Google Buzz Spoof

I don’t know what it is with Google products, but as soon as the company releases something new, it always takes less than 24 hours before people start releasing spoofs about said products on the web. The following one makes fun of Google Buzz, which we quite like by the way!

Google Buzz Spoof

I don’t know what it is with Google products, but as soon as the company releases something new, it always takes less than 24 hours before people start releasing spoofs about said products on the web. The following one makes fun of Google Buzz, which we quite like by the way!

First Month Nexus One Sales Slow

By Scott Morrison, Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

SAN FRANCISCO -(Dow Jones)- Google Inc. (GOOG) sold about 80,000 Nexus One mobile phones in its first month on the market, roughly one-eighth the number of units the original Apple Inc. (AAPL) iPhone sold in its debut month, according to analytics group Flurry Inc.

The slow sales figures highlight the challenges Google faces as it attempts to establish a new model for pricing, marketing and distributing mobile phones. The Mountain View, Calif.-based Internet giant broke with conventional sales models when it launched its smartphone, saying it would sell the unit directly to consumers without a cell phone company contract.

Nexus One sales appear to have been steady week over week during its first month, according to Flurry's analysis. The company made its estimates by measuring mobile applications usage and then extrapolating overall ownership.

By contrast, Apple's iPhone got off to a very strong start when it debuted in mid-2007, selling an estimated 600,000 units in its first month, according to Flurry. Apple announced it sold 1 million iPhones during the first 76 days they were on sale.

Meanwhile, Motorola Inc.'s (MOT) Droid, which, like Nexus One, is built with Google's Android mobile software, sold 525,000 in its first month after launching last November, according to Flurry.

Google didn't immediately respond to phone calls seeking comment.

After months of speculation, Google took the wraps off of its so-called " superphone," built by Taiwan's HTC Corp. (HTCXF, 2498.TW), on Jan. 5. The company also announced it would sell the device directly to consumers through a Web store.

The Internet giant hopes it can convince other operators to offer wireless plans through its Web store, enabling Google to establish a cheaper and more efficient model for the way mobile phones are sold.

But observers were struck by the price of the Nexus One, which sells for $529 without wireless service. Customers can also buy the phone for $179 if they commit to a two-year contract with Deutsche Telekom AG's (DT) T-Mobile USA, currently the only carrier that provides a Nexus One wireless plan.

Observers have also been skeptical about Google's decision to spend virtually nothing advertising the Nexus. Google briefly pitched the phone on its home page, but the link quickly disappeared. Apple and carrier AT&T (T), in contrast, have spent heavily to promote the iPhone on TV, radio and the Internet.

Perhaps more importantly, the early hype around the Nexus was quickly overshadowed by a series of reports about connectivity snafus, customer service shortcomings and eye-opening "recovery" fees. Those concerns might have prompted some potential buyers to wait until Google and its partners sort out any issues.

Google executives have defended their decision, noting the Nexus One is a first device and part of the company's long-term mobile strategy.

"What the Nexus One is really about is a new way of buying a phone," said Chief Executive Eric Schmidt in a recent conference call. "The Nexus One is simply the first of a series of examples where you can essentially purchase a phone online from one or multiple manufacturers and have it just work. We think that's a natural evolution of a particular model."

Among other factors that likely have hampered sales of the Nexus One is Google's decision to launch the device right after the critical holiday shopping season, said Peter Farago, vice president of marketing at Flurry.

"A lot of the people who were in the market for a phone, either for themselves or for a gift, already satisfied that demand," said Farago.

-By Scott Morrison; Dow Jones Newswires; 415-765-6118; scott.morrison@ dowjones.com


(END) Dow Jones Newswires
02-05-100715ET
Copyright (c) 2010 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

Google Adding Direct Phone Support for Nexus One Customers

The initial reviews of the Nexus One device were largely positive but one area where Google certainly faced issues was customer support.

Unlike most other companies in the hardware business, Google doesn’t offer any phone support for Android / Nexus One. Customers can either report problems on public forums or, for more specific issues, they can reach Android support via email but the response can take up to 3 days.

Well all that could soon change as a new requirement posted on Google’s Job portal strongly suggests that Google is working hard to bring direct phone support for Android / Nexus One Customers.

As Phone Support Program Manager for Android and the Nexus One, you are responsible for ramping up and managing operations of Google’s telephone support for our direct-to-consumer Android/Nexus One customers.

The optimal candidate will have direct experience in call center and partner management to drive customer satisfaction around their support experience.

The person will be based in Mountain View but Google will probably outsource the actual phone support job to another vendor.

Steve Jobs Introducing the Apple iPad in 3 Minutes

What’s Inside the Google Phone

The teardown reveals some interesting "secrets" about the components used in the Google Phone.

For example, the touchscreen is made by Samsung who is also a supplier for Microsoft Zune HD. The Bluetooth and wireless chip found in the Nexus One is from Broadcom and it’s the same chip that is used by Apple for iPod touch.

Live Flight Tracking on Google Maps

Casper is a brilliant mashup that displays movement of incoming and outgoing flights on a Google Map live.
The airplanes are colored based on the name of the airline to which they belong but you can also change their colors based on the altitude at which they are currently flying or the flight type (whether it’s an incoming flight, outgoing or in transit).
You can also click the icon of a moving airplane to see speed and height at which it is flying in real-time.
And if you are checking this service at a time where there isn’t flight traffic at Schipol Airport, just select one of the past days from the drop down to replay the entire flight movement for that day on your computer screen.
Casper is currently tracking flights that are flying in and out of the Amsterdam Airport but we do have similar services for visualizing air traffic at the Zurich Airport and RadarVirtuel that tracks flights for most European countries in almost real-time. GmapTracker tracks incoming flights for US airports of New York, San Francisco, LA, Atlanta, Boston and Chicago.