Official Google Australia Blog

CAUTION: Hilarity may ensue. YouTube Comedy Week hits Oz.

2013-05-20T09:39:00.002+10:00

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Fitzy & Wippa, and a cat called Lil Bub all walk into a bar. Know what happens next?

OK, neither do we... luckily, we’ve enlisted more than 150 of the biggest names in comedy to join us for the first-ever YouTube Comedy Week. From May 20-25, YouTube will bring comedy creators and fans together for a series of live shows, new episodes from popular channels and curated lists from a range of comedy stars all across the world.

On Monday, 20 May, at 10AM AEST, we’ll kick things off with “The Big Live Comedy Show”, a global live stream where featured comedians will do a mix of stand-up, sketches and musical performances. During the live event, and throughout the rest of Comedy Week, you’ll see videos from some of the funniest YouTubers around the world.

In Australia, Fitzy & Wippa (AKA ‘the princes of parody’) will present video premieres from their brand new YouTube channel all week long, and produce an hour-long live morning comedy show straight from the studio to YouTube on Friday 24 May from 8am - 9am AEST.

To get you chuckling, here are a few LOL’s from some of our other favourite Aussie YouTubers:

Natalie Tran (Community Channel) is the most subscribed comedy partner in Australia, and definitely does not like hotel minibars.
Meanwhile, it’s winks and handshakes all around for the young Troye Sivan, exploring the depths of YouTube in real life (aka, YouTube in a Florida hotel)
And back at home, two Internet Idiots & Their Jokes (Stuntbear) embark on a quest for toby-one-adobe. May the force be with yiieewww!

Check out the YouTube Comedy Week channel to watch tons of stuff that will make you laugh. This better be funny...

Posted by Ernesto Soriano, YouTube Australia, recently watched “Cougars”

We’ve just guessed your password : Password1234?

2013-05-20T00:04:00.000+10:00

Oops, did we just put your password in the title of this blog? You had better change it!

Supporting Australians to be smart, safe and responsible online is important to us - but, sometimes it takes some tough love. As part of National Cyber Security Awareness Week, we’re inviting all Australians to take a moment to think about their safety and security on the web - and, hopefully in the process change a password or two.

There are a few simple steps that every Australian can take right now to stay safe and secure online. Making sure your passwords are secure is a great place to start.

You wouldn’t want one master key that unlocks your car, opens your front door and provides entry to the jewellery in your safe - it’s the same on the web. Hackers love it when you choose a generic password and use it across every website you visit - because if they manage to find out your password they can access all the sites you care about.

It’s important to change your passwords often and to develop a variety of long passwords, which contain letters, numbers and symbols. You should also ensure that you have different passwords for each of your important accounts like email, social media and online banking.

When spending time on the web, make sure you’re using an up-to-date modern browser and only download files and visit sites that you know are safe and trust.

And finally, always lock your screen when you're finished using your computer, tablet or phone, and for added security, set it to lock automatically when it goes to sleep.

Google is investing hundreds of millions of dollars and has hundreds of security experts that are making the web safer for everyone and you can help too. If you’re looking for more advice about how to stay safe online you can read our top safety and security tips at google.com/goodtoknow.

Posted by Johnny Luu, Communications and Public Affairs, Australia and New Zealand

Towards an Australian ‘innovation generation’

2013-05-14T08:39:00.001+10:00

(Editor’s note: This is an edited version of our cover letter to Google’s submission on the proposed Digital Technologies curriculum. Submissions closed on May 10).

Digital technology and computer science have changed Australia in many ways in the last decade, and these changes will doubtless continue into the future. But as these technologies become more and more integrated into our lives, we must ask ourselves: do we wish to be a nation of creators of technology— or just consumers? We’re already among the world’s heaviest users of tablet devices and smartphones—but knowing how to play games on a tablet is not the same thing as knowing how to create them. One costs money; one generates money. Shifting our focus as a nation from the consumption of technology, to the creation of technology, will help us compete in an increasingly global and connected world.

The opportunities for our children are enormous. The young people who grow up with this new curriculum—our first ‘innovation generation’—will have the some of the world’s most sought-after and highly-valued skills. Globally, the demand for computer science and computational thinking skills only continues to accelerate. The technology sector worldwide holds huge potential for the creation of high-value jobs and wealth; the tech startup sector alone in Australia has the capacity to contribute $109 billion directly to GDP and create 540,000 new jobs by 2033. A highly-skilled workforce is the key to unlocking this value.

In Google’s experience, an introduction to computational thinking in early years provides the strongest possible pathway for students to engage with and excel in computer science, and benefit from the careers it enables. Yet today, Australian students with tertiary Computer Science skills are falling in number and make up just two percent of the total of domestic graduates.

That’s why we’re so heartened to see this proposed new curriculum. Successfully implemented in schools across the nation, and taught by passionate teachers, we believe it will be an important first step in preparing students to become the creators and innovators of the future.

In addition to the specific curriculum feedback we’ve included in our submission, we also recommend enhancing the exposure of Australian students to more computational thinking and computer science by:

Making Digital Technologies a required subject from Foundation to year 10.

Making Digital Technologies a stand-alone learning area to increase its visibility and awareness of the economic and job opportunities for people who ultimately pursue a career in the field.

Ensuring Digital Technologies provides instruction in at least one general programming language.

This would make the curriculum consistent with trends in computer science education in the USA, the UK, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and countries such as Vietnam where in many cases it is required in schools from K-10.

We recognise the implementation challenges that will emerge from the introduction of a new subject area, and we’re committed to continuing our support of teachers. We invest funding and in-kind support via our CS4HS program (as just one example) to develop computer science teachers, and we will continue and expand these efforts and others, in support of the Digital Technologies curriculum.

