This innovative campaign of donation combined with viral spread of campaign through various social-media networks such as Twitter, Facebook, etc  has been very successful and donations are growing exponentially.

So, what are you waiting for? If you haven’t donated, just simply text “Haiti” to 90999.

YouTube is getting ready for early sping cleaning this year. By cleaning they mean to enhance site design and user experience. In past few years YouTube has released quite a few features on the site and will now remove the feature which weren’t a success. Also, YouTube is making a “to do” list and is looking for user vote here.

From YouTube blog:

What will this mean to you? Well, it means you’ll see some things about the site design evolving to be more consistent across the site. And some things that haven’t worked as smoothly as we would have liked them to will get the attention they deserve. Lastly, we may determine that some things we tried out just didn’t fly and remove them from the site.

We’ll be using a number of inputs to build our “to do” list: usage data that shows the things you use the most versus things that very few people use; usability testing that can help us understand what’s broken that needs fixing; and, last but not least, we’d like to hear from you directly…

Watch the video:

Google's Nexus One Phone

The key features of Nexus One are:

• Manufactured by HTC.
• The Nexus One features dynamic noise suppression from Audience, Inc.
• A large 3.7″ OLED display for deep contrast and brilliant colors.
• GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon™ chipset for blazing speeds.
• Running on Android 2.1, the newest version of Eclair
• The software includes innovations like a voice-enabled keyboard so you can speak into any text field
• Fun Live Wallpapers
• A 3D photo gallery for richer media experiences and lots more.
• Of course, it also comes with a host of popular Google applications, including Gmail, Google Voice and Google Maps Navigation.

Google's Nexus One Phone

Google announced the launch of its new generation of super-phones starting with  Nexus One.

Along-with the announcement of the phone Google has adapted a new strategy for selling phones i.e. through its online Google Store. Currently the phone is being offered as unlocked phone for $529.00 (Buy the phone without service and insert your own SIM card) and you can also buy a subsidized phone from T-mobile for $179.00 (You must be eligible for service and accept a new two year contract to qualify for this pricing. Existing T-Mobile customers may qualify for upgrade pricing). Also, Google plan to add more phones and operators in future. The best part of this strategy is that the phone is not tied with one mobile operator unlike its main competitor Apple’s iPhone.

As per Google’s release:

“Well, today we’re pleased to announce a new way for consumers to purchase a mobile phone through a Google hosted web store. The goal of this new consumer channel is to provide an efficient way to connect Google’s online users with selected Android devices. We also want to make the overall user experience simple: a simple purchasing process, simple service plans from operators, simple and worry-free delivery and start-up.

The first phone we’ll be selling through this new web store is the Nexus One — a convergence point for mobile technology, apps and the Internet. Nexus One is an exemplar of what’s possible on mobile devices through Android — when cool apps meet a fast, bright and connected computer that fits in your pocket. The Nexus One belongs in the emerging class of devices which we call “superphones.” It’s the first in what we expect to be a series of products which we will bring to market with our operator and hardware partners and sell through our online store.”

Only time can tell whether this strategy will work or not in US market but I definitely believe it is the right way for a phone manufacturer to go i.e. let the device be independent of service provider and consumers make the ultimate choice of operator. Just like you buy a TV and then choose your cable operator independently.

Read the reviews and more details about Google Nexus here.

Google's Nexus One Phone

Google has launched its own phone Nexus One.

The reviews across the web have been mixed:

Techcrunch says:

Overall the Android is a superior mobile device, particularly when paired with Google Voice. Google is calling this the first of the Super Phones. And they may not be exaggerating all that much.

The Nexus One is an important milestone in the smartphone market. This is a software company, frustrated with making compromises with hardware manufacturers, that has taken the product bull by the horns. HTC makes the phone, but the branding is mostly Google and it’s clear that they directed every aspect of the development of this phone. It’s Google’s vision of the perfect Android device, from the huge and beautiful screen and massively fast Snapdragon processor to the software elegance of Google Navigation, Live Wallpaper and the Voice Keyboard. When combined with Google Voice there is no phone on the market today that can touch the Nexus One.

Unlike previous Android phones, and I’ve used most of them, the Nexus One has no obvious flaws or compromises. The phone is the state of the art in mobile, and I will use it happily. Until, as I always say, something better comes along.

