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Google Fashion Shopping Site Makes Debut

admin — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 14:09:08 +0000

Published: November 17, 2010

YOU know how remote and strange the fashion world is when you go to Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. For one thing, employees are zipping around the sprawling campus on scooters and bicycles, so that pretty much eliminates platform shoes and minis. And for another, there are way too many snack stations at Google. Fashionistas are funny about food.

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Microsoft: Half of mobile searches have a local intent

admin — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 14:20:15 +0000

BizReport : Mobile Marketing : November 15, 2010

Microsoft’s internal analysis of their mobile search query data has thrown up an interesting, yet not entirely surprising, fact about the search behavior of mobile users.

by Helen Leggatt

You’re ambling around town when suddenly you crave Chinese dumplings. You whip out your phone and after a couple of local searches you’re well on your way to getting your fix.

A similar scenario plays out day after day as mobile users refer to their devices for local information – information that will help them navigate their immediate environment and solve their real-time needs and wants.

It’s not surprising, then, to read of recent data from Microsoft that shows over half (53%) of mobile searches on Bing have a local intent.
Hence the development of ads that, quite literally, guide consumers from “search to store”. Such ads, including Google’s Expandable Map ads, appear both on the mobile web and in apps and, when clicked, provide the user with directions to a store.

“Mobile user demand for information that can be acted on in the real world, in real-time is, well, very real,” writes Search Engine Land’s Greg Sterling, who uncovered the data in a recent chat with Bing’s Director of Search, Stefan Weitz.

“That’s what this Microsoft stat reflects. If that’s not an argument for mobile advertising in general and mobile search in particular, I don’t know what is.”

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Ask.com and you won’t receive

admin — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 07:51:48 +0000

By Rob Pegoraro

It may be all up to Bing now: Ask.com, the only other search engine to provide measurable competition to Google in the U.S., announced today that it would end its Web-search efforts.

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Should You Be Snuggling With Your Cellphone?

admin — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 18:42:57 +0000

By RANDALL STROSS

Published: November 13, 2010

WARNING: Holding a cellphone against your ear may be hazardous to your health. So may stuffing it in a pocket against your body.

I’m paraphrasing here. But the legal departments of cellphone manufacturers slip a warning about holding the phone against your head or body into the fine print of the little slip that you toss aside when unpacking your phone. Apple, for example, doesn’t want iPhones to come closer than 5/8 of an inch; Research In Motion, BlackBerry’s manufacturer, is still more cautious: keep a distance of about an inch.

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Google Adds Live Sports Results, Emergency Contacts and Instant Previews

admin — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 11:39:03 +0000

In another weekly installment, Google has provided an overview of updates and changes to the search engine in the past week. Since Google regularly makes several updates and launches new features, big and small, every week, it sometimes doesn’t do a full blog post announcement for all of them, hence the weekly round up.

“We’re always excited by the diversity of the search features and enhancements that we make in any given week. Each week we try to release a diverse set of search feature and enhancement to help you find what you’re looking for, faster,” Johanna Wright, Director of Search Product Management at Google, wrote.

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Google Testing “Record Calls” Feature Within Gmail

admin — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 17:36:37 +0000

By: David Murphy

11.06.2010

Google is slowly unlocking a new feature for Gmail that allows users to record calls directly out of their inbox. That might sound a little strange at first, so bear with us.

Within Gmail, it’s possible to link one’s Google Voice VOiP service to one’s Inbox by first enabling the company’s Chat service on the left-hand side of Gmail’s standard interface. From there, you simply have to click on the activated “Call Phone” link, which should pop up a pretty little dial pad in the lower-right hand corner of your screen.

This is your link to Google Voice—we’re assuming you’re already rocking an account. However, you might not have the plugin you need in order to actually make a Google Voice connection via your Gmail Inbox. If that’s the case, the little dial pad will alert you to that fact and ask that you head on over to an alternate page to download and install the appropriate plugin. Do that.

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Chrome is up in the air, in the clouds, literally

admin — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 23:26:58 +0000

By Paula Rooney | November 8, 2010, 7:59am PST

Google has teamed up with three major airlines to make Chrome and the Internet available free on flights through the holidays.

On Monday, the web services giant’s browser team said it has deals in place with AirTran, Delta and Virgin American to provide Gogo inflight Internet access at no cost to passengers from Nov. 20 through Jan 2, 2011.

The service — which will reportedly allow passengers to check e-mail and surf the web –n will be available on more than 700 planes.

I’d give this a 9.5 on the PR campaign scale. Business passengers have dreamed of in flight access for years and consumers are now just as hooked. Nearly every surfer knows about Internet Explorer and Firefox (the reincarnated Netscape Navigator) and Chrome has made a huge dent over the past year. This will only heighten awareness of the open source browser.

