April Fools Pranks by Google

Every year, Google goes all out for April Fools Day.
For this week's blog post, I've compiled all of Google's 2014 pranks to share with all of you!

Google Magic Hand:

Google introduced a new method of input for smartphones in Japan... Just use this magic hand and it does all the work!  Check out this video!

From what I have gathered from the video, the nonexistent input device comes in right or left handed versions can replace your thumb, pinky, cat paw or back scratcher. 

Here is the release that Google put out on March 31, 2014 - yes, it is in Japanese! 

Google Maps Pokémon Challenge:

The Maps team at Google launched a Pokémon Challenge for IOS and Android users to become Poké Masters and 'catch em all' with the help of Google Maps. 

 When launching the Google Maps app, tap the "Search" option at the top of the screen and "Press Start" next to the blue Pokéball icon.  From there, you can use the map feature to catch the Pokémon by personally going to the location and adding them to your Pokédex... If that seems far too complicated, check out this video for a better explanation.

Google launched this Pokémon Challenge on their blog with a hilarious quote that said:

We value employees who are risk-taking and detail oriented, have deep technical knowledge, and can navigate through tall grass to capture wild creatures.  It turns out that these skills have a lot in common with another profession - that of the Pokémon Master.  With that in mind, we've worked with Pokémon and Nintendo to develop a new training tool to help people hone their Pokémon-capturing abilities using Google Maps... Dozen of wild Pokémon have taken up residence on streets, amidst forests and atop mountains throughout Google Maps... 

The two images below are examples of what the Goolge Maps feature looks like.

Gmail Shelfie

The email service Gmail was launched on April 1, 2004.  So, to celebrate Gmail turning 10, Gmail launched the gmail shelfie on their official gmail blog, which stands for SHareablesELFIE.  Last year, the Oxford Dictionairies named 'selfie' the 2013 word of the year so Gmail decided to take this one step further.

Google claims that they are responsible for the selfie, saying that Gmail is "the pioneering platform for selfies" and explained how the trend began by saying:

When custom themes launched back in 2012, we urged you to find "your perfect image and make Gmail your own."  And you did.  Many of you rushed to take photos of yourselves to upload as your Gmail Custom theme, which you started referring to as selfies.

The Google team even included this very scientific graph to back up their claim:

What do you think of Google's 2014 Pranks?  Are they better than last year?  Tell us what you think!