Like the tablet market, Google Glass may currently be viewed as a consumer product but it will soon be seen on the faces of IT and mobile employees.
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Tag Archives: Google
Google Glass breaks into business
Report: Waze Could Be In Play Again, With Google The Latest Suitor. Or Not Actually
Google is the latest suitor to be reportedly circling around social sat-nav smartphone app Waze. Bloomberg reports ‘people familiar with the matter’ who say Mountain View is considering an acquisition, and that Waze is “fielding expressions of interest from multiple parties and is seeking more than $ 1 billion”. However sources contacted by TechCrunch have poured cold water on the Google rumour.
TechCrunch
Google to lengthen SSL encryption keys from August
Google plans to upgrade the security of its SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificates, an important component of secure communications.
Computerworld News
Google being investigated by FTC over advertisements
Google is once again under FTC scrutiny, this time over its advertisement methods and whether it is using them to harm its competition, something that is separate from the issue closed earlier this year concerning whether it was in violation of antitrust laws. For now it remains a preliminary investigation, and there’s no word on
Google reportedly considering bid against Facebook to buy Waze
Waze is a navigational app that offers crowdsourced information on things such as traffic conditions, with the information and map updates coming from users themselves. The app has long been the source of acquisition rumors, with word having surfaced back in January that Apple was looking into buying the company, something that was later denied
Report: Google Could Soon Face New FTC Antitrust Probe Into Its Display Ads Business
Bloomberg today reports that Google could face a new U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) antitrust probe into its display advertising business. As Bloomberg’s Brian Womack and Sara Forden note, the FCC is looking into whether Google used its strong position in this market to “illegally curb competition.” The investigators, the report also notes, want to see if Google used its display ads business to “push companies to use more of its other services.”
TechCrunch
Google Takes Street View Trekker And Underwater Cameras To The Galapagos Islands, Coming To Google Maps Later This Year
Google today announced that it has been taking its Street View Trekker – the compact backpack version of its Street View cars – and its underwater Street View cameras to the Galapagos Islands and that it plans to make these images available on Google Maps later this year. The company worked together with the Charles Darwin Foundation, the Galapagos National Parks Directorate and, for the underwater survey, the Catlin Seaview Survey.
TechCrunch
Google X acquires kite-power start-up Makani
The research unit’s “focus on real atoms, not bits” is expanding to include the start-up’s work on tethered flying wings that are designed to generate 600 kilowatts of power. [Read more]
Google Capital to make investments in maturing tech firms
Google Ventures has a reputation for backing tech winners early on — it gave a boost to this little startup called Nest, for example. It wants to exert influence every step of the way, however, and it’s launching Google Capital to make this happen. The new fund is investing in firms that aren’t quite so young, but are doing “amazing things” aligned with Google’s interests, according to general partner Mike Pearson. While Google Capital won’t make its formal debut until the summer, it has already invested in three unnamed companies; we wouldn’t be surprised if we learn a lot more about the fund a few months’ time.
Source: PCWorld
Now for sale on Craigslist: Google Glass
Google’s terms of sale might prohibit Google Glass owners from pawning off their headsets, but that hasn’t stopped one from trying. [Read more]
Google begins sending Glass invitations to #ifihadglass applicants
Those who bought a pair of Google Glass Explorer Edition frames last year began receiving them not too long ago, making them the first round of the buying public to get their hands on the wearables. On February 20, we reported that a second round will be receiving Glass, this time with individuals submitting an
Google Drive for Android updates with document scanning
Google Drive for Android received a big update today with “a clean, simple card-style” layout, as well as the ability to scan documents, receipts, bills, etc. The new feature also comes with Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology that will allow you to easily search for said documents later, thanks to the ability for Google Drive
Eric Schmidt: Google Will Continue Investing In UK Even If Taxes Raised
DavidGilbert99 writes “Eric Schmidt hasn’t changed his stance on Google’s tax policies in the UK but has said that even if the tax legislation changes in the UK it will continue to invest in the country because ‘we love the UK.’ Gushing about its relationship with the UK, Schmidt said: ‘Google will invest in the UK no matter what you guys do, because the UK is just too important for us. The citizens are too important for us and in our view we provide too much good.’” (Beware the auto-playing video advertisements). This after writing an Op-Ed lamenting the complexity of international taxes.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Google Conversational Search turned on in Chrome update
