Google Is Now A Subsidiary Of A New Company Called Alphabet, Here Are The Details

A new chapter in Google’s history unfolded earlier today, when co-founder Larry Page announced that the company and all its ventures will henceforth be operating under a new parent company called Alphabet Inc., spearheaded by Page himself as CEO and co-founder Sergey Brin as President.

Google has always been an exploratory company, never afraid to experiment with and invest in new ideas in a multitude of fields, no matter how crazy they may seem. This move, as Page explains in his post on the official Google blog and abc.xyz website, is to streamline these efforts while providing greater transparency and flexibility to each. Google Inc. itself will be “slimmed down” as part of this change with Sundar Pichai taking over the reigns as CEO. With Google becoming a subsidiary of Alphabet, it will be replaced by Alphabet Inc. as the publicly-traded entity while the ticker symbols for its shares (GOOGL, GOOG) remain the same.

The name ‘Alphabet’ is homage to the letters that make up a language or as Page sees it, “one of humanity’s most important innovations”, and Alpha – the measure of an investment’s performance against a benchmark index.

While this doesn’t mean much to the average Google consumer – apart from the fact that it is simply easier to understand – it isn’t one to be dismissed as daily noise. With a separate CEO running each arm with complete independence, such a restructuring should help drive more focus at Google as well as other ventures that don’t share much in products or services with the Internet giant, such as Capital, Nest, Ventures, Calico, the ISP Fiber, and X Labs, the research subsidiary that now works on Glass – all these will now be separate entities along with Google under the umbrella of Alphabet Inc. This means faster improvements for the Internet products we all use on a daily basis, more amazing ideas being explored, and possibly, relentless acquisitions. It should certainly have competitors rethinking their strategies.

It is clear that Google is looking to move even faster in its quest for new, game-changing ideas. While this might have competitors of each Alphabet subsidiary rethinking their strategies, it spells exciting times ahead for us consumers as well as aspiring entrepreneurs looking for the support of a stable collective.

The official Alphabet website is up at abc.xyz.

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How To Send Self-Destructing Emails In Gmail

Have you ever sent out an email to someone only to regret having sent the message that it contained? If so, you might be interested in a new Chrome extension called Dmail, which can save the day by giving your Gmail-based emails the ability to self-destruct.

Dmail, which currently supports Gmail only, comes in a month after Google introduced a new ‘Undo Send‘ feature in Gmail which allowed users to revoke a sent email within 30 seconds of hitting the Send button. This extension allows you to send an email to anyone, with the power to revoke the recipient’s access to it at anytime. You can also set a self-destruct timer such as an hour, a day, or a week that denies access to the email after the specified time period has passed.

After installing the Dmail extension, you’ll see a new switch added to the bottom of a new email that you are composing. You can simply flip that switch to enable or disable Dmail whenever you want.

Much to everyone’s delight, it doesn’t matter whether the recipient has the extension installed or not. While recipients with the extension already installed can read the email directly from Gmail until access to it is denied by the sender, it works a bit differently for those who do not have Dmail installed. Such users will receive an email which reads “This secure message was sent using Dmail. To view this message, simply click the button below”, after which a new tab will be opened displaying the email.

After access to the email is revoked, the recipient will view a message that says “This message has been destroyed and is no longer available”. This means that the email will not be removed from the recipient’s inbox, it’s just the access to the message which will be denied.

As of now, the extension is available for the Chrome web browser on desktop but an iOS and Android release is expected for later this year. The team is also planning to add the self-destruct functionality to document attachments as well. With this extension, you now have a chance to keep your impulsive or accidental emailing in check.

(Download: Dmail for Chrome browser)

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Google Translate Beat boxing

Google Translates pronunciations may or may not seizure you, but the thing's got some beat boxing skills..

1) Go to Google Translate
2) Set the translator to translate German to German
3) Copy + paste the following into the translate box:

pv zk bschk pv zk pv bschk zk pv zk bschk pv zk pv bschk zk bschk pv bschk bschk pv kkkkkkkkkk bschk bschk bschk pv zk bschk pv zk pv bschk zk pv zk bschk pv zk pv bschk zk bschk pv bschk bschk pv kkkkkkkkkk bschk bschk bschk pv zk bschk pv zk pv bschk zk pv zk bschk pv zk pv bschk zk bschk pv bschk bschk pv kkkkkkkkkk bschk bschk bschk pv zk bschk pv zk pv bschk zk pv zk bschk pv zk pv bschk zk bschk pv bschk bschk pv kkkkkkkkkk bschk bschk bschk pv zk bschk pv zk pv bschk zk pv zk bschk pv zk pv bschk zk bschk pv bschk bschk pv kkkkkkkkkk bschk bschk bschk4

Click “listen”
5) Be amazed

Does it count as beatboxing if the voice is non-human? (Okay, okay, yeah, you could do this on your own with just about anything by slicing off the plosives on words. But if you’re procrastinating on this weekday, it’ll seem utterly amazing. And don’t be surprised if Google takes over beatboxing, just like everything else.

