Google Product Helping Blog

�Tis the night before Christmas, at our northernmost pole And all through Santa�s Village it�s almost time to roll. The elves have been working hard for this night Santa�s village is abuzz� tonight�s the big flight ! Google�s Santa Tracker launches today� And it�s time to follow the jolly man's sleigh. He�s off on his trip �round the world Delivering toys to all good boys and girls. You�ve got a front-row seat to the show Just fire up Google Maps to see where he goes. Thanks to the elves� precisely coded route Santa and his reindeer will fly swiftly�look out! Now the sleigh tuning�s done, Tales of global traditions spun, Every gift in the sleigh gently placed , Wrapped with care, without haste. The reindeer are prancing and eager to fly, Ready for Santa�s trip through the sky. With so little time to get their job done� They may need your help on this gift-giving run. So keep the translation tool handy; Geography trivia would also be dandy. There�s no telling what Santa might ne...

No need for fussing or fighting, my friend. Now you can live on a Yellow Submarine, march in Sgt. Pepper�s Lonely Hearts Band or go to Strawberry Fields Forever. Starting on December 24, all 13 of The Beatles� iconic original albums, plus four essential Beatles collections, will be available to stream on Google Play Music�enough music to fill up eight days a week. The best-selling band in history, with 20 number one Billboard Hot 100 hits, The Beatles continue to be one of the world�s most beloved bands decades after their last original album. So, what lyrics take a sad song and make it better? What albums get you through a hard day�s night? Come together, right now, to take a look at some of the top Beatles searches, according to Google Trends. Bonus: If you open up the Google app on your Android phone and say �Ok Google, play the Beatles,� There will be an answer. Let it stream. In the words of Ed Sullivan: �Ladies and Gentlemen, The Beatles!� Posted by Gwen Shen, Music Partnerships,...

A humble caretaker is surprised when a mysterious stranger causes mischief on the roof. He investigates, but can�t seem to catch even a glimpse of the troublemaker. And so the chase goes... room to room� up and down� The stranger remains just out of sight, leaving behind only a trail of gifts� Meanwhile, you�re following the action at your own pace, from whatever angle you please�behind you, to your left, to your right, or in front of you. All on your mobile phone. Today we�re bringing Google Spotlight Stories to YouTube with � Special Delivery ,� an original short film made by Academy Award-winning animation studio Aardman Animations (Wallace and Gromit fans, take note), viewable on the YouTube app on many Android devices . �Special Delivery� is the latest of several Spotlight Stories to come out of Google ATAP (our Advanced Technology and Projects group). With Google Spotlight Stories, your phone becomes a window to a story happening all around you. The sensors on your phone allow...

Between last-minute gift shopping, airport pickups, cookie baking, and ugly-sweater parties, there�s a lot to do this season. So you may have missed a few updates from around Google that can actually make your holiday season a little brighter (or at least make your to-do list go a little faster. Won�t make your sweater any less ugly, though). Here�s a look at what we�ve unwrapped recently: Add this one to your to-do list: Reminders in Google Calendar Whether it�s �send holiday cards� or �use up FSA,� you can now add Reminders to Google Calendar to help you complete your to-do list. These aren�t like those calendar entries you create yourself that you plain-old ignore completely and that then disappear. With Reminders, if you don�t complete the task and dismiss the Reminder, it�ll pop up on your calendar again the next day. And the next. And the � until you can�t take it anymore and just send those holiday cards already. You�ll thank us when your list is checked off. Twice. Now on Tap ...

From presidential candidates launching their campaigns , to YouTube creators discussing issues that matter to their communities , to light-hearted moments along the campaign trail, you�ve already been following the 2016 U.S. election from multiple angles on YouTube. Now you can watch the candidates debate on YouTube, too. Next month, we�ll join together with NBC News to present the final DNC sanctioned Democratic presidential debate before the first caucus and primary votes are cast�with the action live streamed on YouTube. The NBC News-YouTube Democratic Candidates Debate, hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus Institute and moderated by Lester Holt, will take place on Sunday, January 17, 2016, in Charleston, S.C., airing on NBC from 9-11 p.m. ET and streamed live on the NBC News YouTube channel . With so many YouTube fans following this election closely, of course there will be an opportunity for you to get involved. Along with Google Trends data, the debate will feature questions...

