Tag Archives: Google

Sprint’s Android users get carrier billing in Google Play

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American Android users started getting carrier billing in Google Play early this month through T-Mobile (and later AT&T), and now Sprint can join the party. Any app, book, music or video purchase can be tacked on to the monthly bill for your EVO 4G LTE instead of going through Google. The move leaves Verizon as the only major US carrier without a carrier billing option, so you’ll have to sit tight if you own the original US Galaxy Nexus and hate the thought of a separate download bill. We’ve also heard nothing about regional carriers being on the roadmap, but we’ll keep you posted.

Sprint’s Android users get carrier billing in Google Play originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 21:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget

Google Docs facilitates finding facts and doing research

A new feature in Google’s word processing program let’s users access the Web giant’s search function and “with just a couple clicks you can look up maps, quotes, images, and much more.”
[Read more]
CNET News

Isis partners with Austin and Salt Lake City merchants, throws John Stockton elbow at Google Wallet

Isis partners with Austin and Salt Lake City merchants, throws John Stockton elbow at Google Wallet

Mobile payment system Isis continues to rack up passengers on its merry bandwagon, gaining support from local merchants in two cities for its NFC wallet service. The carrier-based program announced that hundreds of merchant locations in Austin, Texas and Salt Lake City, Utah are entering the Isis fold — joining national entities such as Coca-Cola and Macy’s in its initial list of partners. The selection of participating local businesses runs the gamut from cafes and restaurants to a country club and the Utah Jazz. The platform has already corralled support from handset makers, point-of-sale terminal purveyors and credit card companies such as American Express. Expect some Mortal Kombat action for your mobile purse strings between Google Wallet and Isis once the latter launches this summer. In the meantime, check out the obligatory PR after the break.

Continue reading Isis partners with Austin and Salt Lake City merchants, throws John Stockton elbow at Google Wallet

Isis partners with Austin and Salt Lake City merchants, throws John Stockton elbow at Google Wallet originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 May 2012 22:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget

Google+ is a ghost town, study says

Google’s emerging social network Google+ may boast big user numbers, but a new study suggests that social activity and user engagement are anything but impressive.




FOXNews.com

Google Nexus tablet tipped in Samsung codes

There’s a whole new wave of evidence this week being revealed by none other than Google that points toward them working with Samsung on the next Android Nexus tablet. A Nexus device, for those of you that do not know, is a device that works with Google’s Android in its most basic “vanilla” iteration, and

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SlashGear

Techies: Got Questions For SF Mayor Ed Lee? Join Him (And Me) On Google+

ed leeOver the past few months, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee has become a familiar face at local startup events — whether it’s at the Crunchie Awards, the opening of Dropbox’s new office, or the NewMe Accelerator Demo Day, where he was interviewed by Colleen Taylor (to name a few). Now he’s offering the tech community a chance to weigh in on the city budget.

Mayor Lee has already held a number of town hall meetings to discuss the budget, but if you’re working startup hours, those can be hard to get to. So following the lead of President Obama, Mayor Lee is jumping on Google+ to get your perspective.
TechCrunch

Mobile – Facebook And Google Can’t Live With It And They Can’t Live Without It

zuckerbergThis week Facebook did a virtually unprecedented thing. In the middle of its IPO roadshow it modified its S1 filing in reaction to questions it had been being asked by analysts. The modification I refer to stated that Facebook wanted to acknowledge a trend; that trend is the declining ARPU (average revenue per user) being seen in its current quarter. This trend is being driven, Facebook said, by the growth in its usage on mobile platforms and its inability to monetize those platforms in the same way, or at the same rate, as its desktop/laptop offerings.

The previous iterations of the S1 had all contained the possibility of this trend. Even the likelihood of it. But the actuality of the trend was noted here for the first time in the S1.
TechCrunch

Google Maps update offers indoor walking directions

Google Maps is stepping in a new direction — indoors. The mapping service rolled out an update offering several additions including indoor walking directions, allowing users in the U.S. and Japan to use Google Maps to navigate inside malls and airports.




