Google tests a new search interface that replaces the left sidebar with a horizontal menu. Search tools are hidden by default, just like in the existing interface. It's interesting to notice that the experimental UI is inspired by the tablet UI.
The list of specialized search engines is placed below the search box, so it's likely that more people will notice it.
{ via Techno-Net }
Rabu, 20 Juni 2012
Gmail's New Custom Themes
When Google released the new Gmail interface, one of the missing features was custom themes. Now you can create your own themes, but they're very limited as you can only choose between a light or dark interface and pick a background image.
To try the new feature, click the "settings" button, choose "themes" (or use this URL), scroll down to "custom themes", click "light" or "dark" and select an image. You can pick one of the great featured images from Picasa Web, choose one of your photos, use the search feature, upload an image or paste a URL. A similar interface is used for Google homepage's custom background feature.
You'll probably notice that custom themes are just like Gmail's HD themes launched last year, except that you can choose your own image. "Themes are now implemented as semitransparent layers on top of a large background image. Each theme uses either a dark or light variant of most UI elements to balance legibility and visibility of the background image, allowing the background image to peek through and provide color and personality," explained Google at that time.
Gmail's new themes are more adaptable and show the entire image, but you can't customize colors, fonts and all the other details of the interface. The old custom themes feature allowed you to "select colors for everything from the background of your inbox to link text".
{ via Gmail Blog. Thanks, Sterling. }
To try the new feature, click the "settings" button, choose "themes" (or use this URL), scroll down to "custom themes", click "light" or "dark" and select an image. You can pick one of the great featured images from Picasa Web, choose one of your photos, use the search feature, upload an image or paste a URL. A similar interface is used for Google homepage's custom background feature.
You'll probably notice that custom themes are just like Gmail's HD themes launched last year, except that you can choose your own image. "Themes are now implemented as semitransparent layers on top of a large background image. Each theme uses either a dark or light variant of most UI elements to balance legibility and visibility of the background image, allowing the background image to peek through and provide color and personality," explained Google at that time.
Gmail's new themes are more adaptable and show the entire image, but you can't customize colors, fonts and all the other details of the interface. The old custom themes feature allowed you to "select colors for everything from the background of your inbox to link text".
{ via Gmail Blog. Thanks, Sterling. }
Kamis, 14 Juni 2012
YouTube Tests a New Homepage Interface
YouTube experiments with a new design of the homepage. The left sidebar now lists all your subscriptions and you can see the number of recent videos from each subscription. There's also a search box that lets you find a subscription. The sidebar no longer includes popular YouTube categories and the suggested channels are displayed below your subscriptions in the scrolling list.
Another change is that the videos from your feed take up a lot more space because the thumbnails are bigger. The new interface lets you hide videos from the feed, a feature that used to be available in the previous YouTube UIs. YouTube also shows a small "watched" label over the thumbnail after playing a video.
Here's the experimental UI:
... and the existing homepage:
Here's how you can try the latest Google experiment. If you use Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Safari or Internet Explorer 8+, open youtube.com in a new tab, load:
* Chrome's JavaScript console (Ctrl+Shift+J for Windows/Linux/ChromeOS or Command-Option-J for Mac)
* Firefox's Web Console (Ctrl+Shift+K for Windows/Linux or Command-Option-K for Mac)
* Opera's Dragonfly (Ctrl+Shift+I for Windows/Linux or Command-Option-I for Mac)
* Safari's Web Inspector (how to do that?)
or
* Internet Explorer's Developer Tools (press F12 and select the "console" tab)
and paste the following code which changes a YouTube cookie:
Then press Enter and close the console. To go back to the standard UI, follow the same steps, but use the following code:
There are many improvements in Google's experiment, but the information density is pretty low and you have to keep scrolling down to see more videos.
Update (December 7, 2012): The new interface is available for everyone and you can no longer go back to the old layout.
{ via TechnoNet. }
Another change is that the videos from your feed take up a lot more space because the thumbnails are bigger. The new interface lets you hide videos from the feed, a feature that used to be available in the previous YouTube UIs. YouTube also shows a small "watched" label over the thumbnail after playing a video.
Here's the experimental UI:
... and the existing homepage:
Here's how you can try the latest Google experiment. If you use Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Safari or Internet Explorer 8+, open youtube.com in a new tab, load:
* Chrome's JavaScript console (Ctrl+Shift+J for Windows/Linux/ChromeOS or Command-Option-J for Mac)
* Firefox's Web Console (Ctrl+Shift+K for Windows/Linux or Command-Option-K for Mac)
* Opera's Dragonfly (Ctrl+Shift+I for Windows/Linux or Command-Option-I for Mac)
* Safari's Web Inspector (how to do that?)
or
* Internet Explorer's Developer Tools (press F12 and select the "console" tab)
and paste the following code which changes a YouTube cookie:
document.cookie="VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE=pfnTZqEKHEE; path=/; domain=.youtube.com";window.location.reload();Then press Enter and close the console. To go back to the standard UI, follow the same steps, but use the following code:
document.cookie="VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE=; path=/; domain=.youtube.com";window.location.reload();There are many improvements in Google's experiment, but the information density is pretty low and you have to keep scrolling down to see more videos.
Update (December 7, 2012): The new interface is available for everyone and you can no longer go back to the old layout.
{ via TechnoNet. }
Rabu, 13 Juni 2012
The Chromebook Ultrabook
A few weeks ago, Samsung released the new Chromebook and Chromebox, a small desktop PC that runs Chrome OS. The new Chromebook focused on performance and, even though it's more expensive, it's no longer a netbook. It's almost an ultrabook.
