Compare this to Alexa's breakdown:

- google.com - 75%
- mail.google.com - 8%
- images.google.com - 8%
- groups.google.com - 2%
- video.google.com - 2%
- news.google.com - 1%
- froogle.google.com - 1%
- Other websites - 3%

Pretty close and shows really that Google has a lot of work to do in its 'verticals'.

Now, instead of pasting a Google Map into an email you send, any Google Maps URL and any U.S. address (for the time being) you enclose will automatically come with a map embedded.

When it comes to Google Buzz, pasting a Google Maps link into the post box will cause the system to automatically produce an image preview of that location.

Google Earth for Android launched in early March, but the specific needs of adapting it for Verizon's phone and service took an extra month.

According to Birch, Google Earth for Android is compatible with most Android devices running 2.1. More Android phones will accommodate Google Earth as they adopt Android 2.1 or higher.

"Google Web Toolkit (GWT) is a Java software development framework that makes writing AJAX applications like Google Maps and Gmail easy for developers who don't speak browser quirks as a second language."

Also an interesting rumor is swirling around that Google either partnered with, or licensed technology from, WebOS company Morfik. Am digging to see what if any truth there is to this...

Update, May 18: Bret Taylor, Product Manager of Google Web Toolkit, has dispelled the rumor:

"Morfik seems like great technology, but Google Web Toolkit is in no way associated with Morfik or based on its technology. There have been some rumors circulating on this list that have been causing some confusion, and I wanted to clarify.
Thanks,
Bret Taylor Product Manager, Google Web Toolkit"

Interesting LA Times article about how Google is re-focusing on improving and integrating its current products, rather than pumping out new products willy-nilly. Included in the article is this quote about 'Google Office':

"The initiative's primary goal is to make Google products easier to use, especially by packaging disparate products. For example, said Chief Executive Eric Schmidt, Google plans to combine its spreadsheet, calendar and word-processing programs into one suite of Web-based applications."

p.s. yes I did jump the gun earlier this week with what turned out to be bogus screenshots of Google Office and other Google mock-ups. I quickly pulled the post out of embarrassment!

This new hybrid bar appears to some, though others will still see the gray bar. If you haven't seen it yet, check out the screenshots of the hybrid Google nav bar. Do you like it? Is it easier to use or were you just getting used to the previous iteration?

We asked and culled your responses from Facebook, Google+ and Twitter and presented them back to you with Storify. If you have additional responses, please leave them in the comments.

In a telling display of Google's new unified product approach, the Google Earth annoucement encourages users to "upgrade to Google+." Google wants to be considered all one service, and a Google+ "upgrade" spans across all its sites and applications.

Download Google Earth 6.2 here.

What do you think of Google integrating all its services? Sound off in the comments.

Among internal projects Google gives as use examples are one to allow attendees to Google I/O to ask questions and another that allows Moderator to be downloaded and used on Android.

We've dived right in and created a Google+ Page for ReadWriteWeb. Our brand is for engaged technologists to discover and discuss 
what's next on the Web, so we hope to get to know our community better in Google+. Circle RWW to explore the future with us!

Also, how will G+ Pages differ from Facebook Pages? We have a presence on both social networks (here is our Facebook Page), so it will be interesting to see over time how different communities use the two. Let us know your thoughts on that as well.

If you have a brand, you can create your Google+ Page here: plus.google.com/pages/create.

Click here to circle ReadWriteWeb on Google+

The I/O stands for "Innovation/Open" (i/o is also a programmer term input/output). Google told us in May 2008 that we're at an "inflection point for web app development" and that Google is all about "driving usage of the Internet". The Web is now the defacto platform for application development, according to Google, and so naturally they want to encourage developers to use both Google and Open Web products.

Please leave your feature suggestions in the comments below and be in to win a Google I/O ticket, worth $400 USD each.

Let's start with Google widgets, which they used to call modules but are now calling gadgets (curiously, a case where Google has copied Microsoft). Google offers two types of gadgets:

1) Desktop plug-ins - for the Google Desktop. Much like Yahoo's Konfabulator widget platform and Apple Dashboard.

2) Personalized Homepage gadgets. Google has gradually increased the number of widgets in their directory, but there are third party sites that offer a great selection too - e.g. here and here.

Google gadgets can also run in Google Pages, their webpage-editing tool.

To develop gadgets for the Google platform, use the Google Gadgets API - which Google claims is "so easy to use that you can develop your first gadget in 5 minutes". They also say it's easy to turn existing web content into a gadget.

The main difference between Google's and Microsoft's gadgets is that Google takes a web-centric approach, whereas Microsoft gadgets will utilize both desktop and web. I'll look more closely at Microsoft's gadgets in my next widgets post.

In May Google launched an encrypted version of its Web search, allowing users to enable a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) connection to encrypt their information as they searched.

Today's move was a response to educators' concerns, says Google, noting in the announcement that "if school network administrators decide to block encrypted searches, the blocking will no longer affect Google authenticated services like Google Apps for Education."

Last month, Google rolled out +snippets to help users and publishers share outside Web pages to Google Plus using the +1 button. But +snippets have also become the primary way other Google services are integrated into Plus. Maps now joins Google's Books, Offers and product searches as the major Google services with +snippet integration.

If you're planning a trip with friends, you can share maps with saved directions as a +snippet. You can also share individual places or location search results. The +snippet displays a thumbnail of the map, a title and a description, and it allows the user to add a comment and share with circles or individuals just like a normal Plus post.

Last month, Google added its internal g.co URL shortener as a feature of Google Maps, making it easier to share maps with anyone on or off Google Plus. Any Google Map can now be shared with a tiny shortlink from g.co, which always indicates a link to a Google.com property.

Have you shared stuff to Google Plus using +snippets?

The fact of Google Scholar having proven popular enough to merit a blog is surely an indication of the importance of Web and Internet technology to the academic world at large. This is a trend ReadWriteWeb has long recognized.

The blog's first post covered the Google Scholar Alerts. The post was written by Anurag Acharya, who certainly has best job title in the entirety of the Googleplex: "Distinguished Engineer."