Skip to main content

All Google’s April Fools Jokes [2000-2011]

Google has a tradition of perpetrating April Fools’ Day hoaxes. Since 2000, Google has published one or more chokes each year (except 2001 and 2003), sometimes around 17 chokes a year.
Many of them were a huge hit and funny!

image

2000: MentalPlex
Googles first April Fools' Day hoax, the MentalPlex invited users to project a mental image of what they wanted to find whilst staring at an animated image.
Once clicking the image, several humorous error messages were displayed on the results page including -
Error: Insufficient conviction. Please clap hands 3 times, while chanting "I believe" and try again.
Error 005: Searching on this topic is prohibited under international law.
Error CKR8: That information is protected under the National Security Act.
Error 8P: Unclear on whether your search is about money or monkeys. Please try again.
Link: http://www.google.com/mentalplex/

2002: Pigeon Rank
Google reveals the technology behind its PageRank Systems—PigeonRank. The article makes many humorous references and puns based on computer terminology and how Google PageRank really works.

image

Link: http://www.google.com/technology/pigeonrank.html

2004: Job offerings on the moon
Google is interviewing candidates for engineering positions at our lunar hosting and research center, opening late in the spring of 2007
Link: http://www.google.com/jobs/lunar_job.html

2005: A Fictitious drink that makes you think faster
This beverage would optimize one's use of the Google search engine by increasing the drinker's intelligence. It was claimed this boost was achieved through real-time analysis of the user's DNA and carefully tailored adjustments to neurotransmitters in the brain (a patented technology termed Auto-Drink.
Link: http://www.google.com/googlegulp/

2006: Google Romance
"Dating is a search problem. Solve it with Google Romance." It pretends to offer a "Soulmate Search" to send users on a "Contextual Date".
Link: http://www.google.com/romance/

2007: Gmail Toilet Internet Service Provider
Google introduced two pranks on April 1, 2007: Google TiSP (toilet Internet service provider) and Gmail Paper, which would allow Gmail users to add emails to a "Paper Archive."  Google TiSP was a fictitious free broadband service supposedly released by Google.
Links: http://www.google.com/tisp/; http://mail.google.com/mail/help/paper/index.html

2008: Send Email at your own time (Gmail Custom Time) and many more
Google played more than 10 tricks in 2008, including a fake "AdSense for Conversations" and Gmail Custom Time that would allow its users to "pre-date" their messages and choose to have the message appear as "read" or "unread".
Links: Blogger "Google Weblogs (beta)"; Dajare; gDay; Gmail Custom Time; Google Book Search Scratch and Sniff; Google Calendar is Feeling Lucky; Google Talk Goes Green and many more.


2009: Google runs on Microsoft Windows IIS/3.0 and many more
google.com.au reported as if it ran on IIS/3.0 and google.com on Apache/0.8.4 (on Linux). gBall; Google Chrome with 3D; and many more.

2010: Store anything on Google Docs, Evil Bit, and more
Google Books available in Anachrome 3D; Google announced that Google Docs will have the capacity to upload anything, including physical objects like keys, remote controls, etc; Chrome Sounds; Life size Picasa; Wingdings in Adsense and many more.

And now..

2011: Gmail Motion, Chromercise and more
Gmail Motion uses your computer's built-in webcam and Google's patented spatial tracking technology to detect your movements and translate them into meaningful characters and commands.
Autocompleter Job - A job opening was featured for an "Autocompleter". Clicking on the "Add to job cart" or "View cart" links to a google search for "google april fools day pranks".
Chromercise Google Chrome launched a new website called "Chromercise", which aims to increase people's hands' strength and dexterity while browsing the web faster, and also allowing their hands to fit "into sleeker, sexier gloves".
Google Body Browser The Google Body Browser homepage appears as Google Cow and the male/female toggle button now also toggles to cow, where the cow's body can be browsed
Google Maps Google Maps displays a dragon in Germany's biggest forest , the 'Pfälzer Wald'.
image

[via] Wikipedia
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Your Google Apps Account is Changing

Google is about to make more of its services available to organizations with Google Apps accounts. This is an early adopter phase, and all domains may not get this option to move to the new infrastructure. What this means for you: In addition to the core suite of messaging and collaboration applications, Google Apps users may now access many more Google services with their Google Apps accounts.     Those who are eligible for this early adoption, Google Apps administrator will be presented with the above banner to start with the migration. In your organization, you can transition selected pilot users and admins, or you can start the transition now for all your users. The transition for pilot users can be reverted if necessary. After successful transition, your users will now be able to use other Google popular products like AdSense, AdWords, Alerts, Analytics, Android, Blogger, Finance, Google Desktop, News, Orkut, Reader, Voice, YouTube (Full list here ). Als...
Post a Comment
Read more

How to Turn Your Android Phone into a Fully-Automated Superphone

What if your phone automatically went silent when you step into the movie theatre? Texted your significant other when you finished your long commute? Or automatically turned down the volume when a particularly loud friend called? It can; here's how. Android application Tasker gives you total rules-based automation for your Android phone. It's not free, but it offers a free 14-day trial download. Tasker can do nearly anything on your phone. It's mostly limited by your imagination. Here are some up-front ideas about neat automations that come to mind: • Set preferences for each application: Give the Kindle app a longer screen time-out. Make Maps or Foursquare automatically turn on GPS, and have a file browser launch when you trade out SD cards. Have your music and other audio apps lower the volume to 50 percent when you plug in headphones, so you never get a way-too-loud moment. • Time of day automation: Make your phone go into airplane mode overnight, but re-conne...
Post a Comment
Read more

Google Wallet: The Future Innovative Mobile Payments

Earlier few months, Google unveiled future innovative way of payment technology – Google Wallet. Today, Google released its first version of the Android app with Sprint Nexus S 4G phones through an over the air update. Google Wallet is an app that lets you pay for things using your phone, either by tying your credit card or gift or pre-paid cards. It works using an near field communication (NFC) embedded chip and there is no swiping required.   According to Techcrunch , Google Wallet will not work everywhere your credit card will. It won’t work everywhere there’s an NFC-friendly card reader, either. Wallet requires an NFC reader based on a new-ish specification, and only a select bunch of retailers have gotten around to updating. The post also had some great review and walkthrough in real life. This app is now available to Samsung Nexus S owners on Sprint, through PayPass sensors at Radio Shack, Foot Locker, Peet’s Coffee & Tea, Sunoco, CVS/pharmacy, etc. retailers. ...
Post a Comment
Read more