Google [GOOG] is expanding the Real Time search features of it’s search engine by launching Google.com/realtime.

The service isn’t fully live yet, but when live will work in a similar way to how the twitter results are embedded in various search query results.

The service will be updated to include updates from Google Buzz, Facebook, MySpace to name a few social networking sites so that when you search for a query that is surging at a current time, such as an earth quake, film release, disaster, mobile phone news etc… you’ll be able to see results of what everybody is talking about online. [Read more…]

MIT researches have created a device that potentially (when working a large swarm) could clear up the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

The technology is a prototype at the moment and uses technology that can separate water and oil. The researches behind it have calculated that 5000 of these autonomous robot cleaners would take just one month to clean up the surface oil on the water.

The technology is based on the use of robots, 16ft long and including a 7ft wide solar-powered conveyor belt that is made of an oil-slurping nanowire mesh. The material is capable of isolating and absorbing up to 20 times its weight in oil. The robots will use the principles of swarm robotics, where thousands of such devices will be interacting and coordinating with each other using GPS and wireless technology.

The devices can either burn the oil they collect to keep them working uninterrupted or can break away from their teams occasionally to deposit their oil in large, GPS-tagged floating reservoirs. A large tanker could come and collect oil from these reservoirs.

[Read more…]

Logitech is getting ready to launch the Logitech Revue this fall. The Revue is a Google TV companion box that will bring the new Google TV services to existing HDTV’s.

Three adverts have been launched which simply put, are weird. They each feature a HDTV with legs running around a house, frightening someone to death or taking a swim outside.

Rather than trying to describe them any further, I’ve embedded them below to see if you can figure them out. [Read more…]

Apple has released a new version of the iWork productivity suite. The new version is iWork 9.0.4 that is available for download today.

New features included with the update include some big fixes for the Keynote, Pages and Numbers software. Also the update brings the ability to export Pages documents in the ePub format so that content can be copied over to the iBooks app that is available for the iPhone running iOS 4 and the iPad. [Read more…]

Facebook has announced that it is dropping support for the older Microsoft [MSFT] browser, Internet Explorer 6. The policy for Facebook is in regards to the chat features rather than the site as a whole, so if you don’t use chat you should be OK to stay at version 6 for now.

We do however recommend that you update Internet Explorer to a later version, or switch to something like the latest version Chrome or Safari to be more secure.

The reason Facebook has dropped support on the chat side of things is due to bugs found in the chat service. The code needed to fix the chat box wasn’t compatible with Internet Explorer 6 and thus, they had to drop support for it. [Read more…]

The Facebook mobile app has been installed on millions of devices from BlackBerry, Android and iOS based smartphones.

Joe Hewitt is the man responsible for developing the Facebook apps for mobile devices and has had a little rant on Twitter about how he finds the operating systems that he works with. His main gripe is with Android OS that Google [GOOG] develops by saying it’s too hard to use. [Read more…]

Apple [AAPL] is holding an event on September 1 to launch some “music related” gadgets and services. It is expected that the new iPod touch 4 will be launched along with iTV and potentially 99 cent TV show downloads.

The event is being held at Yerba Buena and the picture above and below shows what’s going on at the moment in preparation for the launch. [Read more…]

Google [GOOG] has announced a new service that allows Gmail users to make phone calls from Gmail to regular phones. Previously the video and call service was restricted to a computer to computer set up which required the call receiver to be sat at a computer or other connected device such as a laptop.

The service is rolling out right now for those Gmail users in the US. If you are not in the US then you’ll need to wait a little longer although Google did mention that the service will eventually arrive to others.

Call costs in the US and Canada are free for the rest of this year. International calls go as low as 2 cents per minute to countries such as the UK. A comparison chart can be found here which is worth reading as calls to UK landlines are 2 cents like mentioned a moment ago although calls to a UK mobile are 18 cents. [Read more…]

Apple [AAPL] is to hold an event on September 1. Judging by the image above, they will be launching some music related services which could include a new iPod touch 4, iTV or Apple TV.

Other rumoured products include a 99 cents TV show rental service, possibly iTunes Cloud, CDMA iPhone 4 (doubtful) amongst a few other things. [Read more…]

We already mentioned Angry Birds earlier today in that it has arrived on webOS devices.

We now hear that Angry Birds could be made in to a movie.

If you have been a fan one of the 6.5 million players of the Angry Bird games you might be pleased to know that the developer Rovio is currently in discussions to release TV shows, movies, toys and comic books to expand the Angry Bird franchise.

[Read more…]

Google [GOOG] looks to be testing some new features in Gmail that will see the email service turned in to a communications hub. The new services will allow users to make calls with Google Voice direct from the Google Chat interface.

CNET has learned that Google is testing a Web-based service within Gmail that will allow users to place phone calls from their in-boxes. It’s launched from the Google Chat window on the lower left-hand side of a Gmail page and allows users to place and receive calls from within their contacts through a user interface that strongly resembles the one used in Google Voice.

[Read more…]

Apple [AAPL] is rumoured to be holding a media event on September 7. At the event it is expected that Apple will announced a new iPod touch 4, Apple TV (perhaps called iTV although a problem for the UK) and we hope that some details of iOS 4 for iPad will be announced.

The new iPod touch 4 is believed to follow the lines of the iPhone 4 in that it will have a front facing camera and perhaps a retina display. The Apple TV is rumoured to go on sale for $99 and mention of a 99 cent TV show rental service is doing the rounds at the moment. [Read more…]