Here’s to the first step towards our innovation generation.

Posted by Alan Noble, Engineering Director, Google Australia and New Zealand

News Ltd’s Traderoo Powered by Google App Engine

2013-05-10T09:26:00.000+10:00

News Limited is one of Australia’s largest media companies, spanning newspapers, magazines, online, and subscription TV. We publish over 140 online and printed newspapers in major Australian cities including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth, as well as in suburban areas.

Classified advertising is a key revenue stream across all our markets, but traditionally booking and billing classifieds has been a manual and time-consuming process. We wanted to implement a solution that would allow customers to serve themselves by placing ads online.

The Google App Engine has enabled customers to do just that. We chose Google as the application is easy to build, easy to maintain and simple to scale as the user base and data storage grows. Functionalities within the Google App Engine environment, such as BigQuery - the prediction application programming interface - have also been really useful. For example we do in depth analysis of the ads, item pricing, and providing an internal reporting tool using Big Query.

We worked with 3 wks our Google Cloud Platform development partner to develop a self-service, production booking and billing system - www.traderoo.com.au - which we have developed on Google App Engine. It’s proving to be a real winner for both our business and our customers.

It’s fundamentally changed the way customers engage with our company - creating a more usable experience and superb responsiveness. It’s easy to use, and gives more control over ad content as well as the ability to publish ads online immediately. Online ads are free, while print ads are optional and require a small fee, but complement online ads by extending the advertiser’s reach.

When customers book ads using the Traderoo website, they get automatic email notification from the platform that tells them how their advertisement is performing. Traderoo is optimised for PC, laptop, smartphone and tablet so the browser and ad placement remains consistent, no matter what device our customers are using.

The real advantage for us is that our classified business has achieved faster time to market, lower costs and less overheads in the form of call centre time and manual data entry. The site has been a huge success, and we look forward to continuing using Google App Engine as we develop Traderoo further.

Guest post by Joshua Lowcock, head of commercial platforms & products for News Limited

Creating the next generation of creators with CS4HS

2013-05-01T09:50:00.000+10:00

We know a strong homegrown technology sector will mean more wealth and jobs for Australia. With the ability to add half a million new jobs and an additional hundred billion dollars to the economy each year, helping Australia create an innovation generation should be a priority.

But as highlighted in our recent report on The Startup Economy, even though computer science degrees are central to building a strong future tech sector, only 2% of domestic graduates have a CS qualification.

At Google, we’re committed to helping Australia build an innovation generation and today we are announcing the funding of 13 universities in Australia and three in New Zealand to provide training to high school computer science teachers.

Computer Science for High School (CS4HS) is a program that gives high school teachers the opportunity to learn from academics and professionals in the industry. In collaboration with universities, we’re able to provide hands-on workshops that allow teachers to learn best practices in computer science education.

This year, we hope to reach 1,000 teachers across Australia and New Zealand. Our hope is that these educators will then be able to return to the classroom and help create the next generation of computer scientists, creators and entrepreneurs.

The following universities have been awarded a CS4HS grant.

Australia

Deakin University

Griffith University

Macquarie University

Swinburne University of Technology

The University of Adelaide

The University of Canberra

The University of Melbourne

The University of Newcastle

The University of New South Wales

The University of Queensland

The University of Sydney

The University of Tasmania

The University of Western Australia

New Zealand

University of Canterbury

Victoria University of Wellington

Unitec

Sally-Ann Williams, Engineering Community and Outreach Manager, Google Australia

The Startup Economy: A roadmap to kickstart the Aussie tech sector

2013-04-23T12:28:00.003+10:00

A strong homegrown tech sector is vital to future Australian jobs and wealth. Australians are great consumers of technology, but it’s only through becoming a nation of creators - of tech innovators - that will we will be able to compete in an increasingly global and connected world.

As part of Google’s goal of helping build an innovation generation in Australia, today we released The Startup Economy. This report, prepared by PwC, looks into the state of the Aussie tech sector, with a roadmap of how we can build a strong technology industry for the country.

Our tech sector is small, but growing fast

There are currently around 1,500 tech startups in Australia, with major hubs in Sydney and Melbourne. What PwC also found is that the sector is growing fast, with the majority of startups founded less than five years ago. A flourishing ecosystem is also developing as incubators, co-working spaces, angel investors and venture capitalists are being set up to support entrepreneurs.

The opportunity is big

The tech startup sector has the ability to grow into an important part of Australia’s economy, providing a significant number of jobs of the future. PwC found that by 2033, the industry has the potential to reach $109bn or 4% to the economy and employ more than 540,000 people.

But unlocking this vast potential will take work

A successful Australian tech sector will take a concerted effort that includes entrepreneurs fostering a more open and inclusive culture, boosting the number of people founding companies, increasing success rates, and ensuring students are taught computer science at an earlier age.

This report will be used to help us and startupAUS, a newly-formed group representing the industry, to help improve the environment for startups; and ultimately making their success and growth a national imperative for Australia.

In the short term it’s estimated we’ll need to have 2,000 more tech entrepreneurs drawn from the existing workforce each year. My hope for the long term is that success will breed success. If we get things right, the opportunities that a high school graduate will have in 2033 will be vastly different - indeed, better - than today.

You can download your copy of ‘The Startup Economy: How to support tech startups and accelerate Australian innovation’.

Posted by Alan Noble, Engineering Director Google Australia

Woolworths takes a fresh approach to technology

2013-04-17T08:52:00.000+10:00

As one of Australia and New Zealand’s most innovative retailers, we’re always looking for ways we can use technology to give our customers more convenient ways to shop — whether that’s in store, from the comfort of their computer at home, or on the move via our smartphone apps.

