14 DAY TRIAL // Google seems to have turned April 1 pranks into a real project this year, coming up with a really long list of ways trying to "get" the world to fall for its jokes.
It's not unusual for Google to treat April Fools' Day as a celebration, putting together various pet projects for the world to see, but this time it seems like it was mandatory for everyone to come up with an idea and put it together.
Google Gnome
Were you wondering just what was missing from your home now that Google Home is here? Well, how about Google Gnome? It's pretty much the same personal assistant, but with a twist - it has more color and a pointed hat.
The Gnome is a "voice-activated, hands-free tool designed to make backyard living effortless. Need to know what animal is squeaking in your bushes? Stay still and ask Gnome what sound an opossum makes. Running low on birdseed? That's where Gnome comes in. You can even use Gnome's proprietary high-intensity lasers to trim your hedges into whatever shape your heart desires," Google "markets" its new product.
Google Maps Ms. PAC-MAN
A project that will actually be available for a few days is Ms. PAC-MAN, which you can play in Google Maps. This is a classic game that everyone has surely seen or played before, but this time, the arcade game takes place overlaid on the streets of your neighborhood.
"Avoid Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Sue as you swerve the streets of real places around the world. But eat the pac-dots fast, because this game will only be around for a little while," Google encourages. MS PAC-MAN goes away on April 4. You can sign in to save your top score on the leaderboard and share it with your friends. The game works on all platforms.
Google Search for Cats and Dogs
Google released another prank saying that its search app for iOS was not optimized for cats and dogs. "On the Google app for iOS, you can now use 3D Touch on the app icon or head to settings and select I'm Feeling Woof or I'm Feeling Meow to let your dogs and cats get info on topics they care about - whether that means squeaky toys or a bowl of milk," Google claims.
Since we're on the topic of pets, we're also going to mention the Google Play for Pets which is a new category of Android games designed for your cats, dogs and other pets.
There are other projects Google announced this year, like the Heptapod B feature for Word Lens, a reference to the alien language from the movie "Arrival," Google Wind, the machine learning technology that controls the weather, Google Cloud's expansion to Mars, the Haptic Helpers VR expansion, or the bubble wrap alternative to the Japanese keyboard.