Apps to Manipulate PDF Files on your iOS Device

Your iPad or the iPhone are excellent devices for reading PDF files but if you are also looking for a way to manipulate PDF documents on your iOS device itself, do check out PDF splicer.

With PDF Splicer, you can easily delete pages from a PDF document, combine multiple PDFs into one file or you can move pages from one PDF file into another using copy and paste.

The app can also be used to create PDF documents from scratch using the various images available in your Photo Gallery. While you are in the Photo Gallery app, just copy an image to the clipboard, switch to PDF Splicer and choose Insert External Clipboard Image to put that image into a PDF document.

If you have a scanned PDF file where the the orientation of images is not proper, you can easily rotate those pages in either direction using PDF Splicer and export the changes into another PDF file.

The PDF Splicer app is $4.99 but it’s currently available for free so this is something you should not miss.

Also, if you want to edit PDF files on your iPad /iPhone, an app like Good Reader may be a better choice. Here you have an option to type text directly on PDF pages, you can highlight paragraphs like a yellow marker or annotate pages using the various freehand drawing tools. This is one of my favorite apps for the iPad.

courtesy-digital inspiration

iOS 5.1 Will Release Soon

Newly published carrier profiles are indicating iOS 5.1 will be released in March 9. Eleven new profiles have been discovered that are compatible with the update.

The profiles that have been found are intended for operators in Japan, France, Greece, Finland and Sweden. After updating the profile on the iPhone, it will make sure that the network connection works correctly after Apple releases iOS 5.1.

Apple has been slowly leaking betas for weeks now, more slowly and less regularly than is usual for an iOS beta cycle. In previous years, the new version of Operating System would debut with the iPhone in June and the x.1 release with the iPod touch in September. As for this year, iOS5 did not debut until October with the iPhone 4S and there was no new iPod touch. That is why we are in uncharted territory here.

According to leaks from the beta, it is not expected many new features to be included in iOS5.1. But anyway that sounds interesting because Apple has been known to hold back key features in the past, preferring to introduce them live on stage when unveiling some new devices.

The update will be available for the following devices: iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod Touch 3G/4G, iPad, and iPad 2.

One thing stays blur – whether March 9 is also the date when Apple will announce its next-generation iPad. Some rumors expect that Apple will release iOS5.1 simultaneously with the announcement of iPad3. Although, these are all rumors and it is hard to give a more exact indication about the update release date.

The Silliest iOS Issue: No White Backgrounds for App Icons

 

One of the most ironic things about trying to write about apps from an iOS device is how troublesome it can be to find and post a good looking icon image. We try to feature app icons front and center when we talk about apps on iSource, and the easiest way I’ve found to get a good app icon is to simply visit iTunes Preview in a  desktop browser and snap a screenshot of it. For this post, I googled “Photogene2 itunes” and quickly screen-capped a portion of my screen.

Unfortunately, this has proven impossible on my iPhone and iPad, thanks to the instant App Store re-directs that occur after tapping on a link to an app. Regardless of what I do and which browser I use, I simply cannot get the desktop version of the iTunes Preview website to display on my iOS devices. The result is that I’ve got to simply Google an app name and hope that someone out there has posted a high-resolution version of the icon, or use a whole set of tricks in Photoforge to (badly) crop out the non-white borders around an icon.

There was even one point where I thought I could work around all of this nonsense by setting my home screen wallpaper to pure white and then simply take a screenshot of it. But for some strange reason (perhaps for font legibility), iOS insists on adding a gradient to any pure white wallpaper I use, which ends up surrounding app icons in a strange dull grey (which looks terrible against our white background).

This is, of course, a totally niche problem, but it’s a rather significant and ironic one when you try to write about iOS right from the platform. Until the App Store background changes or I think of some sort of workaround, it seems like I’ll always need to do final posts right from a desktop computer to do things properly.

5 hidden tricks of iPhone you should know..!

iOS has tons of hidden features that are not obvious at first glance. Things are layered in iPhones and you need some guide to know more about your phone. The tips below are not for those, who are in touch with iOS, however the post will surely help newbies. If you do not think this is for you, you will probably know someone who the tips are for.

Meet the application switcher. If you have had an application open recently, instead of heading back to the home screen, you can re-open it with double tapping the home button! You can see your most recently opened applications on the first page or even view your application history with scrolling to the right.