This innovative approach does not stop with our customers. As Australia’s largest retailer with more than 3,000 stores across Australia and New Zealand, our staff of 200,000 need intuitive technology that enables them to work more efficiently, collaboratively and effectively. To do this, they need to be able to access the right applications and information, from any location, using any device.

This is why we’ve decided to move to Google Apps and Chrome. Changing to a cloud based suite of tools is a key part of our strategy to use technology to promote greater collaboration, productivity and effectiveness. Over the next 12 months we will be rolling out Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Talk to the 26,000 staff in our national and state offices. This is the first phase of what we hope will be a company-wide transformation of our workplace technology.

We are also actively looking at how we can innovate with Google+, Google Drive and Google Sites to transform the way we approach other aspects of our business.

The move to Google Apps and Chrome builds on the successful roll out of Gmail and our ‘Tap to Support’ App on iPads to Woolworths supermarket store managers last year. The custom-made application, built on Google App Engine, helps our managers stay on the shop floor and focused on customers by allowing them to log a support ticket with our national support office in just one click, rather than being tied to a PC in the back office.

Soon more of our staff will be able to experience the productive and collaborative benefits of being able to work from any device, anywhere. Geographically dispersed teams, like our merchandising or state based workers, will be able to use Docs to collaborate in real-time.

Going Google will transform the way our employees interact with technology and collaborate with each other at every level of the organisation. We’re looking forward to providing our staff access to intuitive consumer technology at work and see the move to Google as the beginning of our journey towards a more efficient and innovative style of working.

Guest post by Dan Beecham, CIO at Woolworths Limited.

Connected businesses are growing businesses

2013-04-15T10:21:00.000+10:00

Small business owners have always had to be jacks-of-all trades: salesperson, marketer, logistics coordinator, customer service agent, and more. With the internet rewiring our entire economy, many Aussie small business owners are now adding “web expert” to this list.

Following Deloitte’s Connected Continent research, which showed the web to be worth as much to Australia as iron ore exports, we wanted to better understand how business owners are using new online business tools to run and grow their operations.

Released today by Deloitte Access Economics, “Connected Small Businesses”, shows that the web is quite simply rocket fuel for small business. Small businesses with high digital engagement—that is, SMBs that are making the most use of online tools like websites, online marketing, and social media—are two times more likely to be growing revenue and earn two times more revenue per employee than those with low engagement. They’re also job creators for Australia, being four times more likely to be hiring than those with low digital engagement.

The research also shows that high digital engagement is linked to better business outcomes, with a 20% uptake in revenue for businesses that move up just one level of digital engagement. They also have better growth prospects, more diversified sources of revenue and a bigger customer base.

Oliver Hagen, who runs an organic butcher in Melbourne’s South Yarra, is one small business owner who is using the web to grow. With a strong online presence which includes social media, Oliver also uses online marketing to attract customers across Victoria. In some cases, he gets orders from as far as the Mornington Peninsula or Perth.

Yet, Deloitte found that only 16% of Aussie small businesses are highly digital engaged ones like Hagen’s Organic Butchers. Of those small businesses surveyed, 25% have medium digital engagement, 24% low engagement, while 35% have very low digital engagement or not using the internet at all.

According to Deloitte, there are three main things that set high digital engaged business from others:

Digital presence: have a presence on social networks

Use of internet: to reach new customers in the local marketing

Use of digital marketing: search engine marketing and search engine optimisation to be found

This report card shows there’s some work to be done convincing small businesses about the benefits of the web, but also signals the huge potential for our wider economy. Our two-million small businesses employ 7 million people and make up half of the private sector economy, so even a small step forward can mean more free time, more customers, and more revenue or jobs for businesses owners. And that’s good news for Australia.

The full report, Connected Small Businesses, can be downloaded here.

Posted by Jason Pellegrino, Director, Google Australia

Music to your ears! Australia gets Google Play Music

2013-04-10T08:19:00.000+10:00

First, there were apps and games. Then books. Followed by movies and magazines. And now... music!

From today, all Australians can now listen to their favourite artists and download the latest music from Google Play — a digital entertainment destination for Android devices and the web.

Google Play makes it easy for you to buy your favourite songs and albums, and instantly add them to your music library. Our free music locker also means that you can add up to 20,000 songs from your existing music collection to Google Play instantly and listen to them from any computer or Android phone or tablet, even when you’re offline.

On Google Play Music, you can find the latest releases from established Australian artists such as Delta Goodrem, Havana Brown and Lisa Mitchell. For those not signed to a record label, we’re also introducing Google Play artist hub for Australia — a platform for independent artists to sell their music directly to fans. In the artist hub, artists can create a profile, upload their music files, suggest a retail price, and sell their music on Google Play.

With millions of songs to choose from, we hope you’ll find something that makes you want to dance, sing or just relax on your way to work.

Posted by Sami Valkonen, Head of International Music Partnerships, Google Play

Google News in Australia highlights Editors’ Picks

2013-04-04T11:03:00.001+11:00

Google News, in collaboration with local news organisations, is today introducing a new section in the right-hand column of the Australian edition. The new section called "Editors' Picks” displays content that publishers have selected as highlights from their publications.

Editors’ Picks is a place for local news editors to highlight their best, most engaging content. While the remainder of Google News is compiled algorithmically, Editors' Picks will always be just that—picks provided by publishers themselves.

You can now browse 17 publisher feeds that span national, specific and local interests—The Age, The Australian, The Sydney Morning Herald, News.com.au, The Telegraph, Brisbane Times and AdNews among many others. You can view their Editor’s Picks via the side-to-side arrows next to each publisher's logo.