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Google has teamed up with three major airlines to make Chrome and the Internet available free on flights through the holidays.
On Monday, the web services giant’s browser team said it has deals in place with AirTran, Delta and Virgin American to provide Gogo inflight Internet access at no cost to passengers from Nov. 20 through Jan 2, 2011.

The service — which will reportedly allow passengers to check e-mail and surf the web –n will be available on more than 700 planes.
I’d give this a 9.5 on the PR campaign scale. Business passengers have dreamed of in flight access for years and consumers are now just as hooked. Nearly every surfer knows about Internet Explorer and Firefox (the reincarnated Netscape Navigator) and Chrome has made a huge dent over the past year. This will only heighten awareness of the open source browser.

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Obama’s India visit dominates Google search

admin — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 16:55:52 +0000

Sunday, November 7, 2010, 14:50 [IST]

New Delhi, Nov 7: As the US President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama danced to celebrate Diwali with Indian students, his maiden visit to India became the most searched item on Google search engine.

Buzz up!

According to data on Google Trends, which provides insights into broad search patterns, US President’s visit to the country was the most searched item on Google India website on Saturday, Nov 6. The search history shows that Indians have searched with key words like ‘Obama visit to India’, ‘Obama in Mumbai’, ‘Obama Biography’, ‘Air Force One’ and other related topics.

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Google’s growth online reflected by expansion in Mountain View

admin — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 11:31:23 +0000

By Mike Swift

mswift@mercurynews.com

Posted: 11/07/2010 01:01:00 AM PDT

Updated: 11/07/2010 01:27:34 AM PDT

Google’s aggressive online growth increasingly has a counterpart in bricks and mortar, with the company’s Mountain View headquarters mushrooming over the past four years to occupy more than 4 million square feet, or the equivalent of about 40 Home Depot stores.

But that’s just a start. On Silicon Valley’s NASA base, Google is preparing to build a new corporate campus with fitness and day care facilities and — in a first in the valley — employee housing, adding 1.2 million square feet of space to Google’s real estate holdings.

While other valley giants also occupy vast amounts of real estate, Google is growing in a way that is distinct, remaking its surroundings according to its own values. In addition to buying buildings and squeezing out some of its neighbors, it is prodding the city of Mountain View to transform the area around its headquarters, adding housing and retail to create an environment more like a town center.

The company’s goals are to build a headquarters that would be “nurturing and regenerative to the environment, provide a vibrant community and work/life balance for all,” Google real estate chief David Radcliffe wrote in a letter to city officials earlier this year.

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The Fascinating Things Web Crawlers Can Tell You

admin — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 11:48:26 +0000

By Ronni Zehavi

TechNewsWorld

11/04/10 5:00 AM PT

Internet retailers that tap into the power of Web crawler activity can improve site performance, achieve greater returns on SEO investments, and gain advantage over competitors that remain in the dark. The greatest beneficiaries may be smaller retailers. An informed SEO strategy with the right tools and analytics can level the playing field with deep-pocketed rivals.

By Ronni ZehaviTechNewsWorld11/04/10 5:00 AM PT
Internet retailers that tap into the power of Web crawler activity can improve site performance, achieve greater returns on SEO investments, and gain advantage over competitors that remain in the dark. The greatest beneficiaries may be smaller retailers. An informed SEO strategy with the right tools and analytics can level the playing field with deep-pocketed rivals.

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Google Instant has positive impact on CTRs, ad impressions

admin — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 11:27:52 +0000

BizReport : Search Marketing : November 05, 2010

by Helen Leggatt

Google Instant is serving up more relevant ads, according to Marin Software. This is reflected in a rise of 5.6% in click-through rates.

“Google Instant was seen as a big gamble for Google when the company announced it, but it’s proved to be a positive change for the industry,” said Matt Lawson, vice-president of marketing, Marin Software.

“Google has pulled off the elusive win-win-win with the release of Instant, driving increased usability for consumers and increased volume for advertisers, while managing to increase their slice of the overall search pie in the process.”

When Marin Software, who manage search ad spending, compared ad impressions in the two weeks after the introduction of Google Instant with those in the two weeks prior, they found these, too, had risen – by 9.3%.