Google’s new “conversational search” feature for Chrome has quietly been enabled, with the new feature appearing in the latest version of Google’s browser. Announced at I/O, the new Voice Search feature builds on the existing ability for Chrome to accept spoken search terms, now listing out your query on screen as you say it, and
Apple and Google rated 2013 top two most valuable global brands
Google Chrome 27 Is Out: 5% Faster Page Loads
An anonymous reader writes “Google on Tuesday released Chrome version 27 for Windows, Mac, and Linux. The new version features a big boost to page loads (now 5 percent faster on average) as well as significant updates for developers. The speed improvement is thanks to the introduction of ‘smarter behind-the-scenes resource scheduling,’ according to Google. Starting with this release, the scheduler more aggressively uses an idle connection and demotes the priority of preloaded resources so that they don’t interfere with critical assets.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Google Drops XMPP Support
Cbs228 writes “During last week’s Google I/O conference, the company announced a replacement for its aging Talk instant messenger: Google Hangouts. Hangouts, which is only available for Android, iOS, and Chrome, offers closer integration with Google+. Unfortunately, the new product drops support for the XMPP instant messaging protocol, which has been an integral part of Talk for over ten years. XMPP delivers instant messages to desktop clients, like Pidgin, and enables communication between users on different instant messaging networks. Hangouts users attempting to communicate with contacts on non-Google servers, such as jabber.org, have found that all communications have been suddenly and inexplicably severed. A Google account is now required to communicate with Hangouts users. Google Hangouts joins the ranks of an already-crowded ecosystem of closed, incompatible chat products like Skype.” Interesting, because Google Wave was based on XMPP and Google was integral to the creation of the Jingle extension that enabled video chatting over XMPP. Note that no end date has been set for Talk yet, but the end must surely be nigh given Google’s recent history of axing products like Reader and CalDAV support from their calendar app without much notice.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Google Checkout to shut down in November
Google will retire its Checkout payment processing tool on Nov. 20, and warned retailers they will need to move to a different payment processing platform.
Computerworld News
Google breach may have led to sensitive data leaks
Chinese hackers were blamed for breaking into Google’s servers in 2010; now, U.S. officials say these cyberattacks may have led to the release of secret government information. [Read more]
What happens when Google and NASA build a computer?
Google’s announcement last week that it plans to launch a new quantum computing laboratory with NASA may have boosted a highly specialized and slightly obscure field of study into a more mainstream light.
FOX News
Mary Lou Jepsen encourages Google X attitude in hardware engineering
The After Math: Google I/O 2013, BlackBerry Live and Nokia’s Lumia 925
A new Lumia phone from Nokia, this year’s Google I/O and BlackBerry Live — yep, it was a pretty hectic week for us, but also a good seven days for tech news. Even if Google didn’t have any truly new hardware for us, it’s started up its own on-demand music service, gave us more details on Google Glass, redesigned its Maps and, well, it was a very long keynote. Join us after the break for a numerical breakdown of that and the rest of the week’s big news.
Filed under: Nokia, Google, Blackberry
Google Glass Year In Review
It’s been a little over a year since Google started teasing something it called “Project Glass.” The futuristic, wearable computer that would change the way that you interact with the world was nothing more than a series of rumors for months before it was “formally introduced” in April 2012. Not known for hardware and not having a current bonafide physical device that was popular among consumers, many opined that this was Google’s way of begging for attention. It might have been, and it definitely worked. In thirteen months, Glass has gone from Star Trek fantasy to reality. It’s been quite the whirlwind of activity. The “wearable computing” age is upon us, and it’s been widely reported that Apple was working on a watch, therefore many assumed that Google was working on a similar device to keep up. This was clearly not the case and Google’s co-founder Sergey Brin took special interest in the Glass project and has been leading the charge going back to when prototype weighed around eight pounds in August 2011. Let’s take a stroll down memory lane, as a lot has happened over the past year in Glassland. It’s real(ish) The video from Google itself got sent people’s imaginations into overdrive. It was called “One day…” and gave us a glimpse into the life of a daily user of what Google had up its sleeve. We now know that the “One day…” reference had more to do with what the product could become, not what it would be in its first iteration: The user experience in this video is aspirational, at best, as the current iteration of Glass is more of a compliment and utility to your day, rather than the augmented reality “enhancer” as this video demonstrates. Still, the elements that make Glass handy are all there, taking calls, getting directions and taking pictures from a new point of view. Immediately after the video, and public admonishment that the project was real, the press wondered out loud if Apple should compete and that other companies should stand up and take notice. We also now know that the rumored final name for the device, Google Eye, isn’t likely. Good thing, because it sounds way creepier than Glass. We’ll get to more “creepiness” later. It was clear that Glass was getting a lot of attention, both positive and negative, from the start. Even Jon Stewart did a parody
