Google is doing just fine in the search business, so no one would blame them if they just left things as they were and kept raking in the dough. But it’s nice to see that the search giant is still paying attention to details and willing to try some new things.

Google’s vice president of search product and user experience recently stated that Google will soon begin testing of a new permanent sidebar on its results page. The new version allows you to narrow a search to specific categories, and is more attractive. Plus, the sidebar will be, conveniently and permanently displayed on the left side of the page.

We now have more details about the Google Chrome OS, which is a stripped-down Linux that should boot very quickly and launch a browser (Chrome). Everything that you do is web-based. Apparently users will have to buy a Chrome OS machine if they want it. Chrome will run on Intel and ARM processors.

According to Google it’s secure because the data is stored on a remote server, however if someone gets your password, well they have access to everything. They do say that Apps are more secure, because they have access to nothing, just like web apps on other OS.

Most people have dismissed the once rumored phone as being the Google Android operating system, but word on the street is that Google has an actual piece of hardware is in the works. Apparently Google has an actual phone in the works.

And apparently the Google Phone will be even more exciting than the Motorola Droid, which is really saying something. Google won’t manufacture the handset, but will rely on a major mobile company while Google is in full control of design and specifications.

Google has updated it’s Google Earth iPhone app. The updates come about a year after the original Google Earth iPhone App was released. Google Earth 2.0 will play nice with the iPhone and iPod Touch, and the new version has a bunch of new features, like the ability to view maps that you create on your PC on your iPhone or iPod Touch.

That one should prove most convenient. Another feature is the updated icon selection, which makes it easier to use. When you touch an icon on the app it will glow, and if you touch more than one icon at once it will take you to a list of icons so you can select the right one.

Google’s Chrome first announced in July, will be available within a week. Google had previously said to expect an early version of the OS in the fall.

Driver support will probably be a weak point, but apparently Google has a legion of engineers working on building hardware drivers. Word is that Google is mostly relying on hardware manufacturers to create those drivers. In any event functioning drivers is important to Chrome OS’s success. Soon we will find out how well it works.

The holidays are here with Thanksgiving just a few weeks away. There will be millions of people across America traveling meaning that the airports will be packed. Google has announced that for the holiday season it will be giving travelers in some of the largest airports in the country free WiFi.

The free WiFi is available now through January 15 2010 in 47 different airports across the country. Some of the major airports include Las Vegas, San Jose, Boston, Baltimore, Burbank, Houston, Indianapolis, Seattle, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, St. Louis, and Charlotte.

Google has unveiled Maps Navigation (beta), an upgraded version of the current Maps software that will be free and apparently available on all Android 2.0 devices. You get all of the usual Maps features, along with being able to search by the name of a business and it will even suggest the closest matches and traffic data.

There’s also turn-by-turn navigation with a female robotic voice and integration with satellite and street view. Street view will be able to show you what lane you need to be in when exiting the highway, for instance. It will also now search along the route when you’re looking for gas stations or fast food. Some addresses can be added to the Android home screen as icons too.

The fine folks at google never stop working. Good thing too, because you and I always benefit. Google Voice has expanded its reach once again. This time to include voicemail support for your carrier-issued number, along with other features like online, searchable voicemail, free automated voicemail transcription, custom voicemail greetings for different callers, email and SMS notifications and affordable international calls.

Every carrier in the nation must be pissed. The real interesting thing about these new options is that your messages follow you no matter what, even if you switch carriers to get some hot new device.

Word is that Google is planning to launch a music service and according to sources quoted by TechCrunch, the company is securing content from major labels right now. One source calls the service “Google Audio”.

It’s unclear if this music platform will be download-based like iTunes, or streaming-based like Pandora, but apparently it will be available to “at least” the US. Google already has a music service in China that lets users download tracks for free, and it has a music search engine that can be accessed by typing “music:” before your query in the search box. However when you access a song that way they aren’t available to listen to.

Google has now started public testing by invitation only of Wave, a new online tool for communication and collaboration between people online. Wave has been described by its designer as what email would look like if it was invented today, and contains real-time communication through text, photos, video, maps and more according to Google.

The communication using the Wave tool is live somewhat like an instant messenger allowing users to see others edits as they make them, character by character. Should a users not be online at the same time, the communications will still be available to view at a later date, much like emails waiting in your inbox.

On Monday Google unveiled what they are calling a “next-generation infrastructure” for their web search, and they are asking the public to give it a try. The “secret” project has been underway for months according to a recent post on the Google Indexing blog, and is almost complete. According to the post, the new system “…will let us push the envelope on size, indexing speed, accuracy, comprehensiveness and other dimensions”.

Google has codenamed the new underlying search indexing “caffeine”, and is looking for the general public to give it a try and provide feedback in the way of differences between the new and old. The new indexing can be tried out at http://www2.sandbox.google.com/, where you can do a search and see if you can tell any difference in the results. According to the blog post from Google, they are only looking for feedback in differences at this time.

It’s finally here. Chrome OS will be an open source platform that can “power computers ranging from small netbooks to full-size desktop systems,” and they claim the OS will be virus free and run a newly-designed windowing system on top of a Linux kernel.

It will be capable of running on x86 and ARM chips. It’s separate from Android, but there will be some overlap in concept and functionality between the two platforms. A large chunk of its Google Apps suite already supports an offline mode, so it’s all ready to go. The company says it’s currently working with several OEM manufacturers and it will initially appear on a number of netbooks coming to market sometime in the second half of 2010.

It hasn’t really been a secret that Google wants into the ebook market. Now it’s happening. Tom Turvey (Google’s director of strategic partnerships) says that the program will be ready by the end of 2009. Details are still a bit scarce, but according to The New York Times, the plan involves selling the books at prices set by the publisher.

This is a departure to the rather strict Amazon pricing guidelines that sees most Kindle titles selling for $9.99 (Many publishers don’t like that). Also, the company will be selling readers online access to the titles. This means that access to your books won’t be limited just to a specific device, but it will require Internet access and some sort of off-line caching.

The British Broadcasting Corporation which brings us such cool programs as Top Gear, Doctor Who and Planet Earth, is said to be in talks with Google to bring their VOD service to America. Anyone who has ever watched and enjoyed the BBC’s programming knows that this is a good thing.

The BBC produces a bunch of channels that have a wide variety of content and many of these programs never make their way to BBC America, which pretty much just shows fluff. Good news indeed. Once you’ve seen enough English programming, you start to realize just how terrible our own shows are in the states.

Google wave should be making waves in no time. Think of it like a live chatroom with a spread of documents, photos and/or videos, where you can reply to any part of any message or anything that’s shared, and it all operates in real-time. Basically TMI.

It’s a combination of Twitter, IM, Friendfeed and other service with semi-real-time stuff. In Google Wave, you can share and collaborate on projects, and all of this is going on at once. Probably great for those with ADD. You start a wave with any message or photo or whatever, and you bring people into the stream, and then they can bring people in.