Darren Straight's Blog

As of the 19th of October 2005 all new users signing up for a GMail/Google Mail in the UK have been given an @googlemail.com address instead of a @gmail.com email address. This was due to a dispute regarding the Gmail trademark in the UK, as another company “Independent International Investment Research (IIIR)” had claimed rights to the Gmail name. Google did try to resolve this dispute through negotiations, but their efforts failed.

So since this time their Google Mail help for the UK has displayed  the following message “We are still working with the courts and trademark office to protect our ability to use the Gmail name, but in the meantime, we want you to have an email address you can rely on. We are dedicated to offering the best email service to our users. Our email service stays the same no matter what the logo is or what follows the @ symbol. This change lets our team focus their time on continuing to bring you excellent service.”

However thats all changing, the following message has now been posted on The Official GMail Blog:

As a Brit, my friends and family often tell me they’re miffed that they get an @googlemail.com address instead of @gmail.com. Today I have good news for them: Google Mail is soon becoming Gmail again in the UK.

If you already have a Google email account in the UK, you’ll soon have the option to switch your existing @googlemail.com address to the matching @gmail.com one, but you’re also free to stick with @googlemail.com. And starting later this week, anybody who signs up for a new account in the UK will get an @gmail.com address. Since “gmail” is 50% fewer characters than “googlemail,” we estimate this name change will save approximately 60 million keystrokes a day. At about 217 microjoules per keystroke, that’s about the energy of 20 bonbons saved every day!

We’ll be making this transition over the next week, and will update this post as the changes roll out. So to Aunty Pamela, Uncle Maurice, and everyone else in the UK, welcome to Gmail!

This morning Google Street View Coverage in the UK has greatly Improved by up to 95% – 96%. With this imagery update around 238,000 miles of public road are now available in Google Street View in the UK.

This update of 210,000 miles of UK public roads available, adds to the 28,000 miles currently available before this morning.

This move means that Google Maps users will be able to see 95 – 96 percent of the UK’s approximately 246,985 miles of public roads.

People will be able to view and explore 360 degree street-level imagery of places as far North as Shetland and as far South as Penzance; from Pembrokeshire in the West of Wales to Ipswich in the East of England or over the sea to Northern Ireland and many places in between. With this imagery update around 238,000 miles of public road are now available in Street View in the UK.

Google first launched imagery for 25 cities in the UK in March 2009 and since doing so has been working hard to process and stitch together more imagery collected by its cars. By increasing availability to cover almost all of the country, the UK joins countries like Spain, France, Italy and the US, which already enjoy nationwide coverage in Street View.

People can check out a restaurant before arriving, make travel plans, arrange meeting points, get a helping hand with geography homework, or just get to know their town better.

Businesses of any size can make the most of this technology for free by embedding Google Maps into their websites. An owner of a local B&B can promote it to visitors for example, or a local library or restaurant could ensure people can find them on a street level map. Many UK businesses have already benefitted from having Street View technology on their sites, enabling their customers to easily find the information they need.

Street View has already proved both popular and useful across the UK, with more than a 30% sustained increase in Google Maps usage since launch [source: Google Inc.].

Today, new findings from YouGov reveal how people use it in their daily lives. It shows almost two thirds (60%) of people who have used Street View have done so to find out where they’re going and get directions; one third (33%) have used it to look at places in other countries and one in five (21%) have already used it for house-hunting, despite up until now only being available in 25 UK cities [source: YouGov plc, February 2010].

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Following up from both my previous posts (post 1 & post 2) about the Harry Potter Hogwarts Express Fan Trip Train Ride 2009, which gave you the chance to travel by steam train from Paddington to Oxford aboard the Hogwarts Express (GWR Hall Class 4-6-0 no 5972 Olton Hall) steam train on Saturday the 18th of July 2009.

I have now had the chance along with my girlfreind (see her post) to travel on this Hogwarts Express Journey, it was really enjoyable and worth going, the atmosphere around people was a great experience.

I have just finished uploading all the photos I took of my journey on the Hogwarts Express (5972 Olton Hall). My photos include both outside and inside photos of the main steam engine train and the carriages, along with some photos of Oxford and a few of London.

I shall soon be adding my Hogwarts Express Videos to this post too, which are definitely worth viewing, even if you didnt go!