TechCrunch
Google: America’s third political party
At last weeks I/O conference, Google’s Larry Page didn’t speak like a CEO. He spoke like a politician. [Read more]
Google Maps-driven Map Dive 3D-tracking hands-on
This week the folks at the development studio known as Instrument have brought a virtual reality demonstration to Google I/O 2013, complete with a multi-display drop from the upper atmosphere down toward the earth in freefall. What this demonstration consisted of was seven 1080p displays, each of them run by their own Ubuntu PC working
Google Translate now serves 200 million people daily
The company breaks down language barriers a billion times a day, it reveals at Google I/O. On the to-do list: real-time conversation translation. [Read more]
Google Offers integration arrives for Google+ users
Google Offers integration has arrived in Google+. The initial support will be limited to a handful of participating businesses, however that number is likely to grow with time. For now those looking to get in on the offers should pay attention to the +GoogleOffers page. Google has said the integration will allow users to discover,
Wired Writer Imagines Google Island
theodp writes “The last thing Wired’s Mat Honan remembered before awaking on the self-driving boat that dropped him on the island was sitting through a four-hour Google I/O keynote in Moscone Center and hearing Google CEO Larry Page promote a vision of a utopia where society could be free to innovate and experiment, unencumbered by government regulations or social norms. ‘Welcome to Google Island,’ a naked-save-for-a-pair-of-eyeglasses Larry Page tells Honan. ‘As soon as you hit Google’s territorial waters, you came under our jurisdiction, our terms of service. Our laws — or lack thereof — apply here. By boarding our self-driving boat you granted us the right to all feedback you provide during your journey. This includes the chemical composition of your sweat. Remember when I said at I/O that maybe we should set aside some small part of the world where people could experiment freely and examine the effects? I wasn’t speaking theoretically. This place exists. We built it.’”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Google Glass and the men’s room urinals
commentary What mind-blowing breakthrough will result from the advent of Google’s high-tech specs? Maybe redesigned men’s rooms? CNET’s Danny Sullivan considers the topic, and shares his stream of consciousness. [Read more]
Google+ and Glass just got the upgrade for lifelogging everything
If you’re still laughing at Google+, and at Google Glass, then it might be time to stop; Google has just shown that they’re its next route to digitally understanding everything about you, and it slipped that through in the guise of a simple photo gallery tool. Highlights is one of the few dozen new features
Google H840 media streamer hits FCC to potentially replace Nexus Q
Google’s short-lived Nexus Q has already been left out of the Google Play Music All Access action, but there looks to be a successor in the pipeline, with a new Google media player spotted in FCC testing. The Google H840 (product code H2G2-42, an apparent play on The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) WiFi-testing listing
Google Faces Another Antitrust Probe As Canadian Agency Prepares Formal Investigation
Google is facing another competition investigation, according to the Financial Post. The Canadian Competition Bureau has informed Mountain View of its plans to launch a formal investigation of its Canadian operations. It has not yet requested any information or documents from Google but has informed the search giant of its intention to launch a probe.
TechCrunch
The Impending Headache of Google Glass Apps
Glass apps will require people to create new content filters. Maybe that’s just a losing battle.
Would you want your daily horoscope beamed to your right eye? That’s the vision of the future I saw when I tried out the fashion magazine Elle’s app for Google Glass yesterday, one of several apps announced at the extravagant software developer love-fest the internet company puts on every year.
From Our Archive: Wearable Computing, Long Before Google Glass
Google Glass prescription frames appear at Google I/O [UPDATE]
We’ve heard several times that Google Glass would be available for those with actual prescription glasses, but details have been a bit slim regarding this. However, during Google I/O this week, prescription Google Glass frames have indeed been spotted on the heads of several Google employees, but it’s said they’re still in the prototype phase
Peep this: Google Glass for eyeglass wearers revealed
At Google I/O, developer services hogged the spotlight
Forget Glass, self-driving cars or a smartwatch. Developers, not physical consumer products, were Google's darlings at the company's annual I/O conference this week.