From devastation to empowerment and tragedy to hope, our 15th annual Year in Search uncovers the moments that captured the world�s hearts�and questions that revealed who we are. From �How can I help Nepal� to �How can the world find peace?� here�s a look back at 2015, through the lens of Google search. Searching for ways to help Within two minutes of the deadly attack on Paris in November, the French capital was searching for information on the assault underway in their city. Less than 10 minutes later, the rest of the world started searching. As of today, we�ve seen more than 897 million searches about the city as the world came together to �Pray for Paris.� Global showings of support and offerings of help were a key topic in search this year. Following the Nepal earthquake , �how can I help Nepal?� was a top global search. From Somerville, Mass. to Ludwigsberg, Germany, people asked how to volunteer and what to donate. Searching for perspective While questions around Nepal were sim...

Sharing photos and videos between friends and family after your birthday bash or holiday gathering shouldn�t be difficult. But between the great shots your brother has buried on his iPhone and that friend who keeps forgetting to email you her pics, you're often left reliving the event through just the photos and videos you took yourself. Today we�re introducing shared albums in Google Photos�a fast and simple way to pool your photos and videos that makes it easier to bring everyone�s memories together. With the launch of Google Photos in May, we made it simpler to share images and albums by sending links over SMS, email, or messaging apps. With today�s launch, you can now make the albums you send collaborative. People receiving the shared album can join to add their own photos and videos, and also get notifications when new pics are added. You can even save photos and videos from a shared album to your Google Photos library, so that you can hold onto them even if you weren�t the on...

2015 was kind of a big year for YouTube. Along with a year-long celebration of YouTube�s 10th birthday , YouTube creators and their fans introduced the planet to the latest dance crazes , opened up discussions about diversity and inclusion , and lip-synced in cars and onstage in front of the whole, wide world. Now it's time to look at the videos it seems like the whole world has seen: the top trending videos of 2015. From late-night hosts to Slow Mo Guys, Super Bowl ads to cops doing covers, these are the videos and creators we collectively watched, danced, and sang along to for more than 25 million hours this year. Silento- Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae) #WatchMeDanceOn by Tianne King Clash of Clans: Revenge (Official Super Bowl TV Commercial) by Clash of Clans Crazy Plastic Ball PRANK!! by RomanAtwood Love Has No Labels | Diversity & Inclusion | Ad Council by Ad Council Lip Sync Battle with Will Ferrell, Kevin Hart and Jimmy Fallon by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon J...

Women around the world are creating and building incredible technology companies. We see this every day through our Google for Entrepreneurs programs�like #40Forward , which works with organizations to increase the representation of female entrepreneurs in startup communities, and our baby-friendly startup school Campus for Moms . Supporting these startups is important because teams with diverse perspectives and experiences�particularly in leadership positions�make better products for users. But the data still tells us that women-led startups often struggle to get access to top investors who can help them raise money. Despite women owning 29 percent of U.S. businesses, female-led companies receive only 3 percent of venture capital �a lifeline for many startups to fund new product development and hiring. With this in mind, today we're hosting our first Google Demo Day specifically for startups with female founders. More than 450 companies from 40+ countries applied, and we chose 11 ...

This holiday season, there's no shortage of electronics to choose from. When it comes to picking out what device to use, sometimes you want a laptop to hammer out a lengthy document. Other times you want a lightweight tablet to sit back and watch your favorite video. Starting today, you don't have to choose, because the Pixel C is available on the Google Store. As we previewed two months ago, Pixel C brings together the benefits of a full-size keyboard with the portability of a tablet so it can go wherever you go. The Pixel C�s high-resolution, 10.2� display is crisp, colorful, and bright�in fact it�s one of the brightest tablets out there�perfect for sharing photos and videos with family over the holidays. Graphics horsepower and stereo speakers mean the Pixel C can keep up with you whether you�re watching a new episode of "Silicon Valley" or playing a new game. But what really makes the Pixel C unique is the full-size keyboard, which is designed to fit perfectly ...

