makeover

Google is about to embark on its biggest renovation in history. In order to keep up with increased competition and new technology, the Web giant is working to keep ahead of the pack by completely revamping its search function, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Google search executive Amit Singhal told The Wall Street Journal that the new Google search will look more like "how humans understand the world."

Changes are expected to roll out over the next few months, the Journal reports, but the full makeover to "next generation of search" will likely take years. … Read more

With Instagram, Google+, Picasa, and Facebook breathing down its neck, Flickr has had to play catch-up to stay in the photo game lately.

Flickr's head of product, Markus Spiering, told tech news site BetaBeat today that the photo-sharing Web site is planning a major makeover to begin rolling out next week. Big changes include larger photos, less white space, and a more polished photo layout. There will also be a new drag-and-drop upload interface, according to BetaBeat.

Update: I've posted the below images and added some requested images to the below slideshow. Check the comments section for my answers to some of your questions.

Those of you who listened to last week's Gadgettes know the deal: Come up with an entertainment-system design for my living room that can accommodate a modern, flat-screen TV--one that Molly will deign to watch--and you could win the prize of the century: a custom Molly Nerd Voice ringtone.

Consider yourself a design geek? Look over the following drawings, photos, and guidelines. Whip up your suggestions, then send us your design … Read more

Apple is getting ready to introduce a slimmer, lighter MacBook, according to an Apple blog citing unnamed sources.

Apple's 13-inch notebook in currently undergoing an industrial redesign that will also feature new internal architecture, according to a report on AppleInsider. The redesign, which would be the entry-level machine's first overhaul in three years, is expected to be unveiled in the coming months, the site reported.

At its annual Worldwide Developer's Conference in June, Apple introduced new versions of its 13- and 15-inch notebooks that use the same battery technology found in the 17-inch models. The rebranding of … Read more

Riding the success of the iPhone, AT&T, apart from trying to keep the phone exclusive, seems to be learning from Apple in another way--its retail stores.

The company announced Monday that it has done a major makeover to more than 2,200 retail locations across the country. The aim is to provide consumers and small-business customers with a better hands-on experience when shopping for devices and service plans.

According to the telecom giant, the overhaul brings a refreshed, more intuitive organization of products and services. For example, all wireless devices now show up on new power-enabled displays, making … Read more

At a garage sale in March 2009, I spied an old piece of lab equipment for sale with the word "Quantumeter" written across the front. I had no idea what it was, or if it worked, but the $10 asking price seemed reasonable for a device that looked like it fell off the back of a time machine.

After getting the Quantumeter back home, some online research turned up a vague explanation of its origins as a pseudo-scientific piece of medical equipment, used to administer low voltages of electricity to sick patients in the first half of the 20th century. As awesome as it sounds to own a vintage electro-therapy machine, in practical terms, it was actually a bit disappointing. For a device that could have been Ben Franklin's lost extra-terrestrial communicator, the Quantumeter was just a piece of turn-of-the-century hokum.

If it hadn't had such an awesome name, I might have been content to give the Quantumeter a cozy place in the attic until "Antiques Roadshow" rolled into town. Instead, I did the only thing any self-respecting geek with some soldering iron skills would do: I turned the Quantumeter into the kind of bizarre gadget it deserved to be.

Using a $70 kit from Bleep Labs (the ThingamaKIT), my father in-law's garage, and some patience from my wife, I was able to turn the Quantumeter into a blinking, bleeping, tentacled mess of nerd fun.

I've put a video of the final result below, but to see the transformation unfold, take a look at the photo gallery.… Read more

Surprise! Geeks and models actually have something in common: they're both obsessed with finding the perfect accessory. In the world of couture fashion, a subtle or blingy accessory can complete an ensemble. The same holds true for a desktop setup; third-party accessories are a simple way to add to your system without actually gutting your computer to install extra components. We've rounded up our favorite printers, speakers, hard drives, keyboards, and mice to give your computer a much-appreciated makeover.

Peep a slide show of our favorite accessories for your desktop computer.

The Wall Street Journal's Web site is getting a makeover, borrowing a page from social networking.

The newspaper site is expected to launch "Journal Community" on Tuesday to allow paying subscribers to comment on individual stories, create discussion groups on specific topics, and ask one another for advice, according to a report Sunday by the Associated Press. Like social networks Facebook or MySpace, the community will allow subscribers to create personal profiles. But instead of missives on favorite movies and music, these profiles will feature subscribers' real names, job details, and interests, according to the report.

The … Read more

The truth is, some people just don't have much style; and it's up to you to usher in the revelation.

That's one way to look at a Yahoo Messenger plug-in that helps you give your buddies' avatars a makeover (see special feature for more on avatars). Back in the old days, before plug-ins were invented, we had to coax and needle our contacts for permission to outfit them with some fancy new 'dos and duds. Now we can mount an indirect atta--suggestion--for avatar rebirth, all in the name of good chatting fun.… Read more