If this year’s April 1 has proven anything it is that those guys at Google have way too much time on their hands.

You Tube Announce World’s Best Video

The internet giant has managed to produce not just one elaborate hoax this year, but three.

It’s been an eight year contest to find the world’s best video and it is time to pick a winner.” So says an earnest video — on YouTube, of course.

The duplicity doesn’t stop there. Google Nose is the new way to search for what you need on the internet. Think cute puppy, sniffing, yeah, you got it!

But wait, there’s more. Google have also been promoting yet another “new product”. Treasure Mode on Google Maps is based on actual maps discovered in a sea chest recovered from a sunken galleon, or some such, that belonged to Captain Kidd.

Google have digitised these maps, complete with the elaborate codes, symbols. Check out the Treasure Maps street view team of deep sea divers.

Sacla produce ‘Pasta for the Social Media Generation’

Addicted to social media? Hungry?

Well, then, Sacla have the product for you as the Italian foodie brand announce ‘a ground breaking product for the social media generation.’

@welsh_Pr and @ianaddison were among those on Twitter who noted their website is promoting Twitteroni, a social media alphabet pasta that comes complete with hashtags and @ signs.

Ikea’s Flat-Pack Easter Egg

(via @stevelownes)

Twitter Announce ‘Consonants Only Service’

Over on Twitter’s blog we read ‘Starting today, we are shifting to a two-tiered service: Everyone can use our basic service, Twttr, but you only get consonants. For five dollars a month, you can use our premium “Twitter” service which also includes vowels’.

‘We’re doing this because we believe that by eliminating vowels, we’ll encourage a more efficient and “dense” form of communication. We also see an opportunity to diversify our revenue stream. Here’s our mockup of the most retweeted Tweet of all time as it would appear in the new Twttr’

(via @andrewbloch)

‘Bangs by Durex’

The condom manufacturer announces ‘The world’s first sex noise-cancelling headphones’.

The Guardian Launch Guardian Goggles

Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger can barely contain his excitement as he reveals the media giant’s latest innovation: Guardian Goggles, “because life’s too short to think for yourself”.

There’s an accompanying video, of course. “Wouldn’t life be so much easier if you had instant access to a constant stream of specially curated liberal and left wing opinion? Welcome to Guardian Goggles.”

Their idea of an “onboard mini Monbiot,” though is so good it can only be a matter of time before he is introduced as a permanent feature of the iPad app.

(via @JonathanHaynes)

Virgin Atlantic launches Glass Bottomed Plane

Thanks to @crazycowpat among others to spot Richard Branson proudly announcing his latest innovation: a glass bottomed plane.

(Actually – this is a great idea Richard – you should do this)

BMW Launch Royal Pram

BMW have announced the ultimate baby transportation device: the P.R.A.M. – just in time for the Royal arrival – for those too posh to push.

The P.R.A.M. (Postnatal Royal Auto Mobile) will be ‘available in Princess Pink or Royal Blue’

The Today Programme Go Trainspotting

Radio 4’s flagship news show Today sent Nicola Standbridge to interview trainspotters about a new smartphone app that was revolutionising the world of trainspotting.

By placing a barcode on the side of trains, anorak wearing enthusiasts will no longer have to scribble numbers in little black books but will instead be able to log trains straight onto their phone and share them via social media sites.

The completely deadpan report will have the chattering classes pondering this one for days.

The New Statesman is changing its masthead to Comic Sans

In a story on the magazine’s website we read; “It’s a classic font, and one which has been unfairly maligned,” said Wolfgang Brick of the Berlin design house Täuschen, which was employed by the NS to makeover the title.

(via @katharine_weir)

Pot Noodle Launch Deodorant

(via @ SpacemanSonic)

Sony Launch Headphones For Cats

Ooh another headphones yarn…Sony is all set to tap into a new market by producing headphones for cats – and other pets.

They have released a realistic photo of a cat sporting a pair of the M3-OW KittyCans.

“Now that there are more households with pets than with children, we are targeting pet owners who want to provide unique entertainment experiences for their furry, four-legged family members,” says a spokesperson for Sony’s new Animalia line.

“Sony is known for making products that enrich our lives, and the Animalia line was developed for domesticated animals who also naturally seek visual, music and emotional experiences.”

via Mashable

Roy-Owl Mail

Spotting a genuine April Fool in the Daily Mail is always a challenege.

Tapping Harry Potter for ideas, this wizard wheeze is a yarn about how budget cuts have led one animal sanctuary to train owls to deliver letters in place of, er, email.

“Eight of the centre’s 45 owls have been specially trained since the ‘Roy-owl Mail’ project began last week,” reports Nesta Vowles.

“The birds have been taught to recognise six primary colours, each coded with a letter from A to F. This enables them to swoop down and pick up items of post from six colour co-ordinated out-trays, which are lettered accordingly, and deliver them to in-trays of the same colour elsewhere on the two-square-mile site.”

Jodie Marsh Launches Tanseal

It’s just a matter of time before we’ll all be painting on the dark mahogony just like fun loving body builder slash glamour girl Jodie reports The Sun.

“After weeks of talks and intensive laboratory tests, Jodie started using the new self-tanning product, called Tanseal, which comes in an authentic style tin complete with its own paintbrush for streak-free application.”

As Jodie tells the paper: “It felt a bit weird, at first, using a paint brush and a tin to put on my tan but I’m used to it now and I refuse to use anything else.”

The Mirror trial instagram-style web filters

The online version of the paper tells us it is the first website to trial “Instagram-style filters” that will allow you to customise the MirrorOnline reading experience.

“Thanks to the rise of apps and social media networks like Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, anyone can pretend the pictures they capture today on hugely expensive and impressive pieces of technology were actually taken on crappy old cameras from the ’70,” the Mirror says. “And now, for the first time, MirrorOnline is bringing the use of filters to websites.”

The five options are Ancient (“our 1903 origins”), MS Dos, X-Ray, Backwards and Drunk – in which only the headlines are visible and everything else is a blur.

In case there’s any danger that we think they might be serious they alert us to the fact that we can “check out the future of the internet up until midday April 1”.

Thanks to @darrenlang and others for pointing out Firebox’s latest offering: an Ironman suit, just £250,000.

Lynx release ‘0% Effect’ deodorant.

For men that already have a girlfriend.

(via @ lynxeffect)

The Vertical Bathtub

Love the feel of a long soak in a hot bath but don’t have the space for a tub in your bathroom?

Bathstore.com announce a world first in bathing – the revolutionary Vertical Bath™.

(via @Mr_LoveBucket)

Buckingham Palace now available to book on hotels.com

(via @AndrewBloch)

From Metro’s very meta April Fools, April Fools round-up

(Via Metro h/t @ richjm)

Kit Kat Launch New Product

Mmm Chicken chocolate

(via @adrianokeeffe)

and finally..Bacon Mouthwash