Google launched version 3.2 of Google Maps for Mobile for BlackBerry devices, which includes the new Layers feature.

Maps for Mobile version 3.2 was released for Windows Mobile and Symbian S60 devices in July, as we reported, and the new version for BlackBerry includes many of the same new features.

The Layers feature enables users to see additional information overlaid on top of maps, including transit lines, Wikipedia data, Google Latitude information, search results, traffic, and directions.

The new software can be downloaded by browsing to m.google.com/maps.

Google yesterday launched Fast Flip, a new way to browse online news on desktop PCs and mobile devices. In the cellphones supported area, the web service is currently available for the iPhone and for Android-powered devices.

Fast Flip lets users browse articles by quickly flicking through them, much like a traditional print publication. To read a full article, all that a user needs to do is tap the screen to zoom. Users can browse by headline, popularity and subject and can view articles shared by friends.

Users can also view content published by specific magazines and newspapers or search for topics. Sharing favorites and making recommendations is just as easy with email and “like” buttons at the top of the screen.

Interested users should browse to fastflip.googlelabs.com.

Google has launched its Google Voice application for Android and Blackberry devices. Google Voice is a service that lets its users call or send SMS from their mobile phones using a a Google Voice number. Google Voice was formerly called GrandCentral which was a startup bought by Google in 2007 for US$ 95 million. The service was in dormant stage till 2009 when Google unveiled GrandCentral as Google Voice with enhanced features.

Google Voice essentially provides its users one Google number for all its mobile phone numbers. The video does outline the basic concept of Google Voice succinctly.

The launch of Google Voice application integrates the service more closely which makes placing outgoing calls from Google Voice number easier. The Google Voice service can be accessed by first dialling your Google Voice number and then make calls or sensDsms. The application removes any need to dial that number and helps placing calls directly. Google Voice Mobile app also incorporates the following features:

# Access your voicemail: read message transcripts, follow along with “karaoke-style” playback of messages, read SMS messages sent to your Google Voice number (even if your phone doesn’t receive SMS messages) and access your call history
# Place calls that display your Google Voice number from your address book, the app dialer (Blackberry) or the native dialer (Android)
# Send SMS messages that display your Google Voice number
# Place international calls at low rates

The Operating System was the only frontier that Google had not touched directly. We had been hearing about Google Operating System for a very long time but later it turned out to be an Operating System for mobiles i.e. Android. The launch of Android had put any plans of Google getting more direct against Microsoft to rest. But Google has finally made it public that they are indeed making an Operating System. It will be called Google Chrome OS and we have no doubts that Google Chrome browser holds a special place in the scheme of things.

Google today mentioned in its official blog that they will launch the Chrome OS next year. Google claims that the present Operating Systems are not designed to fulfill the needs of the present users. The Operating Systems that most use today were made when web was not available. We can certainly make out what is Google talking about here. The Windows XP which is the most loved OS ever is now about 8 years old and it was not designed for a web user that we have all become.

Google says that the Chrome OS will be initially marketed towards the netbooks. We don’t need to think very far that it will also be made available for the regular and advanced machines as well. Google Chrome OS is an open source and  will be available for consumers in the second half of 2010. It might be available to testers by the year end though. Google Chrome OS will run on both x86 as well as ARM chips and it uses the Linux kernel.

Google is obviously being sensible here by targeting it to netbooks because it wont be easy to convince the developers to port their apps to the Chrome OS. I don’t think Adobe will make Photoshop for Chrome OS unless they manage some really great numbers which does seem highly unlikely.

It’s still very early stage to say more about it. Further it’d be very foolish to consider it Windows killer. Just wait and watch for now. This will make for some story though.

Google has finally shed the tag of beta from its Google Apps. Google is notorious for keeping its products in beta stage way too long. Google Apps is a web service by Google which allows you to use the Google apps such as Gmail, Google Docs, Google Sites etc. for your own site. The basic version of Google Apps is free but if you go for the more advanced version (depending on the number of users) then you need to shell out some money.

