Tom Keating : VoIP & Gadgets Blog
Tom Keating
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Google

Google Click to Call

November 23, 2005

Google is testing click-to-call based on the search results. I wrote about this possibility of Google Click-to-call back in January - I even Photoshopped some phone icons next to search results. Anyway, on Google, do a search, click the icon, enter your phone number and Google will connect both legs of the call. Best of all, Google foots the bill - it's on their dime! Very cool! I tried some searches myself but can't seem to get any Google click-to-call search results to appear.

Go Google Shopping this Holiday season

November 22, 2005

Google Base integrated with Google Maps

November 16, 2005

I just went to Google Base and tried a search for a Dodge Viper within 45 miles of zipcode 06854 and Google Base displayed the search result with a small icon of the item for sale as well as a Google Map displaying where the Dodge Viper was located. (click image below for full-size) Cool stuff! This type of integration could have Craigslist and eBay watching their back. If they add in Google Talk integration so you can "call" the seller that would be killer dude! (ok, I know, I know, that type of slang just doesn't work for me.)


Right now Craigslist, eBay, Amazon, etc.


Google Base impresses

November 16, 2005

Googe Base has just launched and already I see 491,058 results for the keyword "car" (click my Google Base search screenshot below). I'm impressed. Geez, this thing literally just launched and it already has 491,058 search results - how is this possible? Is 'Google Base' "seeding" these classifieds from some other database or third-party partner?

Google Talk plugin enables music P2P sharing

November 15, 2005

Ut oh, another P2P music sharing application - this time using Google Talk. "Mercora is bringing music to Google Talk users. The innovative Music Search engine gives people the ability to search, find and listen to music instantly from the largest and most diverse network; they can also browse friend's collections. The experience is immersive, contagious, social and a natural extension to instant messaging."

You can download and try the new integrated Google Talk application today from http://www.mercora.com/gtalk/. And, to simply perform a google-like search, visit search.mercora.com.

Risk on Google Maps

November 14, 2005


LiewCF has a post that mentions Liew writes, "If you play Risk (board game), then you may want to try out Risk on Google Map". Liew also points out that the Risk game was developed using the Google Maps API. Liew points out that he doesn't know how to play Risk, while I on the other hand am a huge Risk fan.

I grew up playing the board game and have played Risk as recently as a few months ago with some friends both on the computer and the traditional game board. One time when we got bored with playing Risk until the wee hours, we took a Scrabble board, and a Monopoly board connected them all together and played ScrabbMonopoRisk. We invented some rules such as a ability to "kill" a Monopoly hotel from Risk - that is if you knocked a player out of controlling a continent you could then roll the die and if you beat the player he had to remove the Monopoly hotel.

We had some other inter-game rules that let you "attack" across the three games and we devised a point system for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place for each game and then tallied the scores.




Google Analytics now free

November 14, 2005

XBox requires e911?

November 10, 2005

This morning I wrote about the congressional hearing discussing a draft of legislation to create a statutory framework for Internet Protocol and Broadband Services.

I didn't have time to listen to the entire hearing and comment on all of it, so I've been keeping my eye out for other news sources on this important piece of legislation. According to ZDNet, "In a joint letter, representatives from Google, Amazon, eBay and InterActiveCorp voiced opposition for the draft's failure to impose "Net neutrality" requirements equally on all three categories of services".

In addition, I learned that Microsoft's Paul Mitchell, senior director and general manager of Microsoft's TV division wasn't happy either. Mitchell complained about two provisions in the current draft.



Profit from IM and VoIP?

November 8, 2005

FaceBridge Research announced a plug-and-play solution for IM/VoIP networks and portals to profit from IM/VoIP service. According to FaceBridge, "What's been missing is the ability of any individual user to bill for their time while communicating with one or more other users over a standard IM/VoIP network. In other words, if I'm a lawyer or a "life coach" or a psychic or an "adult entertainer" or anything else, I should have the option to charge by the minute for my time communicating with other users."

An interesting concept indeed. Instead of pay-per-minute 1-900 psychic & sex phone numbers they aim to bring that model to IM and VoIP.

Microsoft's Bill Gates take on Google

November 4, 2005

I received my Entireweb Newsletter this morning and it had a couple of interesting quotes from Bill Gates taken from a Computing article.

First, check out this jab Bill Gates throws at Google:

"Which Google products are you talking about? Seriously? Other than search, which are you talking about? Google Talk?
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