Ever wonderd what website or page would be at the top of a search query list if you typed a single letter of the alphabet into a search engine? Probably not! But hey I wonderd for you, so here’s my results:

Live Search (United States)

• A is for FunBrain.com – The Internet’s #1 Education Site for K-8 Kids and …
• B is for B – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• C is for C (programming language) – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• D is for D – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• E is for E! Online
• F is for F – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• G is for G – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• H is for H – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• I is for I – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• J is for J – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• K is for K-State Research Exchange: Home
• L is for L – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• M is for M – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• N is for N – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• O is for O – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• P is for P – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Q is for Q – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• R is for R – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• S is for Schaeffer’s Investment Research – Resources for Stock and Option …
• T is for Cell Phones,Cellular Phone Plans,Prepaid Cell Phones,Free Cell Phones …
• U is for U – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• V is for V (comics) – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• W is for W – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• X is for X.Org Wiki – Home
• Y is for Y Mountain – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Z is for Z – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yahoo! Search (United States)

• A is for Arts & Entertainment Network (A&E)
• B is for B – Wikipedia
• C is for CProgramming.com
• D is for D.A.R.E.
• E is for E! Online
• F is for Fahrenheit – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• G is for G – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• H is for H (taxes) and then Windows Live Hotmail
• I is for I – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• J is for J (electronics) and then J.Crew
• K is for K (aire filters) and then K – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• L is for Men’s and Women’s Clothing, Outerwear and Outdoor Gear at L.L.Bean
• M is for M (candies) and then M (banking) and then Marks & Spencer
• N is for The N Network | Games, Quizzes, and Full Episodes
• O is for Cirque du Soleil: O
• P is for PAYABLE ON DEATH : WHEN ANGELS & SERPENTS DANCE
• Q is for Q4Music.com – Q Magazine
• R is for R.E.M.
• S is for S – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• T is for AT&T
• U is for U2
• V is for Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A)
• W is for The official site for all W Hotels – Book now.
• X is for X.Org Wiki – Home
• Y is for Yahoo!
• Z is for Z – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Google Search (United States)

• A is for Physical Review A
• B is for Physical Review B
• C is for C (programming language) – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• D is for Intro – D Programming Language – Digital Mars
• E is for E! Online
• F is for F: Summary for FORD MOTOR CO – Yahoo! Finance
• G is for Gmail: Email from Google
• H is for Hydrogen – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• I is for Apple – iPod + iTunes
• J is for J – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• K is for K – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• L is for L – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• M is for M (1931)
• N is for N : Puzzle-Platformer with Physics and Style
• O is for Cirque du Soleil – O – Las Vegas
• P is for P – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Q is for Q4Music.com – Q Magazine
• R is for The R Project for Statistical Computing
• S is for craigslist classifieds: jobs, housing, personals, for sale …
• T is for MBTA.com > Official Website for Greater Boston’s Public …
• U is for U – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• V is for V MAGAZINE
• W is for Boutique Hotels – W Hotels Worldwide
• X is for X The Band-Official Website
• Y is for Yahoo! Mail: The best web-based email!
• Z is for Z – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

After some research I came across the following page which also talk about these kind of results in more detail: The Google Alphabet – Search Engine Watch

Well it’s lunch time and so far The Future of Web Apps Conference and Expo here in London has been pretty cool. Yesterdays mashup* demo event was also quite interesting, though I do have some things that I would like to see next time…

I shall be posting a full review along with photos of both todays Future of Web Apps Conference and yesterday’s mashup* demo event once I get home.

Don’t forget that if you fancy meeting up while I’m here today and tomorrow at The FOWA Expo that you can give me a call or text on 07944160953.

Going to see Daniel Burka’s “Design for web apps vs the web” developer session next, then I’ll see Matt Mullenweg (founding developer of WordPress) and his session titled “The Architecture Behind WordPress.com”.

Digg and Microsoft have announced an agreement in which the two
companies will collaborate to bring relevant advertising to the more than
17 million unique monthly visitors to Digg, an innovative Web site that
harnesses the collective wisdom of the world’s online audience to
prioritize the overwhelming amount of content available on the Web.

Microsoft’s advanced advertising technology and sales force combined with
Digg’s unique and growing user community make possible the three-year
collaboration, grounded in the companies’ commitment to technological
innovation and user experience.

As part of the relationship, Microsoft will be the exclusive provider
of display and contextual advertising on Digg. The two companies also
agreed to work together on future technology and advertising initiatives.

“Our collaboration with Digg is about bringing our advertising
technology and sales force to one of the fastest-growing sites on the Web
and a true innovator in user-generated content,” said Steve Berkowitz,
senior vice president of the Online Services Group at Microsoft. “We
believe advertisers will welcome Microsoft and Digg’s combined strengths to
forge more meaningful connections online.”
Microsoft and Federated Media Publishing, Digg’s current advertising
partner, plan to collaborate to bring integrated programs to Digg’s users
and advertisers. “Federated Media has unique advertising sales assets that
dovetail with our efforts, and we look forward to working with them,”
Berkowitz said.