Close the broken applications. Sometimes applications break and you need to reset your device to unfreeze them but that is a tiring action to do, is not it? Here is the solution. Go to the home screen, double tap the home button, find the icon for the application you need to close and hold your finger on it for a few seconds. After this, re-launch the application from the home screen and it will work freshly.

Application switcher again. The application switcher is a great detail of the phone, although it is hided. With its help you can switch, close, slice, dice applications. On your iPhone it also gives you an opportunity to lock you screen orientation and even control (pause/play/go back/skip) tracks in whatever application is currently playing music.

To find it, double tap the home button and swipe to the right from the first page.

Find your notifications. Did you know that you can jump to any application that needs your attention? iOS keeps a list of your recent notifications. Just swipe down from the top of the display and bring down the notification drawer. There you will find your unread texts, messages that your applications have queued up and other configurable widgets like weather, stocks, etc. However you can adjust what shows up in this drawer in Settings > Notifications.

Access the camera quickly. We have all been in a situation when we missed the chance of taking photo of an unrepeatable moment. While we get the phone out of pocket, unlock it, go to the home screen, launch the camera application and wait for the camera to boot up, the moment is gone. That is why we need quick access to the camera.

From the lock screen double tap the home button and choose a camera icon, appeared besides the unlock bar. Consider you do not even need to unlock the phone!

And the last trick for today – that is the bonus trick for you. Click here  and find a surprise for you!

Some surprise for you under iOS5

One reason why people prefer chatting in internet than sending messages via mobile phone is that they use some characters available for internet only. With some symbols they express their emotions better and talking with friends is not boring and ‘black and white’. While sending text messages from your phone, you should utterance your feelings with some punctuation marks’ help. For those, who have iOS5 operating system, that all is behind.
Most people did not know that iPhone had a feature, called EMOJI. In your iOS5 settings, you can find it in “general” menu, under “keyboard.” See there a prompt for “international keyboards” and then “EMOJI.”
With EMOJI’s help you can widen your message visually. Distinguished from emotions, it does not depict only facial expression and body posture. There you can find hundreds of illustrated icons that cartoon everything from foods to flags to animals to plants, etc. For example instead of texting “I’m in the bus,” you can just show a picture of a bus. Some of the symbols are presented in animated form as well – repeating sequences of 2-4 images.

Top 50 best free iPhone apps 2011 Part II

26. Tube Map
At its most basic, Tube Map is a London Tube map on your device, for free. In landscape, even the ads get out of your way, which is rather nice. And if you've a web connection, the app also provides live board info, a station finder and a route calculator.

27. Google Earth
"Hold the world in the palm of your hand," says Google about Google Earth, which enables you to fly across the planet by swiping your finger. More integration with content and features from Maps would be good, but Google Earth's Wikipedia articles and a Panoramio layer at least ensure it's a great app for seeing the world from your living room.

28. XE Currency
XE Currency is a fine example of an app that does what it needs to, without fuss. You configure a list of currencies, and it shows current conversion rates. Double-tap a currency to set its base rate or to define values for custom conversions.

29. Shazam
Shazam is an app that feels like magic when you first use it. It's deceptively simple—hold your iPhone near to a music source, and wait while the app listens and tells you what track is playing. But the sheer technology behind this simplicity is mind-boggling, and while Shazam doesn't always guess right (and only allows five 'tags' per month for new users, unless you upgrade to the paid version), it's worth a download.

30. Bump
Another contender for the 'surely, that's witchcraft?' award, Bump enables you to select up to four contacts, then 'bump' your device into another iOS device running Bump to transfer details, or to compare contacts. And, yeah, we know there's an email-based 'share contact' option in Contacts, but where's the fun in that?

31. Yell.com
As you might expect, Yell.com enables you to find local stuff. Select from a bunch of built-in categories or type in your own term for a list of local amenities, and use the map to navigate. Avoid the clunky augmented reality view, though.

32. BBC News
BBC News has a mobile website that works very nicely in Safari. However, when using it you'll find video isn't accessible. The BBC News app has some slightly quirky navigation (and occasionally questionable stability), but provides quick access to breaking stories, complete with playable videos and zoomable text.

