These watches come from a collaboration between Google and Modify Watches. Aside from these Android versions they also have watches that feature Google’s Chrome logo and the Google logo. So Google fans are well covered.

Modify Watches are built so you can mix-and-match faces and straps to create the watch the way you like it. You can buy one now for now for $59.95(USD) from the Google store. I like the Android mascot myself, but that seems a bit steep for branding my wrist with a no-frills watch. If you beg to differ, head over to the Google store and buy one.

[via Talkandroid]

All you have to do to check it out is hop over to Google and enter “let it snow” into the search box. After a second, you will see snowflakes start to fall down the screen. They get heavier over time and then your screen will eventually frost over.

After a bit, a button on the search bar comes on that says “Defrost”. If you hit that button the snow continues to fall, but it won’t fog up again. This is pretty cool. After this one and “do a barrel roll“, what would you like to see for Google’s next Easter Egg?

[via PCMag]

Poor Yahoo! Check out the rest of the heroes’ gallery below and see if you agree with Tanner’s analogies:

Batman is too good for Facebook. Also, where’s Wikipedia? It could’ve been The Question. Powers: Can tap into the world’s collective knowledge. Nemesis: Anyone.

[via Collegehumor via Laughing Squid]

Is it an example of high-tech augmented reality? Not really. Is it controversial? Nope. Distrurbing? Maybe. You can fire the assault rifle at pictures of the real world, but doing so has no consequences on the environment – no damage or deaths result. If that’s a bad thing, then we might as well ban imagination. It’s not a good mod, but let’s be honest, it’s not so evil either.

Apparently Google didn’t think the mod was cool and had the gimmick taken down. However, you can view samples of it in Mashable’s report:

It would’ve been much better if they turned it into a Portal mod instead. But that would’ve required more effort. So did the ad agency shoot itself in the foot with this gimmick? Or is bad publicity still worthwhile publicity?

[via Who Killed Bambi?]

Images are captured by the iPhone and automatically uploaded to Mark’s iOS5-enabled PhotoStream. As the vehicle drives and captures images, GPS coordinates are recorded using a Dexter Industries dGPS sensor. This creates a KML file, which is then sent to a PC when the car is in Wi-Fi range. When the file is opened in Google Earth, it shows the path that the car drove, including placemarks for every picture that was taken along the way.

Mark uses an app called SoundSnap which triggers the camera whenever the NXT plays a loud sound from its speaker. Eventually, Mark hopes to eliminate this analog step and go with a direct Bluetooth trigger.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

I wonder what else Mark’s next version of his LEGO Streetview Car will do. It will probably be even more automated, since there are still a few manual steps involved in generating the Google Earth map.

[via Make:]

The Google name is carved into six gigantic pumpkins. Several of these massive pumpkins weigh over 1,000 pounds. Google workers spent eight hours carving them into designs that look like the letters needed to spell “Google.” I like the fifth letter the best myself, but the only one I could have carved was the giant “l.”

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Check out the time-lapse video above to see all the carving and watch for Googlers in costume making cameos.

That hasn’t stopped other search engines from popping up and trying to divert a small percentage of Google’s users to their own sites. The newest one making an entry is WireDoo, a search engine that rapper MC Hammer is looking to develop. Hammer announced the news at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco.

Hammer contends that he isn’t going to make just any regular search engine, but one that’s capable of “deep search.” And what, pray tell, is “deep search?”

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Well, Hammer explains the premise behind WireDoo by using an example: when a person searches for a car, he or she isn’t just interested about just a “car,” but will also be looking for more information on car models, specifications, and even zip codes for purchasing vehicles from local dealers.

Technically, it’s nothing new because you can just get your desired results from Google’s contextual search or add a few more keywords in the search bar. WireDoo is currently in its pre-beta testing stage, so you can head on over there if you want to sign up to test it.

