Google, the online search behemoth has launched a website for people who need help on just about anything from photography to cooking; other categories include Home & Garden, Computers & Electronics, Health & Counseling, Nutrition & Fitness, Fashion & Beauty, Art & Music, Cooking and Education. It utilises much of Google’s existing services like Wallet and Hangouts to create an online marketplace where people can sell their service. Previously unveiled in August as a private service, Helpouts is now open to anyone and they can tap into more than 1,000 vetted providers.

Helpouts already has an Android app and is available on the Web. The courses are created by tutors who may charge for their services out of which Google takes a 20% cut As many as 1,000 experts are on Helpouts, with individuals, small and medium-sized businesses being a part of the service.

The minimum age for people using the service is 13 while 18 is the minimum age to become an expert. Google has indicated some future plans of developing an API for the service to expand its reach.

Here is the introductory video to Helpouts.

> Source: TheNextWeb

Android Device OS Breakdown

Image Credit: developer.android.com

We kid you not, Google is calling the next Android version Kit Kat. The company’s head of Chrome and Android, Sundar Pinchai teased this in a Google+ post earlier today. Pinchai also revealed the company has activated over 1 billion Android devices. Since its inception, Android has named their newer versions after deserts, and according to TheNextWeb, Google formed a partnership with Nestle. No word yet on when it would be available, but we’ll make sure to keep you posted as always.

“Love the new #AndroidKitKat statue and can’t wait to release the next version of the platform that is as sweet as the candy bar that’s one of our team’s favorites,” said Pinchai in his post.

Proud to unwrap Android KITKAT – find out more at http://t.co/tmBKRLpFfO pic.twitter.com/8nps9vna8l

— KITKAT (@KITKAT) September 3, 2013

Google released the top ten searches from Nigeria and the ASUU strike, Ramadan and Kate Middleton and the royal baby topped the list.   The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has been on strike for the past seven weeks according to Sahara Reporters and for most of July, Muslims all over the world observed Ramadan.

Also in July, people (myself included) became a little obsessed with royal baby from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, or as they are popularly known, Prince William and Kate Middleton.   Also topping the list In mobile, entertainment and sports were the Nokia Lumia 1020, WizKid and Arsenal. Surprisingly, Mercy Johnson has been Nigeria’s most searched entertainer in the last two years, but now she’s in third place as Funke Akindele seems to have more people searching. All na amebo! Check out the full list for all the categories below. Top 10 most trending searches in July

1. Asuu strike
2. Ramadan
3. Kate Middleton, Royal baby
4. Cory Monteith (Glee)
5. Zimmerman / Trayvon Martin
6. Bernard (Brazillian & Athletico Madrid): rumors of Arsenal signing
7. Andy Murray (Grand slam)
8. Pacific Rim
9. Nnamdi Asomugha
10. Van Ginkel

Other top searches include: Kumuyi son’s wedding, MGBN 2013, Knust, Adenike Ogungbe,   Most searched sports teams (top 15)

1. Arsenal
2. Chelsea
3. Manchester United
4. Barcelona
5. Liverpool
6. Real Madrid
7. AC Milan
8. Inter
9. Bayern Munich
10. Manchester City
11. Everton
12. Eyimba
13. Sunshine Stars
14. Awka United
15. Borussia Dortmund

Most searched mobile devices (Top 5)

1. Nokia lumia 1020
2. Samsung Galaxy mega
3. Tecno i3
4. Lumia 1020
5. Tecno n9

Most searched entertainers (Top 10)

1. Wizkid
2. Funke Akindele
3. Mercy Johnson
4. Ini Edo
5. Tonto Dike
6. Tiwa Savage
7. 2Face
8. Iyanya
9. Dbanj
10. Genevieve Nnaji

Chromecast is an inexpensive wireless video dongle by Google which simply streams videos to your TV from an Android or iOS device. it also gives Android users access to Google Music and Google TV and Movies. The new dongle which has features similar to Apple’s Airplay feature small in size like a USB stick and hides neatly behind your TV.

Chromecast will allow you to do screen-mirroring as well as access Netflix and Youtube in addition to Google TV and Google Music but does not support some major apps like Amazon Instant, HBO Go, MLB.TV, Spotify, and Rdio. The dongle does not come with a remote control and depends on your smartphone to do the controlling.

The WiFi connected video streamer costs just $35 and is already sold out almost everywhere.