33. Find My iPhone
For the paranoid souls out there (or the unlucky ones who've had their devices pilfered), Find My iPhone has now been freed from the paid version of MobileMe. Assuming you've a 2010 or later iOS device, you can set up a free account and locate your devices within seconds. (Note that older devices can also be added to Find My iPhone - you just need a recent one to get things going.)

34. Dragon Dictation
Fed up of typing on the tiny iPhone keyboard? Use Dragon Dictation instead, which happily converts your speech into text (with slightly spooky levels of accuracy for a freebie app). You can even punctuate ("Comma! Full-stop!"), and when you're done the app enables you to fire your thoughts at Facebook, Twitter, Mail or the iOS clipboard.

35. iHandy Torch Free
It's a torch! It's a cheesy neon light! It's a hypnotic spiral effect! With slightly annoying ads! (In reality, iHandy Torch Free is a mostly a handy app to have installed in case you get up for a midnight snack or toilet visit, don't turn on the light and want to avoid smashing your toe annoyingly hard into an unruly cupboard.)

36. TVGuide.co.uk TV Guide
TV Guide is an app that's come a long way. At one time, this was a disappointing UK TV listings app. Today, it boasts now-and-next and scrollable listings views, reminders, and calendar, Twitter and Facebook integration. Only avoid if you hate TV or don't live in the UK.

37. Zoopla Property Search
There are loads of property search apps on the App Store, but Zoopla is the best of them. Its listings are comprehensive and there's also local market data, including local sale prices and estimates on market value. The location button is a bit rubbish, but the app soon finds properties when you manually type a location.

38. IM+
If you're an instant messaging fiend, IM+ gives you access to GTalk, Yahoo, MSN/Live Messenger, AIM/iChat, ICQ, MySpace, Twitter, Facebook, and Jabber. With multitasking and push notifications in iOS 4, IM+ has been transformed from a curiosity into a must-have freebie app.

39. Atomic Web Browser Lite
The lite version of Atomic is missing quite a few features that are found in its paid-for version, including even basic multitasking support and content resumption on reopening the app. However, for times where you need a single-session browser that automatically dumps everything on exit, such as when buying gifts, this is a handy app to have installed.

40. Virtuoso Piano Free 3
Virtuoso Piano Free 3 won't turn you into a virtuoso, but it's a perfectly serviceable mini piano. You can amend the number of keys shown on screen, and buttons enable you to rapidly navigate the full keyboard. You get two built-in voices for playback, to which you can add variable levels of sustain.

41. TuneIn Radio
Don't bother buying a DAB radio - just install TuneIn Radio instead and plug your device into a set of speakers. TuneIn Radio has a great interface for accessing over 50,000 digital stations; it also has AirPlay support, and you can use it as an alarm clock.

42. 4oD Catch Up
Technically, more like '4oD Catch Up With A Specific Chunk of Channel 4's TV Shows Only' (no archives yet in the iPhone version); also 4oD Catch Up lacks subtitles and AirPlay support. But it's free, unlimited, and gives you a month to catch up with Channel 4's programming on your device.

43. Jamie's Recipes
More a gateway drug for the tasty treats of Jamie Oliver, this IAP-infused app nonetheless flings ten freebie recipes your way and a few videos. The interface in Jamie's Recipes is lickable, and there's a handy shopping-list feature, for those of you who don't fancy arriving back home after fighting the crowds in the supermarket, only to find you accidentally picked up 500 lemons and forgot the chicken.

44. Instagram
Take a photo, smash a filter into it, and upload it. Instagram's service is now used by millions of people to share nuggets of visual loveliness, and the app itself is a pleasure to use, and also to browse during moments when you're not feeling quite so inspired.

45. Google Translate
Assuming you're online, Google Translate is a great app for translating text between 57 different languages; handily, 15 of the most popular also enable you to speak into your device and listen to translations. It's also considerably cheaper and more portable than 56 translation staff.

46. iMotion HD
We say a big PFFT! at CGI. Real animators use stop-motion, until they inevitably go crazy at only being able to craft about three seconds of footage per week. iMotion HD enables you to create such painstaking animations with your device.
The sting in the tail: a £1.49 IAP for export, but if you don't care about that, you can play your creations on your device to your heart's content. There's also the free iMotion Remote to use as a remote controller over Wi-Fi for iMotion HD, to avoid you accidentally moving your 'camera'.

47. TED
TED is brain food. The app provides access to talks by insanely clever people, opening your mind to new and radical ideas. You can also save your favourite talks locally, for even easier access, or ask the app to inspire you, based on your mood and available time.