Computerworld News
Google Glass ‘prescription edition’ makes a cameo at Google I/O

Google I/O is always full of surprises, and we came across yet another elusive bit of hardware on the show floor today: Google Glass “prescription edition”. No, it’s not actually called that (we made up the name), but what you’re looking at is definitely Glass that’s been neatly integrated with a pair of prescription glasses. Unfortunately we don’t really know anything else about this device, but we’ve reached out to Google for comment. Are these a one-off custom design built by combining Google Glass Explorer Edition with off-the shelf eyewear? Is this a Glass prototype that’s intended specifically for people who wear prescription spectacles? Share your thoughts in the comments and don’t forget to check out the gallery below.
Brad Molen contributed to this report.
Google I/O 2013 on-site Wrap-up: Glass, Developers, and Services on tap
It’s a return to form here at Google I/O 2013, with none other than Google’s own Vice President of Android Product Management Hugo Barra letting us know that he’d personally fought hard for a more developer-focused single keynote address. As past years had been notably more consumer and product-focused than 2013, it’s not a flash-bang
Google Play In-App Purchase Revenue Growth Jumps 7X In One Year, Subscription Revenue Growing 2X Each Quarter
Google held a session today at I/O 2013 about how to make money on Android, and in the initial few minutes it shared some updated stats around Google Play revenues and how those are progressing. Not surprisingly, the big growth is coming with in-app purchases, though Google’s recently launched subscription model is also making headway.
TechCrunch
Google woos developers as software gains importance
Google did its best to court developers at this year's I/O conference with a much-needed integrated developer environment, API for better games and the ability to more easily translate apps.
Computerworld News
NYC’s Chief Digital Officer Rachel Haot on borough hopping with Google Maps and the Macintosh II
Every week, a new and interesting human being tackles our decidedly geeky take on the Proustian Q&A. This is the Engadget Questionnaire.
This week’s edition of our regular session on inquiry chats with the nation’s first Chief Digital Officer, Rachel Haot. NYC’s CDO discusses navigating the five boroughs with Google Maps and her filtered photo obsession. Head on past the jump for the full set of responses.
Filed under: Misc
Source: Distro Issue 91
Google Glass privacy concerns worry lawmakers
Early Google Glass users finding ‘sense of freedom’
People new to basically wearing a computer on their face are walking around Google I/O, exaggeratedly nodding their heads to activate the devices, and taking pictures and video. They’re also checking their email, the weather and flight schedules — all without taking their smartphones out of their pockets.
Computerworld News
At Google I/O, Glass wearers say 'trust us'
Google is facing some tough questions from Congress over the privacy concerns raised by Glass, its fledgling augmented reality system for recording and receiving information on the fly. But on the ground at the company's I/O conference for developers, attendees are largely enthusiastic about the technology.
Computerworld News
Experience A Google Maps Free Fall With Instrument’s Maps Dive At Google I/O
One of the most interesting product demos on display at Google I/O this year was a virtual sky-diving simulation built using eight separate computers running Chrome, along with a Kinect-like motion sensor made by ASUS called the Xtion Pro. The Maps Dive experiment was created by Portland-based independent digital agency Instrument.
TechCrunch
Lawmakers press Google on Glass privacy
Members of a U.S. congressional group on privacy wrote Thursday to Google CEO Larry Page requesting information on how the futuristic device handles privacy issues.
Computerworld News
Google Betting Its Google+ Systems Know What’s Best For You
Nerval’s Lobster writes “But at this year’s Google I/O conference in San Francisco, Google announced that it has a plan to make Google Plus users more engaged, courtesy of new features backed by a handful of data-analytics tricks. Google Plus postings now feature Google-generated hashtags that, when clicked, direct the user to related content from across their network. From a backend-infrastructure perspective, that sort of thing leans heavily on Google’s semantic analysis and the ability to make the right connections between various pieces of data. Google Plus will also automatically highlight certain photos out of dozens or even hundreds of shots. Say you went on vacation to India and took some photos of your significant other in front of the Taj Mahal; Google Plus will leverage its database of information to recognize that as a prominent landmark and pluck those photos out of the pile as ‘special.’ In the words of that posting on the Google+ Blog: ‘Your darkroom is now a Google data center.’ Are all these nifty, analytics-intensive features enough to change the larger fortunes of Google Plus? That’s the big question. Google has a handsome-looking platform, one that performs certain activities with a high degree of polish and zip—but is that enough to counter Facebook?”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.








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