Google's latest doodle is a balls-up

Google goes doodle crazy
Google goes doodle crazy

Google has shown off another of its crazy logos, this time it's one you can interact with.

The logo comprises coloured balls which you can move around the screen – something which is annoyingly addictive to do... and then just annoying.

Try and figure out the meaning of the logo, though, and you may well fail. This is because there doesn't seem to be any historical significance tying the balls to anything. Which in itself is rather unique for Google.

Google has been tweaking with its homepage logo more and more of late – we're putting it down to far too much 20 per cent time.

This latest doodle comes after Google celebrated the launch of the Buckyball, which had been invented 25 years previous.

Google balls

So what is the mystery of the balls?

Here are our five top suggestions:

Google Ball Google is to launch a new site where it will test the durability of the world's balls. Everything from beach balls to baseballs will be rated.

Google Bounce: Google is to get in the vehicle business with its rival to the Segway. Called Google Bounce, the contraption looks and feels like a space hopper, except it will track everywhere you bounce and will showcase your bouncy talents on Street View.

Bring on the ball: This is a new initiation test for Google employees, where they have to stand in a metre square and get hit by a massive (rubber) wrecking ball. If they stay standing, then they are worthy of a paycheck from Brin and co.

Masked ball: Google is to announce a worldwide celebration of its doodles by inviting all that has used its search page to a masked ball, where you have to dress up as your favourite doodle. Extra kudos if you turn up as Pacman.

Google Ballpoint: Fearing the internet is going to explode in a mushy mess of porn and double rainbows, Google will announce its branching out into the pen market with the Google Ballpoint. It's just like a normal pen but you will always lose it and will have to 'search' for it everywhere.

One thing the Google logo does use is HTML5, which is a first for the company - unless you count the Pacman game, which wasn't so much a logo but the biggest time-waster ever.

So, it may well be that Google is showing off just what it can do with HTML5 within Chrome and Firefox.

Marc Chacksfield

Marc Chacksfield is the Editor In Chief, Shortlist.com at DC Thomson. He started out life as a movie writer for numerous (now defunct) magazines and soon found himself online - editing a gaggle of gadget sites, including TechRadar, Digital Camera World and Tom's Guide UK. At Shortlist you'll find him mostly writing about movies and tech, so no change there then.