Google Launches Google Chrome

On Tuesday Google launched it's latest project Google Chrome. Google Chrome is the newest browser to hit the market and comes to the plate ready to play ball. Rethinking the entire browser setup, Google has put together what they hope will be a whole new way of viewing the web and launching applications online.

Is it really all it's hyped up to be?
Some may say no, but there are a great deal of tech-heads that say yes, this is that and much more. Google has really thought about stability, privacy, and the future of websites. Not only can you drag the tabs and create new browser "windows", but you can finally see what services are being run by each tab, just like you can see what services on running on Windows.

Should I drop Firefox and IE?
Being that each browser has its own special quirks when viewing web pages and not everyone is going to switch over to Chrome, I don't think leaving IE and Firefox completely is a good idea. Google Chrome should be another tool used to surf the web. Some of the downsides to Chrome is that even though it has many new features that the others don't, it currently doesn't support all the old features from Firefox.

Where I can get Google Chrome?
As with most Google projects, they have a site dedicated to Chrome:
http://www.google.com/chrome

They have also put together a very well written, although long, comic book that explains all the things Chrome was built to do. After reading through the book it really helped clear up why Google decided to get into the browser industry.

Remember: It's not necessarily the silver bullet, but it may prove to be the start to a whole new way of surfing.

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Ignite MediaLLC, Ignite Your Site™
http://www.ignite-media.com/
Website Design & Development eCommerce Development Search Engine Optimization

Is Cuil really cool?

Cuil, the new search engine that has set its radar on Google, is ready to play, but is it really ready to compete? After many months/years of development and some very experienced engineers and owners at the helm, will Cuil really be able to take on the king of the web, Google?

A slow trot out of the gate:
Unfortunately, on the day of the official launch Cuil was anything but raring to go. Because of the overwhelming media response and thus increased traffic, the servers started to buckle under the strain. Searches were taking forever if happening at all, and people were becoming very annoyed at the newbie. After some time, and increased capacity they servers were back up and running and searches started to work a bit more smoothly.

Will they withstand the test of Google?
Although not really the Google killer some had hoped for, I think that Cuil can make it's mark in some small way. They haven't revolutionized search like Google did back in the 90's but they have changed things up a bit. For example, the layout of the search results page is much different. Rather then the phonebook style listing of Google, Yahoo! and MSN, Cuil took the approach of a "magazines style layout". Interestingly this changes the whole ranking focus from being in the top 3 to something a bit more obscure. It's not clear as to whether they are considering the top 3 across or the top 3 down as the "top".

How were the searches?
This area is where they seem to be lacking the quality of data. They say they have more indexed pages then Google, but their algorithm seems to be a little skewed. Searches for local keywords bring up some rather random results and alternate suggestions. Perhaps it was just another early glitch that will be worked out, but hopefully they work it out soon.

Recommend, or stay away?
It certainly is not something that we will be jumping over to in full force with here at Ignite, but we will be keeping an eye on them. They may not be the Google killers, but they may produce some interesting attraction down the road.

Remember: sometimes even a little change can make you think of things in a whole new light.

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Ignite MediaLLC, Ignite Your Site™
http://www.ignite-media.com/
Website Design & Development eCommerce Development Search Engine Optimization

Lively - Is Google on to Something?

Google just announced this week the launch of it's new 3D chat software called Lively. Still in beta mode, but ready for the public to try out, Lively seems to bring chatting to another level. Is this the way of the future or just a cool new toy from Google?

Many are saying that Lively is merely a half step to Second Life, but without all the controls and number of people. Lively allows you to create your own "rooms" and avatars and then chat with up to 20 people at a time. The chat windows actually show up as speech bubbles like you would see in a comic book sketch, so it is as if your avatar is really talking (to a degree!). You can also put your "room" on your website or blog so people can join your chat as they wish.

Is there any business use for this?
For right now it seems a little too animated to have very much business use. Certain fields may find this to be a unique way of communicating with the visitors on their website/blog. For example someone who has a website selling children's toys could put this on their site and it might fit in nicely with their theme.

For the everyday business person, I think this is a long way off from going main stream. It is also one of the few, if any, Google products that you actually have to download and install software on your computer in order to use. This could leave some people leery, and keep them away at least until it comes out of the beta stage.

So for now we suggest you take a look, maybe even try it out, and if you feel it fits into your website theme you might even want to test it on a page or two of your site.

Remember: New tools are great, but they aren't for everyone.

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Ignite MediaLLC, Ignite Your Site™
http://www.ignite-media.com/
Website Design & Development eCommerce Development Search Engine Optimization