From the invincible guys comes another gift and this time is yet another social networking word. BUZZ has for weeks kept the web world abuzz with excitement making into the technology headlines every day. Not that the entry of another social networking platform will stir in the news once again but the Google brand does it all and when there is a plan from the invincible guys that seems to fail, it is sure to make into a mammoth buzz!

The new product of Google was not a very difficult product to launch. Not also was it difficult for it to showcase it to the world just by integrating it with Gmail- the third most popular mailing service. Yes, the buzz comes integrated with your Gmail account and appears as a tab on the left pane just below the inbox tab. Another feature of Buzz that interests people is the ability to connect your Picassa, Twitter, Flickr, and Google Reader accounts with it. So all updates or messages you send on any of these sites will get shown up in ur buzz. While there are Google fans who have loved every single product that Google launches but this is definitely a spot where we stop and think. Google may have the best quality of software engineers but proof testing is certainly not Google’s cup of tea. When Gmail was launched it had been done very carefully with a beta version and the success of the service has converted it into one of the world’s largest mailing service but the overconfidence plays its part. Buzz comes here full in service without the beta tag but under the Google label and encroaches with full legality into our mailboxes. The overlords seem satisfied with the success of a probably untested product until the time when the world wakes up to the call of a rather fluid platform. The major issues with Buzz are the privacy terms that seem to be quite fluid. Though there is an option with the public and private buzz, there seem to be problems with the auto-follow option which lets all your frequently contacted persons on Gmail to be added as followers on Buzz. Now if you have your boss as the most contacted person on Gmail and you tweet about his ruthlessness on twitter, it shows up in his Buzz and may land you in serious trouble way too soon! Here the main point is that when you share stuff on social networking sites, it is not only you who is being involved but others as well. Sometimes, just for the sake of simplicity, by not choosing people to show your stuff, you may quite unwittingly compromise with your privacy and the privacy of all those involved with you. Another major concern is the ignorance of the users regarding the public and private buzz. As more users remain unsure whether the stuff they post remains directed at a particular group of people or gets known to the entire world, there are apprehensions about connecting the various sites like Picassa, Twitter, Flickr, and Google Reader to Buzz. On the other hand there still are a greater number of people who like the Buzz. Some attribute it to its great capacity to encompass various accounts together and be able to manage them simultaneously. Others like the various attributes of Buzz that allow you to ‘like’ certain stuff and share your photos, videos, comments etc like Facebook and allows you to follow people and the most popular thread like Twitter. Also some appreciate the Buzz’s ability to let you mute certain threads which avoids the loud noise created by certain unwanted threads which acquire many comments from other users. Also is a group that appreciates the no 140 character limit that is generally otherwise placed by some of the very famous networks. There is yet another group of people who love the Buzz just because……. It’s Buzz- the Google product!!!!

In spite of the fact that the Buzz is abuzz with all the best attributes of networks like Facebook, Twitter and Friendfeed there are severe repercussions regarding the utility and usability. Google has not faced much success with the launch of Orkut which could only establish itself in India and Brazil. Yet again when Google tried its hand at the social networking world, it has forgotten the very basic essence that every social networking site aims at and that is ensuring privacy in spite of being open. Though the Google tech heads have now realized the various mistakes and have issued an official apology for the privacy threats and plan to reform them, there still remains a potent question whether these issues are early stage missteps or they are going to remain abuzz. Hopefully, the former, since there are a great number of people who would accept any “Powered by Google” product just for the sake of love. After all Love is Blind !!!

All aboard the trans-Siberian railway may kindly notice that we are shortly going to undertake a 6 day long journey from Moscow to Vladivostok. On the way you can catch glimpses of the picturesque vistas ranging from Siberian rivers, the beautiful Lake Baikal and the graceful Barguzin mountains from your windows. Kindly be ready for the breathtaking journey!! Thank you!

Always wanted to undertake the epic Trans –Siberian railway journey but could never quite move away from your sofa?

Here is your chance to get aboard the longest train journey and that to only by sitting at your sofa because there comes yet again another great kitty from the Google bag! The Google Earth provides you an opportunity of travelling through the 5752 miles on a virtual tour. Not only this, you can also have an experience of a view in real time, watching the scene as it unfolds from the train’s window. Simultaneously you can plot the train’s journey on a Google map by tracing its path through the mountainous terrain or using the satellite imagery. You have a choice of listening to the clinker clatter of the wheels of the train. If that seems monotonous you can also switch to the candid Russian pop tunes or the reminiscent playing of the balalaika. You can also listen in sugary sweet calm voice to the Russian classics like the Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace or Nikolai Gogol’s Dead souls or Ilya Ilf, Evgeny Petrov’s The Golden Calf. The virtual travelers can undertake the 150 hour journey which passes through 12 Russian regions and 87 cities s[panned across two continents. Among the all scenes the one that touches the heart most is the scene from Lake Baikal which was shot in brilliant sunlight and looks beautiful in its whole vigor. The entire journey which is of 150 hours of duration took 30 days of filming with the crew filming only during daylight in the scorching heat of Russia in August 2009. The crew had to stay at various Russian towns just to get the best possible shot to be brought to the viewers. The various spots have been shot in a way that best suits them like the hazy morning in the mountains, the beautiful dawn at the river or the amply sunlight lit lake. And if u think there was someone who could accompany you through the journey, DJ Yelena Abitayeva comes to your rescue who gives you a 3 minute guided tour of the important cities. Near Ulan Ude, Yelena shows off a large statue of Lenin’s head. Then she rotates some prayer wheels at a Buddhist temple while a cow is shown roaming in the background along with a Lada speeding past by. The train journey `can be undertaken via the Moscow Beijing route or via the Trans- Mongolian route which spans across the Gobi desert and various other places of interest. What is more is that you can stop by different destinations and can further explore into the surroundings without paying for an extra fare!

The Google’s Technical advancements have to be yet again applauded for the geo tagged videos which allow you to navigate through the map plotting the actual train journey in real time. Plus, kudos to the Youtube support for the ultra high definition videos. For the virtual travelers there is no need ofcourse to stand in a queue for going to the loo or shower. Also no headache in case you need to share your cabin with an omnipresent snorer. But in hind side what you lose is the aroma of the scalding black tea served in a silver leaf and glass holder unless you get that at your home! Nevertheless the beautiful landscapes are a welcome respite and are very soothing. Moreover, a journey that costs around 6509 roubles (£145) for a basic seat, and 17,500 (£388) to 19,800 roubles (£440) for a bed in a shared carriage one way if comes for free without even getting a booking, then what else could be better?