Instead of using an Intel Atom N570 processor with really poor integrated graphics, the new Samsung Chromebook 550 uses an Intel Celeron 867 processor with much better graphics. From an Atom CPU to a Sandy Bridge CULV processor, there's an important step up. Intel Celeron 867 is a low-end processor that lacks many features that are available in Core i3/i5/i7, but it's 3 times as fast as the old CPU (according to Google).
The new Chromebook doesn't meet Intel's requirements to be called an ultrabook, but it's almost there. It has an Intel Core CULV CPU, the height is 20 mm instead of 18 mm and the battery life is more than 5 hours (it's actually 6 hours).
The old Chromebook was pretty expensive for a netbook, but the new one is cheap for an almost-ultrabook that actually has a matte screen, a great keyboard, a powerful touchpad, it boots almost instantly and is not hindered by an operating system that gets in the way. Now that Chrome OS has a more familiar interface and Chrome can run native apps, the new Chrome devices could gain more traction.
Instead of using an Intel Atom N570 processor with really poor integrated graphics, the new Samsung Chromebook 550 uses an Intel Celeron 867 processor with much better graphics. From an Atom CPU to a Sandy Bridge CULV processor, there's an important step up. Intel Celeron 867 is a low-end processor that lacks many features that are available in Core i3/i5/i7, but it's 3 times as fast as the old CPU (according to Google).
The new Chromebook doesn't meet Intel's requirements to be called an ultrabook, but it's almost there. It has an Intel Core CULV CPU, the height is 20 mm instead of 18 mm and the battery life is more than 5 hours (it's actually 6 hours).
The old Chromebook was pretty expensive for a netbook, but the new one is cheap for an almost-ultrabook that actually has a matte screen, a great keyboard, a powerful touchpad, it boots almost instantly and is not hindered by an operating system that gets in the way. Now that Chrome OS has a more familiar interface and Chrome can run native apps, the new Chrome devices could gain more traction.
Ode to ICS
Apple showed that a great interface can change the way you use a mobile phone, but Android's team didn't take this seriously until ICS. Android has never been about multitouch interfaces, intuitive apps, polished and refined user experience. Google spent a lot of time adding new features, powerful APIs, improving Android's performance, but the interface wasn't a priority. OEMs created their own interfaces, but something was missing.
Ice Cream Sandwich changed everything because it finally added the "soul" to the machine. The interface is consistent, there's a coherent design language that connects so many disjointed pieces and makes using an Android phone a pleasant experience. ICS is great because it removed Android's rough edges, it brought hardware acceleration, fluid and responsive interfaces that make you use the device more often.
Matias Duarte and his team certainly deserve the Gold prize for best system experience received at the 2012 User Experience Awards. ICS is not just "a major user experience step in Android's evolution", it's actually Android redefined.
Ice Cream Sandwich changed everything because it finally added the "soul" to the machine. The interface is consistent, there's a coherent design language that connects so many disjointed pieces and makes using an Android phone a pleasant experience. ICS is great because it removed Android's rough edges, it brought hardware acceleration, fluid and responsive interfaces that make you use the device more often.
Matias Duarte and his team certainly deserve the Gold prize for best system experience received at the 2012 User Experience Awards. ICS is not just "a major user experience step in Android's evolution", it's actually Android redefined.
Google Hot Searches
Google has a new interface and a name for the Hot Trends feature: it's now called Hot Searches, it includes fewer searches and fewer links to relevant news articles.
"Hot Searches has gotten a refresh that makes the list of searches more visual, groups related rising search terms together and lets you see more information about those searches," explains Google.
For the first time, Google shows an estimation for the number of searches, so we can find out that more than 500,000 people searched for [Apple] yesterday in the US. For some reason, Hot Searches doesn't integrate with Google Trends and Google shows thumbnails from news articles instead of charts.
"Hot Searches has gotten a refresh that makes the list of searches more visual, groups related rising search terms together and lets you see more information about those searches," explains Google.
For the first time, Google shows an estimation for the number of searches, so we can find out that more than 500,000 people searched for [Apple] yesterday in the US. For some reason, Hot Searches doesn't integrate with Google Trends and Google shows thumbnails from news articles instead of charts.
A Blessing in Disguise for Google Maps
The next version of Apple's iOS includes a new maps app that's no longer powered by Google Maps. Apple now uses data from TomTom, OpenStreetMap, Yelp to provide a more comprehensive experience that rivals the Android app for Google Maps. Apple Maps offers turn-by-turn directions, Siri integration, local business reviews from Yelp, "flyover" 3D maps.
Flyover lets you "see major metro areas from the air with photo-realistic, interactive 3D views" and it's a clever combination of Google Earth and Street View. Last year, Apple acquired C3 Technologies and used its technology for the 3D maps.
Obviously, Apple's new maps app no longer includes Street View, Google Transit, Google's comprehensive maps and local search and many users will miss these features. Google will lose a significant amount of mobile traffic and an important data source for Google Maps, but it will be able to release a much better Google Maps app, assuming that Apple approves it. After all, Google Maps is one of the best apps for Android and Google has constantly added new features, while Apple's maps app hasn't improved too much.
Flyover lets you "see major metro areas from the air with photo-realistic, interactive 3D views" and it's a clever combination of Google Earth and Street View. Last year, Apple acquired C3 Technologies and used its technology for the 3D maps.
Obviously, Apple's new maps app no longer includes Street View, Google Transit, Google's comprehensive maps and local search and many users will miss these features. Google will lose a significant amount of mobile traffic and an important data source for Google Maps, but it will be able to release a much better Google Maps app, assuming that Apple approves it. After all, Google Maps is one of the best apps for Android and Google has constantly added new features, while Apple's maps app hasn't improved too much.
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