Along with pretty much every other Google property, YouTube Channels also now have a new lick of pixels. YouTube Channels are the home for videos that you create. The new design brings consistency with the rest of the YouTube redesign that started rolling out earlier in the week.

Owners of channels can now set a featured video at the top of their channel, similar to the cover at the top of your Facebook timeline, it’s just this one is video. There’s now some interesting choices that channel owners have, including the option to set that featured video to autoplay. I’m begging you, please don’t do this and turn YouTube into the next MySpace.

The new design also features 3 tabs at the top of the page, Featured which is the default, Feed and Videos. The Videos tab provides a fantastic thumbnail view for visitors and subscribers to get a quick overview of all the videos you upload.

While the redesign of Google Reader was heavily criticised, I think the new UI for YouTube should be commended. Over the past few days I actually find myself engaging in new behaviour, visiting YouTube as a destination. Something that used to be reserved as a ‘sometimes activity’ to fill in time, YouTube videos are now presented in a way that allows users to catch up on what’s new.

In some ways YouTube now feels like it has the makings for a DVR replacement. After subscribing to your favourite content, it is now surfaced to the top making sure you never miss an episode.

Also don’t forget to subscribe to techAU on YouTube.

Following on from Google’s continued interface redesigns from G+ to Google Reader, now YouTube seems next on the list. The new design is being rolled out, but if you want to check it out right now, you can. Simply follow the instructions below and you will get to the new redesign.

Unfortunately this only sets a temporary cookie which is removed when you close the browser. That issue aside, after spending a few minutes with it, I’ve got to say I like the redesign. The left navigation panel is clean and simple, videos from your subscriptions or YouTube trends list in the middle and related or recommended videos on the right. It’s clean, simple and works really well.

Even the accounts section got a UI overhaul to match the new design. The only complain i have is that it doesn’t take advantage of widescreen monitors to display more content.

Instructions

1. Go to http://www.youtube.com/
2. Press Ctrl + Shift and J in Chrome to open the Developer Tools
Press Ctrl+Shift+K in Firefox
3. Click on the "Console" Tab and enter
document.cookie="VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE=ST1Ti53r4fU";
4. Reload the website and enjoy the new layout.

Update
The trick also works with IE9, just hit F12 for the developer tools and pull up the Console tab, then follow the rest of the steps.

It’s probably safe to say that Google Reader is the most successful RSS reader. While not exactly a mainstream service, those who do use it, tend to love it. The biggest problem with Reader is that it really hasn’t been iterated to keep it current with new competitors.

To begin, users would (and still do) visit sites each day to see what’s new. RSS introduced a mechanism to see only the latest content from the sites we love in a single list. Now, in 2011, there’s a variety of ways to get your news, including the faster Twitter and more extensively used Facebook.

Getting access to the latest news has evolved, some would say to leave RSS behind., Clicking Subscribe or Like on a company, band, movie or almost anything, will keep you up to date in a much simpler way than Google Reader ever could. It seems without innovation in this space, Google Reader missed a chance to be the destination site for all news.

When we talk about social, Google Reader has had great sharing capabilities. Adding friends would allow you to see what they are reading and discover new and exciting sites. You could also take that shared feed and send the content you like the most to a blog, social network, email – almost anywhere.

Personally I had configured http://ifttt.com to automatically post the items I shared to Twitter, taking the title and link for the tweet. Easy, simple, the click of one button. In this update to Google Reader, Google broke that functionality. The Shared button has now been removed from the bottom of each post, but hey at least they allow you to download your Shared items via a JSON Activity feed. Google says it’s the industry standard, while it may be in the future, all current services use XML as the transportable format.

While the new Google Reader is the most substantial change in years, it’s sadly not the innovation we, hardcore users were after. Google says they are removing the clutter, focusing more on the content of your feeds. While that may be part of the update, it’s clear the reason for this change was to have better integration with Google+.