Mashable says:

Overall, it’s what we expected: a slick, fast Android smartphone meant to be a true competitor to the Apple iPhone. It provides some new features (the voice technology is especially impressive) and is fast, but we’ll have to wait to see whether or not this is the phone that will give Apple a run for its money.

Wall Street Journal says:

The Nexus One finally has the right combination of hardware and software to give Android a champion that might attract more people away from their iconic iPhones and BlackBerrys. It has a larger screen than Apple’s phone, and is a bit thinner, narrower and lighter—if a tad longer. And it boasts a better camera and longer talk time between battery charges.

Finally, the iPhone is still a better apps platform. Not only are there more apps, but, in my experience, iPhone apps are generally more polished and come in more varieties.

But, with its fresh phone and bold business model, Google is taking Android to a new level, and that should ramp up the competition in the super-smart-phone space.

Engadget Review says:

Industry politics aside, though, the Nexus One is at its core just another Android smartphone. It’s a particularly good one, don’t get us wrong — certainly up there with the best of its breed — but it’s not in any way the Earth-shattering, paradigm-skewing device the media and community cheerleaders have built it up to be. It’s a good Android phone, but not the last word — in fact, if we had to choose between this phone or the Droid right now, we would lean towards the latter.

Check out the post by BillShrink: NEXUS ONE VS IPHONE, DROID & PALM PRE – TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP

Find the best cell phone plans and more graphics at BillShrink.com

Watch Nexus One Official YouTube video:

Some interesting facts about Burj Dubai:

Check the comparison image below to see all the tallest buildings in the world:

Comparison of all the tallest buildings

Google Blog (Picture courtesy: Google Blog)

Google has been blogging for more than five years now. Their first post was in April 2004 and since then 423 post have been published and last year they were read by more than 14,493,472 readers.

Google released their blog’s top 10 posts of 2009, by unique pageviews:

1. Introducing the Google Chrome OS – 2,591,794 unique pageviews (more than 12 percent of the year’s total). The announcement of our open source operating system received more than 4x the views of any other post.
2. Went Walkabout. Brought back Google Wave – 639,225. Wave-mania struck after we introduced a new product for collaboration and communication at our Google I/O conference.
3. Here comes Google Voice – 357,084. We released a preview of this application to help you better manage your voice communications.
4. “This site may harm your computer” on every search result?!?! – 320,435. A short-lived error affecting Google search results led to confusion and concern; this post cleared it up.
5. Email in Indian languages – 224,052. A transliteration feature in Gmail that makes it easier to type in Indian languages was a hit. More than one million readers of the blog in 2009 were from India — a 53 percent increase over 2008.
6. Releasing the Chromium OS open source project – 217,424. A few months after announcing our operating system project, we open-sourced it as Chromium OS.
7. Now you see it, now you don’t – 165,329. We introduced a new, clean version of our classic homepage.
8. Google Apps is out of beta (yes, really) – 164,319. Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs and Google Talk all lost their beta tags (in Gmail’s case, after five years!).
9. Now S-U-P-E-R-sized! – 155,196. A “small” change increasing the size of the Google search box got a lot of attention.
10. Introducing Google Public DNS – 143,122. We launched our public DNS resolver, which converts domain names into unique Internet Protocol (IP) numbers.

New York New Year

In the United States, New Year’s Eve is a major social holiday. One of the top destination cities for New Year’s Eve from 2003 to 2006 has been New York. Las Vegas’s America’s Party? is also attracting a large number of New Year’s Eve party goers with the famous Las Vegas Strip being closed to vehicles and fireworks launched from numerous rooftops.

In the past 100 years the “ball dropping” on top of One Times Square in New York City, broadcast to all of America (and rebroadcast in many other countries), is a major component of the New Year celebration. The 11,875-pound (5,386 kg), 12-foot (3.7 m) diameter Waterford crystal ball located high above Times Square is lowered, starting at 11:59:00pm and reaching the bottom of its tower 60 seconds later, at the stroke of midnight (12:00:00am). This is repeated in many towns and cities across the United States. From 1981 to 1988, New York City dropped an enlarged apple in recognition of its nickname. It is sometimes referred to as “the big apple” like the city itself; the custom derives from the time signal that used to be given at noon in harbors.

