Google Friends Newsletter

April 2006

Hello, Google Friends, and welcome to the April edition of this newsletter. We hope you enjoy this update on our various services and new products, and find it useful.

POWER TIP

More ways to personalize the Google homepage Now it's easier than ever to personalize your Google homepage with more content ranging from local weather to custom Google logos, and headlines from sources like CNN and ESPN. If you're so inclined, it's easy to create your own modules using our API.
Directory: http://www.google.com/ig/directory
API: http://www.google.com/apis/homepage

NEW PRODUCTS

Google Calendar
Here's a new web-based way to keep track of all the events in your life, coordinate schedules with others, and find new things to do via one online calendar. Google Calendar works with other calendar applications, is integrated with Gmail, and you can even set up multiple calendars for work, leisure, and family activities. View your schedule by day, week or month and set up automatic reminders and find anything on your calendar with the built-in search tool.
http://calendar.google.com

Toolbar for Firefox v2
The new version of the Google Toolbar for the Firefox browser is now available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. There's an enhanced search box, safe browsing, and several smarter browsing features including spelling corrections, search history and instant suggestions.
http://www.google.com/tools/firefox/toolbar

Share with Google Reader
Google Reader, which helps you keep track of the latest content from websites you like to read regularly, just added the ability to share items you're labeling or starring with your friends, family and anyone else who's reading. Send a link to your starred items in Reader, or put a clip on your blog with recent items from your reading list. Friends can then subscribe to a feed of items you've selected (even if they don't use Google Reader) and visitors to your blog can see it in the sidebar, too. To get started with sharing, just click the "Share" link in Reader.
http://reader.google.com

Gmail Mac Notifier
Mac users will be pleased to know that a new version of the Gmail Notifier - a small download that alerts you to new messages - is now available. It sports new icons, and runs on both PowerPC Macs and the new Intel-based Macs. Extra bonus: it will notify you when a new version is available and automatically upgrade itself.
https://mail.google.com/mail/help/notifier/

Joga.com
In partnership with Nike, Google has introduced Joga.com, an online community for people crazy about football, or soccer as it's known in the U.S. Joga combines Google technology with Nike's unique sports content and access to players and brings people all over the world together to celebrate their shared passion for the game. Joga members can build their own groups and clubs, share all kinds of football-related information, upload photos and video, and organize and give updates on local matches and events. Members keep current with Friend Requests, Alerts, and Messages. And in the coming months, Google and Nike will be bringing out more tools and features to help Joga members embrace their love of football in this global online setting.
By the way, the name comes from the Portuguese phrase "Joga Bonito" or "play beautiful."
http://www.joga.com

MISCELLANY

The Da Vinci Code Quest on Google
Together with Sony Pictures Entertainment, Google is promoting the upcoming film "The Da Vinci Code" through a time-limited interactive contest on the Google personalized homepage. This began on April 17, and each day until May 11, Google will release one Da Vinci Code-style puzzle or riddle. Finalists then compete on May 19, the date of the film release. To enter the contest, sign in to your Google account and add the Da Vinci Code Quest module to your Google homepage. You will see a new puzzle to complete each day at 1 p.m. EDT. The first 10,000 participants who correctly solve all 24 daily puzzles and submit a completion form will win a replica of the cryptex described in Dan Brown's book, and use the tool to compete in the final phase of the contest (five more time-sensitive puzzles). The grand prize winners in the U.S., the U.K., and Australia will win trips to the film premiere.
Go here to register and play:
http://www.google.com/davincicode

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The Google Blog offers frequent updates and insights about our technology and products, and the company at large.
http://googleblog.blogspot.com