It seems the left hand panel of your feeds is no longer dockable. While the default option may be to have this collapsed, there should at least be an option to enable it if you choose. Those with widescreen monitors could simply pick off individual feeds to review, now that becomes and 2-click process every time. This is a step backwards in usability.

Now for the good news.. Under View Settings you can now access View in Reader Play. This feature allows you to skim through the latest stories in your feeds, visually.

The new Google Reader is available now @ http://reader.google.com

Google is holding an event this afternoon to announce the details of their upcoming Ice Cream Sandwich update, to their mobile OS Android. This release is designed to resolve the highly criticised version issues experienced with Android devices. It should also unify the experience between Android phones and tablets, something that has frustrated developers and prevented uptake.

It’s refreshing to finally have a press conference in this part of the world, while it may late for those in the US, a Hong Kong announcement fits well with Australians. The event has the tag line ‘Calling all possibilities’ and features Google and Samsung logos.

Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) details:

• J.K. Shin, Samsung president says Android is #1 Smartphone platform in the world.
• Ice Cream Sandwich will feature Google + integration and a Connected Cloud experience.
• Samsung now biggest manufacturer of Android devices.
• Samsung Galaxy Nexus announced – Curved design, LTE/HSPA+, 4.65” Super AMOLED display, 1280×700 res, 1.2Ghz processor, 1080p video recording with shake reduction, NFC and will be first Android 4.0 device [details]
• Kevin Packingham, senior VP detailed the phone, will be released in America, Europe, Asia.. no mention of Australia.
• New typography called ROBOTO. The start of a new design philosophy for Android.

• The design of Android 4.0 includes resizable widgets, folders for apps, new notifications and more.
• Keyboard – Auto suggest improved, cut copy and paste selection improved, instant talk to text.
• Face recognition to unlock your phone (demo failed).
• Google Chrome is the default browser in Android 4.0. Pages can be saved for offline viewing.
• Redesigned core Gmail app, Calendar app, YouTube app.

• Data usage is broken down per-app and delineated between foreground and background application data use.
• Camera – Zero shutter lag, share to any app that hooks into the Android sharing API. Multiple shots can be taken in succession very quickly. Photo editing tools added right into the camera app. Panorama auto-stitching built-in.
• Option to instantly upload / sync to Google+
• New gallery app for photos.
• New People app, similar to People Hub in WP7, has support for ‘any social network’.

• NFC now called Android Beam. API available to developers – http://developer.android.com
• Android 4.0 will ship on first on the Samsung Nexus shipping worldwide in November.

Watch Live
Google are streaming the event live at http://youtube.com/android

Today Google+ entered public beta, opened to the public, but that is the least interesting development. Beta invites to Google+ have flowed freely online, so anyone who wanted to be on Google+ already is. After launching 90 days ago, Google has made 91 improvements.. how many did you notice ?

Today Google+ are adding 9 new features. The biggest and most interesting related to the most innovative feature – Google Hangouts. Android 2.3+ users with a front-facing camera can now participate in Hangouts. Hangouts can now be ‘On Air’ meaning that you don’t miss out if your not in the 10 participants, you can now spectate on a Google+ Hangout.

Desktop Hangout users can now utilise screen sharing, sketching or drawing and co-edit Google docs. This feature is awesome, there is simply no other company offering this functionality for free. Go to Meeting recently added HD calls to their online presentation software, but that attracts a pretty hefty rate.

For all the information on changes to Google+, check out the Google blog.

Near Field Communication or NFC is on its way. This morning Google announced Google Wallet. Yes annoyingly it is another addition to the list of US-only Google services right now, but its an important development that will impact the future of retail sales.

Google Wallet aims to replace your wallet entirely, holding offers, loyalty cards, credit cards, and in the future will support transit cards, boarding passes and more. Right now there’s a single phone, the Nexus S 4G on a single provider, Sprint, but expect Google to roll this out to more locations and devices quickly.