We hope Editors’ Picks makes it easier for you to find interesting news stories from some of Australia’s most trusted news organisations. And, don’t forget, you can also personalise your news preferences to make sure you are always up-to-date with the latest stories relevant to your interests.

Posted by Agnes Eymery, Strategic Partner Development Manager, Digital Content

Dick Smith Goes Google

2013-04-03T11:09:00.000+11:00

As you'd imagine, staff at Dick Smith have a real passion for technology. They not only want to keep customers up-to-date with the latest innovations and gadgets — they want to use them too! This is key to our culture and as our company evolves we want to ensure that our highly mobile, tech savvy workforce have the flexibility to work in ways which suit them.

With more than 4,500 staff in 323 stores across Australia and New Zealand, we have a lot of people to communicate with. It’s always been hard for us to keep in touch with casual staff who make up a significant portion of our workforce, as they don’t have corporate issued devices or email accounts. And even with our permanent staff, our IT team has grappled with managing the rise of personal mobile devices at work. We have also been looking for ways to improve collaboration because, until now, communication in stores has been a hierarchical one-way process through the manager.

When we looked for solutions to these challenges, we decided on Google because it was a great cultural fit, as well as being intuitive, easy to maintain and packed with features.One of the best things about everyone having a Google account is that all our staff will now have IT identities so we can communicate with them and they can be involved. And as many of our staff already use Gmail as their personal email, the training time is really minimal.

The sharing and collaboration features built into Google Apps and Google Docs in particular are a real plus too. Now it doesn't matter if our teams are in Sydney or Wellington, they'll be able to share and collaborate on documents in real-time, faster and more easily than ever before.

Building community and fostering a collaborative culture is another significant benefit of going Google. We’re looking forward to using Google forms to get staff feedback and comments via regular staff engagement surveys and the integration of YouTube videos means that when our CEO has an important announcement we can record this for all our staff to review at a time that suits them. This is a great way to overcome some of the logistical challenges of having a casual workforce working across different time zones.

We’re excited about extending this approach to our interaction with suppliers and partners and will use Google Hangouts to reduce the time and cost of travel so our people can get on with running our business.

Guest post by Linda Venables, Director of IT, Dick Smith

Renovate your house on Street View with Google SCHMICK

2013-04-01T04:11:00.000+11:00

Is your house looking a bit tired and shabby? Want to make your narky step-aunt jealous? Trying to keep up with the Joneses but don’t have the money to complete an expensive reno?

Now you can give your house a lick of fresh paint for free on Street View with Google SCHMICK (Simple Complete House Makeover Internet Conversion Kit). Forgot to mow the nature strip? Deck it out with some fresh buffalo grass. Front steps falling down? Swap them out for doric columns and a pergola. Graffiti on the front fence? Cover it with so many palm trees people will think they’re on the Vegas strip.

We have hundreds of themes and features to choose from, but here are some ideas to get you started:

Feeling patriotic? Why not fly the Australian flag, leave some lamingtons out for Skippy or permanently switch on ‘Night View’ to place the Southern Cross directly above your inner city terrace. Perhaps, you’ll choose to add in a sheep or two and a kangaroo like Uncle Burke, throw in a miniature replica of Coffs Harbour’s Big Banana, or ‘go international’ and throw the Big Ben on top of that new second story you’ve just added to your house.

Can’t afford the electricity bill for a Christmas lights display? Worry no longer. You can now install a virtual festive display to suit any holiday and put the neighbours to shame in seconds. Create an Easter egg hunt for your kids, build a 360-degree haunted house panorama for trespassers or pretend you’re in the northern hemisphere and let it snow on your front porch. Or, if you don’t have a front porch, simply add one in using the House Builder tool.

Before

After

So, what are you waiting for? Transform your house into a virtual artwork and bring out your inner exterior decorator today - find out more about the launch of SCHMICK here.

Posted by Andrew Mitchell, Manager, Google Apps

Starting up #startupAUS

2013-03-19T10:45:00.000+11:00

Australia’s are great consumers of technology, but how do we become the creators of it? As a nation of only 22 million people, becoming a nation of creators - of innovators - will greatly help the future of Australian jobs, education and our economy.

Last week close to 50 members of Australia’s tech startup community got together to work out how we can ensure our country has a vibrant tech ecosystem. Dubbed #startupAUS, everything was on the table as we shared stories about the challenges and opportunities of becoming a tech entrepreneurs in our country.

We heard from Freelancer.com and Shoes of Prey about how difficult it is to find enough computer engineers with the right skills to help grow their businesses. While Google may have more resources to ensure we’re attracting the best and brightest that our universities produce, we also understand it’s a numbers game. Local graduates in computer science have shrunk significantly over the last decade and we all agreed that it’s a national imperative to fix this. On a practical level, this means giving more high school students the opportunity to learn computer science at an earlier age and that teachers are supported. Those at the summit put in a lot of time working out how.

Participants of the #startUpAUS summit

As part of our efforts, we recently commissioned PwC to help paint a picture of Australia tech startup scene. It’s a tough and ambitious task in such a fast moving and new industry, but they’ve begun mapping existing Aussie startups and are looking into the ingredients needed for a vibrant ecosystem. This data will be used to help the group’s other areas of focus on boosting awareness of the tech sector, and helping to improve the environment for startups.

In one sense #startupAUS is itself a startup. And as with any new venture, there’s lots of ideas, energy and aspiration. For me, the real test will occur when a high school student has that “what do you want to be when you grow up” conversation with his or her parents. My idea of success: instead of being told to be a doctor or a lawyer, parents will ask, “have you ever considered a career in computer science?”.

