GoogleZeitgeist
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Google Zeitgeist reveals the UK's biggest search terms of 2012
As Brits look back on a year that included a Royal Wedding, the London Olympics and other things, what were they hammering into Google this year? A British Isles-centric Zeitgeist has revealed all the biggest search terms for the UK, one that's topped by Euro 2012, shortly followed by Olympic tickets. The royal bride was knocked to fourth place by Whitney Houston, while Gangnam Style searches rounded out the top 10. Bond's latest release grabbed the top place for trending movies, and PSY's shark-jumping global hit was (unsurprisingly) the top trending song. We've crammed all the curated top tens into the press release after the break -- and we're sure Google's checking its numbers on the US version as we speak. Trending Searches UK 2012 Euro 2012 Olympic tickets Whitney Houston Kate Middleton April Jones Netflix Natwest online ipad 3 Gary Barlow Gangnam Style
Google Zeitgeist goes live, reminds the world of Rebecca Black's existence
How will people remember 2011? As the year of Rebecca Black, if the results of Google's Zeitgeist list are to be believed. The momentarily famous "Friday" singer topped Google's annual year-end list of hot search terms, followed by the software giant's own Google+ social network and deceased Jackass star, Ryan Dunn. The top five is rounded out by the acquitted Casey Anthony and the ultra-hot FPS, Battlefield 3. Apple made three appearances in the top ten, courtesy of the iPad 2, the no-show iPhone 5 and its late founder, Steve Jobs. On the other side of the coin, social networks Myspace and hi5 topped the fastest falling lists. Celebrate the year that was with a video after the break.
Google's Zeitgeist report for 2010: America loves the Bieb, already forgot about BP
Google recently released its annual Zeitgeist report of hot search terms for the year, and if you ask us, what people aren't searching for is just as interesting as what they are searching for. The climate is going topsy-turvy, oil sources have peaked (or are currently peaking), Afghanistan is a boondoggle, and the season finale of The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret was one of the least satisfying in the history of sitcoms -- but what tops America's primary concerns? That's right: Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj, Chatroulette, and Apple's iPad. It almost makes us long for 2009, when Michael Jackson and the swine flu were all the rage. Almost.
Zeitgeist attendees comped with Google TV gift bag: Sony Blu-ray player, Dish Network and free installs
We suppose one way around Google TV's initial reliance on IR blasters to communicate with some set-top boxes is to just give away everything necessary for a good experience -- Sony HDTV, Google TV (it's unclear whether the first two are separate or one item), six months of Dish Network service and a free installation from Best Buy's Geek Squad -- which, according to AllThingsD, is exactly what the 600 attendees of today's Google Zeitgeist event received. That even the great minds of our time presumably require a custom installation just to get everything going may not be a great initial sign for the product, but as the post points out, Aaron Sorkin probably isn't used to plugging in his own HDMI cables anyway. With those 600 units in the wild and a retail release presumably around the corner, we should see some first hand reports leaking out just about any time now. Update: Search Engine Land reports users actually received 3 months of complementary service from Dish and a Google TV-equipped Blu-ray player from Sony, not a an HDTV -- which certainly makes more sense than suddenly tossing new flatscreens into random households.
Google's Larry Page says there's 'something wrong' if your Android phone's battery doesn't last all day
Cellphones and batteries. It's an eternal struggle, but one that Google's Larry Page says should at least be manageable. That topic arose at the recent Google Zeitgeist forum, where Page responded to a question about battery life on Android phones by saying that he actually found it to be "pretty good," and that "if you are not getting a day, there is something wrong." That prompted Google CEO Eric Schmidt to chime in and explain that the main culprit for excessive battery use on the phones is the transmit / receive circuit, which he says some apps are "not particularly smart about" using.