[via Mashable via Dvice]

The tip that a Google Music store is coming comes from an anonymous source cited by the New York Times. I think if anyone could get hoards of content on its store for people to buy, it would be Google. They already sell movies, games and books in their Android Market, so offering music would only broaden its reach. I would think that Google would also have the best shot at competing with the iTunes store. Amazon is already trying to beat Apple at the music sales game, but it is favored more by Android users today.

I don’t think it will be anytime soon that an digital music seller can beat iTunes, as the store has too much going for it – especially device integration with  hundreds of millions of iOS devices. I would think that before someone could truly challenge them, iTunes would consider allowing other devices to buy tracks and content on iTunes.

[via NYT]

The app is powered by HTML5, so it looks pretty snazzy and it’s based on the Gmail app for tablets. Once the app is installed, you can continue using Gmail by clicking the Gmail Offline icon and opening a new tab. This also works with Google Docs and Calendar but you can only view them, not modify them.

You can’t be online all the time, and if you use something like Inbox Zero, using offline Gmail might be a welcome addition to your workflow.

[via Gmail Blog]

I would not want the job of taking the street view photos down the Amazon and Rio Negro Rivers for anything. The Amazon is notoriously packed with piranha and all sorts of other animals that would like to eat you. In order to get the pics they need, Google will strap the trikes to a boat and then take the boat down about 31 miles of the Rio Negro to start. The trip down the jungle trails and the Amazon will apparently come later. The photos taken by the trikes will be turned into the usual 360-degree panoramas.

The project is a joint operation between the Brazil and US Street View teams, Google Earth Outreach, and the Amazonas Sustainable Foundation.

[via PopSci and BBC via PC World]

Motorola was one of the largest companies in the smartphone market with some of the most popular Android smartphones around. The deal will cost Google $40 per share at a cost that works out to to about $40 billion. That’s a 63% premium on the street price over Motorola Mobility share prices at the close of last week. The transaction has been approved by the board at Google and at Motorola.

The purchase still needs to be approved by the shareholders at Motorola. The purchase is also subject to regulatory approval and other closing conditions. Google hopes to have the purchase wrapped up by late 2011 or early 2012. Google will continue to make Android an open platform and Motorola Mobility will be a separately operated company.

Google has stated that it thinks public is the only way to go with your profile since the point is to manage your online identity. If you don’t want the profile public, then just delete it according to Google. In fact, if you do nothing as of August 1, 2011, Google will delete your Google Profile for you if it is set to private.

Google reminds that only your name and gender are required to be shared and you can edit or delete all of the other details. This is very strange; I wonder how people will react. It will probably fly with no issues with the small number of active Google+ users right now. I can only imagine the outcry if Facebook decided to do this and forced all profiles to be public.

Wi-Fi is a must for these Chromebooks, because you can’t do much unless you get access to the cloud with a live Internet connection. There are even Chrome Zone lounges where you can get comfy with your loaner. However, you’ll need to give a credit card deposit if you want to try one.

Chromebooks are being offered on flights between San Francisco, Chicago O’Hare, Boston, Dallas-Fort Worth. There’s a similar loaner program offered at the Ace Hotel in New York City.

[Virgin America via TechCrunch]

The search giant has created some awesome tech that allows the fleet of autonomous vehicles to drive and navigate without needing any input from a person. Google has been backing a bill in Nevada that has now been passed. The bill in question is Assembly Bill No 511 and it makes operating Google’s (and presumably other) driverless vehicles on Nevada state roads legal.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

That means drivers in Nevada may soon be passed by cars with no driver on their way to work. I bet most people will never notice since they are too busy reading, eating or texting anyway. The tech sounds cool, but I would like to see just how well it works and responds to random and unexpected emergencies like a deer or child suddenly running out in front of the car.

[via inhabitat]

At first glance, you might think these little guys are Google Android mascots, but you’d be wrong. Look carefully, and you’ll notice that despite their striking resemblance to Google’s mascot, these guys seem to work for a company called “Gotge”, or is it “Gorge”? Maybe just “Go-ge”. Whichever it is, this is clearly not official Google merch.