Alan Noble, Engineering Director, Google Australia & New Zealand

A new computer. Built for the web

2013-03-19T00:22:00.000+11:00

It’s 9:14am. Tickets to the British and Irish Lions Test went online at 9:00am. Your alarm didn’t go off. You frantically open your laptop and wait a minute or two for everything to load but by then it’s too late — they’ve sold out. Speed matters on the web.

Today, when most of us pick up a computer, we want to get straight online, and fast, so we can send email, surf the web and just get to our favorite web applications. It was with this vision we set out to build a computing experience for everyone that would be faster, simpler and more secure. From today, Australians will get to enjoy this with the release of the Samsung and Acer Chromebooks.

Designed from the ground up for the way we use computers today, Chromebooks boot up in seconds, giving you instant-on access so you don’t have to waste time or miss out. They bring you the best of the web to do the everyday things — like sending email, surfing the web, managing your calendar and creating and editing documents — more easily. Thanks to automatic updates, Chromebooks actually get better and faster over time.

Easy to use and easy to share, Chromebooks make a great second or third computer for kids doing homework on the couch, parents catching up on email at the kitchen counter and grandparents staying connected on video chat. They require no setup or maintenance and there’s no need to worry about security updates, anti-virus protections, malware or installing software. This means that you get a faster, simpler and more secure experience, without the hassles involved with other computers — they just work.

They’re easy to share with others because each person can have a separate account for their stuff. Both devices come with 100 GB of free storage on Google Drive*, so you can get to all of your stuff anytime, anywhere. And finally, if you use products like Gmail, Drive, Search, Maps, YouTube, Play or Google+ Hangouts, you will find that everything works seamlessly.

The Samsung Chromebook

The Acer Chromebook

We’ve worked with our partners to make Chromebooks that are safe, easy to use, easy to share and affordable for everyone. The Samsung Chromebook ($349) and the Acer Chromebook ($299) are now available from select JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman stores and the HP Chromebook is on its way.

Now, the 12-year wait begins for the next Lions Test in Australia...

Posted by Caesar Sengupta, Product Management Director, Chrome OS

*You will have 100 GB of free storage for 2 years, starting on the date you redeem the offer on eligible Chrome devices.

Two Australian winners of Google Research Awards

2013-03-15T10:59:00.004+11:00

At Google, we’re committed to developing new technologies to help our users find and use information. While we do significant in-house research and engineering, the Google Research Award programs aims to also support world-class research that is being done at our universities.

Twice a year we put a call for research proposals on a variety of computer science-related topics. This latest round saw close to 600 proposals from 46 different countries. After expert reviews and committee discussions, we funded 102 projects, including two from Australia.

Steve Blackburn, Australian National University, whose project Building a Compelling Infrastructure for Managed Language Research and Development, aims to dramatically improve the efficiency of software that runs on phones, in browsers and in the cloud, and;

Vijay Sivaraman and Tim Moors, University of New South Wales, Virtualising the Access Network using Software Defined Networking, aims to give web service providers more flexibility and control of their networks to deliver faster services and a better user experience.

Our grants will cover costs such as tuition and travel for a graduate student to work on each project, as well as providing faculty and students the opportunity to work directly with Google scientists and engineers.

Congratulations to all the well-deserving recipients of this round’s awards. If you are interested in applying for the next round (deadline is April 15), please visit our website for more information.

Sally-Ann Williams, Engineering Program Manager, Google Australia

Find Your Way Indoors With Google Maps for Android

2013-03-13T07:03:00.001+11:00

Ever been frantically running around Melbourne Airport trying to find Gate 18 in the International Terminal so you don't miss your flight to London? Or agreed to meet your mate on level four of that massive shopping mall, near one of the fountains, next to that new coffee shop you’ve never actually been to … and now you can’t find them?

Today, Google Maps on Android is heading indoor in Australia, to make finding your way inside buildings much easier. With indoor Google Maps, shopping centres, train stations, airports and many other places across Australia will be much easier to navigate.

Many iconic Australian buildings like the Queen Victoria Building and Flinders Street Station now have their floor plans uploaded to Google Maps. The maps automatically appear when you zoom in on a location, and then fade away when the map is zoomed out.

Indoor Google Maps are like having an indoor directory in the palm of your hand - helping you determine where you are, what floor you're on, and how to get to where you want to be. In some locations, you’ll even be able to use the familiar “blue dot” icon that indicates your approximate location - even when you’re inside. This means that when you move up or down a level in a building with multiple floors, the map will automatically update to display which floor you’re on.

This is just the start - we’ll continue to add new indoor maps to public buildings across Australia over the rest of this year. We hope you enjoy exploring over 200 locations across Australia that now have indoor maps available with confidence and a much stronger sense of direction and purpose. To learn more about indoor Google Maps and other features, check out this website or try it out today on your Android device.

Posted by Jamie Woodbridge, Partnerships Manager, Google Australia and New Zealand

Hot searches launches in Australia

2013-03-01T16:03:00.000+11:00

When you’re looking for the hottest topics on the web, Google Trends helps you navigate the top search queries. From today, you can now browse topics that are spiking in popularity in Australia - giving you a fascinating peek into the daily Zeitgeist of “what’s hot” in Australia everyday.

When you visit Google Trends you'll find trending topics going back for the past few days. Some topics reach near global hotness, such as the Oscars or the Harlem Shake, but most are more regional. Over the last few days in Australia, we’ve seen the Clipsal 500, the Future Music Festival and JB HiFi spike and make our hot searches list.