“We’re now positioned to provide a world-class advertising solution
that builds upon Digg’s philosophy of providing a great experience for
users and advertisers,” said Jay Adelson, CEO of Digg. “As the Digg
audience continues to grow and diversify, we believe that this initiative
with Microsoft, and the resources that it provides, will enable us to focus
less on developing an advertising infrastructure and more on developing new
and innovative features for the site.”

“We are thrilled to work with these two world-class companies,” said John Battelle, founder and CEO of Federated Media. “Digg is truly a
remarkable brand.”

The companies expect to begin execution of the agreement in the coming
weeks.

comScore (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, has released its monthly comScore qSearch analysis of activity across competitive search engines.  In June 2007, Google Sites maintained its spot atop the rankings with 49.5 percent of the U.S. search market.  Yahoo! Sites captured second place with 25.1 percent of U.S. searches, followed by Microsoft Sites (13.2 percent), Ask Network (5.0 percent) and Time Warner Network (4.2 percent).

• Americans conducted 8.0 billion searches online in June, up 6 percent versus May and up 26 percent versus June 2006.
• Google Sites led the pack with 4.0 billion search queries performed, followed by Yahoo Sites (2.0 billion), Microsoft Sites (1.1 billion), Ask Network (403 million), and Time Warner Network (341 million).  Despite declining in search market share in June, both Google Sites and Yahoo! Sites enjoyed increases in search query volume.
• Microsoft Sites experienced a significant increase in search query volume (up 36 percent) and search market share (up 2.9 share points) in June, due in large part to Live Search Club, a program launched by Microsoft in late May to engage and reward users of Live Search.

Well it looks like the previous rumours of Google Maps Street View are coming true, Google today announced at the Where 2.0 conference, that they have added a new feature called “Street View” in certain locations on Google Maps. As well as this, starting today, Google is also adding developer-created gadgets called Mapplets to Google Maps.

You can check out the Golden Gate Bridge using Google Maps Street View here.

Using Street View

		Blue outlines show roads where street view is available.
		This icon shows where you are on the map. The green arrow points in the direction you’re looking. You can drag the icon to navigate to a different location. You can also just click on a blue outlined road to go there.
		Drag the street view to look around 360°. Use the arrow buttons to navigate down the street. You can also use the arrow keys on the keyboard.

Just read over at Zdnet that Google has very recently registered several variations of the domain name googlestreetview.com so they could possible be announcing or even launching some kind of Google Maps Street View by the end of the month. Possible at Where 2.0. This functionality is likely in addition to the 3D buildings they are expected to announce at the same conference.

The domain names registerd by Google are as follows:

GOOGLE-MAPS-STREET-VIEW.COM
GOOGLE-MAPS-STREET-VIEW.NET
GOOGLE-MAPS-STREET-VIEW.ORG
GOOGLEMAPSSTREETVIEW.ORG
GOOGLESTREETVIEW.COM
GOOGLESTREETVIEW.NET
GOOGLESTREETVIEW.ORG

And though there’s no more information available on this as of yet, it could possible help Google catch up with Microsoft’s Windows Live Street Side Preview. So let’s hope that if there is something to be of this Google Street Side View that Microsoft start releasing some more imagery for Windows Live Street Side Preview. It’s really great bust hasen’t been updated for some time, even though lots of people have seen the Windows Live Local Facet “Mobile360″ Van on the road, so we know images are being taken of various city’s.

Just heard from SFGate and Search Engine Land that Google the Mountain View search engine has outstripped Microsoft on two fronts, by becoming both the most visited Web site and the most valuable global brand.

For the first time, Google has edged ahead of Microsoft as the world’s most visited Internet property. Online measurement firm comScore Networks found that Google had just over a million more unique users in March than its arch-rival.

Google had 528 million unique visitors in March, up 5 percent from the previous month, according to comScore. Microsoft had 527 million visitors during the same month, up 3.7 percent.

Until theses latest rankings, Microsoft was the most popular Web property in every month since comScore began tracking global numbers in January 2006. And given the growth trends, Microsoft was undoubtedly No. 1 long before the survey was started, according to Bob Ivins, executive vice president for comScore.

But Google inched ahead based on its phenomenal popularity, not only in its core search business but also its e-mail service, online maps and personalized home pages. Not to mention the recent acquisition of YouTube, for $1.65 billion, which has also boosted Google’s count of unique visitors.

In comparison, Microsoft’s growth has been sluggish in recent years. It simply hasn’t been adding users fast enough to keep up.