Enable Google Multi Sign-in Feature

Google has been recently testing multiple account sign-in, which would allow users to sign-in with multiple accounts to Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Reader, Google Sites and Google Code without having to sign-out of an account.

This feature has now been rolled out to users in phases and can be used to access multiple Google accounts. If you have not yet enable Google Multi Sign-in Feature, here are some simple steps for enabling the Google Multi Sign-in feature.

Step 1: Go to your Google Accounts Manage page (clicking on the link will take you there)

Step 2: Click on the Edit link next to Multiple sign-in listed under Personal Settings. If you do not see the link it will be rolled out to your account shortly.

Step 3: On the Edit page, select the radio button next to "On – Use multiple Google Accounts in the same web browser." and then make selections from the checkboxes below after you have read the details. After you have done that, just click the "Save" button.

That’s it, you will now be able to check emails, calendar, docs and more from multi-account using a drop down provided at the top of the screen. If you want to add another account, just click on the down arrow key and click on the link which says Sign in to another account and then provide your login credentials to it.

If you want to disable the multiple account sign-in in Google, just follow the same instructions. However, in Step 2 click the Radio button next to "Off – Use on Google Account at a time"

This is definitely one of the most useful features I have seen with Google or any other service because it takes out the hassle of managing and maintaining several different accounts.

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Google saying bye to google wave..!!

Remember Google Wave? The product that many of us thought would change the way we communicate, forever. Sadly, a little more than a year after it was first announced, Google has decided to pull the plug on Wave.

Wave was one of the most hyped web services in recent history. The artificially created scarcity of invites even prompted many to shell our hefty cash for invites to an essentially free service.

I still believe that Wave deserved all the attention it received. It truly was a revolutionary service. Unfortunately, Wave might have been too different for its own good. Many failed to grasp the concept of Wave and struggled to get started, while several others grew frustrated with the chaotic nature of an open endedcommunication platform like Wave.

Earlier today, Urs Hölzle, senior VP of operations and Google Fellow at Google, acknowledged in a blog post that Wave has not seen the user adoption Google would have liked. As a result of the lack of interest surrounding Wave, Google has decided to pull the plug. Although the standalone service will be available til (at least) the end of the year, Google will not be developing Wave as a product any further.

Over the past few years, Google has tried and failed repeatedly at making inroads into the social web. While Google was busy dealing with one failed product launch after another, Facebook went from strength to strength and is now in a position to dominate not only the social web, but also the web in general. At this point of time, Facebook is quite possibly the biggest threat to Google, and Google knows it. The closure of Wave demonstrates that Google is looking to cut its losses and focus on the impending launch of its new social network – Google Me. Make no mistake, Google Me might be Google’s last chance to fight back. If it fails again, it might be too late to stop Facebook.

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Google Acquires Slide, eyes the Social Gaming Market

Google has just acquired another social application company named Slide, in an effort to “make Google services socially aware.”

Google announced the acquisition in an official blog post published earlier today. It’s interesting to note that Google is slowly expanding the company’s reach on “Social gaming” and ways people make fun on the internet. Earlier this year, Google invested in another company called Zynga which will lay the foundation of Google Games, expected to launch at the end of 2010.

The official blog post says that Google is working on open and transparent ways to allow the users take advantage of the technology which in turn helps them stay connected with family members and friends. With Slide, Google expects to make it’s services more socially aware. Long story short, Google is preparing to take a share in the social gaming sector which is currently dominated by Facebook, thanks to all the interactive and funny games Facebook has.

Coming back to Slide, the company started as a simple photo sharing website back in 2004(read wikipedia refrence). Initially, the startup tried to engage the Myspace audience by letting the users insert slide shows into Myspace pages. Realizing the power and reach of Facebook, the company diversified and started focusing on Facebook apps – some of the very popular being Superpoke and FunSpace.

The company’s  founder Max Levchin along with his team of developers will be soon joining the Google camp to integrate Slide with other Google services. Please note that Max is also one of the co founders of Paypal.

