Here's a new Google thingy - Google X which is a OS X Dock inspired Google Labs release that gives you a ton of new options right on the front page. It's mac-a-rific for sure. That said, John Battelle has a few words about the manor in which these things are announced:

"But let me be very clear about this: The 'aw shucks gee golly this was just something I tossed together and it seemed really cool and gee the nice managers at Google let me put it up' schtick is wearing, well, really, really thin. Even if it's true that most new ideas do bubble up from engineers in their spare time (and far as I know, they do), it's just .... I dunno, a schtick. Nothing gets up to Labs or the main page without some serious strategic thinking - or at least, it shouldn't. And does every engineer that hacks something together have the same affection for the words 'cool' and 'amazing'?"

I'd just like to add that this kind of thing goes for everyone, and doesn't only apply to this particular attitude. There's plenty of companies out that who write press releases as if whatever they are announcing is the most important, word-changing thing you are going to hear all year - and do that again 10 more times before the year is up. Over/Under hyping is kind of a crock. Honesty goes a long way, and this stuff, well, it doesn't.