installed, it shouldn’t have ads of any kind on it. Google is a tyrant, always trying to add to their large monopoly. Ah what do you think about Google ads on the Google Maps app and why Apple has allowed it.

Passwords for Google/Yahoo/Hotmail Accounts Illegally Leaked Online

CNET UK is reporting that thousands of passwords for Google, Yahoo, and Hotmail accounts have been illegally leaked online. If you have any of these accounts, It is strongly recommended that you change any and all of your passwords as soon as possible to protect your privacy. 

Apple and Google: Growing Apart?

Apple and Google. Both well respected names in the tech industry, who, in the past, have worked relatively closely with one another. But, in the past couple of years, I have seen a clear decline in the relationship between Google and Mac users.

I can't say that I am completely surprised by this. It is no secret that Google is making the move from search engine, to ecosystem. With Android and Google OS they are intentionally competing with the companies that they provide their core services to, leaving Apple (and others) no choice but to distance themselves to some extent. I don't have a problem with this, because I think competition fosters innovation. However, I do have certain points of contention in regards to the way Google has seemingly snubbed the Mac community with two of it's biggest products outside of search.  

Let's start the list, shall we?

Google Chrome

The first official release of Google Chrome for Windows was December, 11, 2008 with a rudimentary  beta for OS X released in June, 2009. Google Chrome for the PC is now in version 3. Meanwhile. Today is now October 1st, 2009, and an official release for OS X is not expected for another 4 - 6 months. 

As someone who has used Google Chrome for the PC, I can tell you that I think  Google Chrome is a new browser.. but a year and a half delay between the release for different operating systems is unacceptable. I am by no means a developer, but I see no logistical reason why development for OS X should take so much longer.

Google Talk

Google Talk is Google's instant messaging client. While this is less of a big deal, Mac users cannot download the official Google Talk application, as it is PC only. You can integrate Google Talk into third party messengers, such as iChat or Aduim, however, those do not allow you to take advantage of Google's audio or video calls. While you can make audio and video calls through the Google Chat web interface, my question is… why? Again, I see little reason why Apple has not released an official Google Talk application for Mac.

I should note, as I was in the process of writing this, a headline in my news reader "Apple buys map service to compete with Google?" has appeared. Apparently, the service is called Placebase, and it has a lot of the same features as Google Latitude. I will include a link to that story. 

My closing thoughts are as follows: I have no problem with Google becoming more competitive in the OS wars, but I do not think it is smart for them to ignore other operating systems, because at the end of the day, Google's bread and butter is their web based services. And, if they continue to ignore users who are willing to use their services, it's likely those people will use/find alternatives, which is only to Googles detriment. 

Google Releases Push E-mail For The iPhone

Today, Google released the ability to receive push e-mail notifications to the iPhone. For those of you who may be unaware, push notification is the ability to be notified of an email instantly. Up to this point, the iPhone could only retrieve mail from the Google servers every 15 minutes. 

Before I go on any further, I would like to point a few things out. First things first, this service is in beta, and the service was launched today. That being said, my personally experience with the service is unreliable at this point. My iPhone has had problems connecting to the mail server, as well as moving messages to the trash.

 If you would still wish to set up Push notification for the iPhone, it is STRONGLY advised that you back up your data before you begin, as you are setting up a new service and could lose all of your contacts and calendar events.

 Please also note that this only works with software version 3.0 and above

 To set up Google Sync for the iPhone

1. Go to "Settings" on the iPhone Home Screen

2. In "Settings", select "Mail, Contacts, Calendars"

3. Tap the "Add Account" option

4. Select "Microsoft Exchange" as your new mail account

5. In the email field, enter your full Gmail address (youremailaddress@gmail.com)

6. Leave the "Domain" field blank

7. Enter your full Gmail address as the username (youremailaddress@gmail.com)

8. Enter your Gmail password in the password field

9. Tap "next" at the top of the screen.

10. If the "Unable to Verify Certificate" box appears, tap "accept"

11. In the server field enter: m.google.com

12. Tap "next" 

13. Select the services you wish to push to your phone.

 That's it! 

As I stated earlier, this is new and is a beta, so user experience may vary. If you wouldn't mind, come back to this post and share your experience with Google sync.