google

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)

Google is showing no signs of slowing down: the web giant has just released a new service called Shared Stuff, which lets users share information like images, videos and bookmarks with their friends. The Inquirer's Martin Veitch calls it "a cross ... between a personal web page, Delicious and Digg," which he says will be surprisingly appealing. (Source: theinquirer.net ) In typical Google fashion, Shared Stuff was created to be extremely user friendly. A simple click of a button will share any webpage that you have visited. You can also enter a description and tags for each shared web page. ... (view more)

Has someone found Google's kryptonite? Dozens of small start-up companies were on hand at a recent high-tech convention with each looking to impress a crowd of influential representatives interested in securing the services of one lucky company. ... Also milling about were consumers looking to grab a sneak peak at the latest technological craze. Of all the entrepreneurs in attendance, one particular company made the most impact in the form of a verbal announcement that sounded more like a promise than an aspiration. The company pledged that they now held the secret to defeating Google at their ... (view more)

Google has released the newest component of Google Docs: a presentation component that carries a typical simplistic moniker, Google "Presentations". Like Google Documents and Spreadsheets, users can email and upload documents to edit online. Unlike ... Documents, however, Presentations can only handle documents created in PowerPoint. Further, uploads must be smaller than 10MB. Google has certainly overtaken Microsoft on the aspect of search. Does Presentations have the potential to offer Google similar success? In a nutshell, no. Ars Technica's Eric Bangeman, a frequent PowerPoint user, tested ... (view more)

After being crowned the king of search, Google has set its sights a bit higher -- literally. In what it calls the 'global private race to the moon,' Google will be sponsoring the Google Lunar X PRIZE, an award given to a team who can land a craft on ... the moon. (Source: abc.net ) The X PRIZE Foundation's first project, the Ansari X PRIZE, had competitors racing to build a spacecraft able to reach low earth orbit. This time, participants will be reaching for the moon. Specifically, the winner must be the first to soft land a spacecraft on the moon which will roam for a minimum of 500 meters and ... (view more)

Could Google Earth's privacy-invading tendencies save your life? Maybe one day, but right now the Internet search leader is on the lookout for missing people. Renowned aviator Steve Fossett is currently on the search list. The pilot disappeared over ... the Nevada desert after taking off in a small plane early last week. Two days later Google became involved in the case when his friend, British billionaire Richard Branson, proposed that Fossett be located through the company's satellite mapping service. Branson said "I'm talking with friends at Google about seeing whether we can look at satellite ... (view more)

In 1995, Microsoft attempted to fend off their ever-increasing rival companies by adding a free web browser to their brand new operating system, Windows 95. This effort was effectively blocked by several court rulings and the subject was never ... spoken of again. Over a decade later, Microsoft is giving the strategy one more try by offering free software that connects their current brand new operating system, Windows Vista, to software services delivered over the Internet. (Source: nytimes.com ) This practice is not uncommon in the technological world and is often referred to as "cloud" ... (view more)

Google is taking advertising to new levels by partnering up with popular television icons and inventors. Soon Google's AdSense network will feature online videos from Seth MacFarlane, the creator of the animated TV show "Family Guy," as well as ... Raven Symone, who stars in the show "That's So Raven." The company supporting the projects, Media Rights Capital, financed last year's Brad Pitt flick, "Babel." It sounds entertaining, but if you fear change then these ads might not impress you. What's more, if you were hoping to spend time on Google with the Griffins, think again. MacFarlane will ... (view more)

Two American powerhouses are looking to improve the national health care system in the United States, surprising when you consider the two "powerhouses" are not political, but technological. By combining more effective Internet search tools, the ... vast resources of the web, and a host of online personal health records, Google and Microsoft are finding new ways of helping the average U.S. citizen make better choices concerning their medical care and personal health habits. (Source: nytimes.com ) Industry analysts are not completely confident that either company will make significant steps ... (view more)

Love your iPod, iPhone, or iMac? If you're an owner of any of these popular devices, there's a good chance you've been impressed with Apple's products in the past. For the last few years, it has experienced almost unrivaled satisfaction from ... consumers. Unfortunately, that seems to have changed. According to the University of Michigan's annual rankings (cited through the American Customer Satisfaction Index, or ACSI), Apple dropped some five percentage points in its overall customer satisfaction ranking. That's a plummet from an impressive 84 to a still-stellar 79. Also dropping in the ... (view more)