Warning, I’m about to get real critical of something pretty minor. It’s midnight on Christmas and the world is largely at a standstill, so pardon my rant.
When I visited Google.com this morning, I was as excited as the kids sprinting from bed to tree. But all I found was a lump of sonic coal. Oh joy, after months of Christmas music, I get to hear a crummy elevator music version of “Jingle Bells” one more time? *sigh*
But wait, is it a game where I guess how to play the song on the colored keys? No. Can I remix it and make my own song using the tones? Nope. Can I at least share something to the legion of strangers who’ve added me to their Circles on Google+? Well there was no readily available permalink, and the metadata wasn’t changed so sharing Google.com into G+ didn’t produce a doodle preview.
Why the high expectations? I was impressed with the Thanksgiving doodle, mostly because a special button encouraged people to share their custom turkey to Google+. Considering the fledgling social network needs users and content, I thought that was a wise move.
The Polish doodle the day before offered a sci-fi comic puzzle game. The Father’s Day doodle was a useful PSA to call your Dad. And the 65th birthday tribute to Queen’s Freddie Mercury was the pinacle of awesome, featuring mustachioed bears riding bicycles. Today we got a crummy elevator music “Jingle Bells”. I would have settled
I would have settled for some 8-bit tones, a more expansive light show, or something actually interactive and not just triggered. In previous years, the Christmas doodles have been basic but classy. This one built me up with its shiny buttons but didn’t follow through. Maybe children were more elated.
Oh sorry, am I being an overly entitled TechGrinch? Normally I’m a rather loving person, this is just some constructive criticism. I know the doodle is a delightful little service Google does out of the goodness of its 30,000 hearts. I’m sure it has plenty else to worry about and should be permitted an occasional flop.
Still, Google needs loyalty and good will right now. It should be looking to make fanboys and fangirls out of all of us, because it’s launched some ambitious products in verticals with powerful incumbents. If services like Google+ and Google Currents are going to challenge the Facebooks and Flipboards, Google needs people to love it.
Ask any parent — on Christmas Day the stakes are high. Google just got the 6 year old a big shiny box with a pair of socks in it. When it comes to holiday doodles, Google should either keep it simple, or really make it shine. TechGrinch signing off.
Source:http://techcrunch.com/2011/12/25/jingle-bells-doodle/
When I visited Google.com this morning, I was as excited as the kids sprinting from bed to tree. But all I found was a lump of sonic coal. Oh joy, after months of Christmas music, I get to hear a crummy elevator music version of “Jingle Bells” one more time? *sigh*
But wait, is it a game where I guess how to play the song on the colored keys? No. Can I remix it and make my own song using the tones? Nope. Can I at least share something to the legion of strangers who’ve added me to their Circles on Google+? Well there was no readily available permalink, and the metadata wasn’t changed so sharing Google.com into G+ didn’t produce a doodle preview.
Why the high expectations? I was impressed with the Thanksgiving doodle, mostly because a special button encouraged people to share their custom turkey to Google+. Considering the fledgling social network needs users and content, I thought that was a wise move.
The Polish doodle the day before offered a sci-fi comic puzzle game. The Father’s Day doodle was a useful PSA to call your Dad. And the 65th birthday tribute to Queen’s Freddie Mercury was the pinacle of awesome, featuring mustachioed bears riding bicycles. Today we got a crummy elevator music “Jingle Bells”. I would have settled
I would have settled for some 8-bit tones, a more expansive light show, or something actually interactive and not just triggered. In previous years, the Christmas doodles have been basic but classy. This one built me up with its shiny buttons but didn’t follow through. Maybe children were more elated.
Oh sorry, am I being an overly entitled TechGrinch? Normally I’m a rather loving person, this is just some constructive criticism. I know the doodle is a delightful little service Google does out of the goodness of its 30,000 hearts. I’m sure it has plenty else to worry about and should be permitted an occasional flop.
Still, Google needs loyalty and good will right now. It should be looking to make fanboys and fangirls out of all of us, because it’s launched some ambitious products in verticals with powerful incumbents. If services like Google+ and Google Currents are going to challenge the Facebooks and Flipboards, Google needs people to love it.
Ask any parent — on Christmas Day the stakes are high. Google just got the 6 year old a big shiny box with a pair of socks in it. When it comes to holiday doodles, Google should either keep it simple, or really make it shine. TechGrinch signing off.
Source:http://techcrunch.com/2011/12/25/jingle-bells-doodle/
No comments:
Post a Comment