Google

Imagine loading Gmail and noticing that all your messages have been deleted. This is a real problem for many Gmail users who thought that they lost all of their messages. Here’s one of the many reports from Gmail’s forum: Yes, whatever the error is on Google’s end (and it clearly is that, not a hack, unless it’s some kind of inside hack) it’s basically reset my account so it’s like a brand-new Gmail account. My contacts are intact, but nothing else–the folders have reset to default, my signature line is blank, the “theme” is changed back to the default and–of course–every single email from the last 7 years has vanished completely. ...

For the first time ever since the evolution of the Internet, if you went that far!, Facebook received more web visits than Google UK site, on a single day… Christmas Day. Google’s traffic share is constantly between 8-10% in U.K., while Facebook’s is well between 8-6%. Facebook accounted for 10.50% of the internet traffic in the U.K. on December 25th, marginally surpassing Google (9.77%). So, why was Facebook your favorite website on that day? You tell us! ...

Google really isn’t happy with its TV operating system. In addition to telling companies not to mention their Google TV products at CES next month, now it looks like the search company is actively stopping production on a device that’s already been released. According to a report on Digitimes.com, Logitech has ordered a suspension of all Logitech Revue components from its supplier, Gigabyte Technology. The Revue is Logitech’s set-top box that turns any TV into a Google TV. ...

Today we’ve added a new notification to our search results that helps people know when a site may have been hacked. We’ve provided notices for malware for years, which also involve a separate warning page. Now we’re expanding the search results notifications to help people avoid sites that may have been compromised and altered by a third party, typically for spam. When a user visits a site, we want her to be confident the information on that site comes from the original publisher. Here’s what the notification looks like: ...

Mashable: Get ready, folks with no sense of direction; Google Maps 5.0 app for Android is looking to make your life a lot easier with 3D graphics, more accurate orientation and the ability to function offline. According to Gizmodo, the app — which was demoed at D: Dive Into Mobile conference in San Francisco — is much faster than the previous iteration and renders in real time. 3D buildings are visible at street-level view, which lets you tilt the image and check out your virtual surroundings. The map will also adjust as you move, dictated by the compass, or you can rotate the map yourself if you want to check out various views. ...

Google has just launched Message Continuity, a cloud-based enterprise solution for backing up corporate e-mail whenever Microsoft Exchange goes down. The new product, powered by Google’s 2007 acquisition of Postini, focuses on giving companies another access point to their e-mail accounts. It essentially creates a complete backup copy of Microsoft Exchange Servers and puts those e-mails into a Google Apps account, replicating that information within Gmail, Calendar and Contacts. ...

Android activations have now surpassed 300,000 per day which equals the number of activations for Symbian worldwide, according to data provided by Google. It also indicates that the now near-continuous stream of new Android phones is having a positive effect on sales overall. Back in October, Google CEO Eric Schmidt said the company was activating about 200,000 phones per day. The new number also comes from Google’s engineering chief Andy Rubin, who tweeted it on Wednesday night. It is not out of the question to think that Android may become the top platform in the world early next year. ...

The latest release of Google Chrome includes the Chrome PDF Viewer which won’t properly display some PDF files like Dynamic Forms and PDF Portfolios. While Google Chrome is not a supported browser, the Adobe PDF Plug-In For Firefox and Netscape 10.0.0 does actually work with Chrome on Windows. If you want to display your PDF files in Chrome using the Adobe Reader, you can easily disable the native viewer. Just type “about:plugins” in address bar and then disable the Chrome PDF Viewer. You don’t even need to restart.

Google officially unveiled the long-anticipated Chrome Web Store at its big Chrome event today. Think of the Web Store as the App Store, but for the Chrome browser. The apps work both in the Chrome web browser and in Google’s upcoming Chrome OS. Google showcased some of the apps that will be available in the Web Store from companies like NPR, The New York Times, EA and Amazon.com. ...

Google revealed during its Chrome press conference today that its web browser now has 120 million users. That’s 50 million more users than it had less than seven months ago. Chrome is Google’s webkit-based web browser. Launched in September 2008, the browser has gone from zero market share to nearly 10% market share. It’s known for its lightweight design and fast JavaScript rendering. How fast is Google’s web browser growing, though? At its developer conference in May, Google announced that Chrome had 70 million users. That means the browser has increased its user base by around 40% in six and a half months. That’s some serious growth. ...

BetaNews: One year ago, Google gave the world its first look at Chrome OS, a project taking a new approach to thin clients and terminal computing. The long and the short of Chrome OS is: if the browser is the most-used application on a PC, why would you load it down with anything else? Chrome OS focuses on computers that are permanently connected, where all apps, data, and user identities and desktops are stored in the cloud. The computers running the OS are designed to be as unencumbered by software as possible, so they can run quickly and reliably. Businesses can run them in secure private clouds just as well as consumers can run them on the public Web. ...

Mashable: Google just launched artillery deep into territories held by Microsoft and Apple by making one of the biggest announcements in its history: The reveal of Chrome OS. And in doing so, it has declared war on the traditional desktop model. The Cr-48 Chrome Notebook will be the first official device featuring Chrome OS. Although it’s only being released in a pilot program to beta testers, it’s very much an emissary to consumers (Google’s hopeful allies in the fight). Those of you interested in enlisting can sign up to test the device, but we’re guessing selection will be — well — selective. ...

Google has just released ‘Google Books’ app for iOS. The Google Books app offers access to over 2 million Google eBooks on iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. Take your favorite books with you on the go. The app is free and requires to sign in with your Google account. Google Books Features: Great Reading Experience – Change font, search within book, information about book – Night-reading mode – Offline reading mode ...

Take a look in the Email I got from Google a few minutes ago: Dear Website Optimizer user, We are writing to inform you of a potential security issue with Website Optimizer. By exploiting a vulnerability in the Website Optimizer Control Script, an attacker might be able to execute malicious code on your site using a Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attack. This attack can only take place if a website or browser has already been compromised by a separate attack. While the immediate probability of this attack is low, we urge you to take action to protect your site. ...

The New York Time: The Google e-bookstore is finally open. Tom Turvey, head of strategic partnerships at Google, said he thought the book business should have diversity of retail points After years of planning and months of delays, the search giant Google started its e-book venture on Monday, creating a potentially robust competitor in the digital book market to Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Apple. ...