google

Google is introducing an innovative service to customers, this time targeting web mobile users. The 'My Location' feature in Google Maps Mobile 2.0 is currently undergoing beta testing and will attempt to provide mapping services via user cell ... phones. The concept of mapping technology in mobile devices is not particularly ground-breaking, as several smart-phones currently on the market have Global Positioning System (GPS) technology embedded into them. However, the advantage of this new service will be to provide access to mapping services to web mobile users whose devices do not have ... (view more)

Google has confirmed it's entering the mobile market, but not with the much-rumored Gphone. Rather than launching a branded handset, Google is developing an open source software platform for all mobile devices. They'll be providing their 'Android' ... software free of charge to handset manufacturers, which could pave the way for cheaper phones. As part of the launch, Google has formed the Open Handset Alliance, bringing together 34 partners. This includes handset producers Motorola, HTC, Samsung and LG, plus carriers such as T-Mobile and Sprint. (Source: BBC ) The software should be with ... (view more)

An Indian man has spent 50 days in prison after his Internet service wrongly accused him of posting images that insulted a historical figure. Police swooped on the home of Lakshmana Kailash K, a 26 year old technology worker, after offensive ... pictures appeared on Orkut, a social networking site run by Google. The images depicted Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the 17th century founder of India's Maratha empire. Officials asked Google to hand over the IP address of the poster, then checked with ISP Airtel to find the person behind that address. Airtel incorrectly told them it belonged to Kailash. ... (view more)

Just weeks after Microsoft made a big score by buying up part of rising web titan Facebook, the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has now stated that it will be clamping down on Internet advertising. It's a measure the group hopes will ... reduce the amount of user tracking associated with the practice. According to John Leibowitz, the FTC's commissioner, the initiative is meant to keep children safe while they're clicking around online. If Mom or Dad views a not-so-appropriate site, there's a chance that marketing tools custom-designed for the individual and his or her tastes will pop ... (view more)

As if social networking site Facebook wasn't already enough of a titan on the web, it's about to become even more powerful. Why? Because the Redmond gods have just injected it with $240 million bucks. That's right, Microsoft recently purchased a ... minority stake in Facebook, which accepted the bid over another from search engine giant Google. The deal with Microsoft will lead to an expansion of social networking services (as if Facebook didn't already have enough), and, sigh, more advertising. For those of you who have yet to dabble in Facebook -- and that number continues to dwindle every day ... (view more)

When Google purchased popular online video site YouTube for over a billion dollars a year ago, many industry analysts raised eyebrows in disbelief. The Big G is still struggling to make a profit with that investment, and recent copyright lawsuits ... demanding billions more dollars are not helping. That's why Google and YouTube have now officially unveiled a "content identification system," which will give copyright owners control over how their material appears on the video-based site. The new service's official name is YouTube Video Identification, and Google hopes it will calm angry legal seas ... (view more)

Behold the latest champion of the mobile phone industry! The new GPhone, the anticipated and top-secret mobile phone from Google, is already expected to beat the widely popular Apple iPhone by providing more features and lower cost. The GPhone ... project was officially launched after Google's recent acquisition of the small Finnish start-up company, Jaiku. The acquisition was a tremendous coup for Google because Jaiku holds many key SMS patents. SMS (Short Message Service) is text messaging, the technology that allows short messages to be exchanged amongst billions of ordinary cell phones. ( ... (view more)

Although it is, without doubt, head of the pack when it comes to operating systems and some of the software for those operating systems, Microsoft is nowhere near the lead as an online search engine. That title belongs to Google, although a recent ... initiative from Microsoft appears ready to challenge for the crown. So, what's 'ol MS up to? In the world of search engines, the king is often the one that can find the most results on a given query. Microsoft's new plan is to actually quadruple the number of sites its searches link to. Not only that, the company announced that a new core technology ... (view more)

Who might be the new face of Facebook? Microsoft. According to the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft plans to invest as much as $500 million in the social networking company. If the deal goes through, Facebook would value at $10 billion and Microsoft ... would own 5% of Facebook. (Source: pcworld.com ) But why Facebook? First of all, the company boasts some impressive stats; though it has only been running for a little over three years, Facebook has close to 50 million active users. As well, its client base is increasing rapidly. Another Facebook quality that Microsoft may find attractive is the ... (view more)

Just about everyone is out to get Microsoft. That's the problem with being a virtual hegemonic state; like the U.S., everyone wants a piece of the pie and it often means taking it by force. So, just what are the primary threats to Microsoft? When it ... comes to its the company's Office "turf", the competitors are now lining up, and neither the products nor their makers are slouches by any means. In the following week, three tech titans announced plans to bring down the god of business software, Microsoft and its Office. Yahoo, Google, and even IBM have plans to develop competing software with ... (view more)