48. Remote
The remote for Apple TV is a bit of a joke when you need to do anything more than play or pause. Remote is a free app which provides much better control and the ability to stop yourself going mad when typing things into search fields. It'll also happily use Home Sharing to pull content from computers on your network to your device, or fire said content at your Apple TV using AirPlay.

49. Skyscanner
Skyscanner's a great website, which enables you to punch in airports and find out the cheapest way of getting from A to B. The Skyscanner app is the same, but it's on your device and with a spiffy AI. Well worth a download, even if only to check flights for an upcoming holiday.

50. Apple Store
Apple fans with a lack of self-control should steer clear of the Apple Store app, which enables you to buy shiny Apple products directly from your device, and also to locate your nearest shrine of tech loveliness (aka Apple Store).

Top 10 iOS Apps of 2011

1. Tweetbot

After Twitter acquired Tweetie, it was easy to think that the need for a third-party iPhone Twitter client largely disappeared.

When Tweetbot came out in April, it proved that even the most crowded markets can still find room for a great app. Tweetbot quickly started to rival the official app in terms of beauty, ease of use and features. With a customizable shortcut bar as well as advanced gesture support, Tweetbot is an all-around great Twitter client.

Twitter revamped its official app earlier this month and Tweetbot became a saving grace for users who hate the new app and want faster access to the features they like most.

 

2. HBO Go

With HBO Go, the premium cable network showed everyone how a TV Everywhere type of solution could actually work.

HBO subscribers login to the app using their cable or satellite credentials and instantly get access to hundreds of movies and the majority of HBO's back catalog of award-winning television shows. From The Sopranos to Boardwalk Empire to Oz, it's all there.

When the app was first release for iOS and Android, only a few cable and satellite companies would allow their customers to access the app. Six months later,Cablevision and Time Warner Cable have agreed to support the service, which means that 95% of HBO subscribers nationwide have support for the app.

3. W.E.L.D.E.R.

If Boggle, Scrabble and Hangman had a baby, the end result might come close to being as good as W.E.L.D.E.R., a word game lover's delight for iPad and iPhone.

W.E.L.D.E.R. has a simple premise: Build words by swapping letters across a grid. Run out of swap and the game is over. It's an incredibly addictive game -- one I've wasted many hours on since its release this fall -- and an instant-classic.

If you like word games, W.E.L.D.E.R. will make you smile.

4. Super 8

When Paramount released a tie-in app for its film Super 8, it would have been easy to just phone it in and offer the standard mobile microsite with clips, trailers and trivia.

Instead, Bad Robot and QMx Interactive decided to do something special: Create a tie-in app that would be just as amazing if it wasn't a movie tie-in.

Super 8 turns your iPhone into a Super 8mm camera. You can control grain and picture effects, store and play back your movies and even upload directly to YouTube and share on Facebook and Twitter.

Bad Robot has followed up on Super 8 with the excellent Action Movie FX.

5. Grand Theft Auto 3

It's hard to believe that Grand Theft Auto 3 is ten years old. Ten years later, the game looks better than ever -- thanks to the work Rockstar Games put into porting the game to the iPhone and iPad.

Everything from the PS2 classic is here. Even if you've been to Liberty City in the past, it's worth a revisit on the iPhone or iPad.

6. Songza

Songza's iPhone app was a real standout in a year full of great music apps. The app, which basically lets you browse a seemingly-endless mix of themed and curated mixtapes, is a fantastic way to discover new artists or listen to music for any occasion.

I frequently wish I could somehow fuse my Spotify and Songza accounts into one super account. Increasingly, I find myself listening to mixes and playlists I discover in Songza more than any other mobile music app.

7. Infinity Blade II

When the iPhone 4S was released with powerful new graphics capabilities, the first game to really show off the new glory wasInfinity Blade 2

Not only is the game gorgeous to look at, it's a blast to play. Games like Infinity Blade 2and RAGE HD have shown that iOS can be a formidable contender to other mobile gaming platforms.

8. Instacast

Sure, iOS5 lets you download podcasts within the iTunes app, but the experience really isn't anything special and you can't subscribe without using iTunes for Mac or PC. Moreover, browsing and finding new podcasts can be cumbersome.