FOXNews.com

Google Talks About Its Ubuntu Experience



dartttt writes “There was a very interesting session at the Ubuntu Developer Summit by Google developer Thomas Bushnell. He talked about how Ubuntu, its derivatives and Goobuntu (Google’s customized Ubuntu based distro) are used by Google developers. He starts by saying ‘Precise Rocks,’ and that many Google employees use Ubuntu — including managers, software engineers, translators, people who wrote the original Unix, and people who have no clue about Unix. Many developers working on Chrome and Android use Ubuntu. Ubuntu systems at Google are upgraded every LTS release. The entire process of upgrading can take as much as four months, and it is also quite expensive, as one reboot or a small change can cost them as much as a million dollars across the company.”
Bushnell also mentions that Google Drive will soon be available for Linux. Other news out of UDS: there was discussion of a GNOME flavor of 12.10, Electronic Arts reaffirmed that they “won’t delay their Windows work for Linux,” and Unity 2D is likely to disappear in 12.10.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.


Slashdot

Court rules NSA can keep mum on ties with Google

A federal appeals court has turned down a Freedom of Information Act request to disclose National Security Agency records about the 2010 cyberattack on Google users in China.




FOXNews.com

Microsoft Bing goes social in search war with Google

Microsoft’s move to boost Bing’s social networking feaures could finally give it an opportunity to truly take on Google’s dominant search engine, analysts say.
Computerworld News

Bing to battle Google with Facebook-friendly format

Microsoft’s Bing search engine is heading in a new direction as it drills deeper into Facebook’s social network and Twitter’s messaging service to showcase information unlikely to be found on Google.
 




FOXNews.com

Bing reborn: New UI, Facebook and Google+ integration, more

Microsoft has launched a new version of its Bing search engine, giving it a Windows 8-style UI refresh and integrating social networks so that searchers can factor in the opinions of their friends. ”Research tells us that 90% of people consult with a friend or expert before making a decision” Microsoft said of the Bing changes.

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SlashGear

‘Anonymous’ Social Network Anybeat Is Getting Bought And Shut Down. Dmitry Shapiro Going To Google+?

anybeat1Anybeat, a social network that launched last year as a kind of “anti-Facebook” to meet people you don’t already know, is getting bought by another company and is shutting down. The company posted a message to its users a few hours ago noting that it would be closing up operations in two weeks.

The service, which launched as a beta in September 2011 (we offered invites here), was founded by Dmitry Shapiro, who had also founded Veoh and at one point had been the CTO of MySpace. It’s been reported that he is moving to Google to head up Google +.

TechCrunch

Google+ needs iPhone more than Android

Google has a problem, and it’s all about commitment and addiction. The release of Google+ for iPhone v2.0 today has already got Android lovers up in arms, furious at what they see as favoritism for the rival platform. Google should, they argue, prioritize Android users – after all, they’re the ones who have already supported the

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SlashGear

CloudOn brings its Office to Android tablets, adds support for Google Drive (video)

CloudOn brings its Office to Android tablets, adds support for Google Drive (video)

Indirectly or not, the other guys seem to enjoy their time spent with CloudOn’s unorthodox delivery of Microsoft Office. Fortunately for you, the service just announced it’s now available to the Android folk — at least to those with a Google certified slate. The CloudOn application comes as a freebie and it’s compatible with tablets running Honeycomb or Ice Cream Sandwich. Keep in mind that, aside from creating / editing docs on Word, Excel and PowerPoint, you’ll also be able to open almost any file thanks to Adobe Reader. Furthermore, the company revealed it now offers support for Google Drive, joining the likes of Dropbox and Box as part of the cloud lineup. Ready to give it a go? It’s up for grabs now via Google Play, but before you do that, there’s a vid waiting for you past the break.

Continue reading CloudOn brings its Office to Android tablets, adds support for Google Drive (video)

CloudOn brings its Office to Android tablets, adds support for Google Drive (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 May 2012 18:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget

Google Quietly Launches Groupon Now-Like Free Google Offers Across The U.S.

Google Offers (Beta)Google today announced its latest update for Google Maps for Android with support for Google Offers. One interesting piece of this announcement that stood out was that Google Maps for Android users now get access to free Google Offers – think coupons for a free coffee or dessert – through the app. Turns out, that’s actually just a small part of a wider update to Google Offers. Merchants across the U.S. – including towns where Google’s pre-paid offers haven’t launched yet – can now use a new self-service interface to create these free offers.
TechCrunch

Google files for new trial on copyright claims in Android suit

Google is seeking a new trial on copyright claims in Oracle's intellectual-property lawsuit against it over the Android mobile OS, according to a filing made late Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
Computerworld News

