April Fools' Day roundup: Google overload edition

Ah, April 1st. It's that time of the year again when the internet is rife with odd news and pranks. As before, news sites like us end up with a healthy stream of tips throughout April Fools' Day (thanks, by the way), so let us round up some of the best findings for your comedic appetite. Contenders include the usual suspects like Google and ThinkGeek, the former of which dominating the gigglesphere this year with some new "features." We also have some interesting submissions from Hulu, a font company, and probably plenty more to come as the day progresses, so keep watching this space as we add new entries to this post. Right, let the fun commence after the break.


First up, we have several new features from Google, starting with Gmail Motion and Docs Motion which offer "intuitive, ergonomic" gesture control to replace your outdated keyboard-and-mouse combo. But if you're more of a Google Voice person, then you might find the Voice-alyzer handy -- it's simply an anti-drunk calling or texting tool for those special nights out. Come on, we've all been there.


Also from Mountain View is a new job listing for a Google Autocompleter. That's right, turns out every single search on Google is actively monitored by human staffers, who are able to provide instant suggestions for your incomplete entries. Have a look at what autocomplete veteran Michael Taylor has to say about his exciting duty.


Oh, we're not quite done with Google yet. This year, YouTube's at it again with a new video enhancing feature: a button that transforms any clip to a grainy 1911 motion picture, garnished with classic piano soundtrack. Alas, it appears that only YouTubers in certain countries have such privilege, but the rest of the world can still admire YouTube's very own remix -- as shown above -- for this occasion.

Taking us back to the future is Hulu's revamped homepage, albeit in 1996 style. Remember HTML frames? Netscape? Good times.

OK, so you want actual products, or at least products that look like they might make it to the shelves. In that case, head over to ThinkGeek, who is again offering a range of timely products for some giggles. One such offer is this PLAYMOBIL Apple Store playset, which lets you create your very own mini line for a mini product launch. If you've got the munchies, perhaps some Angry Birds Pork Rinds might interest you?

Comic Sans Pro. No, really.

Update: As promised, here's some more LOL time to share with you all:

• Google's on fire today! Have a go at searching for "Helvetica" or "Comic Sans" on your desktop browser, and also try looking up "kittens" on your Android device. Cute.
• Another great Google entry: if you have Chrome installed, check out the ChromeLite extension which displays all websites in pure text for the sake of load time. Unlike the aforementioned Google "features," this extension actually works, though the text conversion can take a while on some sites.
• Google Labs adds a cow to its body browser.
• xkcd is now xk3d. As you can tell by the name, our favorite webcomic is now more awesome in 3D!
• Speaking of 3D, Toshiba's just announced the world's first 3D monocle. Now you can let one eye rest while the other one takes the strain. How thoughtful.
• Here's something for the hardcore gamers: Razer thinks bio-exoskeleton is the way to push your fingers beyond their limit, so check out its Talon glove for some epic pwnage at your next LAN party. Oh, and don't forget the Razer snake oil while you're at it -- chafing is your greatest enemy.
• Swype takes mobile text input to the next level with Thynk. That's right, swiping is so yesterday; it's all about brain waves these days -- just think and ye shall type. Privacy could be an issue, though.
• The Linux war is over! Debian, Gentoo, Grml, openSUSE and Arch Linux have finally joined forces to deliver the Canterbury distribution.
• Roku's about to cash in more advertising money with its new branded remote. Yuck.
• Astro Gaming announces "The Gold Edition" line of gaming equipment, including an A40 headset, an Xbox 360 controller, a MixAmp 5.8 Rx wireless receiver, and an urban lanyard. 22K solid gold, baby!
• Kodak's come up with the Relationshiffft app -- a cunning technology that utilises facial recognition and special nano ink pigment, in order to make the offending person disappear in your photos once your relationship status changes. Oh, and Kodak's already working on version 2.0 which will let you restore the photos, in case you and your ex get back together.
• NVIDIA brings back 3dfx, announces Voodoo 590.
• Today's Bing.com picture features a LOLseal.
• Fox news anchor checks out the world's first mobile app that lets you taste and smell things right on your phone, courtesy of piezoelectricity.
• Not digging the iPad's keyboard and missing the classic typewriter? Spinning Hat has a retro solution for you: the Typescreen. Interestingly, this e-tailer also has a "Blood Bath" range of products, and they aren't just for April Fools'...
• HTML5? How about some HTML11 action, with added support for new tags like , , , etc. Presumably new hardware will be required as well.