Enter Instacast, an app built from the ground up to deliver an excellent experience to audio and video podcast fans.

The app can sync with Dropbox or iCloud, can subscribe to new feeds from URL or by browsing your music library for podcasts you might already have from iTunes.

9. Mixel

Mixel is an ingenious iPad app that allows users to create digital collages out of their photos or photos found on the web and remix the collages of others.

Think about art class in elementary school -- cutting up magazines and putting together fascinating vignettes. That's what can happen with Mixel, except it's on the iPad.

The most compelling part of Mixel is the way it intuitively uses social. If you discover a Mixel that someone else has made, you can follow that person's work and also take elements that they used int their Mixel in one of your own works-in- progress.

10. AirPort Utility

Apple released a bunch of new apps alongside iOS 5 this October, includingAirPort Utility, a free app that allows users to manage their AirPort Extreme or Express from an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad.

The app solves my only complaint about the AirPort Extreme (which remains the best router I've ever owned): No remote access on a mobile device. Now, you can restart the device, change passwords, check on other connected units from an iPhone or iPad. You can even set up a brand new AirPort Extreme from an iPhone or iPad, as I found out over Thanksgiving break.

A New ERA of smartphones launching in the market.Part 2

A New ERA of smartphones launching in the market.Part 1

As we have gone through the Nokia windows mobile lumia, now lets have look on to another smartphone and big share holder in the market “THE IPHONE 4S”

The technical specifications follow,
SIRI : technology used by apple on iphone for voice recognition,
Now you can use your voice to use your iPhone. Just talk to Siri as you would to a person: “Do I need an umbrella?” or “Any great burgers around here?” or “Where’s the closest ATM?” Siri not only understands what you say, it knows what you mean. It figures out the right apps to use to find the right answer. Then, just like a personal assistant, it answers you. Siri makes phone calls, sends messages, schedules meetings, sets reminders, and more. How much more? Just ask, and Siri tells you that, too.
The amazing factor about 4S is the mobile takes the dictation,yes you heard right.Instead of typing, tap the microphone icon on the keyboard. Then say what you want to say and iPhone listens. Tap Done, and iPhone converts your words into text. Use dictation to write messages, take notes, search the web, and more. Dictation also works with third-party apps, so you can update your Facebook status, tweet, or write and send Instagrams.
As siri is still a beta version , I could be more better on a complete version. were as siri is proving to be most highly successful voice recognition technology nokia denied it or failed to use that technology in its upcoming windows mobile as it using siri like application, were
according to Chris Weber, president of Nokia USA. It's unclear whether the first Nokia Windows phone, which may be unveiled at an August 17 Nokia-Microsoft event, will contain the technology.
He demonstrated the new technology to attendees at the Center for Automotive Research's Management Briefing Seminars, calling it "a game changer" that may help prevent unsafe driving.Weber said he used the feature as he drove his son to school in Seattle, adding, "I ended up doing 17 text messages and I never touched the phone."A self-confessed, erstwhile texter while driving, Weber says he appreciates the benefits of technology that lets him read, compose, send or ignore messages by voice while he drives.
Lets see which technology is going rock the world
Dual-Core A5
Two cores in the A5 chip deliver up to two times more power and up to seven times faster graphics. And you’ll feel the effects. Fast. iPhone 4S is quick and responsive, which makes all the difference when you’re launching apps, browsing the web, gaming, and doing just about everything. And no matter what you’re doing, you can keep on doing it. Because the A5 chip is so power-efficient, iPhone 4S has outstanding battery life.
8 MP Camera
This just might be the best camera ever on a phone. And with all-new optics, it just might be the only camera you need. Because behind every shot, you’ve got 8-megapixel resolution and a custom lens with a larger f/2.4 aperture. Not to mention an improved
 
backside illumination sensor, excellent auto white balance, advanced color accuracy, face detection, and reduced motion blur. It all means that no matter how many people, how much light, and how much action you capture, everything looks exactly as it should. And just wait until you see the photos.
Ios
With every iOS advancement come even easier ways to do everything. That’s what makes iOS years ahead of anything else. iOS 5 leaps even further ahead, bringing over 200 new features to iPhone 4S. Here are just a few of our favorites.

Retina display.Clearly remarkable.