Techcrunch reports that along with $182 million purchase price, Google has also agreed to pay an additional $46 million for employee retention bonuses.

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10 Ways to Make Your Laptop Run More Efficiently

Whether it’s for work or pleasure, a laptop can be a real joy. However, if your laptop is not running as fast as it did when it was new, it may be time for some routine maintenance and cleanup.

Here are a few simple tips that you can use to make your laptop run faster, and last longer:

1. Defragment your laptop on a regular basis – at least once a week. Your computer breaks all of your files up into many pieces, and scatters them throughout your hard drive.  What defragmenting does is take all these mixed and scattered pieces, and re-organizes them neatly into a space where they can be easily accessed more quickly – The Best Free Defragmentation Tools.
2. Cleaning your Registry is a must. One of the most important parts of Windows is the registry. Fatal errors to your laptop can occur from disfiguration or corruption of this section. The most common cause of registry problems is buggy software installation.  Keep your registry clean and consider getting and running a registry cleaner from time to time. There are many of these programs available online, and some of them are even free – Keep Your Registry Clean With Mr.Fix – Registry Cleaner.
3. Unclutter your hard drive of unnecessary programs and files such as entertainment, games, music, pictures, etc. If you allow them to add up, these files can clog the hard drive and slow it down. If your hard drive is too full, it can also cause problems with your computer’s RAM and processing capability. This can lead to significant slow-downs and frequent crashes – Windows Cleanup for Fast and Fun Cleanups.
4. Get good virus protection. You need to run a good anti-virus program and spyware/adware program at least once a week, if not more. Many people do this every day at start-up. Most of these programs are able to run automatically on their own schedule without your assistance, which can save you a lot of time – The Best Free Antivirus and Malware protection.
5. Empty the recycle bin regularly. It doesn’t do you a lot of good to delete all that unnecessary junk if it’s just going to sit in your Recycle Bin. No one likes taking out the trash but it needs to be done! –Recycle Bin tips and tricks.
6. Erase temporary Internet Files. This cannot be stressed or emphasized enough. Every time you go to a site on the web or open a file, a temporary copy is made and kept in your hard drive. They may be called "temporary" but they’re there for a long time. The more you have on your system, the more they’re going to slow down your laptop. Whether you’re running Firefox, Chrome or Internet Explorer, find out how to clear your browser’s cache, and do it regularly – Delete Internet History, Cache and More.
7. Get rid of unnecessary startup programs. Many programs want to start running as soon as you boot up your computer. Although these programs may not always be visible on your desktop, they’re still running in the background and sucking up your valuable RAM. This can significantly slow down the laptop as time goes by. Find out how to modify your "msconfig", and manually remove these programs from launching on startup. You won’t be removing them from your computer, just preventing them from running every time you start up your computer – The Best Startup Managers.
8. Keep your laptop running cool. Avoid keeping your laptop directly on a soft surface such as your bed or couch. It needs to be able to breather freely and allow air to circulate. Otherwise, your processor might overheat, causing slow-downs, crashes and even physical damage to components.
9. Uninstall unused programs. Any programs that are not being used are just taking up space on your hard drive. Please note that deleting a program folder is not the same as uninstalling. Make sure to properly remove programs using the Uninstall function in your Control Panel. Otherwise, you could just end up creating more problems – Best Uninstallers for Windows.
10. Upgrade your RAM if necessary. If you have a tendency of having many large programs all opened at once, you may not have enough RAM on your system. Look into purchasing some new RAM. Prices are very reasonable, and it’s a cost-effective way to increase the speed and efficiency of your laptop.

If you follow the advice listed in this article, you can possibly get an extra 2 or 3 years of life from your laptop before you’ll need to replace it.

But remember… before doing any kind of work on your system, it’s vital that you create a backup copy of all your most important data. This way, you’ll be prepared in the unlikely event that something goes wrong.

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