Google

If there's one thing that Google can do well (and let's be serious -- there's certainly more than one thing), it's creating extremely useful applications for average computer users. Google Checkout, a service that centralizes online shopping by ... eliminating the need to maintain separate user names and passwords for different shopping sites, was launched back in June. However, Google has recently developed a promotional offer just in time for the busy holiday shopping season. Shopping malls are always crammed with shoppers on the day after Thanksgiving, which has come to be known as "Black ... (view more)

Remember the days when Google was synonymous with the phrase "search engine"? That time has long past -- a result of Google's endeavors into unending lines of new applications. Recently, the company has announced that it will also be expanding into ... offline media, as it ventures into radio ads. Google Spokesperson Michael Mayzel said that the company will begin a public test of Google Audio Ads by the end of this year. The service will use the same AdWords system that Google uses in web searches. For radio advertisers, this means a more customized target; ads will be tailored not only by the ... (view more)

Did you miss last night's hockey game? Well you, and me -- and every other hockey fan for that matter -- are in luck! Early last week, NHL Interactive Cyber Enterprises -- the digital division of the National Hockey League -- announced a deal that ... will provide Google Video with fresh NHL video content. In addition to providing select NHL classic games, the NHL will also show the current season's full-length games (on delay) via Google Video. (Source: nhl.com ) If you log on to the web site, you can now view and download dozens of recent hockey games organized by team, as well as a fairly ... (view more)

Nowadays, it's hard to imagine visiting a search engine other than Google. For years -- the number somewhat irrelevant -- Google has been the "find machine" of choice, directing users to easy-to-navigate lists of the best and also most relevant ... sites in the query range. For this writer, the last prominent search engine used prior to Google was probably Alta Vista...and that was a very, very long time ago (long before Y2K). However, now many insiders consider Ask.com to be a serious challenger to Google's popularity, and although there's a long way to go, the company is making serious strides ... (view more)

Google has gobbled up yet another company in its recent wave of acquisitions. The search engine giant recently announced that it has acquired JotSpot, a Silicon Valley wiki provider. Google's venture into wikis is not completely surprising. Wikis, ... which are web-based applications that enable people to easily post and edit information, have become increasingly popular as the Web 2.0 trend continues. Many websites have been expanding their sites to include wiki applications. Amazon.com hopped on the wiki bandwagon in April when they added a function which enables users to write and edit product ... (view more)

Google Wants You to Stop Using "Google" as a Verb. Trademarks such as Kleenex, Xerox, and Band-Aid have all fallen victim to the public's genericization of their brand names -- and despite the company's protest, Google is encountering the same fate. ... The company's extreme popularity and undisputed success as a web search engine has led many people to link Google's brand name with the process of Web searching -- "googling". (Source: cleavlandleader.com) This year, the Merriam-Webster dictionary has added "googling" to their plethora of English verbs. The online version of the Merriam-Webster ... (view more)

The newest kid on Google's block, YouTube.com, has been listening to recent concerns that many of the videos uploaded to the site are in violation of established copyrights. A few months before Google purchased the video sharing site , Dallas ... Mavericks owner Mark Cuban went on record in claiming that YouTube would eventually be "sued into oblivion" for "breaking the law" by illegally hosting copyrighted material. A Japanese entertainment company -- The Japan Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers (JASRAC) -- recently discovered almost 30,000 TV shows, music videos, and movies ... (view more)

Google executives must be thrilled: in a recent interview with MSNBC reporter Maria Bartiromo, U.S. President George W. Bush revealed that he is one of Google's many loyal users. During the October 24th interview, Bartiromo asked Bush: "I'm curious, ... have you ever googled anybody? Do you use Google?" Google Earth: Yes The President said that he used the search giant occasionally and specifically pointed out that he enjoys using Google Earth to look at his ranch in Crawford Texas. Bush said that, "One of the things I've used on the Google is to pull up maps. It's very interesting to see -- I've ... (view more)

Great news for both webmasters and individuals: Google has announced a new feature that allows for more control and customization on Google-embedded web page searches. Google Custom Search Engine comes from the Google Co-op program, which was ... launched earlier this year. The program's goal is to find ways in which users can influence search results. (Source: searchenginewatch.com ) Co-op team members Shashi Seth and R.V. Guha claim that "finding specific information has never been so easy, and there's no programming knowledge or cost involved." (Source: betanews.com ) The new service is a vast ... (view more)

Attention, Marijuana Harvesters: If you are using your fields to grow pot, the cops may use utilize Internet technology to nab you. Dean Brown, a Wisconsin man found that out the hard way when the Racine County Sheriff's Department used the mapping ... software Google Earth to locate his marijuana fields in nearby Mount Pleasant. Ironically, Brown made it easy for the police -- by wearing the location as a necklace. He had a GPS unit around his neck, which police used to discover the coordinates of the drug field. From there, Racine's finest plugged the coordinates into Google Earth and were able ... (view more)