The strange thing about it, which has been raised time and time again is, How can Google ask you to pay for a service which is still in beta. The application or services in beta are not said to be particularly stable and definitely not recommended for the corporate users.

The latest development is certainly sound like music for the corporate users. It’s not that they doubted the quality of Google Apps but this will certainly reinforce their faith. The issue of beta tags on the Google Apps was raised more seriously few months back when Gmail along with Google Apps was down for few hours. Gmail had become GFail which also became a twitter trend on the day.

Google is probably trying to ascertain to its paid customers that Google apps mean business and they can depend on them for their business needs.

Google Mobile Blog has reported that Google Search has now been optimized in 38 languages for the feature mobile devices. Google Search has done the same exercise with smartphones like Apple iPhone and the devices powered by Google’s own Android Operating System.

This development converges the mobile web search with its desktop counterpart. The web search on mobile devices was little less complete till now.

It was incomplete in the sense that results on the mobile devices were being compromised and the users could not see the News, Images, Blog, Video and Product Search results whenever they were available.

The other developments made by Google Mobile are the further optimization of specific results for mobile. For eg. when you search for local restaurants in London, it’d provide easy-to-select phone number links. The new format of Google Mobile Search is available on all device models in over 60 countries and 38 languages. Since it’s not an application so there won’t be any need to update any software or anything.

Youtube has doubled the upload limit to the normal Youtube users. The new updated upload limit for any video is 2 GB from 1 GB. This development comes at the heels of another news that the rate of video uploads on youtube has increased considerably after the launch of iPhone 3G S.

Youtube has already made it little easier to embed HD videos now. You can now simply add &hd=1 to any YouTube URL to play in HD.

You can probably expect some pirated full movie uploads on youtube with this generous upload limit. We do know that Youtube has gotten strict against the copyrighted content and removed a lot of such videos. It is however still not free from all the copyrighted content and a simple search of your favorite Hollywood film might show you the complete movie on on youtube in parts. The generous upload limit might cause some copyright problems but that is a matter which Youtube has been dealing with since a long time.

Youtube had raised the upload limit to 1 GB from 100 MB in the September last year.

Everyone is occupied on the internet using email and instant messaging, Google wave has made it possible to integrate the two and add loads of other functionality on the same.

Google Wave is the new upcoming product by google developed out of Google’s Australia offices. Wave offers new age and easy way to navigate and participate in communication on the web which makes this all the more interesting and captivating.

Techcrunch have covered all the cool features that google wave has.

I feel that the newer products that are coming out are redefining the way things are done, either they have asimilated the best of what technology has to offer or they have collectively connected the most popular things on web and remixed the whole game.

Like in the case of bing, it is offering new way of search, something useful more relevant and more competitive. Google wave is more into setting the new trend, just when you didn’t knew what next form of communication could we have on web, you get Wave to become a new platform all together.

Just a decade ago IM became so handy and you get to see this. Wow! Truly I am blessed to be living in the amazing times.

Google would love to forget the last few days initially for the major Gmail outage and then for the same with Gogle Calendar. Google has now launched a Google Apps Status Dashboard which will confirm to you when any of the Google App like Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Talk and Google Docs etc. is down.

Many professionals and businesses rely on Google Apps and it is bound to cause problems if any of their web service is down. Google has promised to give free15 days of free service to its paid users while this app will omit the need to ask “Is Google down for you or is it just me” on twitter.

Gmail was the hottest topic on the day of Gmail outage and people had apparently started to call it GFail something on the lines of Fail Whale of Twitter.

After giving users the ability to customize iGoogle themes, Google has also enabled the same theme customization feature in Gmail too. Gmail had introduced themes some time back. Gmail users can now customize the color, look and feel of the Gmail by changing the colors and shades. They can access the theme customization dashboard by folloing Gmail -> Settings -> Themes.