HOW YOUR FAVORITE SITES ARE USING YOUR DATA

The rise of social sharing sites has brought about an interesting change in how our data is being used. All of the different sites you frequent on a daily basis are actively gathering facts about you. You may have noticed that when you were searching for a perfect new summer tank top on Urban Outfitters, that when you left to check other websites those same tank tops started following you in ads on those new sites. Social networks are betting on a future built on a personalized web, an Internet paradise filled with items the virtual you will be more apt to share, pin, tweet, or “like.”

Social sites, search engines and applications are increasingly using our information in an effort to provide a more personal web experience. Facebook, Pinterest, Google, Pandora, and Twitter are some of the most popular websites that are changing the way we are being advertised to. The value of this change will bring more of the products and services we actually enjoy and want to look at, instead of all the junk we aren’t interested in, or even remotely care about. As we wake up to how the web is changing, it will most likely be seen as a fair exchange for the information we offer to companies and advertisers in our social profiles. It will also create a more personalized way for brands to interact with their customers.

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Google Launches Voice Enabled 34-Button Scientific Calculator

Google has had a calculator integrated into its search results for a long time. Using the calculator was as easy as typing a math problem such as 2+2 into the search bar and hitting enter. Google has made that calculator much more complex and useful with the addition of a new scientific calculator with 34-buttons.

The calculator promises much of the same functionality of a real calculator. The best news is that the scientific calculator is available not only on your desktop computer, but via your mobile phone and its voice search enabled. When on the smartphone, the scientific functions can be seen when you rotate the phone into landscape mode.

To use the calculator in voice mode just click the mic icon and speak your equation. This might be the perfect thing for the times you need to work out a complex equation and your calculator ran out of batteries. You still have a calculator, right?

Google Fiber service for Internet and cable TV launched

Google has launched its Google Fiber service in Kansas City today. The highly anticipated service is aimed at consumers only, and offers gigabit-speed Internet connectivity and cable TV. Google has divided the service into three packages. There is a common construction fee of $300 for connecting the home to the fiber infrastructure, irrespective of the package opted for. Internet access alone will cost $70 for Internet. Internet and cable TV service will cost $120 a month.

The reason Kansas was picked as the launch city is explained by, Kevin Lo, General Manager of Google Access, in a blog post on the Google Fiber Blog. Kevin wrote, “When we announced that we wanted to provide a community with Internet access more than 100 times faster than what most Americans enjoy today, we asked who was interested in working with us. More than 1,100 cities raised their hands, and those of you in Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri won us over with your enthusiasm for better, faster web connections.”

Google Fiber

The registration process for this service in Kansas has already started will end on September 9, 2012. However, you will need to do something more than just register to avail the services. First, you need to pre-register by visiting the Google Fiber website. Next you have to rally neighbors to register for the services. The neighborhood with the most number of registrations will get the service first.

The different packages are:

Google Fiber + TV: This is the ultimate package which offers symmetrical gigabit-speed connection plus Google TV, which offers local channels, YouTube, Netflix and Google’s “fiber channels.” Consumers opting for this package will also get a brand Nexus 7 tablet, which they can use as a remote control for the TV. There is also a regular Bluetooth remote control in the package, in case you find the tablet a bit too big to pass as a remote control. Plus, Google is also planning to release an iOS app for controlling the Google Fiber TV product with iPhones or iPads. A Wi-Fi router and a 2-terabyte storage box are part of this package. Consumers will also get a free terabyte of storage in Google’s cloud locker, G Drive. The total cost for this package is $120 per month and if customers sign a two-year contract Google will waive the $300 connection fee.

Google Fiber: This package offers the same thing except the TV package. This will suit consumers who just want high-speed Internet connection and are not much interested in the TV service. This package costs $70 a month and for users who sign a 1-year contract Google will waive the $300 connection fee.

Free Internet: This is exactly what it says – free Internet connection with no monthly charge. However, consumers will have to pay the construction fee of $300 either lumpsum or $25 a month if they sign up for one year. This plan covers any household which falls in the fiber footprint.