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Google marks Juneteenth with a video doodle and historical information
Along with many other corporations suddenly moved to demonstrate a deeper understanding of issues facing Black people in the US, Google is, for the first time, posting a doodle for Juneteenth.
Google's best Doodles of the last 20 years
It's hard to believe Google is about to turn 20 years old. And while the company has changed drastically in the past two decades, going from being a simple search engine to a global tech titan, there's one thing that's been there from the very first day: the homepage Doodle. Since 1998, Google has kept its site looking fresh by creating different variations of its logo, inspired by cultural icons, events and phenomenons such as Pac-Man, the birth of hip-hop and more. More than 2,000 Doodles have adorned Google's homepage, each with a unique charm. But there are some that have stood out from the rest and will forever be embedded in people's memories. Let's take a look at the best and most important Google Doodles from the past 20 years.
Google's first VR Doodle honors filmmaker Georges Méliès
Visit the Google home page today (May 3rd) and you'll find an unusual Doodle of a stick-thin man with a pristine suit. Click and you'll be presented with a YouTube player that brings the quirky figure -- French filmmaker Georges Méliès -- and his creations to life in a wonderfully animated 360-degree short. Google is calling it a VR Doodle, which it is, sort of. Back to the Moon will be part of the Spotlight Stories app, which works with Cardboard and Daydream headsets. It will also be available for high-end VR headsets, such as the HTC Vive, through Steam and Viveport.
Today's Google Doodle lets you compose your own music
If you're looking to lose half an hour in service of making your own music, head on over to Google and click on today's doodle. The company is celebrating the 117th birthday of Oskar Fischinger, the German-born artist and filmmaker who created geometric animations using paper and card. As Google's Leon Hong explains, Fischinger's work left him "awed and puzzled," making him wonder "how could he make such magic without computers?"
Google has taught an AI to doodle
Hot on the heels of the company's art and music generation program, Project Magenta, a pair of Google researchers have taught a neural network to sketch simple drawings all on its own.
Google adds voice typing, Doodles and more emoji to Gboard on iOS
Google's powerful Gboard app might now be on Android, but it's the iPhone version that is receiving most of the updates. As part of its most recent overhaul, the search giant has extended support to 15 new countries*, and also added a number of new features that make it easier to say what you have to say. As of now, users have access to all of the latest emoji in iOS 10. If you don't remember, one of the most useful Gboard features is the ability to search and find the perfect emoji, allowing you to decorate texts and emails without scrolling through endless lists of icons.
Facebook brings Messenger's doodle trick to its main app
Next time you upload a photo on Facebook via the iOS or the Android app, you'll see a "Doodle" option at the bottom right next to another fun feature called Stickers. It's identical to the doodle icon you see on Messenger when you attempt to send an image, giving you an easy way to scribble and draw on pictures before uploading them to your account. You can choose colors by tapping the rainbow slider at the edge of the display and adjust the width of the pen by dragging a finger from the slider towards the middle of the screen. We don't see a new update on iTunes or Google Play, and we didn't have to download and install anything to get the feature either. You'll likely just find the button on your app these coming days as a nice surprise.
Facebook Messenger's new trick brings doodles to your photos
Still looking for a reason to use Facebook's now-unbundled Messenger app? A new feature learns from competition including Snapchat and Facebook's own Slingshot by adding easy annotation on shared photos. Just click the picture icon like you normally do, then hit the edit button instead of send, and you can doodle with your finger (remember Draw Something? Is anyone still playing that?) or just type in some text before sending. Right now the tweak is Android-only, and should already be live if you're running the most recent version of the app.
Google's Venn diagram doodle is where logic and whimsy intersect
Venn diagrams are a high-school math rite of passage, teaching us (to hate) the logical relations between sets. Google has now honored their creator, John Venn, with his own interactive Google Doodle. Mountain View said it was going for "sound logic and silliness" by letting you pick between five objects in two sets to see what they have in common. For instance, the relationship between "Transport" and "Thrives in Cold" as shown above is "Zamboni," the ice-rink vehicle honored in a previous Doodle. You can try the other 24 possibilities yourself today at Google.com, or check some of the better Doodles from the past here.
Celebrate the 40th birthday of Rubik's Cube with today's Google Doodle
It must be hard being Ernő Rubik. Back in the 1980s, the architect and toy inventor had the rare good fortune of becoming one of very few self-made millionaires from communist Europe. But in the process he was horribly pigeon-holed. His patented Rubik's Cube sold 350 million units, while his other creations -- Rubik's Snake, Rubik's Magic, and presumably a few blocky buildings somewhere in Hungary -- barely got a mention. Today, you can contribute to the injustice of it all by celebrating the 40th anniversary of the first Cube prototype, courtesy of a playable Google Doodle. Meanwhile, the inventor is currently touring the world with an exhibition that is pointedly titled "Beyond Rubik's Cube." Ernő, you have our sympathies.
2014 Doodle 4 Google encourages kids to share ideas on how to make the world better
Google is one of a few companies that loves being involved in all kinds of different projects, one of which is Doodle 4 Google. In 2013, through the initiative, the Mountain View-based company challenged kids to shoot for the stars and describe their best day -- the results, to say the least, were quite creative and heartwarming. This year's version of Doodle 4 Google takes on a whole new theme: "If I could invent one thing to make the world a better place..." On its blog, the Chrome maker says the idea is to have "young artists think and dream big," adding that this is all about "curiosity, possibility and imagination." Submissions are being accepted as we speak and will have to be in by March 20th; as was the case last year, the winner will be receiving a $30,000 college scholarship and $50,000 Google for Education tech grant for the triumphant kid's school. Even better, the chosen Doodle is set to be featured on the almighty Google.com page. The 50 finalists, one from each US state, are going to be revealed on April 29th, after which Google will let the public decide which creation should take the highest honors and be crowned 2014 Doodle 4 Google champ. If you're interested in getting your little ones involved, then head over to this link here -- details on how to participate can be found there.
