Welcome to Googleholic - your bi-weekly fix of everything Google! In this edition:
Google Gears gets some updates
Google Gears, an open source browser plugin that allows web applications to work offline, has received some considerable updates this week. In addition to enabling offline usage of Google Docs, Google launched their first mobile applications based in Gears — Picasa Mobile — on Wednesday. For more information about Google Gears and what the potential benefits this plugin can offer developers and end users, take a look at the Google TechTalk from March.
[via Gears API Blog]
YouTube introduces Living Legends
YouTube has just launched a new program aimed at connecting high profile filmmakers, musicians, sports figures, politicians and more with the YouTube community. The monthly series, Living Legends, will provide a venue for these figures to answer questions submitted by the community and connect in a more personal way. The first legend on the list? Well, it’s a group: The Rolling Stones. The Stones have contributed a video asking for viewer questions and provided some behind the scenes footage, as well as a mash-up of great “Start Me Up” covers.
[via YouTube Blog]
Google Analytics adds new graphing options
Google Analytics has just added a new way for users to graph and compare their metrics: by week and by month. This can make pinpointing trends (or perhaps spikes) even easier. Week and monthly options have been added to the comparison viewer too, which can be really helpful in finding trends for a specific day or a period of high/low activity.
[via The Official Google Analytics Blog]
Google to lay off ~300 DoubleClick employees and sell Performics Search Marketing
About three weeks after acquiring DoubleClick, Google has announced some personnel and market sector changes. According the New York Times, about 300 — or 25% of the DoubleClick workforce — will be let go, the remaining employees merging into similar roles within Google’s existing advertising group. Additionally, DoubleClick’s Performics Search Marketing sector is on the auction block, because it represents a conflict on interest to Google’s objectivity and core mission. The unit will be run as a separate entity until it is sold.
[via Google Blogoscoped via the New York Times]