Google Trends works algorithmically to analyze search data and identify topics that are spiking in popularity. The technology clusters queries together so that, for example, searches for [daytona 500] are automatically grouped with [nascar]. We look for popular topics that are spiking dramatically compared with the past.

Beyond the "hot searches" feature, you can always type in any search terms to see interesting trends down to a specific week in a specific city, anywhere in the world. You'll find some things that are interesting, some serious and some fun. Have you found something amazing or see a way to make things better? We'd love to hear from you. Click "Send Feedback" at the bottom of any Trends page.

Happy trend spotting!

Posted by Tzvika Hartman, Software Engineer

The best of cricket, wherever you go

2013-02-18T13:08:00.001+11:00

The summer of cricket is well underway, with millions of people tuning in to watch wrong ‘uns, diving catches and reverse sweeps. Here are a few ways to join the excitement and see what your favourite teams, players, coaches, and pundits have to say.

Catch the action behind the scenes with CricHQ.
This week, some of the world’s best cricketers will be hanging out on Google+, and you can catch the action live on Google+ and YouTube. In the debut hangout, ex Black Caps Captain and cricket legend Stephen Fleming will get up close and personal with ODI stars from New Zealand and England, with good friends Simon Doull, Graeme Swann, Brendon McCullum and a few other surprise guests. Be sure to tune in to see who drops by and join in on the banter.

The first hangout will be tonight at 5:30pm AEST.

Here’s an invite from Kiwi all-rounder Scott Styris:

You can watch the England vs. New Zealand Hangout series live on the CriqHq YouTube Channel and RSVP to join the Hangouts on Air:

Join the conversation with The Cricket Club on Google+.
Aussie cricket star Stuart Macgill will be hanging out with mates at The Cricket Club on Google+ as it all unfolds at the crease. You can also stay up to date on your favourite players, catch the latest stats across the sport, and get notified of even more cricket Hangouts from around Google+.

Here’s a preview of what’s to come, from +Stuart Macgill:

You can subscribe to Cric HQ and The Cricket Club on YouTube, and of course, don’t forget the official Cricket Australia channel for interviews, highlights, and more all throughout the year.

Ernesto Soriano III, marketing manager and burgeoning cricket fan, just watched The Baggy Green

Build a Valentine Tribute with Chrome

2013-02-12T14:54:00.000+11:00

Celebration after celebration, year after year - I’m dreadfully outdone in the gift-giving department. On the other hand, my girlfriend Noy, is a born natural.

Christmas and Easter aren’t too bad, with Father’s and Mother’s Day sitting idly by. Valentine’s Day, however, sets me sulking in the darkest corner of my parent’s garage - there’s no present that is the right gift.

Give me a brick and I can throw it at a wall. Give me my memories and I can create a masterpiece.

For Valentine’s Day I’ve done something I’ve always wanted to do. I’m taking Noy back to our magical moment - a place only she and I can call ours. We don’t need to fly halfway across the country and she won’t even need to get out of her chair.

Using Build with Chrome I’ve recreated the moment of our first date. At the time I couldn’t bring much to the table but a physical (and immobile) presence. Our first date was in hospital, where I lay nursing a back injury and awaiting for my Noy to come and visit me for the first time. Our next 10 dates were also in hospital - every day - at 4.35PM where Noy would write me a note on my whiteboard to the left of my bed. I’ve written her my own today.

Your special someone is expecting a gift. Take her back to your magical moment, place it on the map and enjoy it with those you love.

Posted by Josh Berg, Building with Chrome this Valentine’s Day

Introducing: Sydney Opera House, Live on YouTube

2013-02-11T17:07:00.001+11:00

Sydney Opera House has become one of the world’s most recognisable music icons. Artists from around the world take to the stage each year, and millions fill the Opera House precinct to share in the unique atmosphere. For those not able to make the journey down under to catch a show, never fear. Sydney Opera House will be live streaming your favourite musicians on a new dedicated YouTube Channel: Live at the House.

Last year, nearly a million visitors flocked to YouTube to watch Vivid LIVE, with performances from Amon Tobin, Imogen Heap, and The Temper Trap. Over the next two years, Sydney Opera House will be bringing 20 additional live performances to your computer, mobile or tablet for you to enjoy. The first of these will be Australian sensation Sarah Blasko, live with the Sydney International Orchestra, this coming Monday, 18 February at 9:00 pm AEST:

A replay will be available on YouTube following the live performance. Be sure to subscribe to Live at The House to watch exclusive videos, playlists, interviews and announcements on upcoming artists.

You can also follow Sydney Opera House to keep up to date on new live acts, RSVP to get reminders for each live performance, and even participate in photography events on Google+. Some of your favourite musicians may also be dropping by to take part in intimate hangouts with fans. Here’s how Fat Freddy’s Drop spent some time pre-show at last year’s GRAPHIC festival:

So be sure to tune in to catch all the action from inside The House, to yours.

Ernesto Soriano, YouTube Australia, just watched Google+ Hangout with The Temper Trap

Hey entrepreneurs - get out there and have a go

2013-02-07T14:14:00.000+11:00

‘Having a go’ is one of our most cherished Australian values - right up there with mateship. But it takes on a whole new meaning and importance in the startup world. So often, budding entrepreneurs sit and mull on ideas for months - even years - perfecting them endlessly but never moving into execution. And let’s be honest -- until you actually have a product, you’re not an entrepreneur!

Well, something rather special happened at our most recent Google Sudo event for entrepreneurs last night, in Sydney. I asked my panelists - Mick Liubinskas, Co-founder Pollenizer; Niki Scevak, Co-founder Startmate; and Kim Heras, Co-founder PushStart - for one piece of advice to the budding entrepreneurs in the audience. And their answer? “Just have a go”. Tonight. Go home and launch. In the morning, you’ll be an entrepreneur, and it will feel amazing.