The sharpest, most vibrant thing you’ll see on iPhone 4S is everything. The Retina display is the highest-resolution phone screen ever. In fact, the pixel density is so high that the human eye is unable to distinguish individual pixels. But without a doubt, you’ll notice crisp text, sharp graphics, and stunning images. It’s more remarkable than the printed page. And you’ll be completely absorbed.

iCloud. Your content. On all your devices.

iCloud is the easiest way to manage all your stuff, because it manages it all for you. iCloud stores your music, photos, apps, mail, contacts, calendars, documents, and more. And wirelessly pushes them to all your devices. It’s automatic, effortless, and seamless.
These all features make iphone 4S special and 1 year complete hardware warranty is provided by 4S….
lets how the competition takes place …..(nokia,android,blackberry,iphone)

CONTINUES…….

Google in its mid-life crisis!

Few days back, read an article about Larry Page, Founder and now-CEO of Google attempting to pull Google out of its mid-life crisis. The article headline was catchy, but no justification of what exactly is this mid-life crisis about.

1. Search
Yes – Search. Google’s core product is facing threat from another format of search: Real-Time Search.
Google continues to add more capabilities to index real-time information to its search algorithms; but fails to realize that traditional web-index based search is different from real-time search. Last year (April 2010), in its caffeine update Google claimed to provide 50% more fresher results. Nov 2011 it rolled out another set of changes to its search algorithms that affects 35% of all search queries. Again same month, it was discoveredthat Google started indexing comments on Facebook.
In real-time search, the context in which the information retrieved is no longer valid after sometime. In case of Twitter it does not last beyond a day. Or a week? Same with Facebook. At this same point while consumer search for this information on Google – it is impossible to figure out the context of that search query – real-time info or traditional.
Example. Apple launches its next smartphone – iPhone 5. Consumers looking for “smartphone” on Google Search are shown iPhone 5 results, even when they are not looking for it.

Methods of information indexing, querying, trending, and even consumer mindset for real-time search are different than traditional search. Google may end up killing product experience of Traditional web search with such attempts.
Content index based web search & real-time information search are different products. If Google intends to capture a mind-share of Real-Time web search; it needs to build a different product.
2. The Rise of Discovery Platforms
For years, Search was our only means to discover websites, content, products, services. Google was our gateway to the Internet.
Today, with social networks like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and similar; consumers are discovering more and relevant websites, content, products or services. They come to us with recommendations, shares, comments from our contacts – and are more relevant. Interpret this as – Google is no longer the only discovery mechanism.
User adoption for Social Networks is increasing; they continue to have high mindshare and also consumers are spending more time on social platforms today. In addition to this, a whole new wave of innovative products are launched on top of Social Graphs enabling contextual discovery.
Social discovery methods are threat to Search.
3. Social
After 750+ Mn users on Facebook, 380+ Mn on Twitter, 115+ Mn on LinkedIn; Google now does understand the importance of having a Social Product.
Its earlier attempts – Orkut, Buzz, Wave failed. It is making a big push with Google+, trying to create a new Social Graph, without realizing that they are already established.
Social Graphs are reflection of our Social Relationships in real world. And they are:

• Close Relationships: Facebook
  Family, Friends – People you know personally!
• Professional Relationships: LinkedIn
  Colleagues, Partners, Business Relationships
• Loose Relationships – Twitter
  Celebrities, Domain Experts. People you know, but they may not know you.

There is no room for creation of another graph. And for Google+, I strongly believe that it will fail again as it is still miles away from being a great social product.
On other hand – Spotify, Netflix, Hulu and many other products and startups are riding the Facebook Open Graph / Social Graph to increase social engagement and usage. While Google is missing the opportunity by not leveraging Facebook’s reach for its own products like YouTube, Google News and similar.
Social is not in Google’s DNA.
4. Continued Fascination with Google+
The rule to build successful products is – “Build quickly, learn, build, deploy. Doesn’t work, discard. Start again.” Google taught us this rule; and is now breaking it again and again.


Google should rather focus on building Google+, showing users the value proposition in this platform. Instead it is doing its biggest mistake – forcefully including Google+ in its other products. And in this process killing the user experience and usability of its successful products.

• Search:  Introduced Google+ profiles of users who shared respective URL in search results.
• Adwords:  Introduced the +1 button to Adwords display advts.
• YouTube: Introduced videos shared by Google+ users on YouTube homepage.
• Gmail: Introduced notifications on Google+ updates on Gmail header toolbar.
• Google Reader: Introduced sharing options, adding users to Circles from Google Reader.