Watch this Video to see how Chromecast works

Lets know what you think about this. Would you buy it? Leave your comments below.

Source: Cnet

You can access these services via the Android Device Manager, and you would need Android 2.2 or later as well as a Google account. I love how this came right when I decided to go Android. Everybody wins!

There is a fake Blackberry messaging app in the Google Play Store created by a developer called RIM (BlackBerry phones are no longer called Research in Motion or RIM). Although the app has been pulled down by Google, the developers managed to get more than 100,000 people to download the app, leaving victims with a screen promising the app would start working on 27 June. If that wasn’t bad enough, the app followed up with an agreement to allow advertising network StartApp to install icons, bookmarks and more on your phone.

The official app from Blackberry is not out yet and we don’t have word on a date when it will be available, but we will keep you informed.

Better safe than sorry.

Source: Cnet

The first one I noticed was Google Nose BETA

It could be a great idea only that, you would look rather silly at work if you were intently sniffing your screen. Opting to try it out encourages you to do just that. You’d do it too and then linger on wondering why it’s not working. Read more here.

Next up is Gmail Blue

Gmail Blue is a a prank feature that tints your entire experience blue. Think of it like black and white only bluer. The video is a bit funny, but that’s where it ends. It of course is not a real feature.

Then, YouTube Shutting Down On April 1st

The video explaining the shut down and competition is pretty much brilliant — it features several YouTube stars from over the years, including Antoine Dodson, David Devore Jr. — the dazed post-dental appointment boy, Judson Laipply of the “Evolution of Dance” fame and others.

Google says that the whole point of YouTube was to find the best video in the world and that it is shutting down today. They are going to take a decade to find the winner and then post the winner on a YouTube relaunch and that’s the only thing that’ll be there.

Google Maps: Treasure hunt

 Google Maps is essentially telling you that there is treasure near you and you can find it. What it’s really doing is using it’s own Custom Style/Theme Maps API to style the whole world like and olde treasure map.

Google+ Your Photos +Emotion

In this post Erik-Murphy-Chutorian, a G+ Photos Curation Lead, talks about a new feature that adds emoticons to a photo to see what people were feeling.

This one actually does something, for fun I’d like them to keep this feature but they won’t. Try it out on your photos.

Are there any Google pranks we missed? Please leave us a comment with a link to it. Don’t forget to have a laugh at last year’s Google pranks.

Surprisingly Today’s Google Doodle isn’t a prank. The doodle celebrates the 73rd birthday of Nobel Prize for Peace winner, Wangari Muta Maathai. The doodle places a painting of Maathai Wangari as the “O” in “Google”. She was well known for her efforts at sustaining the environment and keeping things green so there are plants in the background and the other letters in the “Google” serve as trees. She is also the first African woman to win a Nobel Prize.

Here’s a quick bio of Maathai Wangari from Wikipedia.

Wangari Muta Maathai (1 April 1940 – 25 September 2011) was a Kenyan environmental and political activist. She was educated in the United States at Mount St. Scholastica and the University of Pittsburgh, as well as the University of Nairobi in Kenya. In the 1970s, Maathai founded the Green Belt Movement, an environmental non-governmental organization focused on the planting of trees, environmental conservation, and women’s rights. In 1986, she was awarded the Right Livelihood Award, and in 2004, she became the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for “her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace.” Maathai was an elected member of Parliament and served as assistant minister for Environment and Natural Resources in the government of President Mwai Kibaki between January 2003 and November 2005. Furthermore she was an Honorary Councillor of the World Future Council. In 2011, Maathai died of complications from ovarian cancer.

Don’t forget to check out other Google Doodles.

Project Glass? Scratch that. Ain’t nobody got time to wear quirky glasses. Google, has announced Google Nose in Beta. So you don’t have to ask what a particular smell is or where it’s from. All you have to do is sniff and search. Tadaa. You can even sniff books and search for information from them. We really can’t explain the technology behind it but Google says it’s built on StreetSense, Android Ambient Odor Detection and SMELLCD™ 1.8+.

Sniff the video below to see how this works.

We just think you should know that this is an elaborate April Fool’s prank by Google. The company pulls a couple of pranks each April Fool’s day along with real announcements.

CHECKOUT: Google Pulled 14 April Fools Jokes Today, Here’s A Roundup[2012]