The best of April Fool’s Day 2011 from around the web

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, Google, Internet

April Fool's Day is upon us, and that means that you can never be too sure if anything you read today is true or bogus. Everyone from Google and Hulu to Funny or Die and Groupon have come up with their own gags, and here's a look at some of the ones circulating this morning. If you see any other notable April Fool's Day jokes, let us know in the comments.

GOOGLE

Chromercise: In a throw-back to Jane Fonda and the Jazzercise era, Google is helping you get your fingers limbered up for some searching with Chromercise. Strap on your most flattering 80s fingerwarmers and Google-fied headbands, and feel the burn.

YouTube: While you might think that YouTube was founded in the last decade, it actually dates back to 1911, when videos of horse and buggy crashes and pre-talkie fruit conversations dominated the airwaves. And of course, pets were still able to play instruments with ease; trumpet cat ftw.

Autocompleter: You thought those auto-completes on Google were done by an algorithm? Nah, it's just Michael, an auto-completer at Google. He started out as a spell checker, but now provides users with suggestions as they type. Michael averages about 34,000 words per minute and goes through a keyboard every eight days.

Comic Sans for Everyone: As we all know, comic sans is everyone's favorite font. As a result, Google will roll it out as its default fonts across all Google products, effective April 4. It's live for a few lucky people in the Google Labs Trusted Tester Beta Preview Sandbox program, so check it out.

Gmail Motion: Typing and using a mouse to write emails? Blech. With Gmail Motion, you can use your Webcam and simple movements to tell Gmail what to write. To open an email, move your hands like your opening an envelope. To reply, point your thumb behind you; use both hands to reply all.

HULU: It's the mid-90s again on Hulu.com, with Geocities-esque layout (complete with the "in construction" yellow shovel man) and episodes of "NewsRadio," "Sliders," and "The X-Files." After your dial-up connection is complete, be sure to check out Will Ferrell on "SNL" and some helpful morning-show clips that will tell you about the bizarre new trend of banks charging ATM fees.

BLIZZARD: Who wants to sit still and participate in real-time strategy games? Using the power of Kinect and "Starcraft II," Blizzard has created the next-generation motion-based game, "StarCraft: Motion Overdrive." To play, the company requests that you "wave your arms in the air like you do, in fact, care."

RAZER: Feeling a little sluggish? With the Razer Talon, the world's first gaming bio-exoskeleton, gamers will jump from 100 actions-per-minute (APM) to over 3,000 APMs. "With its intelligent movement programmability and state of the art construction, your opponents, like your keyboard, will be left smoldering in a cloud of smoke," the company promises.

ANGRY NERDS: What do you do when you have bugs in your code? Send in the Angry Nerds, according to Atlassian. Launch your nerds into those peksy bugs from an ergonomic chair, and don't forget to buy the plush toys.

HOOTSUITE: For those looking for a less angry gaming experience, Happy Owls is for you. With over 48 levels of "fowl play," Happy Owls lets you choose your owl (Santa? Pirate? 3D?) and enjoy "hours of fun with challenging flight options, tricky targets and crazy new levels."

SPOTIFY: Good news for U.S.-based Spotify fans! TechCrunch reports that the company will shut down its entire European operation just to fund a U.S. effort. "America has always been the most important and lucrative market for web services, and so the decision to close down our European operations to fund a US launch was, frankly, a no-brainer," the company told the publication. In other news, TechCrunch also reports that the Huffington Post has erected a paywall that applies only to New York Times employees.

TOSHIBA SPECTACLE: Full 3D glasses are so 2010. This year it's all about the 3D spectacle from Toshiba. "Unbelievable 3D realism in a simple monocle," the company says.

GROOVESHARK: On a similar note, music site Grooveshark has also gone 3D with "3D Shark" - or "a journey to the center of your face."

THINKGEEK: Everyone needs some more tech gadgets, right? The folks at ThinkGeek have come up with some perfect trinkets for April Fools' Day, from Angry Birds Pork Rinds and the Playmobil Apple Store Play Set to Star Wars Lightsaber Popsicles and the Minecraft USB desktop nether portal.

GROUPON: Google patented its doodles, why can't Groupon get April Fool's Day? The deals site has filed a patent application for April Fool's Day, so prepare for a legal battle on April 1 in the years to come. "Groupon's acquisition of the previously unprofitable April Fools' Day™ gives consumers more choices and better options. You'll never again be confused by other corporations' April 1 pranks, since Groupon will be taking friendly, but swift, but hostile, legal actions against any nonlicensed April Fools' Day™ joke," the company said.

DEALS FOR HIPSTERS: Not sure you can afford to be a true hipster? Not everyone can afford a $50 American Apparel t-shirt, and that's where Deals for Hipsters from Deal Pinch comes in. Today's deal, for example, offers up "a pair of lenseless frames, guaranteed to make you more attractive to the opposite sex embuing the wearer with incredible hipster credibility" - for just $19.

FUNNY OR DIE: In the spirit of "Bieber or Die!," Funny or Die is paying tribute to the much-maligned "Friday" singer Rebecca Black with "Friday or Die." Black breaks down her classic song in new videos, including "Betwixt the Music," "Which Seat Should I Take?," and "Sunday Comes Afterwards."

STARBUCKS: Going to a physical Starbucks is such a drag. What if Starbucks came to you? Using the location-based functionality of the Starbucks Mobile Pour app, a barista on a scooter will deliver your drink wherever your might be. Starbucks is sending out two scooter baristas per every square mile in seven of the country's largest cities to ensure speedy service.

DENNY'S: When you can't smell the fresh aroma of cooking bacon at a nearby Denny's, fire up the restaurant's new bacon-scented mobile app, dubbed Baconalia! Get your bacon fix for just $2.99.

IGN: Harry Potter is all grown up and ready to fight crime in this new FX drama, "The Aurors." Check your local listings.

THE CANTERBURY DISTRIBUTION:
Whan that Aprille 1 with his jokes soote
Debian, Gentoo, Grml, and openSUSE
Hath joyned with Arch Linux and unifyed
And foughten for the pouere to be simplifyed.
With a newe Cantebury distribution,
No cristen company so ofte of their degree
Has foughten swich OS proprietarie.

Jill Duffy contributed to this report.

This article, written by Chloe Albanesius, originally appeared on PCMag.com and is republished on Gear Live with the permission of Ziff Davis, Inc.