And you know what happened? People did. At last count, there are five new startups in Sydney as of this morning, and five new entrepreneurs born. Congratulations to Winston the Watchdog, Check My Coverage, Motvind, Slidefish, and goTechTalks!. It’s not always easy to have a go - but it’s the only way for your dreams to get to know reality (to paraphrase a discussion from last night).

You can watch the full Google Sudo event below, and circle us on Google+ to find out about upcoming events. If you’ve also launched something after last night, let us know in the comments on our Google+ Page. And for more inspiration, visit Google for Entrepreneurs here.

Posted by Alan Noble, Engineering Director, Google Australia and New Zealand

Enhancing AdWords for a constantly connected world

2013-02-07T07:54:00.001+11:00

Today we’re upgrading AdWords, by rolling out enhanced campaigns. This is a first step to help you more simply and smartly manage your ad campaigns in today’s multi-device world.

Why enhanced campaigns?

People are constantly connected and moving from one device to another to communicate, shop and stay entertained. In fact, a recent study from the US found that 90% of multi-device consumers move “sequentially” between several screens in the same day. There’s also a proliferation of new devices - PCs, laptops, tablets, smartphone, hybrid devices, mini-tablets, televisions and more. And there are many more digital screens and devices to come, with the lines between them continuing to blur. For example, as devices converge, consumer behaviours on tablets and desktops are becoming very similar.

This creates great opportunities for businesses, but can also make marketing more complex and time-consuming. For example, a pizza restaurant probably wants to show one ad to someone searching for [pizza] at 1 p.m. on their PC at work (perhaps a link to an online order form or menu), and a different ad to someone searching for [pizza] at 8 p.m. on a smartphone half a mile from the restaurant (perhaps a click-to-call phone number and restaurant locator). Signals like location, time of day and the capabilities of the device that people are using have become increasingly important in showing them the right ad.

With enhanced campaigns, instead of having to cobble together and compare several separate campaigns, reports and ad extensions to do this, the pizza restaurant can easily manage all of this in one single place. Enhanced campaigns help you reach people with the right ads, based on their context like location, time of day and device type, across all devices without having to set up and manage several separate campaigns.

Key features

Here’s an overview of some key features.

Powerful marketing tools for the multi-device world

People want search results that are relevant for the context they are in for example – their device, location and the time of day. Enhanced campaigns help you manage your campaigns and budgets for this multi-device world more effectively. With “bid adjustments”, you can manage bids for your ads across devices, locations, time of day and more – all from a single campaign.

Example: A breakfast cafe wants to reach people nearby searching for [coffee] or [breakfast] on a smartphone. Using bid adjustments, with three simple entries, they can bid 25% higher for people searching a half a mile away, 20% lower for searches after 11 a.m. and 50% higher for searches on smartphones. These bid adjustments can apply to all ads and all keywords in one single campaign.

Smarter ads optimised for varying user contexts

People on-the-go or near your shop may be looking for different things than someone sitting at their desk. With enhanced campaigns, you’ll show ads across devices with the right ad text, sitelink, app or extension, without having to edit each campaign for every possible combination of devices, location and time of day.

Example: A national retailer with both physical locations and a website can show ads with click-to-call and location extensions for people searching on their smartphones, while showing an ad for their e-commerce website to people searching on a PC – all within a single campaign.

Upgrading to enhanced campaigns

Enhanced campaigns will roll out to advertisers as an option over the next few weeks, and we plan to upgrade all campaigns in mid-2013.

Enhanced campaigns are designed to help you succeed in a multi-screen world, but we know that transitioning may involve some initial changes. Here are some resources to help you:
·
Website

Help Center

Upgrade videos and guides

AdWords Community forum

Over the coming weeks we’ll dive into the new features with tips and best practices on the Inside AdWords blog and on our G+ page. We’d love your feedback.

Posted by Sridhar Ramaswamy, Senior Vice President of Engineering

Safer Internet Day: How we help you stay secure online

2013-02-05T09:09:00.001+11:00

Technology can sometimes be complicated, but you shouldn’t have to be a computer scientist or security expert to stay safe online. Protecting our users is one of our top priorities at Google. Whether it’s creating easy-to-use tools to help you manage your information online or fighting the bad guys behind the scenes, we’re constantly investing to make Google the best service you can rely on, with security and privacy features that are on 24-7 and working for you.

Last year, we launched Good to Know, our biggest-ever consumer education campaign focused on making the web a safer, more comfortable place. Today, on Safer Internet Day, we’re updating Good to Know to include more tips and advice to help you protect yourself and your family from identity theft, scams and online fraud. You can also learn how to make your computer or mobile device more secure, and get more out of the web—from searching more effectively to making calls from your computer. And you can find out more about how Google works to make you, your device and the whole web safer.

For example, we encrypt the Gmail and Google Search traffic between your computer and Google—this protects your Google activity from being snooped on by others. We also make this protection, known as session-wide SSL encryption, the default when you’re signed into Google Drive. Because outdated software makes your computer more vulnerable to security problems, we built the Chrome browser to auto-update to the latest version every time you start it. It gives you up-to-date security protection without making you do any extra work.

Even if you don’t use Google, we work hard to make the web safer for you. Every day we identify more than 10,000 unsafe websites—and we inform users and other web companies what we’ve found. We show warnings on up to 14 million Google Search results and 300,000 downloads, telling our users that there might be something suspicious going on behind a particular website or link. We share that data with other online companies so they can warn their users.

