What are good ways to contact Google and pitch an idea to them?

To submit a business idea/proposal: http://www.google.com/support/contact/bin/request.py?hl=en&contact_type=bizdev&rd=1 To give feedback/suggestions on products (general): http://www.google.com/tools/feedback/intl/en/index.html Then there are also specific feedback/suggestion for for each product that may go directly to that department, for example: Chrome http://www.google.com/support/chrome/bin/request.py?contact_type=feedback Docs http://docs.google.com/support/bin/request.py?contact_type=survey Android http://www.google.com/support/androidmarket/bin/request.py?contact_type=survey Places http://www.google.com/support/places/bin/request.py?contact_type=survey Basically, go here http://www.google.com/support/?hl=en and type in the search box "[product] feedback" to get most the one(s) you're looking for.  The very top links I would suggest using first though.

Realistically speaking, there is no way to do this as an outsider, especially given that you have a goal of retaining some sense of ownership over it.  Your best bet would either be a) to get a job at Google or b) to build something that is close to what you envisage using Google APIs and hope Google notices it.

Other options include clicking the "Give us feedback" link at the bottom of the search results page or visiting the "Suggestions" category in the Google Web Search Forum (http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Web+Search?hl=en&utm_source=HC&utm_medium=leftnav&utm_campaign=websearch)

Sad, great ideas need nurturing. When you consider autonimous AI integrated with google data, why would anyone even offer forth their thoughts, short of "getting a job with google". Why not google listen to ideas, and then offer the jobs. They will get the idea then anyway. Otherwise why would anyone want to work with google. If google in the beginning was nothing but a folding table with some pc's on it,.... how on earth did they grow? They grew by taking in great idea's WITH the idea maker.

Start here: http://googleproductideas.blogspot.com/ Google uses a product called "Google Product Ideas" (powered by an internal tool called Google Moderator) for each of their products. You should be able to locate the right instance of Google Product ideas to submit your suggestions.

You open your start-up and wait for them to acquire you.

Do what the founders of YouTube did. Or Nest. Or Titan Aerospace. Or ....

You don't. Ideas are a dime a dozen. Make a prototype and talk then.

I am somewhat new to commenting on hearing aids, so please forgive me if this is old ground; My father has had to have hearing aids for more than 20 years, due to an industrial injury and during that period he has used the full gambit of aids that are available. During that period I have been monitoring his problems and have tried to help him. I think the first point I should make is that I am appalled at the current status quo; it seems to be a complete shambles. Over the years my father has tried just about every hearing aid available, including NHS and private ones. He has spent a least £8,000 and although different models have become available, he still has yet  to find one that works satisfactorily. All of them improve his hearing initially, the problem is, that for a whole range of reasons, they eventually stop working. The main reasons being due to wax from the ear blocking the device, battery life, breakage, battery fitment, battery supply, misplacement and malfunction. I could go on but I think this gives the picture. The main problem as I see it is the mindless obsession for these devices to be small and invisible, clearly if these devices are made so small you are just asking for problems, I simply do not understand why they have to be so small. Today, my father, who is now 92 lives in a care home, but still has all his marbles,. The staff there say hearing aids are the bane of their lives and they spend (waste) more time trying to sort these problems than they do with anything else.  What a waste of time and money! To give you some idea of the problem of lack a reliable hearing aid causes my father, I’ll give you this example; My father has the latest, behind the ear hearing aid, I don’t know the make, but they all have the same problems.  If he cannot hear he gets very frustrated and angry as he cannot participate in anything or even hear the TV. When his aid works he is happy and content. When it doesn’t he becomes very depressed. These days his fingers are not as nibble as they were and his eyesight has deteriorated, he cannot now service the devices by himself. Incidentally, I also struggle and my fingers are fine, I’m a model maker. These devices are so small and fiddly that it is difficult replacing batteries and cleaning blocked tubes. My father regularly drops his and they break and he takes hours trying to get the fitment in his ear, only to find he has been trying to put it in the wrong one! When you consider these devices are for old people, the people who designed them have some serious flaws in their abilities! And as for batteries, they only last a short while ( mainly because they have to be so small). The staff at the care home have draw full of batteries, they are all different as all the inmates who need them have different hearing aids and the batteries are not interchangeable. So, now here is my question;  What the hell is going on here? When you consider that a fantastically brilliant iphone, (which does a million more things than a hearing aid) costs around £300 and a hearing aid can cost up to £3,000 for each ear, with similar numbers being sold, there is something very strange going on here.    My second question is; why can’t a hearing aid be just like an iphone? The sound quality is superb, they are very robust and reliable , reasonably priced, re-chargeable AND the ear phones stay in the ear and are comfortable. I don’t think most people who worry about the size (anyway who would know it wasn’t an iphone ?) My father said all he wants is something which does the job, he doesn't care about the size. I look forward to your comments Colin Smith