Google demands Oracle Android retrial

The Google and Oracle case rages on, with the judge trying to move things swiftly along by moving to the second phase of the trial, which turns it focus towards any patent infringement. Google has a different plan: demand a new trial. The search company brought a formal motion last night to start a new

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SlashGear

Google Makes Its Google+ Notifications In Gmail More Interactive

gplus_logoEmail is typically static. Because of security concerns, virtually none of the standard web-based and desktop email clients let you run JavaScript code in an HTML email, for example. Microsoft’s Hotmail made a small push in this direction in 2010, when it started whitelisting emails from a few trusted third-parties, including Orbitz, Netflix and LinkedIn. Now, it looks like Google is also moving in this directions – at least for emails from its own products. Starting today, Google+ notifications in Gmail will become a bit more interactive.
TechCrunch

Google Street View described as ‘Orwellian surveillance’ by EU commissioner

Google may have put its Street View data-collection debacle to rest in the US with the payment of a $ 25,000 fine to the Federal Communications Commission, but in Europe it may not get off quite so easily.




FOXNews.com

Google+ lets you broadcast your Hangouts

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You’ve gotten so good at hanging out ever since Google+ launched last year, isn’t about time you started broadcasting your act? After a good deal of time in a limited rollout, the social network is offering up its Hangouts On Air feature to everyone. Now you can broadcast yourself on Google+ or YouTube. On Air lets you monitor views and record and re-share the content after the fact. Get down with the explanatory video after the break.

Continue reading Google+ lets you broadcast your Hangouts

Google+ lets you broadcast your Hangouts originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 May 2012 06:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget

Nevada issues Google first US license to test driverless cars

Nevada has granted Google what is believed to be the first U.S. license to test driverless cars, Fox 5 reports.




FOXNews.com

Google infringed Java copyrights in Android, jury finds

A jury has found that Google infringed Oracle’s Java copyrights in Android but could not decide unanimously if the the infringement was protected by “fair use.”
Computerworld News

Google Gets Driverless License For Nevada Roads



Fluffeh writes “On Monday, the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles approved Google’s license application to test autonomous vehicles on the state’s roads. The state had approved such laws back in February, and has now begun issuing licenses based on those regulations. The state previously outlined that companies that want to test such vehicles will need an insurance bond of $ 1 million and must provide detailed outlines of where they plan to test it and under what conditions. Further, the car must have two people in it at all times, with one behind the wheel who can take control of the vehicle if needed. The Autonomous Review Committee of the Nevada DMV is supervising the first licensing procedure and has now approved corresponding plates to go with it, complete with a red background and infinity symbol.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.


Slashdot

Google liable for copyright infringement, jury finds

A jury has found Google liable for copyright infringement in its use of Java in Android, but has not managed to decide whether that infringement was protected by rules governing ‘fair use.’
Computerworld News

LG to launch second version of Google TV in May?

Keeping a close eye on the emerging Internet TV market, the South Korean company plans to launch another set based on Google’s platform in the U.S. the week of May 21, Reuters says.
[Read more]
CNET News

Is Google the New Microsoft?



ericjones12398 writes “Google’s come up with its solution for Dropbox: If you can’t buy ‘em, copy ‘em. The search engine and online advertising giant replaced its popular Google Docs service with Google Drive, a cloud computing storage service designed to directly compete with start up Dropbox. This raises the question, has Google become the new Microsoft? Us ancient folk who remember the 1990s and the Microsoft anti-trust trial can certainly notice some parallels. A big, dare we say monolithic, company doesn’t bother innovating on its own. It just waits for other companies to innovate, makes some changes for legally significant distinctions and enters into competition with the innovator. Sound familiar?

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Slashdot

Screen Grabs: Are agents on Fringe flashing their Google Wallet?

Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today’s movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dot com.

Screen Grabs: Are agents on Fringe flashing their Google Wallet?

We’re not sure exactly what the FBI’s standard issue kit consists of, but we imagine it has more than a few bits of secret tech. These screen grabs from this week’s Fringe, however, would have us believe that the rogue agents like to pick up their tabs with what looks like Google Wallet. We can clearly see a Sprint-branded Galaxy Nexus being used to for a not-so-undercover financial transaction. At least it looks like the agents might have had an upgrade since we last saw them around these parts.

[Thanks, Te-je]

Continue reading Screen Grabs: Are agents on Fringe flashing their Google Wallet?

