20 of the best Easter Eggs hidden in Google
Bored at work? Or looking for something fun to take you mind off the mundane? The programmers over at Google have built a range of Easter Eggs or hidden programs into their search engine, accessible through the Google home page.
Here are the top 20:
– Typing “Google in 1998” into the search bar will take you on a trip down memory lane — the results page is formatted exactly the way Google appeared in 1998.
– Search “Build with chrome” and click “I’m feeling luckily” for a game of LEGO.
– Type “play snake” into your search bar to play a round of your favourite Nokia 5110 game, albeit with sleeker interface and sound-effects.
– Type “pacman” into your search bar to fire up a round of catch with your favourite gameboy critters.
– Heads or Tails – making tough decisions remains just as easy as it was back in the day: Type “flip a coin” into your search bar and Google will do just that – flip a coin!
– If the decision you need to make is a little bit more complicated you can always search “roll a die.”
– Naughts & Crosses – search for “tic-tac-toe” to challenge your computer to a game.
– Searching for “sonic the hedgehog” will call up an interactive Sonic logo complete with sound effect and iconic spin.
– Search for “solitaire” to play a round against the computer.
– Launch an image search of “Atari breakout” to play the game.
– Search for “zerg rush” to play a game and improve your mouse-eye coordination while you’re at it.
– Search “I’m feeling curious” for a Chappies-esque fun fact.
– Disable your internet connection, then go to your Chrome browser and hit the spacebar to call up a game of T-Rex Runner where you help the pixelated dinosaur navigate a cactus obstacle course.
– Search “spinner” and you can toggle between a number spinning wheel and a fidget spinner.
– Search “internet speed test” to check how fast your connection is running.
– Search “breathing exercise” if you are feeling a bit stressed and just follow the instructions to calm yourself down.
– Type “Google gravity” into search bar and click “I’m feeling lucky” and watch your browser succumb to the force.
– Type “epic google” into the search bar and click “I’m feeling lucky” to see just how big Google can get.
– Search “blink html” to see a canny demonstration of basic coding.
– Type “Google sphere” into the search bar and click “I’m feeling lucky” to orbital results.
Facebook Watch
A while ago Facebook unveiled its Watch application, and has recently made it available to users world-wide. And no, it’s not a wristwatch.
Facebook Watch allows users to find shows and video creators they like and start conversations with friends, other fans, and even the creators themselves. Since its launch Facebook has made the experience more social — such as making it easier to see which videos friends have liked or shared, creating shows that have audience participation at their core, and the ability to open Watch videos from Facebook pages.
Facebook Watch offers the following features:
– A place to discover new videos: Find the latest videos spanning entertainment, sports, news, in a personalised Watch feed.
– A way to catch up with creators and publishers: At the top of the Watch, a Watchlist shows a collection of recent videos from Pages being followed. Users can customise this section by following more Pages or removing Pages from their list.
– An option to save for later viewing.
Platform: Any smartphone with or desktop with the latest version of Facebook.
Stockists: Visit www.facebook.com
Cost: Free to use.
BBM Scratch2Win
Available in the BBM Discover menu via the Scratch2Win icon, Scratch2Win requires users to register their profile the first time they access the service. They are then presented with a list of active mobile scratch card campaigns. Each campaign requires the user to answer a short survey or poll, which then generates a unique mobile scratch card, revealing instant rewards and prizes. Airtime and data prizes are topped up instantly to users’ mobile accounts, while digital coupons and vouchers are stored in prize wallets for redemption at participating brands and retailers. In addition to instant prizes, users can also win entries into grand prize draws.
Platform: A BlackBerry smartphone running the latest version of BBM.
Stockists: Visit the Scratch2Win option via BBM.
Cost: Free to use.
Camera update for the lates Nokia smartphones
HMD Global has added an update for Nokia 8 Sirocco, Nokia 7 Plus and Nokia 6.1 devices, focused on the imaging offering of the phones. It is now easier to switch between aspect ratios and shooting functions, as well as adjusting parameters within different camera modes, such as the intensity of effects like Bokeh and Beautify.
Google Lens has also been integrated directly into the viewfinder, using augmented reality to add additional information to each image as it is taken.
The update supports Google Motion, enabling short videos to be shared directly to messaging services and social media as GIFs.
Platform: The Nokia 8 Sirocco, Nokia 7 Plus and Nokia 6.1 range of smartphones.
Stockists: Check for the updates under the setting menu of the phone.
Cost: A free download.
Opera News for Africa
Opera News for Africa is an AI-powered app which allows people to access news articles and trending videos without high data use. It follows Opera’s recent announcement that its AI-powered news service inside Opera Mini grew to more than 100 million active users in less than a year.
The app runs off a “recommendation engine” designed to keep readers on top of their selected news, entertainment and video categories. The engine gets smarter the more it is used, as it is able to drill down and deliver even more personalised content based on a user’s likes and dislikes. Opera News is able to save up to 80% of mobile data use, thanks to its data-saving capabilities.
Platform: Android and iOS
Stockists: Visit the store linked to your device.
Cost: A free service.
