Google was late to the social network game, but now they are going to try their hardest to make up for lost time. Everyone’s favourite search engine has already started including some results that highlighted if one your Google+ contacts has recommended something in your search results. But now they are taking it to the next level with “Your World” which will actually populate your search results with posts and recommendations from your friends (who are on Google+ of course). These posts will naturally carry some priority over standard search results. Users can still instantly switch between “Your World” results and standard search results. Your World will focus in three key features (as stated by Google’s Blog):

1. Personal Results, which enable you to find information just for you, such as Google+ photos and posts—both your own and those shared specifically with you, that only you will be able to see on your results page; 
2. Profiles in Search, both in autocomplete and results, which enable you to immediately find people you’re close to or might be interested in following; and, 
3. People and Pages, which help you find people profiles and Google+ pages related to a specific topic or area of interest, and enable you to follow them with just a few clicks. Because behind most every query is a community. 

Google has recently announced that the world’s second favourite browser has a new beta version that aims at speeding up the browser as well as providing even more security.

According to the official Google Chrome blog, the browser will “now start loading some web pages in the background, even before the user has finished typing the URL” and if the URL auto-completes to a site the user is likely to visit, Chrome will begin to prerender the page which reduces the time between hitting Enter and seeing the fully loaded we page.

In terms of the enhanced security, protection from additional malware attacks is provided by improvements to Chrome’s Safe Browsing technology. Google noticed an increase in malicious websites that try to convince users to download and run a file that will harm a computer, even those that pretend to be an anti-virus program.

To help protect users against malicious downloads, Chrome now includes “expanded functionality to analyze executable files (such as “.exe” and “.msi” files) that can be downloaded.” If a file that a user downloads is known to be malicious, or is hosted on a website that hosts a relatively high percentage of malicious downloads, Chrome will warn users that the file appears to be malicious and recommend that it should be discarded.

Recent rumours have been circulating that Google are planning to create a 7-inch tablet to compete with the Kindle Fire.

Just a few weeks ago Google’s Chairman Eric Schmidt allegedly revealed that the company had plans to market “a tablet of the highest quality” within the next six months. While Schmidt’s statement created a lot of buzz and speculation, Google has refused to go into any further details about the clarity of the comment.

Now, a recent report from DigiTimes sourced from Google’s upstream supply chain claims that a so-called Google branded tablet that may be developed is a 7-inch device running on Android 4.0, it’s latest Ice Cream Sandwich operating system. The device is also expected to be priced at under $199, directly competing with Amazon’s Kindle Fire.

The report also revealed that the tablet could be introduced by April.

As for the integrity of the rumour, it should be taken lightly as the Taiwan news site already has a shaky reputation for accuracy and Google’s Taiwan office denies knowing anything about a Google-branded tablet.

Source: Business Insider

Just a few hours after it was revealed that Google had made available the official Siri for Android app on the Android Market, the search giant has not only pulled the app but has also removed all apps by controversial app developer “Official App”.

If Android device users search for the application, while a number of Siri clones and third party solutions may appear, the search results for Siri for Android can no longer be found. The developer’s other app “Pinterest”,  a mobile wrapper for Pinterest’s own website, has also been removed from the listings.

It was reported that an official Siri port for Android called ‘Siri for Android’ had been launched on the Android Market place on the 28th December. The Android app had launched using Apple’s very own Siri icon to function as a shortcut to Android’s version. Google’s lack of attention to and check-ups of its marketplace, allows developers such as “Official App” to launch copyright/trademark infringing applications in minutes by not having to contend with application approvals.

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Today, Google announced its annual Zeitgeist, a look at 2011 through the collective eyes of the world on the web, offering a unique perspective on the year’s major events and hottest trends based on searches conducted in South Africa.

WhatsApp Messenger – a cross-platform mobile messaging app for iPhone, BlackBerry, Android and Nokia – tops the list of fastest rising searches in South Africa for 2011. The Rugby World Cup follows at number 2 with the Royal Wedding claiming third position. The late Amy Winehouse, in fifth place, gets beaten by Facebook, ranked fourth on the list. Songbird, Adele, takes spot number 6, followed by deceased Libyan dictator, Gaddafi, and the iPhone 5, appearing in seventh and eighth position respectively. SA’s new low-cost airline, Velvet Sky (launched in March this year) appears second last on the list with Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, who passed away at the beginning of October claiming the number 10 spot.