Chances are, somewhere in your home, there�s a tangled mess of wires and blinking lights that make your Wi-Fi work. Your router likely isn�t the most sightly thing, and you probably hide it behind a curtain or under a bookcase�out of sight. Turns out, that�s a bit of a problem, since routers work better when they�re out in the open. So a few months ago, we released the first OnHub router from TP-LINK . It replaces the unruly cords, blinking lights, and bulky antennas of a typical router with subtle lighting and internal wiring, so you�re more likely to put OnHub out where it works best. Today we�re introducing more ways to make your OnHub look great in your home with three new, interchangeable shells for the OnHub from TP-LINK, as well as OnHub Makers , a gallery of shells designed by artists, designers, and makers. With OnHub Makers, we wanted to see what some of the world�s most creative minds would do to personalize their routers. We reached out to artists, makers and designers who...

Movie fans went to space in search of a new home in Interstellar . The citizens of Westeros battled not only white walkers, but also the zombies of The Walking Dead and the landed gentry of Downton Abbey to claim the Iron Throne of the TV kingdom. Adele no longer had to worry if �after all these years you'd like to meet� up with her music again, as 25  became the best-selling album of the year in just one week. And readers fell in love with Christian Grey� again! As 2015 comes to a close, we crunched the numbers to find the most popular entertainment this year on Google Play. For complete lists, visit Google Play . Movies of the Year 1. Interstellar 2. Lucy 3. American Sniper 4. The Interview 5. Kingsman: The Secret Service TV Shows of the Year 1. Game of Thrones 2. The Walking Dead 3. Downton Abbey 4. Fear the Walking Dead 5. Vikings Albums of the Year 1. 25 from Adele 2. If You're Reading This It's Too Late from Drake 3. To Pimp A Butterfly from Kendrick Lamar 4. ...

Take a  train ride through the Andes , above the sacred valley and atop the mist of the mountains, to the most historic site of the Inca Empire. Machu Picchu, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the New 7 Wonders of the World , is one of the most famous, mythical and spiritual sites in the world. Now for the first time, in partnership with the Peruvian Ministry of Culture , people across the globe can go on a journey to Machu Picchu directly in Google Maps, uncovering its temples, terraces and plazas that have remained intact since the 15th century. People can also explore rare Inca artifacts and expert insights on the Google Cultural Institute . Gazing at the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu more than 2,400 meters above sea level, the site below is a lasting tribute to the power of the Inca Empire. It�s still unclear how the structure composed of behemoth stones was so precisely built without the use of mortar or modern day machinery, but its walls, terraces and stairways...

With Google Cardboard, you can take amazing trips to faraway places and feel like you�re actually there. But what if you could also use Cardboard to go back in time�to step inside personal moments like your favorite vacation or a holiday dinner with family? Now you can with the new Cardboard Camera app for Android . Cardboard Camera turns the smartphone in your pocket into a virtual reality (VR) camera. It�s simple to take a photo: just hold out your phone and move it around you in a circle. Later, when you place your phone inside a Google Cardboard viewer, you'll get to experience something new: a VR photo. VR photos are three-dimensional panoramas, with slightly different views for each eye, so near things look near and far things look far. You can look around to explore the image in all directions, and even record sound with your photo to hear the moment exactly as it happened. Taken with Cardboard Camera at Jackson Lake, Wyoming. This simulates the 3D effect when seen in a Car...