Screen Grabs: Are agents on Fringe flashing their Google Wallet? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 May 2012 08:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget

How Romanian Fortune Tellers Used Google To Fleece Victims



Hentes writes “The internet has made many things easier, but unfortunately this also includes crime: it seems that nowadays not even people wanting to know their future are safe from fraud. Two fortune tellers are being investigated, after the Romanian police uncovered that they have utilized some extraordinary help in their clairvoyant acts. The pair used information collected from internet search and social networks to gain the trust of their customers, claiming that they could see their personal data through their crystal ball. In some cases, they also used high-tech surveillance techniques such as hidden cameras and phone tapping. But they didn’t stop at merely spying on their victims: their most bizarre case involved a scuba diver dressed as a monster.” Nice to know that internet-based fraud isn’t limited to motivational speakers with real-estate seminars and other get-rich-quick flim-flam.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.


Slashdot

Oracle wants ex-Sun CEO Schwartz's testimony barred in Google suit

Oracle has asked a judge to bar Google from using some testimony given by former Sun Microsystems CEO Jonathan Schwartz in the companies' intellectual-property suit over the Android mobile OS, saying it has "no legal and factual predicate."
Computerworld News

Wappwolf’s Automator Now Connects/Syncs Google Drive, Dropbox And Others

91976v2-max-250x250Previously we’ve covered Dropbox Automator, a sort of IFTTT for Dropbox. (IFTTT, if you haven’t heard, automates tasks to trigger when a particular action has occurred, e.g. if a Facebook profile picture changes, then update a Twitter profile, etc). Like IFTTT, Dropbox Automator is capable of triggering a similar series of actions, based on what kind of files have been added to your Dropbox folders. Now, the startup that makes Dropbox Automator, Wappwolf, has produced Google Drive Automator.
TechCrunch

Google FTC fine over Safari breach could be $10 million+

After the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) concluded that Google violated Internet privacy standards in the way that it interacted with Apple’s Safari Web browser, the question is now how much the search giant will have to pay in fines. Based on the huge number of individual instances of privacy violations, Google could technically be forced

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SlashGear

In Australia, Google Pays Just $74k Tax On Claimed Revenues of $200 Million



daria42 writes “Looks like Apple isn’t the only company with interesting offshore taxation practices. The financial statements for Google’s Australian subsidiary show the company told the Australian Government it made just $ 200 million in revenue in 2011 in Australia, despite local industry estimating it actually brought in closer to $ 1 billion. The rest was funnelled through Google’s Irish subsidiary and not disclosed in Australia. Consequently the company only disclosed taxation costs in Australia of $ 74,000. Not bad work if you can get it — which Google apparently can.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.


Slashdot

The day in tweaks: Facebook, Twitter, and Google

Mouse-hover behaviors on Twitter, status updates on Facebook Messenger, and a whole mess of tweaks over at Google Search.
[Read more]
CNET News

Less than half of Facebook, Google users understand sites’ privacy policies

Most users of Facebook and Google had fundamental gaps in understanding, even after reading privacy policies, about how the websites handled their information and how other Web users could discover it, according to a study released by the digital branding firm Siegel+Gale.
Computerworld News

Google Play adds shared song playlist to Music, helps you relive your friends’ terrible taste in tunes

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Remember that funky beat your buddy at work shared with you over Google+? Don’t bother digging through their post history, Mountain View’s music service has you covered with its new “Shared with me” auto-playlist. This self-maintaining list keeps track of all the songs friends and colleagues send your way, making it easy to hunt down a catchy tune your brother sent you, or to endlessly ridicule a coworker’s awful sense of sound. The playlist not only shows the track, artist, duration and price, but also a preview of the Google+ post (and a thumbnail of its author) that you scored the shared song from in the first place. Looking for lost music? Just take a look at your auto-playlists.

Google Play adds shared song playlist to Music, helps you relive your friends’ terrible taste in tunes originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 May 2012 02:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget

Wil Wheaton goes ape on Google+

When forced to join Google’s social network to like a video on YouTube, the actor writes a scathing rant on Tumblr, criticizing the Internet giant that is then re-blogged thousands of times.
[Read more]
CNET News

Oracle, Google await verdict in $1 billion smartphone lawsuit

Oracle and Google closed their respective cases in the copyright portion of an ongoing legal battle over Google’s Android mobile phone software Monday, leaving a jury to decide on one half of a high-profile trial over the alleged infringement of Oracle’s Java copyrights and patents.