Here’s A guide to making your own beats:

zk = suspended cymbal
bschk = snare
pv = brush
bk = bass
tk = flam1
vk = roll tap
kt = flam2
kttp = flam tap
krp = hi hat tap
pv = short roll
th = better hi hat
thp, ds = instant rimshot.

While I'm not 100% certain how just this is excavation, it seems like a individuation of the German translation setup in Google Translate is allowing for playing consonants in a way that sounds suchlike drums. Or, statesman specifically, a pleasing way that sounds equivalent drums.

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Google’s Project Glass Is The Future Of Augmented Reality And Connectivity [VIDEO]

In what can only be described as a geek’s ultimate dream, members of the extensive Google team have teased what it describes as Project Glass – offering a futuristic take on productivity.

Let’s face it, with a smartphone in our pockets, we’re never going to struggle to keep in touch with family, friends, work colleagues and associates. That said, if we could slip on a pair of glasses offering voice activation and line of sight icons helping us run our daily digital errands, we’d certainly consider it.

Well, that’s exactly what the Project Glass Team are trying to achieve. The below demo video outlines how it could work, although please bear in mind that this is purely conceptual – so the product you see here doesn’t actually exist yet:

The team is looking for as much input from techies as possible in order to take it in the right direction. Although there are many awesome features, the ability to take a photo of anything seen by simple speech would mean no matter what, that Kodak moment would never be missed again.

The blog post states:

A group of us from Google[x] started Project Glass to build this kind of technology, one that helps you explore and share your world, putting you back in the moment. We’re sharing this information now because we want to start a conversation and learn from your valuable input.

What I like about Project Glass is that although it does seem a long way off and futuristic, it’s by no means beyond the realms of possibility. Like how the smartphone has come a long way from its brickier roots, the glasses would become as much a fashion accessory as a necessity, with sleeker designs which could eventually render them indistinguishable from your everyday, Steve Jobs spectacles.

Even so, the concepts drawn up by the team aren’t exactly what you’d call bulky, and while not claiming to know a stitch about fashion, I’ve seen people voluntarily wearing worse.

What do you guys make of this – is Project Glass a passing fad, or are we looking at the future of smart technology? We’d love it if you share your thoughts with us, so feel free to drop us a comment on our Facebook or Google Plus+ page.

You can follow me on Twitter, add me to your circle on Google+ or or like my Facebook page to keep yourself updated on all the latest.

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How To Download And Install Android 4.0.4 ICS On Nexus S 4G

Although Google seems to have sped up Ice Cream Sandwich implementation across the range of Android devices, there are still a bunch of feature-rich smartphones out there yearning for some of the Big G’s delicious mobile OS.

One such device us undoubtedly the Sprint Nexus S 4G, but the wait is nearly over because an official build (IMM76D) has leaked into the wild, and according to whispers, it’s the final release set to trickle out over the air in the coming days and weeks.

If you’re understandably impatient, then you’ve no need to worry, since we’ve got the tutorial ready and waiting for you to install the latest iteration of Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0.4) on your Sprint Nexus S 4G!

DISCLAIMER: Proceed with caution and at your own risk. SanjeevRules is not to be held responsible for any loss of data as a result of you following this tutorial. Furthermore, the install will wipe all of your device’s data, so be sure to back up anything important.

With the formalities out of the way, let’s get started!

Step 1: Download IMM76Drelease-keys.zip. Once you have the file, unzip.

Step 2: Next you’ll need to install the NS4G drivers, which can be downloaded here.

Step 3: Download Odin, unzip and run.

Step 4: Power down your Nexus S 4 and put it into “Download Mode” by holding Volume Up andVolume Down, and then clicking the Power button.

Step 5: Connect your device to your PC, and once Odin recognizes it, the first box should be filled with “0:[COM#]“.

Step 6: Click Bootloader, followed by SPH-D720_IMM76D_KE1_BOOTLOAD_signed.tar. Then selectPDA and select SPH-D720_IMM76D_PDA_signed.tar. Finally, Click Phone and then select SPH-D720_IMM76D_LC1_Modem_signed.tar and then click Start.

Step 7: Hey, presto! The NS4G drivers will reboot, and after such a long wait, you can finally tuck into Ice Cream Sandwich!

As stated earlier, the OTA shouldn’t be too far away, so if you’re not really one to tinker with your device, just sit tight and keep checking for update notifications.

With so much talk of Jelly Bean (5.0) concurrent with reports of a miserly 1% ICS reach, many suspected Ice Cream Sandwich could end up abruptly on the scrapheap – never getting the opportunity to really present itself to the many millions of Android users worldwide. With a handful of devices now either running it or awaiting that OTA update, though, there certainly seems to be life in ICS yet.

You can follow me on Twitter, add me to your circle on Google+ or or like my Facebook page to keep yourself updated on all the latest.

