The Omnipotent Google

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November 2008
- Google Quietly Conquers With Irresistible Apps
  
  New York Times | Nov 24, 08 10:28 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Despite near-total lack of marketing, Google finds its way into Web lovers’ hearts with an irresistible bundle of applications. “Having grown up in the vapor trail of the ’60s, I learned to be wary of large, centralized organizations,” David Carr writes in the New York Times . “And yet Google, a huge enterprise with a market value of $80 billion, is my ever-present wingman.” More »
- Google Unearths 3D Ancient Rome
  
  BBC | Nov 13, 08 7:07 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Google Earth is providing users the opportunity to surf the streets of Ancient Rome via a 3D virtual reconstruction of the city as it was in the 4th century. Users can "enter" the Forum, stand in the sands of the Colosseum, or swoop over any of 6,700 buildings of old Rome, reports the BBC. More »
- Gmail Adds Voice, Video Chat
  
  San Jose Mercury News | Nov 12, 08 5:39 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Users of Google's Gmail service can now see and hear each other, the San Jose Mercury News reports. The company rolled out video and voice additions to the chat function in its Gmail interface yesterday, putting the world's third-biggest free email provider a step ahead of rivals Microsoft and Yahoo in the race to make email a more social—and profitable—application. More »
- Google to Track Flu Outbreaks Across US
  
  ABC News | Nov 11, 08 6:27 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Google is teaming up with the CDC to track flu outbreaks around the nation and give people earlier warnings, ABC News reports. The new site (http://www.google.org/flutrends/) relies on the notion that people turn to the Web when they're sick by typing phrases such as "flu symptoms" into Google searches. By keeping track of such searches and mapping them, the system could beat official CDC warnings by up to two weeks. More »
- Google Scraps Partnership With Yahoo
  
  CNET | Nov 5, 08 1:40 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Google canceled its search-advertising partnership with Yahoo rather than fight a Department of Justice lawsuit over antitrust concerns, CNET reports. The company gave up on the deal after Justice said it was not satisfied with the companies’ revisions to the deal and would sue to block it. More »
- FCC Gives 'White Spaces' to Wireless
  
  Bloomberg | Nov 5, 08 4:00 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - The FCC has voted to open up an unused chunk of TV airwaves for the delivery of wireless broadband services, Bloomberg reports. The ruling is a huge victory for Google and other technology giants, who backed the measure against fierce opposition from broadcasters. The tech firms say the plan will expand broadband access across America and spawn a wave of innovative new devices. More »
- Watchdog Wants More Privacy From Google
  
  The Big Money | Nov 4, 08 2:31 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Nonprofit Consumer Watchdog is urging Google to make the “incognito” setting—which can limit the search giant’s ability to pin down users’ locations and keep tabs on their search and other data—the default mode on its new Chrome browser, Chris Thompson writes in the Big Money. It can be tough to switch the privacy mode on, and it “often switches off automatically without your knowledge,” Thompson writes. More »
- Dolly Gives Google Static in Airwaves Feud
  
  New York Times | Nov 4, 08 7:17 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Singer Dolly Parton has added her powerful country-music lungs to a battle against Google over an unused chunk of radio spectrum that will be settled by an FCC vote today, the New York Times reports. Tech companies have been pushing for the spectrum to be opened up for public use, while many from the world of old media—including Broadway, TV networks, rock bands, and Parton—argue that such a move could interfere with live broadcasts. More »
- Yahoo, Google Rejigger Ad Partnership to Stick to Rules
  
  Wall Street Journal | Nov 4, 08 2:12 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Yahoo and Google have scaled back their ad partnership in a bid to satisfy regulators concerned that the deal will run afoul of anti-monopoly rules, insiders tell the Wall Street Journal . The new deal caps the amount of revenue Yahoo can earn from the deal at 25%, and slashes the length of the agreement from ten years to two years. More »
October 2008
- Google, Yahoo May Ditch Talks on Ad Alliance
  
  Wall Street Journal | Oct 31, 08 9:03 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Google and Yahoo's potential partnership is on the rocks. The two sides are still searching for a middle ground on an advertising deal, but both sides could walk away from the talks as early as next week, the Wall Street Journal reports. The main stumbling block is a consent decree, suggested by the Department of Justice, that would subject the companies’ compliance to constant oversight by a judge. More »
- Google Settles Lawsuit Over Book Scanning for $125M
  
