A couple of interesting updates…

Google search plus your world

Google started rolling out the latest update to its search engine, Search plus Your World,  a combination of features that integrate normal search results with Google+ and Picasa.

There will  be two different views of Google results, personal and public content and you can switch these on or off as you wish. The new changes mean personal content will appear in searches by default from Google+ for signed in users so our results will be heavily influenced by our G+ network, if it’s big enough. Personalised search results bring social discovery to the biggest search engine and a lot of potential if Google keep integrating with their other services like Docs or Gmail. On the other hand we could argue that ‘your world’ is mostly limited Google’s own social network, but I’ll leave that to others.

iProspect have written an interesting piece on it too, definitely recommend it.

Facebook brings News Feed placements

 Facebook announced last week the launch of Featured Stories or ads in the News Feed, the sacred area. Users in the UK will begin seeing one paid for amplification of their friends’ interactions per day, only if a person is connected to  a Page or person. The move will allow brands to highlight stories that people may miss because of News Feed ‘noise’ and will be treated in the same way as other stories in the News Feed. Facebook might have tapped into a significant new revenue stream by deeply meshing the ‘social graph’ with paid media and directly competing with Google in online display.

Facebook launches Timeline apps

Facebook announced the launch of 60 new lifestyle apps that will become integrated with Timelines. The new apps are based on actions and activities beyond the ‘Like’, tapping into more personal interests so users can now share whatever they’re doing (shopping on eBay, travelling with TripAdvisor) with their friends. The platform is now open to all developers which mean the number of apps available beyond these initial 60 will increase pretty soon.

Angry Birds on Samsung Smart TVs

Samsung announced at the Consumer Electronics Show that the gaming sensation Angry Birds will feature in their Smart TVs. Samsung and Rovio, Angry Birds’ creator company, will also work on animated videos bringing to life the game’s experience without the need of an external device. Angry Birds animations will be available later this year on the Angry Birds TV channel through Samsung Apps. Total bird immersion.

MySpace announce TV partnership with Panasonic

Justin Timberlake announced at CES the launch of MySpace TV in partnership with electronics manufacturer Panasonic. The service attempts to become a social and integrated TV watching experience, allowing users to share real-time experiences through their TVs, with the tools potentially embedded directly into the TV set.

Although the announcement is still very vague on details like pricing it brings some hope to the once great social network. Will Justin Timberlake make MySpace cool again?

Microsoft brings Kinect to Windows

Microsoft brings Xbox’s best feature to a broader territory with the launch of Kinect for Windows hardware. Available in limited quantities at first and through a variety of distributors, Kinect for Windows has the potential to become a platform beyond the living room and enhance how manufacturing or retail businesses operate. With a hardware-only business Microsoft puts company-wide innovation in the hands of developers and IT managers and brings the opportunity to make technology more natural for everyone.