We search a wide variety of stuff on the web. It could range from definitions, images to maps and sometimes, even the most widely used search engine in the world may not be able to answer all our queries. No wait, or is there a problem with our search skills or knowledge? (You’ll know the [...]

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It has been revealed that Google is testing something called "Google Cloud Picker". It’s apparently not something we’re supposed to know about yet. 

According to those who spotted it, it appeared when they tried to insert files and images into Google Sites and Blogger. A screenshot is now making the rounds, showing that it is tied to Picasa, Maps, Google Docs, and YouTube. 

A spokesperson for the company told TechCrunch, "Oops… looks like someone pushed some code too quickly. It’s not quite ready for prime time yet but stay tuned!"

Something like this might come in handy when you want to share things. Incidentally, Google is also working on something else that’s not quite ready for prime time (and isn’t expected to be until the Spring – you know, that "social layer" Google is supposed to be adding to tie its products together. 

Any suggestion that this is related could only be considered speculation, but it’s something to consider. Another thing to consider is that Google is heavily trying to move people to the cloud. Google made an announcement recently that also connects the better part of Google’s services together through Google Apps. 

Something else that is also apparently not quite ready for prime time? Google’s Cloud-based operating system Chrome OS. This very likely has a lot to do with that. In the end all of these things are going to be connected in one way or another, I believe. 

Sarah Perez at ReadWriteWeb drops a name we haven’t heard in a while. "Wait, a Google storage product? Isn’t that Gdrive?" she writes. "Gdrive, the long-rumored Google competitor to Microsoft’s now 3+ years-old SkyDrive cloud storage service has never officially been revealed. But it was supposedly going to do something similar – tie together Google services into one interface."

"Isn’t that what Cloud Picker is doing?" she adds. "Actually, no – at least not to the extent of what Gdrive would have done. Cloud Picker only appears as a pop-up when you go to insert media into Blogger or Sites at this time, according to the forum posts…In other words, it’s a dialog box, not a service."

It certainly seems that way. There’s probably already more being made of this than is really necessary. It would appear to just be a function that could be applied to any Google offering the company wishes. If nothing else, it should make it easy to share different types of content in any given Google service. If you’re inserting a file, image, map, document, or YouTube video into something, you’re probably sharing it with somebody. Sounds social to me. 

Google is expected to launch a Chrome OS-based netbook on Tuesday.

A man who fostered a great reputation in the geospatial community by founding OpenStreetMap, "a free editable map of the whole world," has started working for Microsoft.  The company announced today that Steve Coast will assume the impressive title "Principal Architect of Bing Mobile."

We should note right here: this development doesn’t mean Coast is turning his back on OpenStreetMap or the geo community in general.  As part of the deal, Coast apparently made sure that Microsoft will be allowing access to its global orthorectified aerial imagery.

Also, a post on the Bing Maps Blog explained, "As a Principal Architect for Bing Mobile, Steve will help develop better mapping experiences for our customers and partners, and lead efforts to engage with OpenStreetMap and other open source and open data projects."

So it looks like this move is going to benefit Bing, Bing’s users, and people who prefer to steer clear of legal and technical restrictions when it comes to mapping.  Along with Coast himself, presumably.

Coast wrote on his blog today, "[I'm] super excited to tell you that I’ve accepted a position as Principal Architect at Bing Mobile and am moving to the Seattle, Washington area to work on maptastic things!  Yay!"

Yahoo! has released a new Web based tool which offers an interesting and visually appealing way to explore search trends.

Yahoo! Clues provides a way to discover and compare trending information. What makes Clues so interesting is that it provides not just search volume charts, but demographic graphs, maps and even related searches to a…

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Google continued its charge into the enterprise sector on Thursday with the introduction of a massive infrastructure overhaul for Google Apps. Previously, Google Apps was limited to basic services like Gmail, Calendar and Docs. Starting today, Google Apps…

Mashable and Bing are releasing a new feature today — the Local Twitter Trends Map.

The map displays the top ten Twitter trending topics in major US cities. Once clicked, each local trend displays a listing of the latest Tweets about that topic in the surrounding area. You can also find Mashable articles about the top topics in your locale.

Are New Yorkers tweeting about tech? Is social media the talk of the town in San Francisco? The Twitter Trends Map will help you find out!

I recently sat down with Bing Maps evangelist Chris Pendleton to talk about the launch, plus recent trends in location-based services and mobile social networking — you can view that video here.

Additionally, Mashable has entered a deal to use Bing to power the search on our site. You’ll notice our search is now more customized as a result: You can search for the “Most Relevant” or “Most Recent” results, thumbnails are now displayed next to headlines, and share counts from Twitter and Facebook are included in the result pages. We hope you find these new search results more useful!

Disclosure: Bing is a Mashable sponsor.

Reviews: Bing, Facebook, Mashable, Twitter

Last week we learned that Bing was to add Foursquare data to Bing Maps. Today the company is rolling out those Foursquare features to a subset of users in a new addition to its Maps Apps section.

Those with access to the Foursquare integration can now see nearby checkins and tips on a Bing Map, with the full real-time stream of Foursquare data — mayorships and badges included — flowing in on the left-hand side of the map.

The Foursquare experience can we tweaked to filter for checkins, friend activity or venue search results. The Foursquare Bing Maps app also allows users to login to their Foursquare accounts for more contextual details.

We presume the majority of users will find the new layar of Foursquare data helpful in their plans to place their friends whereabouts or discover new tips at nearby locales. If curiosity and amusement trump utility, however, the Bing blog writes that users can tick a box, “to ‘auto-center the map on new updates’ and watch the map fly around the world as people check in everywhere!”

Do you have access to the Bing Maps Foursquare app? Let us know what you think of this addition to the Bing Maps experience in the comments.

For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook

Reviews: Bing, Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter

Tags: bing, Bing Maps, foursquare

The battle for social geolocation domination has expanded to Google’s Android platform, as Gowalla, the primary competitor to Foursquare, has just made its debut on Google’s Android app store.

The new Gowalla 1.0 app isn’t some secondhand version of its iPhone counterpart — it’s completely packed with an array of features that allow you to check into locations, view friends, access details about specific locations, and check out your progress completion for trips (a Gowalla feature that lets you earn badges by checking into a set of locations).

Essentially, the app is divided into four sections: Activity (a feed of your friend’s activity stream), Spots (where you find nearby locations to check into), Trips (explained above), and Passport (your personal profile and list of achievements). Each section drills deeper, allowing you to add friends, view maps of specific locations (along with the number of check-ins and people there), or complete a trip.

Here’s the gist of it: Gowalla for Android, from first impressions, is well-designed and has many of the features of its iPhone counterpart, though as Android and Me points out, you can’t create a location within the app quite yet.

It needed to be slick and feature-rich to compete with Foursquare’s Android app (which I think in many ways is superior to its iPhone version). Whether it succeeded…well, that’ll take some time. Gowalla users, be sure to tell us what you think about the app in the comments.

Now here are a few screenshots, courtesy of Android and Me. You can check out a full gallery there.

http://www.dvdtoiphone.com for a free trial download of iLaunch.
iLaunch is a screen lock and application launcher utility for Pocket PC (phones). It does some of the things the iPhone® does, a lot less, and a few things more. Watch a demo video of iLaunch in action.

This video and software do NOT contain copyrighted material belonging to Apple.

Duration : 0:1:57

Playing with my Pocket PC.

Duration : 0:10:1