Top newsmaker? You guessed it: Julius Malema, recently suspended President of the ANC Youth League. From marches to landmark speeches, a hospital trip and a hate speech ruling, Julius appeared in many South African and international headlines in 2011. The top celeb is none other then reality star, Kim Kardashian. She is joined by Idols, Beyoncé, Britney, Rihanna, Megan Fox, and Angelina Jolie amongst other Hollywood sweethearts.

The most popular questions South Africans were asking include ‘what is Facebook’ and ‘what is love’ alongside ‘what is life’. In addition, most searchers are singing along to Lady Gaga’s controversial track, ‘Judas’, according to the top song lyric searches for 2011. Other popular songs include ‘Super Bass’ by Nicki Minaj and ‘Man Down’ performed by Rihanna. For sports enthusiasts, Super Ruby and Wimbledon generated the most interest, while for TV buffs the winner of Survivor: Tocantins sparked the most searches.

In terms of the top global searches, American pop singer and YouTube star, Rebecca Black, is the top fastest rising search. The video of her single, Friday, went viral in March 2011, acquiring millions of views in just a few days. Google’s newly launched social network, Google +, takes second place on the list. Adele, whose album 21 has been nominated for a ‘Best Album’ Grammy, makes another appearance, this time in seventh place, while Steve Jobs ironically outranks the device he introduced this year, the iPad 2.

View the full list of Top 10 Searches after the jump:

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Today Google announced its new Flipboard competitor, called Currents. The concept is simple – it functions as a magazine type interface for your favourite sites, and it is also a great way to discover new content. Currents is a new social publishing platform, which was only know as Propeller before it was official launched, but today Google is rolling it out to Android, iPhone and iPad. Publishers can choose how they want their site to display, using HTML5 tools. You can go download Google Currents right now from the relevant Appstores / Markets, or just click here. There is some great content on already, and you simply choose the categories you are interested in. All the big online news sources are there.

Publishers have significant freedom with layouts and design, and great monitoring tools with plug ins into Google Analytics, and the end result can include AdSense content as well. The design can also be defined based on class of device – for example, the content can be displayed differently on tablet than a phone. Rich features like video plays right there in the published pages.

We built a custom version of Bandwidth Blog for Currents – just click here. If you do not have Currents, the link will first let you install the app on your Android or iOS tablet or phone. Let us know what you think!

The Novo7, a 7-inch tablet that runs Ice Cream Sandwich, currently available in China, is expected to make its debut in the United States in the next few months with a retail price of $99. Currently offered in China from Ainol Electronics, the tablet is expected to be available in North America from brand names including Leader International and OMG Electronics.

The new tablet, expected to shake up the market just as the Kindle Fire did when it launched in November, offers a MIPS XBurst 1GHz CPU and includes front and rear cameras, 3D capability, 1080p video decoding and an HDMI port. It also provides 8 hours of battery life and also features a multitouch-capable touchscreen. Where as other inexpensive tablets are known for running an older version, the Novo7 comes with the latest version of Android. the Novo7 has also been certified by Google and is tantamount to Google and MIPS competing with ARM and Amazon devices.

While Amazon’s Kindle Fire is technically built upon Android, the mobile operating system was drastically forked to suit the e-retailer’s needs. The $199 tablet also does not provide users with access to the Android Market while the Novo7 does.

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Google’s mobile operating system has reached a significant milestone with a total of 10 billion applications having been downloaded by users from the Android Market. It took the market about 20 months to serve up it first billion apps and only five more for the second billion. Impressive numbers at a rapid rate.

Now, Android is delivering a billion apps per month, the same figure that Apple revealed at the launch of its latest iPhone 4S in October, that will be reaching South Africa’s shores on the 16th December.

However, Android still has a way to go to catch up to Apple let alone surpass it, which as of October 4, had more than 18 billion app downloads by iOS device users.

Take a look at the Android Market’s growth below:

source: AllthingsD