Today also coincides with research by the Australian-based Young and Well Cooperative Research Centre which shows that when it comes to online safety, teenagers are often parents best teacher. The research, supported by Google, concludes that young people today generally understand the range of risks they might face online, and look at the take active steps they take to minimise them.

Whether you’re 15 or 50, we know staying safe online is important to you—and it is important to us too. Please take some time today to make your passwords stronger and turn on 2-step verification to protect your Google Account. And visit our new Good to Know site to find more tips and resources to help you stay safe online.

Posted by Alma Whitten, Director of Privacy, Product and Engineering

Insights into the Mobile Aussie Weekend

2013-02-01T08:47:00.000+11:00

We already knew that Australians are among the most prolific smartphone users in the world, but we wanted to better understand how people are using search on smartphones to make their daily lives easier -- especially as more and more web activity is taking place more and more on-the-go rather than on-the-desktop.

So, we took a look at the kinds of things that we’re collectively searching for on our smart phones during a given weekend. The findings paint a really interesting picture of how smartphone search has become embedded into our daily lives. In fact, you start to wonder what we ever did without them!

As the infographic below shows, we’re checking the weather on our phones before we’re even out of bed on Saturday morning. Then we get chores out of the way: online banking, and booking travel. Early Saturday afternoons are dedicated to sport on our smartphones just as in our regular lives, and as our stomachs rumble in the evenings, we get out our smartphone to search for restaurants and make bookings.

The late afternoon Sunday shopping expedition on foot is preceded by a mobile search spree for hot deals, and there’s a new Sunday night ritual in Australia; checking our social media profiles from the comfort of the sofa or bed.

A look into the life of an average Aussie over a weekend

While this research shows what many of us search for on our smartphones throughout a given weekend, it doesn’t capture one of the most fascinating aspects of having the full force of Google search in your pocket all the time - something we affectionately call the ‘pub quiz’ phenomenon and noticed way back in 2009. Even more so than on desktop search, the ‘long tail’ of mobile search queries is extraordinarily diverse, as people whip out their smartphones to settle arguments on the spot, look up the definitions of new words, or (heaven forbid) cheat at the pub quiz.

One feature of Google search that you might not know much about is that you can talk naturally into your phone and get a quick answer straight away. For example, if you ask Voice Search something like “do I need an umbrella today?”, the phone will respond to you saying “yes, the forecast for today is 25 degrees, with a chance of storm.” If you’re out and about, using Voice Search will also save you from awkward footpath encounters with fellow pedestrians coming the other way.

To get the most out of search and download your smartphone into a 24/7 personal assistant, download the Google search app from Google Play or iTunes.

Posted by Shane Treeves, Consumer Communications and Public Affairs, Google Australia

Google Science Fair: Looking for the next generation of scientists and engineers to change the world

2013-01-31T10:01:00.000+11:00

At age 16, Louis Braille invented an alphabet for the blind. When she was 13, Ada Lovelace became fascinated with math and went on to write the first computer program. And at 19, Alexander Graham Bell started experimenting with sound and went on to invent the telephone. Throughout history many great scientists developed their curiosity for science at an early age and went on to make groundbreaking discoveries that changed the way we live.

Today, we’re launching the third annual Google Science Fair in partnership with CERN, the LEGO Group, National Geographic and Scientific American to find the next generation of scientists and engineers. We’re inviting students ages 13-18 to participate in the largest online science competition and submit their ideas to change the world.

For the past two years, thousands of students from more than 90 countries have submitted research projects that address some of the most challenging problems we face today. Previous winners tackled issues such as the early diagnosis of breast cancer, improving the experience of listening to music for people with hearing loss and cataloguing the ecosystem found in water. This year we hope to once again inspire scientific exploration among young people and receive even more entries for our third competition.

Here’s some key information for this year’s Science Fair:

Students can enter the Science Fair in 13 languages.
The deadline for submissions is April 30, 2013 at 11:59 pm PDT.
In June, we’ll recognise 90 regional finalists (30 from the Americas, 30 from Asia Pacific and 30 from Europe/Middle East/Africa).
Judges will then select the top 15 finalists, who will be flown to Google headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. for our live, final event on September 23, 2013.
At the finals, a panel of distinguished international judges consisting of renowned scientists and tech innovators will select top winners in each age category (13-14, 15-16, 17-18). One will be selected as the Grand Prize winner.

Prizes for the 2013 Science Fair include a $50,000 scholarship from Google, a trip to the Galapagos with National Geographic Expeditions, experiences at CERN, Google or the LEGO Group and digital access to the Scientific American archives for the winner’s school for a year. Scientific American will also award a $50,000 Science in Action prize to one project that makes a practical difference by addressing a social, environmental or health issue. We’re also introducing two new prizes for 2013:

In August, the public will have the opportunity to get to know our 15 finalists through a series of Google+ Hangouts on Air and will then vote for the Inspired Idea Award—an award selected by the public for the project with the greatest potential to change the world.

We also recognise that behind every great student there’s often a great teacher and a supportive school, so this year we’ll award a $10,000 cash grant from Google and an exclusive Google+ Hangout with CERN to the Grand Prize winner’s school.

Lastly, we’ll also be hosting a series of Google+ Hangouts on Air. Taking place on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, these Hangouts will feature renowned scientists including inventor Dean Kamen and oceanographic explorer Fabien Cousteau, showcase exclusive behind-the-scenes tours of cutting-edge labs and science facilities, and provide access to judges and the Google Science Fair team. We hope these Google+ Hangouts will help inspire, mentor and support students throughout the competition and beyond.

Visit www.googlesciencefair.com to get started now—your idea might just change the world.

Posted by Sam Peter, Google Science Fair Team