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Google Will Sell Android Tablets Directly From An Online Outlet , Nexus Tablet Anyone?

Falling in line with recent rumor and speculation across the blogosphere, a report by the Wall Street Journal notes that Google is readying the release of a tablet for some time this year.

In what would be the latest attempt at competing with Apple’s domineering iPad device, the web’s number one company is said to be looking to market and sell tablets directly to consumers through some form of online store. Citing the clichéd "sources familiar with the matter", the WSJ believes the Big G will retail the device in a similar way to that of not only Apple, but also Amazon with its Kindle range.

Although Android hasn’t exactly struggled on the smartphone front, Apple has rather embarrassingly controlled the tablet market, and even though the Kindle Fire did cause a bit of a stir prior to its late-2011 release, the actual product was reflective of the sub-$200 price bracket.

Of course, although the tablets will have the Google name on them, the company won’t be responsible for the manufacturing process. Korean LCD specialist Samsung is likely to play a significant role from a hardware perspective, as has been the case with some of the Google-branded smartphones hitherto. Tying in nicely with rumors, the WSJ report also names Taiwan-based outfit ASUS as a prospective partner – something we’ve seen and heard on more than one occasion now.

Further details regarding an actual release frame and specifics of the online store remain unknown. The sources did add that Android Jelly Bean (5.0) will land in the middle of this year.

As you’d probably expect, neither a Google nor ASUS spokesperson would comment on proceedings, but the tipster had plenty to say. We heard earlier this month that a Google-ASUS tablet was, for all essential purposes, a "done deal", with a $249 price bracket directly competing with Amazon’s Kindle Fire. The insider seems to subscribe to this notion, and believes Google is looking to subsidize the cost of future devices in order to increase appeal.

Let’s just hope it fares better than the hapless Nexus One, which didn’t last too long before disappearing a couple of years ago.

You can follow me on Twitter, add me to your circle on Google+ or or like my Facebook page to keep yourself updated on all the latest.

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Google Showing, What You’ve Been Up To

Google has just launched a new service called Account Activity, allowing users to produce periodical reports showing their usage patterns of Google products. Google’s activity reports mean you can now get a report that shows you how much Gmail you’ve received over the past month, how much you’ve sent, what were your top Google searches, where you were located during the month, and more.

You can sign up for the service now, but the report takes a few days to generate. Once it’s ready, you will receive an email with a link to the report, and would need to enter your Google credentials to access it. This service increases Google’s transparency about the amount of personal data it collects, and allows users to make use of it by analyzing their own email and search habits.

The activity report would look like this:

Knowing where your time goes online could lead to improved productivity, and knowing the locations from which your account was used leads to better security. For instance, if you haven’t been to Australia this month, nobody from Australia should have used your account (obviously).

Google shared a screenshot of a dummy report with their announcement, showing information pulled in from Google Latitude, Gmail, and Web History, as well as general Google Account information.

You can follow me on Twitter, add me to your circle on Google+ or or like my Facebook page to keep yourself updated on all the latest.

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iOS Is Google’s Cash Cow, Raking In Four Times More Money Than It Does From Android

According to Google’s own numbers, the search and mobile technology giant is currently making four times as much money from iOS devices like the iPhone and iPad, as it is from smartphones and tablets running its own Android mobile operating system.

We’ll let you re-read that first paragraph before we continue. Don’t worry, we’ll wait…

Ready? Right.

So, the story comes as Google has released information to Oracle as part of what is expected to turn into a patent and copyright infringement case between the two companies. As part of the settlement offer on the table, Google has admitted that it made less than $550 million from devices running Android, between 2008 and the end of 2011. If this information is correct, and we have no real reason to believe that Google is lying, then that would mean that the company is making around $10 for each Android device sold. That is, assuming Google’s own published Android activation numbers are accurate for the same timescale.

The news that Google is doing so well out of Apple’s hardware should not be as surprising as it first seems. All iOS devices come bundled with Google’s search and Maps as standard, with other apps available as a free download. Add in all the advertisements displayed on iPhones and iPads around the globe, and it all starts to make a little more sense.

Still, this will not stop Apple and Google fanboys taking the news in very different ways. We all know that Apple fanboys in particular enjoy a good opportunity to laud it over their Android-toting friends, and stats like these certainly go some way to making that easier than it was before.

What this does show, however, is that Google is happy just for people to be using mobile devices at all, regardless of the platform. If people are looking at screens, be they Android or iOS, then the chances are they are also looking at Google’s apps or, more likely, their ads. Either way, Google will consider itself a winner. Remember that back when Google first started out the Android road, it said it just wanted to get handsets into peoples’ hands.

Turns out, Apple may be doing that just as well as Google these days.

We doubt Google really cares, so long as its products are shipping on iPhones and iPads, that is.

You can follow me on Twitter, add me to your circle on Google+ or or like my Facebook page to keep yourself updated on all the latest.

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