In any of the above products, Google+ additions are not enabling any core-feature of the main product. These would have been great things to do if Google+ had proved its own value to users. Google is simply leveraging successful products to promote Google+.
Didn’t Yahoo try his before – everything Yahoo. I didn’t work earlier, it will not work now.
5. Fixing whats not broken
Google wants to act fast and speed up its innovation. While doing this, it is actually fixing whats not broken.
Gmail -

• The new design update Google is planning to push to all its users – is uncalled for. The functional updates are great thing to do, but the changes to its look are at the expense of product usability and could have been avoided.
• Google announced launch of a very buggy version of its Gmail client for iOS; and recalled the same from app stores within hours.
• Stops support for native Blackberry App. While Blackberry itself is on a decline, it still has a significant 19.7% share in US smartphone market and continues to grow in countries like India.

Search -

• Started with its Caffeine roll-out in June 2010 to include fresh content.
• In Nov 2011 – it pushed another big roll-out that impacts 35% of search queries.
• Labnol discovered that Google is now indexing Facebook comments.

In search of freshness, Google is playing too much with its core search product. As mentioned earlier in this post, Real-Time search needs to be a different product.
Google Maps -

• Announced pricing for Maps API High-volume usage.
• Location is a key to future product innovation on top of Maps. This move is likely to affect a lot of startups innovating on top of Google Maps.

YouTube -

• Homepage displays videos from People you follow on Google+

Google is also implementing design standardizations across all products – Search, Gmail, Reader, News, Books and more others. Google is killing uniqueness of its products by standardizing its look and feel and continuing with its fascination of Google+.
6. Siri
It may not be easy for anyone to dismiss Siri as a feature on iPhone 4S. Siri is not just voice recognition; it is another input methodology. Siri’s natural language interaction is far more superior than the syntax driven VA (Voice Actions for Android). VA is anywhere between 1-2 years behind Siri. That is a (HUGE) advantage Apple holds.
As the technology improves, one can start talking to Siri as -

• “Siri, search for ‘MP3 Player’, take me to the best result!”
• “Siri, show me the map of Mumbai.”
• “Siri, who is offering the lowest flight ticket from Mumbai to London.”

There are infinite possibilities what Siri can develop into quickly. Most importantly – the potential it holds can make many Google products and services around it irrelevant, like -

• Search – Ability to discover new websites and relevant services without using Google Search.
• Adwords – Google relies on clicks for monetization. Siri means no clicks, just talking.
• Maps – No longer view maps while driving, Siri will look up to them and speak out the directions.
• SEO – What happens to the SEO ecosystem around Search? Will the new optimization be SVO (Siri Voice Optimization)? How will it work?

Google mastered the standard text-input methodology on Internet (Computers + Mobile). But the threat from Siri is Real. Of all challenges Google faces, Siri is the biggest. The last known big transition for input methodology was finger-based touch inputs (introduced with iPhone). In last couple of years, it replaced traditional keypads on all smartphones.
Siri should be a big bouncer to folks at Google; caught them off-guard and completely unprepared.
7. Android v/s iOS
Google scores a big thumbs up with Android capturing 43% of US smartphone market. Apple lost opportunity in developing countries due to its high-priced iPhones while Android phones & tablets flooded the markets with price points from $75 to $1000.
In my own view – I find Google strategy to enter smartphone market extremely fascinating. Samsung, Motorola, HTC, LG and many others were excellent hardware manufacturers with poor software / applications / user experience capabilities compared with Apple or even Nokia. Google gave what these partners lacked – an mobile operating system and ecosystem of applications.

Distribution of Android phones provided Google the opportunity to monetize the mobile search queries. Current trends in mobile are slightly more inclined towards building Apps & HTML5 websites, most developers and product companies want to ensure a seamless experience on phone and also presence with a native client. Google also aligning itself by directing mobile publishers to Adsense and enabling AdMob for Mobile applications.
Google acquired Motorola Mobility to debut itself as an Software+Hardware play (like Apple?). But it may have limited or no advantage with its own hardware play (through Motorola) as it will face tough questions from global Android partners like Samsung, HTC, Sony, LG and others who are responsible for large distribution of Android OS and its popularity. For now, the Apple dream may look difficult.
There are also few more challenges facing the Android ecosystem -

• Apple still largest and extremely focused contender with its one-phone market strategy for iPhone
• Android being open; Consumers have a huge choice for Android phones from $75 to $750.
• Only differentiation between Android phones are hardware capabilities; hardware edge is tough to maintain.
• Brands like Samsung, HTC, others will require to have devices at all price-points to ensure growing market share. Only significantly high volumes will bring profits.
• Tough competition on price from Chinese and low-cost android phone manufacturers.