Today we're announcing the largest, and most diverse, purchase of renewable energy ever made by a non-utility company. Google has already committed to purchase more renewable energy than any other company. Now, through a series of new wind and solar projects around the world, we�re one step closer to our commitment to triple our purchases of renewable energy by 2025 and our goal of powering 100% of our operations with clean energy. 842 MW of renewable energy around the world Today�s agreements will add an additional 842 megawatts of renewable energy capacity to power our data centers. Across three countries, we�re nearly doubling the amount of renewable energy we�ve purchased to date. We�re now up to 2 gigawatts�the equivalent to taking nearly 1 million cars off the road. These additional 842 megawatts represent a range of locations and technologies, from a wind farm in Sweden to a solar plant in Chile. These long-term contracts range from 10-20 years and provide projects with th...

We believe in a world built for everyone, which is why we launched the global Google Impact Challenge: Disabilities earlier this year. The Impact Challenge is a Google.org initiative to invest $20 million in nonprofits who are using technology to make the world more accessible for the 1 billion people living with disabilities. Today, as part of the program, we�re proud to celebrate the U.N. International Day of Persons with Disabilities with three new grants, totalling $2.95 million. Through our grants, the Royal London Society for Blind People will develop the Wayfindr project, helping visually impaired people navigate the London underground; Israeli NGO Issie Shapiro will distribute Sesame, an app that allows people with mobility impairments to control a smartphone using only head movements; and, finally, German grantee Wheelmap will expand its accessibility mapping efforts worldwide. This week, many Googlers around the world will also join Wheelmap�s Map My Day campaign to help...

Santa doesn't spread cheer across the globe all by himself. As soon as the first frost is on the mistletoe, hundreds of helpful elves work day and night to make sure jolly old St. Nick is ready for flight. Santa�s Village is a hub of activity as the elves code algorithms to tune Santa�s sleigh, translate �Happy Holidays� into Elvish and Danish, and practice their cartography with Dancer, Prancer, Donner and Vixen... all to get Santa ready for his trip around the world on December 24. And you can join in. Visit the brand-new Santa�s Village every day to prep alongside the elves, test weather conditions with Rudolph, skydive with Santa, learn about holiday traditions like kallik�ntzari �little creatures from Greece that eat Christmas cookies�and much more. A new experience will appear each morning leading up to December 24. Here�s a peek at what you�ll unwrap in Santa�s Village: Join the elves on all screens as they get ready for Santa�s big night�with Chromecast, Wear, App for And...

For the past month, Google.org has funded 750+ projects through the education crowdfunding site DonorsChoose.org to help teachers of students with special needs, as part of our Google Impact Challenge: Disabilities . Today we�re hearing from one teacher whose project was funded�Mr. Javier Payano, a music teacher at Lane Tech in Chicago. -Ed. In two years of teaching students with special needs, I�ve learned how music can give students the opportunity to discover themselves. In our music inclusion choir, band and orchestra classes, students with disabilities make music with general education students, each at their own level of ability. I�ve seen music help even the most shy and reticent students socialize, smile and come out of their shells. Unfortunately, we don�t always have the right kinds of musical instruments to meet the diverse needs of every kid in my class. For classrooms like mine in Chicago, specialized equipment can truly open up the learning environment. From floor keybo...

It takes years of practice to perfect the pirouettes. Months of rehearsal to get the crescendos just right. Multiple stories of lights, rigging and machinery to set the scene. At the world�s leading performing arts venues �like Carnegie Hall, the Berliner Philharmonie, the Bolshoi Theatre�artists, costume designers, musicians, stage crews and many more all come together to create the perfect moment on stage. And now you can join them. In a new virtual exhibition from the Google Cultural Institute and more than 60 performing arts organizations, you can experience dance, drama, music and opera alongside some of the world�s leading performers�onstage, backstage and with a 360 degree-view of the action. The new Performing Arts exhibition gives you a view that�s even closer than a front-row seat in the house. With 360-degree performance recordings, you you can choose a dancer�s-eye view of the crowd, or look down from the stage into the orchestra pit. At the Paris Opera, you can stand in ...