International availability may be some time away, however when you look at the systems it supports, we may be leaving that wallet at home sooner than you think. PayPass is technology that’s being deployed at Point of Sale across Australia right now. While PayPass is currently card-based, Google Wallet and transactions via your phone, should be compatible.

Simply touch the device (or hold very close) to the reader and the transaction takes place. There are security measures in place to prevent inadvertent transactions, like entering a pin after a specified duration.

Also expect competition in this space. Google may be first to make this commercially available, but expect other providers to follow suit. Microsoft have already announced that WP7 Mango devices can include NFC chips, so a Microsoft or even Apple Wallet may not be far off.

Personally I can’t wait till I can leave the big bulky, coin-filled wallet at home. The only question is, where is that condom going to live ?

More information on Google Wallet at http://google.com/wallet

Google+ has been out for a few months now, so its time to take a breath, and reflect on its impact on the social media market. Technically Google+ is still in private beta, but at this point anyone who wants to be on there, is likely on there. Invites have been freely traded over existing social networks like Facebook and Twitter.

After a few months I find Google+ hasn’t decreased and certainly hasn’t eliminated my need to use other social networks. After a big influx of initial interest around the time of launch, users joining Google+ has now calmed down and the number adding me to their circle has dropped from 20+ per day, down to a few per day.

Signal to noise
On every network the signal-to-noise ratio, or useful content vs rubbish differs dramatically. Your Google+ experience will vary based on who you choose to follow. Your stream can be filtered based on circles, so one way you could divide up your circles is to place contacts in a, Must see, Sometimes, Rarely or Never circle. Over time you may tweak which circle a contact lands in, based on the quality of posts over time.

Different Uses
Google+ is being used by people very differently. Photographer Tray Radcliff posts his stunning pictures and behind the scenes videos of how they were constructed allowing fans to comment and get immediate feedback. Steve Molk uses it to publish his location to the world and publicise his podcast MolksTVTalk. Most users however use Google+ just as they use Facebook or Twitter, to post interesting things happening to them, or in their life.

Circles
The first few times you place contacts its a fun novelty, unfortunately the fun wears off pretty quickly and I hate to say it but Zuckerberg was right, people don’t want to make lists. Despite there being benefits of targeting posts to a desired audience, it’s a painstakingly laborious process. For the first couple of weeks I would place everyone who added me into a circle, as time went on, I couldn’t be bothered. Perhaps its because I almost always post to the public.

Privacy
Recently the media made a massive deal about Facebook updating their site to apparently copy Google+. In reality Facebook has had user lists and the ability to target posts for years. What changed was simply the naming, some users apparently confused by posting to ‘Everyone’, thinking it meant everyone on Facebook, not the Public. So yes Google+ may have had the foresight to call things Public from the word go, but Google fanboys shouldn’t loose sight of reality.

Policies
Google+ still doesn’t have a business version and their ban on corporate accounts is still in place. One example of an account that has slipped under the radar is the Australian Labor Party. There’s also the real name policy as well which has over filtered, catching some genuine users with strange names. The idea here is that using your real name will avoid the problematic anonymous filth or flaming that occurs in other online communities (looking at you YouTube).

Profiles
Google Profiles provide a list of the articles you’ve +1’d around the net. The Posts section of your profile is effectively a list of your favourite posts online, so naturally you would head back there occasionally to pull up an old article. Strangely I just don’t. While the Favourite button in Google Reader or Favourite section of Twitter gets used constantly, for some reason heading to the Posts section of Google+ just hasn’t become normal routine behaviour. 

Hangouts
Hangouts are without a doubt the most interesting a unique feature of Google+, there simply isn’t any other services that offer 10-person video chat for free. There’s also the opportunity to stumble across celebrities and participate in their Hangouts. With only 9 spots, you better be fast.