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8. Monetization
2004: Google’s largest contributor to its Revenue: Adwords
2011: Google’s largest contributor to its Revenue: Adwords
In 2004, Advertising was only large scalable online monetization model. In the quarter Google debuted on Nasdaq; Amazon reported profit of just $54 Mn.

In 2011, there are various scalable monetization models:

• Online Advertising / Search & Display (Google)
• Online Advertising / Social (Facebook, LinkedIn & similar)
• Mobile Advertising (Google, InMobi & others)
• Local Advertising (Groupon, Foursquare & similar)
• eCommerce (Amazon & others)
• Enterprise, CRM (Salesforce, Box.net & others)
• App Stores (Apple)
• SaaS Products (Dropbox, Evernote, others)
• Payments (PayPal, Square, others)
• Smart Computing Devices / Tablets, Kindle, Smartphones (Apple, Amazon, others)

Multiple scalable monetization models evolved over last few years. Google unfortunately has not moved beyond Adwords.
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9. Lack of Innovation
Over years, Google is struggling with innovation. Many existing and high potential products are on decline.

• Blogger: Introduced the world to blogging. Lost battle to WordPress, Tumblr, Posterous.
• Google Books: eBooks store of the World? eBook for Android phones?
• Google Docs: Never really went beyond Gmail attachments. Evernote? Box.net?
• Google News: News recommendation service or aggregation. Pulse?
• Google Apps: Endless opportunities in Enterprise services.

Google also abandoned or mis-managed on some the big ideas -

• Chromebook:
  Post launch announcements, not much has been heard about Chromebook project. If Chromebooks were built to optimize over web, why did it not follow the Android platform? Ideally it should have built and optimized version of Android for laptops & tablets (Android 3.1 Honeycomb for tablets came much later).
• Orkut:
  Google never realized the potential of Social until too late. Orkut which could have been the default Social Networking destination for world, never innovated beyond UI changes and probably never got the resources that it deserved.
• GDrive:
  Google was to launch an online drive for storage back in 2007; much ahead of Dropbox’s launch. The project was abandoned and Google is reportedly working on its revival once again post Dropbox’s success.

Over years multiple products have evolved that Google has not paid attention to. Some of the hottest startups and businesses today are in product domains like – Multiple SaaS domains, Social Commerce, Social Products, Local Businesses and so on.
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10. Failure to execute Acquisitions
If you can’t build it, acquire it. Google has done some awesome job with many of its acquisitions, but unfortunately not the ones in Social. The big lost opportunities here are Aardvark, Dodgeball and Jaiku.

• Jaiku:
  An micro-blogging service that launched well before Twitter and acquired by Google in Oct 2007 had the potential to be Twitter or a tough competition. Twitter today has over 380+ Mn users and valued at an estimated $8 Bn.
• Aardvark:
  An social QnA service created before Quora was acquired by Google for $50Mn in Feb 2010 had enough time to learn and innovate. Google announced its closure in Sept 2011. Lost opportunity – Quora is now valued at over $1 Bn.
• Dodgeball:
  One of the earliest location based social products for mobile was acquired by Google in 2005 and discontinued in 2009. Dodgeball’s founder Dennis Crowley launched Foursquare which is one of the hottest location based products today with over 10 Million users.

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Ending Notes
Design standardizations that kill identity of products. Inability to build competitive products and match speed of innovation. Failed attempts at Social Networking. Fascination to promote / push Google+ through its successful products. Failed acquisitions.
Google is currently showing all signs of being the next Yahoo. At this pace, engineers will sense more challenges and opportunities to innovate outside of Google. Its not too late, but yes – Google is in its mid-life crisis.
Concluding Notes for myself and other startups – “Don’t try to do something in everything. Rather focus on doing everything in something.”
[About the author: Guest article by PJ, entrepreneur building a Social Product in stealth mode. Article reproduced from his blog.]