Google Offers Doodles a Deal

Google Offers is expanding its base, and their most recent foray into the deals arena is the newly minted partnership with DoodleDeals, the leading deal site for parents. This further expands Google’s ability to reach different niche markets.

DoodleDeals is very excited about the partnership: “Google Offers is the first partnership we’ve done to get our deals in front of such a broad audience, so we’re excited about its potential,” says Caren Sinclair-Kay, DoodleDeals CEO and co-founder.

DoodleDeals launched in August of 2010 with Diapers.com. Sinclair-Kay recalls their success and how it brought them to where they are today: “Through our partnership with Diapers.com, we learned that when you match a high quality, targeted audience with best-in-class venues, you create a magic formula that benefits local businesses and moms.”

While the Google Offers partnership is potentially the most lucrative, DoddleDeals has paired up with a number of national and local deal sites his year, including EverydayHealth.com, Time Out New York Kids, and New York Magazine. They’re also preparing to start a relationship with Analog Analytics, which is a white-label deal platform that works with large media companies like Time Warner Cable, KABC and Newsday. With the new expansion, DoodleDeals estimates their potential customer reach to be around 4.5 million by the end of the year.

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Ice Cream Sandwich launch streamlines Android search and social access

Google unveiled its Android 3.0 tablet software, Honeycomb, as well as a web-based app store.

The release of the latest iteration of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich, has Google, developers and users alike excited about the evolution of their handsets running the mobile operating system.

On its Mobile Blog, Google said that the primary goal of the operating system update is to make its smartphones and tablets operate similarly. Until now, the different devices ran varying versions of Android, which proved frustrating for owners of both a smartphone and a tablet.

According to Google, Ice Cream Sandwich is on par with desktop browsers, and Google has made every task on the mobile OS achievable through software buttons (the touchscreen) rather than hardware (various buttons on the actual device).

Ice Cream also integrates social media better than previous Android versions, including a contact’s various social accounts in the People application.

The browser used on Ice Cream Sandwich is essentially a mobile version of Google’s Chrome. Brafton reported last week that the availability of Chrome as a mobile app will allow users to integrate their desktop or laptop bookmarks to their smartphone or tablet far more easily and effectively.

Additionally, Ice Cream Sandwich will make using the web more intuitive and simple in general. Mobile search is becoming more popular as smartphones gain popularity and browsing speeds increase. Given that Google search is the default engine for the Android search shortcut, Brafton reported recently that SEO for Google’s algorithm will become more critical.

Page speed affects few searches, but SEO campaigns should still test

In a recent Google Webmaster Help video, Google director of search Matt Cutts said that only one in 1,000 websites are negatively impacted by truly poor site speeds, but web administrators should still test to ensure their site operates optimally to maximize SEO.

According to Cutts, Google uses toolbar data to assess a website’s speed, and it will hurt a page’s SERP standing should the site be chronically slow. Brafton has reported that Google’s Page Speed Online tool can help marketers get a sense of their sites’ speeds. In general, Google has been aggressive about punishing websites that offer a low-quality user experience. This refers to every aspect of a page, including its load time, content and any other element.

Cutts said in this video that site speed affects few pages, but he reminded marketers that boosting performance always makes a product better, which will make the user experience better.

“We’re looking at what it looks like for real users,” Cutts said in the video. “If you have a lot of users that are having an overall slow experience then that could affect the overall rating.

“It’s always good to see if you can move a little bit faster and try to return results to users a little bit faster. It makes your users happier.”

Citing another video from Cutts, Brafton reported that the primary goal of Google’s SEO advice is to improve the overall user experience on the web. With this in mind, marketers should focus on creating relevant site content and optiminizing their search experience to see positive SEO results.

Android this week: Galaxy S II first look; Amazon tablet soon; more Hulu Plus devices

Since launching in May, Samsung’s Galaxy S II has been the company’s fastest selling smartphone, even without availability in the smartphone-crazed U.S. That situation is changing as Samsung announced a version for Sprint, AT&T and T-Mobile earlier this month. Sprint’s edition is already for sale while T-Mobile hasn’t yet announced availability and AT&T is launching the Galaxy S II on Oct. 2.

