40Tech

Yeah, yeah, I know. Google Wave is dead and gone, right? Not quite. We already talked about the potential of Apache Wave, and mentioned that the Google original is still available to those who care to squeeze every ounce they can from the innovative flop. Today, though, Google circulated an email to Wavers containing the end dates and Wave’s last gasp.

Hit the jump for details.

If there were any doubts that Google is looking to have Google+ pervade all areas of your life, those doubts are now fading. Brand pages now appear in Google search results, with a convenient “Add to Circles” button right on the search page. Whether you’re ready or not, Google+ is going to be invading your life.

Google+ now supports brand pages, and 40Tech is there with our own page. We’re working out exactly how we’ll be using the page, but if you want to keep up with all things 40Tech, head on over and circle us. We’re still digging around, looking for other great pages to follow, and we’ve listed some below. If you have any suggestions, let us know in the comments.

When it comes to buying apps, trust the hive mind. I should have learned that long ago, but at times I need to learn from my own mistakes. My selection of a blogging editor was one mistake, where I could have just listened to the wisdom that I saw espoused all over the Internet. My selection of a Google Reader app for my Android phone was another. Shortly after getting my phone, I tried out the official Google Reader app, then dropped money on another app that I’ve long since forgotten. Finally, I surrendered and tried out NewsRob, the app that received everyone’s praises. I’ve been using it ever since.

LastPass, our favorite password manager, has just introduced support for two-factor authentication through Google Authenticator. Two-factor authentication is a form of security that requires a user to present a second form of confirmation before being able to log in to an account. We previously wrote about how, for Google accounts, that second form of authentication can come via a one-time code generated by the Authenticator app for iOS, Android, and Blackberry. That same app can now be used with LastPass.

We’re big fans of Google+ here at 40Tech. In fact, if you follow the Twitter accounts of either 40Tech or Bobby Travis, you’ll see that we’re not posting there quite as much as we did in the past. Are we alone in the way Google+ has detracted from our ability to be as active on Twitter? Let us know how your social media usage has changed since Google+ has arrived.

Google Buzz is going the way of the dinosaur — or maybe the Dodo is a better analogy. Either way, as of November 14th, the hopeful attempt at getting in on some of that Twitter juice will simply fade away. Google’s on to bigger things now — like trying to get a piece of that Facebook pie, with some Twitter a la mode. Sounds nummy, right? Or maybe I’m just getting hungry…

We once pondered whether Google was the devil. One of the issues that we raised was one of privacy. If you’re worried that Google is tracking your searches by cookie ID or by IP address, you have some options to thwart Google. One of those options is Scroogle.

So let’s get the dust out of the air right away: I am fully aware that “awesomer” is not a word. I am also fully aware that all of the big tech blogs and probably everybody else with a post up today (or yesterday, by the time you read this) has already talked about this. I don’t care. This is 40Tech dammit! And I want to talk about it. With you.

So here it is: Google+ dropped a ton of new goodness for their social network today, opened it up to the public (bye bye preview, hello open beta!), and worked with wil.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas (who also loves the tech) to put together the first publicly broadcast on YouTube video Hangout. Big day — and those are barely the highlights.

If it seems like we’ve been focusing on security lately, it’s because we have been. After we got hacked a few weeks ago, we took extra steps to lock down the site. From plugging the initial vulnerability and removing the intrusion, to running scanners to make sure the site was clean, to installing a WordPress plugin to notify us if any file on the site is changed, to turning on two-factor authentication in Gmail so site passwords couldn’t be comprised via email, we’ve been extra-cautious. Perhaps no site is secure when faced with a determined hacker, but you can ever be too safe. One more tool that you can use on your own site, or to check the malware status and history of other sites, is Google’s Safe Browsing Diagnostic Tool.