Google Stars Extension For Chrome Leaks: Hands On 26
An anonymous reader writes "We've known for a while now that Google is testing a new favoriting service called Google Stars, aimed at helping users save, share, and organize Web content. This is largely due to multiple leaks, detailing features as well as showing off the interface in a video and screenshots. Today, Google+ user Florian Kiersch, who has done the majority of the digging behind the service, has leaked the Google Stars extension for Google Chrome."
Googlizing favorites! (Score:2, Informative)
My guess is that Google's main purpose behind Stars is to get closer to being a portal for everything people do on the web. There are three ways I can think of to access web content:
1. Use a search engine
2. Type directly into the address bar
3. Click on a "Favorites" item
Obviously, Google is a popular search engine, and so using a search engine often means using Google. Also, depending on the browser, typing into the address bar often also starts a web search, so that option also means using Google. However, at the moment, the Favorites feature is Google's rival, because it's a convenient way of accessing the web without having to use a search engine.
But with Google Stars, you can make your Favorites list searchable, and shareable... by using Google! Now every time you access anything on the web, you'll be doing a Google search to get there.
Re:StumbleUpon? (Score:4, Informative)
What's the benefit other than explicitly giving Google (and advertisers) your bookmark data?
Google doesn't give, sell or otherwise provide user data to advertisers.