FOXNews.com

Google Apps Beats Office 365 For US Dept. of the Interior Contract



angry tapir writes “The U.S. Department of the Interior has picked Google Apps to provide cloud-based email and collaboration applications to about 90,000 staffers, choosing Google’s services over Microsoft’s Office 365. Google had sued the U.S. agency in 2010, claiming its requirements for the contract tilted the scales unfairly toward Microsoft. Google eventually dropped its lawsuit last September.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.


Slashdot

After legal tussle, Google beats Microsoft for large US contract

The U.S. Department of the Interior has picked Google Apps to provide cloud-based email and collaboration applications to about 90,000 staffers, choosing Google's services over Microsoft's Office 365.
Computerworld News

Privacy group calls for hearings on Google StreetView snooping

U.S. lawmakers should reopen an investigation into the snooping on Wi-Fi networks by Google's Street View cars because of information in a U.S. Federal Communications Commission report that suggests several people at Google knew of the spying, a privacy group said Monday.
Computerworld News

Jury begins deliberations after Oracle, Google attorneys debate fair use

The jury began its deliberations Monday in the copyright phase of Oracle's lawsuit against Google over Android.
Computerworld News

Oracle’s final rebuttal against Google

This afternoon we’ve seen another set of updates coming from the Oracle vs Google case as the former continues to assert that the latter did indeed infringe on JAVA patents they’ve held for some time, with closing arguments being the final bits of info we’ll get today. We’ve had a look at what Google has

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SlashGear

Google / PayPal Sales Exec Tyler Hoffman Joins Virtual Currency Rewards Startup ifeelgoods

Ifeelgoods tylerifeelgoods has a brilliant idea — letting you earn Facebook Credits for ecommerce purchases or following a brand on Twitter — but now it has to convince big companies and shopping sites to adopt its tech. That’s why it’s hired former Google Managing Director of Commerce Sales and leader of PayPal’s enterprise sales team Tyler Hoffman to be its new Senior Vice President of Sales.

ifeelgoods is starting to snowball, as CEO Michael Amar says 92% of customers returning to ifeelgoods and increasing their budget by 250%. Of my years in tech, this is one of the most promising startups I’ve seen. Because virtual currency is so cheap to distribute and is highly valued by some consumers, ifeelgoods could become a big disruptive force in how businesses acquire customers.
TechCrunch

Google Wave reaches zero amplitude

Google Wave reaches zero amplitude

We knew it was coming, but alas, the loss of Google Wave hits us anew now that the execution date has finally come. To say we fully grokked this platform would be untrue, but as we dug through its history to gather our thoughts, we realized what a misunderstood creature Wave really was. Released in 2009 with great fanfare and no shortage of Firefly references, the program meant well with its collaboration-friendly interface, emphasis on multimedia sharing and raft of third-party extensions such as real-time Swedish Chef translation. But while its heart was in the right place, the service sacrificed accessibility for intrigue, a distinct online identity for an early adopter sensibility. Thus, after the invite-only mystique wore off and talk of a Wave app store began to sound downright foolish, the program’s future looked anything but rosy. But even a product this short-lived can have a legacy: in Wave’s case, it could be making Google Plus seem downright approachable by comparison. And though this may be little consolation to those hardcore wavers — few and far between as they may be — the project’s spirit will live on in the equally perplexing Apache Wave. RIP, Google Wave, we really hardly knew you.

Google Wave reaches zero amplitude originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget

Google patent app points to possible Nexus slider phone

A patent application from Google’s head of Android seems to be on the fast-track to create a phone to appeal to BlackBerry fans.
[Read more]
CNET News

Report Finds Google Supervisors Knew About Wi-Fi Data Harvesting



bonch writes “According to the FCC report, Google’s collection of Street View data was not the unauthorized act of a rogue engineer, as Google had portrayed it, but an authorized program known to supervisors and at least seven other engineers. The original proposal contradicts Google’s claim that there was no intent to gather payload data: ‘We are logging user traffic along with sufficient data to precisely triangulate their position at a given time, along with information about what they were doing.’”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.


Slashdot

Apple, Google about to join Dow Jones stock index?

Barron’s reports that the Dow Jones Industrial Average is due a makeover and that Apple and Google better represent the global business landscape.
[Read more]
CNET News