  Wired News | Oct 28, 08 2:43 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Google has settled a lawsuit concerning intellectual property rights in its book-scanning initiative, Wired reports. Google will pay $125 million to authors who claimed their work was put online without their consent. The settlement also establishes a system where many out-of-print, but still copyrighted, books will be available to buy online, with 20% of the text as a free preview. More »
- Europe's Culture Gets Virtual Backup
  
  Der Spiegel | Oct 22, 08 5:10 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - European culture is going digital. Priceless items such as the Magna Carta, the Mona Lisa, and the Gutenberg Bible will eventually be accessible worldwide for free on “Europeana,” an online encyclopedia funded by the European Union. It plans to match Google Library Project’s 10 million artifacts by 2010, Der Spiegel reports. More »
- Google Phone's Appetizing App Menu Is Functional, Too
  
  Wall Street Journal | Oct 22, 08 12:28 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - With Google’s G1 smartphone making this week’s big tech splash, Katherine Boehret, in the Wall Street Journal , takes a look at some of the applications on offer, finding them “useful, entertaining, and mostly straightforward.” Of those she tested from the Android Market, “the G1's apps are more utilitarian than most apps I've tested for Apple's iPhone—and not quite as visually pleasing.” More »
- Big Dreams for Android Aren't Just Google's
  
  GigaOm | Oct 21, 08 2:45 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Google’s release of the code for its Android operating system today—a day before the G1 phone hits stores—paves the path for transformation of the cell-phone industry and beyond, Om Malik writes on GigaOm. As coders enhance Android and develop add-ons, either for existing devices or new ones, consumers will benefit from increased choice and cheaper, faster phones, Malik writes. More »
- Google Goggles: Necessary
  
  New York Times | Oct 19, 08 2:35 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - With drunk-dialing evolving at the speed of technology, people need an updated version of that friend who grabs your phone and says, "Dude, don't call her." But, asks Alex Williams in a look at Google's Mail Goggles in the New York Times, "Are we becoming so tethered to our keyboards that we really need the technological equivalent of trigger locks on firearms?" The answer, it would seem, is a resounding yes. More »
- Google Helps Curb Boozy Screeds
  
  InformationWeek | Oct 7, 08 12:52 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - If you've ever, after a few drinks, sent an email you later regretted, Google's got a gadget for you, InformationWeek reports. Mail Goggles, a play on those beer goggles that make you see (and think) fuzzy, activates late night on weekends “to verify you're in the right state of mind,” the company explains, “making you solve a few simple math problems after you click send.” More »
- Time Travel: Google Shows You the Web in 2001
  
  TechCrunch | Oct 1, 08 2:52 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - To honor its 10th birthday, Google put up a search engine that reflects the web in 2001, TechCrunch reports. Other than the Yahoo-esque exclamation point in Google’s logo, the search engine has not changed that much since—but searches show the web, and the world, have: "iPod" brings up a defunct document-processing system, while "YouTube" yields zero links. More »
September 2008
- Google Keeps Up Battle for Open-Access Cells
  
  CNET | Sep 27, 08 8:12 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Google renewed its battle for open cell phone networks this week by filing for a new patent, CNET reports. The search giant filed to free smartphones from network-carrier agreements so users can tap into whatever connection is strongest and most affordable. But carriers mostly resist the notion, saying tight networks are needed to ensure quality and security. More »
- Google Changes Policy, Accepts Anti-Abortion Ads
  
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Stories

Google Quietly Conquers With Irresistible Apps

Google Unearths 3D Ancient Rome

Gmail Adds Voice, Video Chat

Google to Track Flu Outbreaks Across US

Google Scraps Partnership With Yahoo

FCC Gives 'White Spaces' to Wireless

Watchdog Wants More Privacy From Google

Dolly Gives Google Static in Airwaves Feud

Yahoo, Google Rejigger Ad Partnership to Stick to Rules

Google, Yahoo May Ditch Talks on Ad Alliance

Google Settles Lawsuit Over Book Scanning for $125M

Europe's Culture Gets Virtual Backup

Google Phone's Appetizing App Menu Is Functional, Too

Big Dreams for Android Aren't Just Google's

Google Goggles: Necessary

Google Helps Curb Boozy Screeds

Time Travel: Google Shows You the Web in 2001

Google Keeps Up Battle for Open-Access Cells

Google Changes Policy, Accepts Anti-Abortion Ads