But that doesn’t make these little speakers any less cute. Each one had a small full-range driver built into the bottom, and colorful LEDs around its neck which light up when the music is playing. Pushing the ‘droid’s head starts and stops the music, and turning it left or right adjusts the volume.

If you look carefully on the back, you’ll see a slot for a T-Flash(MicroSD) card, and the Android lookalike can play MP3 audio as well as connect to your PC or media player through its 3.5mm jack. There’s also a mini-USB port for battery charging or transferring data to the memory card. And if that’s not enough, they also have an FM radio built-in.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

They’re available over at Now!Supplier for $29.90 (USD) each, but I can’t figure out how to pick between colors on their website. If you want to be sure you get the correct one, I suggest you check out ChinaGrabber, who offers them in individually in either green or copper for a few dollars more.

[via Ubergizmo and M8Cool]

Can it still be called a desktop if it fits in your hand? My guess is no. This “palmtop(?)” is made out of laptop parts so that its form factor remains tiny. These computers are made out of 3 components: the processor module, the primary I/O module, and the secondary module. The processor module holds the processor and the RAM, the primary I/O has the ports and coms, while the secondary module has Ethernet, video, and power connections.

These mini computers were previously made to work with Windows, Linux, Unix, Ubuntu, and other open source-based OS. Now they will support the Chrome OS. The ChromiumPC’s price will be announced later this year, and it’s supposed to be available in the second half of 2011. It will be available in different colors, and yes, there’s even a chrome-plated version.

[via Businesswire]

Their handmade Google “GPillows” series includes icon pillows for Android (previously featured), GMail, the Google “g” and their latest addition, Chrome. I wonder if the Chrome pillow feels as soft as a cloud. It sure looks like it, and that would only be appropriate. Given their soft fleece shell and fluffy poly fill, I bet that’s the case.

You can grab all four Google pillows over at Craftsquatch’s Etsy shop, with prices ranging from $22 to $28 (USD). Apple fanboys, don’t despair, you can always fill your couch with some iPillows instead.

It’s worth noting that customers will have to sign a 3-year contract to get these machines at this monthly price. This makes it sound a lot like financing to me. At that price, the overall cost of these laptops is significantly higher than a if you just bought them outright. The only real benefit is that troubleshooting warranty is included at this price. Overall, for businesses, it depends on how many computers you’ll end up buying and if it makes sense for the bottom line. It might work well for certain types of businesses and for people who don’t want to deal with the hassle of maintaining a laptop.

The Chromebooks include the Samsung Series 5, which comes with a dual-core 1.66GHz Intel Atom N570 chip, a 1MP webcam, and a 16GB SSD. There’s an SDXC card reader and VGA out via an “optional” dongle. It will cost $429 for the WiFi version and $499 for the 3G version. The Series 5 has got a 12.1-inch screen with 1280×800 resolution, an overall weight of 3.26 lbs, and an improved trackpad, which was the downfall of the Google CR-48. Battery life is supposed to be 8.5 hours. The Acer model is cheaper, starting at $349, but has a 6.5-hour battery life and an 11.6-inch screen.

Look for them both on Amazon or Best Buy starting on June 15th.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

[via Google]

Reports have surfaced that Chrome OS notebook will be available for consumers this summer. Sources cited by Neowin claim that they will be here in late June or early July. The weird thing about this to me is that you won’t be able to just buy the notebook if you want one.

Instead, you’ll have to subscribe and and pay a monthly fee to Google to use the notebook with its cloud-based OS. The monthly fee will reportedly be about $10 to $20 for each user. The other issue is that the current OS is pretty basic by most accounts making it only appealing to basic users who need productivity and web access.

Themes in Gmail have existed for a while, but if you’d rather personalize you inbox even further, then Google has got you covered. The new Create Your Own Theme feature allows you to create a theme for yourself (and make Gmail load that much slower.)

You can set your own colors and starting today, as well as customize your background with images. You just need to go to the Themes tab in Settings and choose “Create your own theme.” Once there, you can select your own background images for the main area as well as the footer.

[via Gmail's official blog]