Skip to main content

Froogle Chased Into Hills

Google began the process today of trying to regain exposure for their online shopping site. The first major step in this is a name change from Froogle to Google Product Search.

Marissa Mayer, VP, Search & User Experience, and Jeff Bartelma, Product Manager, speaking on the official Google blog, got right to the point in talking about the name change by saying "Froogle offers a lot of great functionality and has helped many users find things to buy over the years, but the name caused confusion for some because it doesn’t clearly describe what the product does."

The name change is only the latest chapter in the Froogle saga, which took a bad turn last year when Google dumped Froogle from the front page. The blog Search Engine Land has a nice write up of new features on Google Product Search. A few examples of enhancements include a cleaner,  easier to use interface and better interaction with Google Checkout.

Google also slapped their infamous Beta label on Google Product Search so it will be interesting to see how long it stays in this mode.

Digital Trends Staff
Digital Trends has a simple mission: to help readers easily understand how tech affects the way they live. We are your…
The best laptops for music production, chosen by experts
best laptops for music production

The world has gone pretty far when it comes to the processing power that we carry around with us, and if you're big into music production, then you're the luckiest of all. Some of the best laptops on the market have high-end CPUs for relatively low prices, which means that if you want to do music production on a laptop, you have a huge number of choices. Of course, that does also mean that it can be hard to navigate and pick the best laptop for your budget and needs, which is why we've done the legwork for you. We've collected our favorite picks below in various categories so that you can pick them with ease. Plus, we've even thrown in a quick guide on what to look for so that if you don't find what you want here, you can check out these other laptop deals for alternatives.
The Best Laptops for Music Production

Best overall laptop for music production:
Best Windows device for music production:
Best portable laptop for music production:
Best large-screen laptop for music production:
Best for 2-in-1 laptop for music production:

Read more
How I supercharged my productivity with a free typing app
Alan Truly's standing desk has a MacBook Air, Surface Book 2, and iPhone 13 Pro Max.

As a tech writer, details matter, so I immediately jumped on using Beeftext when I discovered it. It's a typing application for Windows (there are alternatives for other operating systems I'll cover here, as well), and I first loaded it up to ensure that my typing was accurate. I didn't expect how much it would supercharge my productivity in the process.

Beeftext isn't a fancy, AI-enhanced writing tool. It’s a classic text expander, also known as a text substitution app. If you’ve never used one before, you really need to experience this kind of computer magic. I type in a few letters, then hit the space bar. Instantly, a long word, phrase, or even several lines of text will appear.

Read more
This stacked, vertical monitor setup revolutionized my workflow
The lower screen of the Geminos X monitor is a touchscreen.

Side-by-side monitors are a staple of the modern desk setup. But I, for one, am ready for a shake-up. That made me wonder how stacking monitors vertically might work instead. It's a lot harder to set up, but then, I came across these dual monitors that were initially launched on Kickstarter. Is this the solution I'd always been looking for?

After spending a number of weeks with these dual, 24-inch monitors, I was surprised how well they streamlined my workflow.
Why stacked is better
The lower screen of the Geminos X monitor is a touchscreen. Photo by Tracey Truly

Read more