From 1972 through 2007 (except in 1999), Dick Clark hosted televised coverage of the event called Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, shown on ABC, and now renamed Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest for the arrival of 2009. The show did not air for the arrival of 2000 as it was preempted by ABC 2000 Today. From 1956 to 1976 on CBS, Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians serenaded the United States from the ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on Park Avenue in New York City. The Royal Canadians continued on CBS until 1978, and Happy New Year, America replaced it in 1979, continuing until 1995. The song Auld Lang Syne has become a popular song to sing at midnight on New Year’s Eve, with the Lombardo version being the standard. NBC also has hosted New Year’s coverage; traditionally, the networks’ late night hosts have hosted special editions of their regular shows (including a special Central Time Zone-specific countdown on Late Night with Conan O’Brien), but since 2005, the network has opted for a special entitled New Year’s Eve with Carson Daly. Fox, CNN, and Fox News Channel also have their own New Year’s specials.

Some of the famous events in New York on New Year’s eve:

• Times Square All Access Pass :  Access Multiple Times Square Parties & SEE THE BALL DROP!!!! Thu, Dec 31, 09 6:00 PM – 4:00 AM
• Bryant Park Grill : Bring in 2010 in style at Bryant Park Grill, Thu, Dec 31, 09 10:00 PM – 4:00 AM
  China Grill : NYC’s #1 Upscale Party in Times Square – A Night to Remember, Thu, Dec 31, 09 9:30 PM – 3:00 AM
  Bourbon Street : Mardi Gras Themed New Years Eve Party in Times Square!, Thu, Dec 31, 09 8:00 PM – 4:00 AM
  Espace : Rated Most Exclusive Party in the Heart of Times Square!, Thu, Dec 31, 09 9:00 PM – 3:00 AM
  Mars 2112 in Times Square : Rated #1 Themed Nightclub in Times Square, Thu, Dec 31, 09 9:00 PM – 4:00 AM
  Sequoia : Alizé presents New Years Eve on the Water ,Thu, Dec 31, 09 9:00 PM – 3:00 AM
  Carlton Hotel : Voted New York’s Most Glamorous Hotel Party on New Years, Thu, Dec 31, 09 9:00 PM – 3:00 AM
  Webster Hall : Music by “MSTRKRFT” at the Annual New Year’s Eve Ball ,Thu, Dec 31, 09 8:00 PM – 9:00 AM
• Bryant Park Grill : Bring in 2010 in style at Bryant Park Grill, Thu, Dec 31, 09 10:00 PM – 4:00 AM
• China Grill : NYC’s #1 Upscale Party in Times Square – A Night to Remember, Thu, Dec 31, 09 9:30 PM – 3:00 AM
• Bourbon Street : Mardi Gras Themed New Years Eve Party in Times Square!, Thu, Dec 31, 09 8:00 PM – 4:00 AM
• Espace : Rated Most Exclusive Party in the Heart of Times Square!, Thu, Dec 31, 09 9:00 PM – 3:00 AM
• Mars 2112 in Times Square : Rated #1 Themed Nightclub in Times Square, Thu, Dec 31, 09 9:00 PM – 4:00 AM
• Sequoia : Alizé presents New Years Eve on the Water ,Thu, Dec 31, 09 9:00 PM – 3:00 AM
• Carlton Hotel : Voted New York’s Most Glamorous Hotel Party on New Years, Thu, Dec 31, 09 9:00 PM – 3:00 AM
• Webster Hall : Music by “MSTRKRFT” at the Annual New Year’s Eve Ball ,Thu, Dec 31, 09 8:00 PM – 9:00 AM

1. A site called ‘Who Represents‘ where you can find the name of the agent that represents a celebrity.  www.whorepresents.com
2. Experts Exchange, a knowledge base where programmers can exchange advice and views at www.expertsexchange.com
3. Looking for a pen? Look no further than Pen Island at www.penisland.net
4. Need a therapist? Try Therapist Finder at www.therapistfinder.com
5. The Italian Power Generator company: www.powergenitalia.com
6. The Mole Station Native Nursery, based in New South Wales: www.molestationnursery.com
7. Welcome to the First Cumming Methodist Church: www.cummingfirst.com
8. Art designers, and their whacky website: www.speedofart.com