Doctor Who's 50-year anniversary gets a playable Google Doodle
Celebrating 11 regenerations over 50 years, today's Doodle (or Whoodle?) is a downright charming mini-game based on everyone's favorite Sonic Screwdriver owner. While you'll get to start with your favorite incarnation of The Doctor, meeting an untimely end from a Dalek or Cyberman will mean restarting the level as a different curiously dressed Time Lord. Bite the dust once too often and you'll eventually have to continue playing as, ugh, Peter Davison. Give us your best times below -- our current record is 12:59.
Social drawing app Doodle.ly adds iPhone support in its latest update
Doodle.ly is a fabulous app for doodlers who like to share their spontaneous art with others. It launched in early 2012 as an iPad app, the most common canvas for those who like to draw, but it was lacking an iPhone companion app until now. The latest update to the app (version 2.1) brings a new iPhone version, native support for Tumblr and some UI tweaks. Doodle.ly is a sketchpad app with the standard set of drawing tools including pens, pencils, crayons, highlights, markers and a resizable eraser. You can draw freely on your iOS device and then save the drawing to your photo gallery or Doodle.ly's online gallery. You can also send it to a friend via email or MMS. Doodle.ly is social and ties into a variety of social networks. It pulls in content from the Doodle.ly gallery, where you can browse other people's creations and follow them as a friend if you enjoy what they draw. There's also support for sharing on Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr (must have Tumblr app installed on your device). Doodle.ly is available in the iOS App Store for free.
Roswell incident's 66th birthday celebrated with interactive Google Doodle
Depending on your point of view, today's either the 66th anniversary of an Air Force experiment gone awry or an alien landing. With tongue firmly in its cheek, Google is celebrating the Roswell incident, the most (in)famous of alien encounters with one of its interactive doodles, in which you help an extra terrestrial rebuild his spaceship after it breaks apart in New Mexico. Once you've done that, you can then kick back with an X-Files box set or two -- assuming you're not into the adventures of doe-eyed alien teenage romance.
2013 'Doodle 4 Google' top 50 winners selected, require your judgment
There's little in life finer than pitting youths against each other in battle, which Google's annual "Doodle 4 Google" contest clearly appreciates. The competition takes thousands of Google logo doodle entries and pits them down from thousands to 50, one per US State, and organizes those entries by grade level. The images are then put online for the world to enjoy, as well as to vote on -- out of the five doodles with the highest votes, one national winner is selected, which Google plans on revealing on May 22nd in New York City. This year's theme is "Best Day Ever," which means outdoor activities to one Maine-based middle schooler (seen above), and hanging out with bees to a Michigan-based high school student. Of course, there are 48 other excellent pieces to peek at before casting your vote, though you've gotta get in there before May 10th at 11:59pm ET.
Google Now shows Google Doodles for art-loving Android users
Google Now holds a place for artwork, but it hasn't had much visual variety outside of major cities -- there's only so many times you can see a generic mountain landscape before boredom sets in. To our (admittedly mild) relief, Google has quietly spiced up the area for certain users. At least some of us running Jelly Bean now see an optimized version of the latest Google Doodle while we're busy dictating a search. Not everyone who's technically capable is seeing the Doodle at this stage, so don't be disheartened if there's still a generic backdrop. If the daily image becomes more ubiquitous, though, we'll have an extra reason to come back to Google Now for more than just weather or sports scores.
Google pays tribute to Star Trek with latest doodle, red shirts still can't catch a break
Dammit, Jim, I'm a doctor not a Google logo.
Doodle friday: End your week with a penalty shootout
Relive the nail-biting insanity and inherent unfairness of soccer's penalty shootout over at Google right now, as you try to match our first-attempt score of 18 points and two gold stars. (We'll update this post as soon as an Engadget editor gets a result we can be proud of.) It's a ballistic way to end a run of Doodles that has already involved canoeing, hoops, hurdles and all-round Olympic work avoidance. Post your scores here at your own risk. Update: Did we say 18? We meant 81, but forgot to take a grab, so officially we'll have to make do with a top score of 34.
Hit the rapids with Google's latest Olympic doodle
It's time to pound the arrow keys again for Mountain View's latest Olympic doodle game, a whitewater slalom canoe challenge. The idea is to speed through the course with the left/right keys in the best time while using up/down to avoid rocks and the riverbank. Our intrepid web paddlers managed a time of 18 seconds so far, and you can post your own time in the comments below -- if you dare.
Google keeps the interactive Olympic doodles going, tests your spacebar with a game of hoops
If your keyboard survived yesterday's track & field test, the folks in Mountain View have posted another interactive doodle to satisfy your Olympic dreams. This time around, you can give arcarde-style basketball your best shot by tapping on your spacebar to get into a rhythm from the charity stripe. Once you hit that blue play button, you'll have 24 seconds to give the main search page your best Kevin Durant. A chance for Google+ bragging rights awaits your fingers via the source link below.