Sparks
Probably the most forgotten about feature of Google+, Sparks is supposed to keep you up-to-date with your favourite interests. Like a modern day RSS feed, minus the geeky complexity, Sparks somehow fails to be useful. Perhaps its the location in the navigation, being below your Stream and not a top-level navigation item, it does get forgotten about during day-to-day use. There’s also no notification of new items from your favourite Sparks, so while the idea was good, the execution needs some reworking to truly be useful.

Games
The biggest feature that’s been added since launch is Google+ Games. The implementation is done quite well with the Games Stream providing updates on the games your friends are playing and their top scores. The in-game comparison to your friends is fantastic idea. There’s no waiting till the game is over, then seeing who you beat, it’s live and in-game. ‘Next to beat’ in Angry Birds, just spurs you on to play more. The biggest problem Google+ games has right now is the line-up, its pretty limited with only 16 games available.

Overall
As a lover of technology and everything new, I know I’m supposed to love Google+, but I just can’t. Its biggest problem is that its not different enough. Sharing on Facebook and Twitter serve very different needs and Google+ is just left hanging on the side. Despite pinning it to the Taskbar of every machine I use, placing it with equal footing with Facebook, I just don’t need to use it. While the investment and persistence of Google to make Google+ work will no doubt mean its around for quite some time, ultimately when the dust settles, a social network depends on users.

You can put all the glitter and gloss you want on the service, with Games, Hangouts and Sparks, but if the majority of my contacts are elsewhere. Google+ has a serious long-term problem.

Some like Jason Calacnis claim the engagement on a Google+ posts is significantly higher than other social networks, however I have not experienced this. For internet celebrities with a specific tech-focused enthusiastic audience, this may indeed be the case. But for an average user, twitter still reins supreme for posting and getting a responses in seconds.

At least the posts on Google+, about what to do on Google+, have died down.

As if there wasn’t enough ways to check the weather, Google has added one more. Google Maps now has a weather layer that overlays current weather conditions and temperatures in your nearest city. Check out the video below if your really need a walkthrough, but turning on the weather layer is no different than Photos or Terrain.

As far as Google Maps mashups go, this is one of the more useful I’ve seen.

No doubt most Google users would be envious of our US counterparts who have enjoyed cheap call rates via Google Voice. Well today Australia gets its turn. Google have officially launched Google Voice for Australia, sadly there is one key exception. One of the best parts of Google Voice is the Google Voice Number.

A Google Voice number allows users to route all their calls through what’s effectively an alias number. This can be handed out to without fear of exposing your actual real number. This may launch at a later date in Australia.. fingers crossed.

So what do we get today? Basically its Google’s answer to Skype out. Google Voice Australia rates are low, charged at US$0.02 per minute to landlines or US$0.10 for calls to mobiles. There’s no initial flagfall charge when a call is connected like a tradition non-IP call.

While Skype pro never enticed me to lay down cash, for some reason Google Voice is enticing, so this afternoon I tried it out. Sure it worked, but call quality wasn’t fantastic in both directions and the mobile carriers can’t be blamed for shotty coverage, this was too a landline. Just be aware of this if your thinking of ditching your landline and going with Google Voice your VOIP solution.

You can access Google Voice through the Gmail interface, apparently there is a plugin to install, but it seems I already had it from Google+ hangout testing. It is annoying call costs and balances are still in US dollars.. baby steps. Buying credit is a fairly simple process, if you try and call without any, you’ll get a link to buy credit. $US10 is the minimum buy if your going to try it out.

Australia wasn’t the only country to get Google Plus today, calling from Gmail is now available to 150 destinations and 38 languages according to Google’s blog post.

More info @ Google Voice via ZDNet

A lot of us never know, or want to, about the infrastructure that powers the services we use everyday. The videos below are guided tours of someone of the biggest datacenters in the world, Power, cooling, air filtering, expandability are all crucial factors in a datacenter that houses hundreds of thousands of individual machines.

Lets take a look at datacenters from Facebook, Microsoft and Google.

Facebook

Microsoft

Google