I nabbed an early review unit of AT&T’s Galaxy S II yesterday afternoon and immediately gave the handset a once over with a photo gallery. My general first impression: If you like Google Android and have or want an AT&T account, this smartphone should be at the top of your list.

The 4.3-inch display is so vibrant that I tweeted this last night: “Super AMOLED Plus gives new life to old “Cheers” episodes on Netflix.” Samsung’s dual-core processor makes this phone one of the fastest Android devices I’ve ever used. And even in my rural area where mobile broadband coverage is sketchy, I saw HSPA+ download speeds nearing 5 Mbps. I’ll have a full review forthcoming, but so far, I’m very impressed.

Also forthcoming is Amazon’s tablet entry, which will be based on Google Android. Amazon is expected to launch the device in the fourth quarter and it’s likely that next week will see the tablet introduced, due to a planned press event for an unknown product. Amazon has reportedly ordered monthly production of 800,000 such tablets; if true, the company should have plenty on hand after launch, even if the Kindle tablet proves extremely popular.

Based on an early hands-on look at a prototype, it’s pretty much a given that those familiar with Android won’t see a trace of it on Amazon’s tablet. The slate will use a heavily customized user interface that may limit what the device can, and can’t, do as compared to other tablets on the market. Surely it will support Amazon media offerings such as Kindle books, Amazon’s MP3 store, and likely Amazon’s Unbox video service. One open question I have is if Amazon’s AppStore will be supported for third-party Android software; my suspicion is yes, either at launch or through a future software update.

One app that received an update this week was Hulu Plus. The video subscription client was previously supported on just a handful of Android smartphones, but the list of compatible devices was updated this week. The HTC Flyer tablet in addition to the LG’s GX2 and Revolution, plus Motorola’s Bionic, Droid X2 and Droid 3 have all been added to the support list. The software is free but requires a monthly service fee of $7.99 to watch television programming on your Android smartphone or tablet.

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First look at AT&T’s Samsung Galaxy S II

AT&T is launching the Samsung Galaxy S II on Oct. 2 for $199 with contract, but a review unit showed up on my doorstep earlier today. I’ve just unboxed the device, which came with an optional USB to HDMI adapter, and have some first impressions as well as photos to share. If not for the back cover logo of Galaxy S II, the phone appears very much like the Samsung Infuse 4G I reviewed back in May. The dual-core processor, however, shows the difference once you power-on Samsung’s latest smartphone.

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Some quick thoughts, in no particular order:

Yes, the 4.3-inch display makes for a large phone, but the device is offset by a light weight and thin profile. It’s not quite as thin as my fourth-generation iPod touch, but pretty close as shown in the image gallery.
I like the power button on the right side of the GS2 as opposed to a power button on the top.
The phone is a speed demon; I haven’t yet used an Android phone this fast. You tap the screen, and the phone reacts.
The Super AMOLED Plus display is brilliant and vivid. It doesn’t feel like this phone has an 800×480 display; it appears like a higher-resolution screen.
NFC, or near field communications, is supported, although there is no application I can find to use this short-range wireless technology. The battery has “near field communication” on the front and back, so I’m assuming the NFC component is integrated into the battery.
I have decent AT&T coverage in my area (four out of five bars) and a quick speed test yields reasonable results: 81 millisecond ping time, upload of 1.62 Mbps and download speeds of 4.83 Mbps.
A few low-light camera shots came out quite nice, and zooming in shows nice detail.
I don’t like the microSD card slot placement; you’ll have to remove the phone battery to insert or remove a memory card.

My gut reaction: I can see many people happy with this phone on AT&T’s network, but I’ll use it for a few days to see if there are any quirks or gotchas to look out for. I also have no idea how long the battery will last on a charge. Of course, the elephant in the room for this phone is the upcoming new iPhone from Apple; next month could prove a superb smartphone showdown between the Galaxy S II and the next iPhone.

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