Google Makes Search Just a Little Bit Social

Google is dipping another toe into the world of social surfing.
Social networking is huge but it’s a market that Google still hasn't quite managed to crack. Though they've tried with sites like Orkut and services like Buzz, people aren't going nuts for Google-run social networking efforts like they are for Facebook or Twitter.
However, that doesn't mean Google isn't going to do its best to get into the social game, and reports are coming in that the web giant has added a social touch to search results. Search Engine Watch reports that for some users, news posts returned on the first page of search results are now displaying a 'shared by [number]' next to the title. Clicking on the shared link brings you to Google Updates, which shows real-time sharing activity from sites such as Twitter and FriendFeed.

64GB Model Confirmed for BlackBerry PlayBook

IM's BlackBerry PlayBook was recently shown at the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition.

This week at the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX) convention, RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie confirmed that the upcoming BlackBerry PlayBook tablet will arrive in a 64 GB version in addition to the 16 GB and 32 GB models. He also said that the tablet will use a 5,300 mAh battery.

Android Users Go Cuckoo for Angry Birds Game

Android users have been waiting a long time to get their hands on Angry Birds and now that it's finally available it seems we've gone slightly cuckoo for the title.
Angry Birds is an addictive game that's already available for the iPhone and iPad. Though it was most recently in the news because publisher Rovio kicked up a fuss about Microsoft's use of the Angry Birds logo on its Windows Phone 7 website, the game has been available in beta for Android for quite a while. On Friday, the game left beta and Angry Birds became available for Android users around the globe. Angry Birds was available for download via GetJar first and users eager to get their hands on the game promptly crashed it. However, it would seem things have recovered since Friday's outage.

Google Tracks Your Eyes When Testing its Designs

Where are you looking?
Google is one of the great modern innovators. Even though its search engine is already the world's most widely used, it still continues to introduce new features. One such new feature is Google Instant, which took the suggestions feature to a whole new level.
Google Instant wasn't just a simple experiment for the search company that it rolled out blindly. Rather, it was tested down to details that included tracking the eye movements of users to see where the attention goes on a web page.
What you see below is a line tracing the path that the eyes take when hitting Google. The large red dot is where the user was currently looking when the screenshot was taken.

Video Game Sales Fall for 6th Consecutive Month

As the holiday season approaches, things have yet to pick up for the video game industry as sales fell for the sixth month in a row in September.

Research group NPD reports that, in the month of September, sales of video game software, hardware and accessories fell 8 percent to $1.2 billion. Game hardware was hit the hardest, with sales falling 19 percent to $383 million. This month represents the first time that NPD has not publicly released sales for individual consoles (these numbers are still available for those willing to pay) but Microsoft was more than happy to reveal that the Xbox is still selling extremely well.