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By Matthieu, 2012-11-21 13:22

For some reason, Android versions greater than 2.3 no longer come with the Google CarHome app. This is an app that gives your phone a simplified interface for easier use in-car.

To install on a rooted device, download CarHomeGoogle.apk

Copy it to /system/app, set permissions to -rw-r–r– (644) and user/group owner to root.

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By Matthieu, 2012-08-19 20:36

For a while now, Google has allowed you to sign in to multiple Google accounts and switch back and forth between them quite easily. Firefox also allows you to use Gmail as the default application for mailto: links.

This is all fine and dandy, until you click a mailto: link and decide you don’t want to send that e-mail using your primary Gmail account. In my case, this happens when replying to posts on craigslist. I always assumed there wasn’t a “clean” solution, resigning myself to copying and pasting the e-mail and subject lines, or even at times clicking the mailto: link on my Android phone, which allows me to select any account on my phone to send the e-mail from.

Finally decided to do some research and found a solution on the mozillazine forums.

To summarize:

1. Go to about:config in Firefox
2. Set gecko.handlerService.allowRegisterFromDifferentHost = true
3. Open the Web Developer scratchpad. (Firefox> Web Developer> Scratchpad or Tools>Web Developer > Scratchpad)
4. In the scratchpad, type the following line of JavaScript:

navigator.registerProtocolHandler("mailto",
  "https://mail.google.com/mail/b/[email protected]/?extsrc=mailto&url=%s",
  "Description of your Gmail Account");

5. Repeat the line as many times as necessary, once for each of your Gmail accounts.
6. Once you have created all the necessary lines, go to Execute > Run.
7. The “information bar” will pop up in your main Firefox window, asking you if you want to add your Gmail account as a handler for mailto: links. Accept once for each account.
8. That’s it. Now when you click a mailto: link, you’ll be prompted which Gmail account to use.

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By Matthieu, 2011-01-28 21:59

Going through my photo library, I came across this curious shot that I took sometime last year:

Now, this looks curiously like the Google Nexus One’s bootscreen doesn’t it?

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By Matthieu, 2010-09-09 16:36

Google has just unveiled the latest in search technologies. Because hitting Enter or clicking search took too long, we now have Google Instant.

In light of this fun new feature, I decided to compile a short list of a few suggestions provided by Google Instant. Perhaps in the future this will provide a snapshot of the Web in 2010.

1. 14th amendment
2. 24
3. Nintendo 3DS
4. 4chan
5. 50 Cent
6. CBS 60 Minutes
7. 7-zip
8. 84 lumber
9. 90210
10. Not really 10, but 0. 007

Mind you, these are U.S. results. I know this is nothing new, and that Google search suggestions have been around for a while, but it’s more fun now.

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By Matthieu, 2010-01-15 10:00

Google may shut down Chinese operations due to censorship and cyber attacks – Wikinews, the free news source.

We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn…We recognize that this may well mean having to shut down Google.cn, and potentially our offices in China.

Good news, I say.

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By Matthieu, 2009-11-11 20:34

Update: I managed to find a form to contact Google. And as of today (November 22) my Google Talk account seems to be working fine again!

Some of you may know that I’ve been trying to get people to abandon their MSN/Windows Live accounts in favour of the somewhat-open Google Talk service. This endeavour has been more or less successful; thank you to my friends that listened. However, now all that may have been in vain. My Google Talk account has been corrupted. I no longer have any contacts. None. And I can’t even add any. The google talk client on my Blackberry says “internal error”. The google talk gadget in gmail shows no contacts. Adding contacts in Adium or Pidgin just creates a bunch of “not authorized” contacts.

Now I have always been a big fan of Google services. So I’m not about to let my Google Talk account go unused. Unfortunately, there is no longer ANY WAY to contact google. NONE. They removed all their contact forms. The hid away all their e-mail addresses. So now I’m stuck with a semi-functional google account. I’ve been using google services since 2003, and have participated in betas and tests. I just realized my Google Wave account is dead too. Gmail still works, but for how long?

Comments (1)

By Matthieu, 2009-09-10 20:59

You’re not crazy. Google has done it again. They made a small change to the look of their website today: the font size and buttons on the home page and search result page are larger. I suppose this shows how ingrained Google is into everyday life, how even the smallest change is noticed by millions. Just like back in May’08 when they changed their favicon.

Internet users tend to dislike change for change’s sake. There is already a userscript that reverts Google to the “classic” look.  Another good example of user discontent is the launch of New Facebook, which incited much grumbling. Ultimately though, the whole thing blows over and the face of the Web is changed forever, old designs lost in the depths of the Wayback machine.