But is this rise due to…

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BizReport : Search Marketing : November 05, 2010

Google Instant has had a positive impact on click-through rates and ad impressions, according to recent research by Marin Software, despite earlier concerns the fast page displays would decrease traffic.by Helen LeggattGoogle Instant is serving up more relevant ads, according to Marin Software. This is reflected in a rise of 5.6% in click-through rates.”Google Instant was seen as a big gamble for Google when the company announced it, but it’s proved to be a positive change for the industry,” said Matt Lawson, vice-president of marketing, Marin Software.
“Google has pulled off the elusive win-win-win with the release of Instant, driving increased usability for consumers and increased volume for advertisers, while managing to increase their slice of the overall search pie in the process.”When Marin Software, who manage search ad spending, compared ad impressions in the two weeks after the introduction of Google Instant with those in the two weeks prior, they found these, too, had risen – by 9.3%.But is this rise due to

How one company games Google News

admin — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 15:30:58 +0000

November 4, 2010 1:23 PM PDT

by Tom Krazit

Red Label News is not exactly a household name. But yesterday afternoon, it was one of the top news sources on Google News for stories about Apple’s iTunes song previews.

How’d that happen? Red Label News, it appears, is a cleverly designed collection of links and headlines meant to game Google News rankings.

CNET stumbled upon Red Label News after doing one of the most basic Google searches: the vanity search. In this case, we were attempting to figure out how many news outlets were writing about

by Tom Krazit

Red Label News is not exactly a household name. But yesterday afternoon, it was one of the top news sources on Google News for stories about Apple’s iTunes song previews.
How’d that happen? Red Label News, it appears, is a cleverly designed collection of links and headlines meant to game Google News rankings.
CNET stumbled upon Red Label News after doing one of the most basic Google searches: the vanity search. In this case, we were attempting to figure out how many news outlets were writing about

Facebook Offers Local Deals for Mobile Users

admin — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 07:16:26 +0000

By JENNA WORTHAM

Facebook introduced a feature on Wednesday that will allow retailers and other merchants to offer coupons and special deals through its mobile application, intensifying competition in the market for mobile searches and advertising. People who use Places, Facebook’s location feature, will see a yellow icon indicating that a redeemable deal or coupon is available nearby. They can then use the application to “check in” at the store or restaurant and show their phone’s screen to an employee to claim their deal.

“We’re enabling merchants to push deals out to their existing customers and hopefully attract new customers,” said Tim Kendall, director of monetization at Facebook, during a press event at the company’s headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif.

Mr. Kendall said Facebook would not charge businesses directly to list coupons and special deals through the mobile application. Instead, businesses can purchase advertising to publicize their offerings on Facebook, he said. One of Facebook’s first partnerships involving the new Deals feature is with the Gap. The company outlined a campaign offering a free pair of jeans to the first 10,000 users who check into their local Gap store using Facebook’s mobile application.

Facebook also plans to work with nearly two dozen major chains like H&M, 24-Hour Fitness and McDonalds for special offers. But eventually all merchants and small businesses with a Facebook Places page will be able to offer deals.

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Man bites dog? Google sues the government

admin — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 21:12:37 +0000

November 1, 2010 11:23 AM PDT

by Tom Krazit

Google and the U.S. government are headed for a legal showdown, but on different sides of the courtroom than one might expect. Eric Goldman, a law professor with Santa Clara University who closely follows the tech industry, spotted a lawsuit filed by Google against the federal government claiming that the U.S. Department of the Interior did not properly evaluate Google Apps when choosing a new Web-based document system.

Google alleges that because the Interior Department specified that the system needed to be part of Microsoft’s Business Productivity Online Suite, Google Apps never had a chance despite repeated attempts by Google to explain the product.

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Google Spends $1.6B On 40 Acquisitions In 2010

admin — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 17:59:46 +0000

Internet search giant Google Inc. yesterday said in a regulatory filing that it spent $1.6 billion in 40 acquisitions in the first nine months of 2010. “In August 2010, we completed the acquisition of Slide, Inc. (Slide), a privately-held social technology company for a cash consideration of $179 million,” Google revealed in a regulatory SEC filing.

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http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wireless/Google-Apps-for-Android-Gets-Enterprise-Security-Management-302935/

admin — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 11:42:27 +0000

By: Clint Boulton

2010-10-29

Google brings enterprise security support for Google Apps on its Android 2.2 mobile platform. The move comes as more Android phone owners are using their handsets for business.

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The new reality: Technology must be self-evident

admin — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 04:01:59 +0000

By Jason Hiner | October 4, 2010, 3:30am PDT

I recently challenged a product person at Google, asking if a certain option — toggling on or off Gmail’s threaded conversation view — would be possible on a thread by thread basis. The Googler responded that it was certainly possible but that they wouldn’t do it. Why? Because it would introduce complexity and confusion for users.

Google’s Schmidt: Computers, not humans, should be driving cars

admin — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 13:49:48 +0000

By Sam Diaz | September 29, 2010, 4:00am PDT

Here’s an interesting thought: What if computers drove cars and left the passengers to eat, watch movies, maybe even take a nap?

On the stage at TechCrunch Disrupt conference in San Francisco, Google CEO Eric Schmidt suggested that that’s the way it really should be. During his presentation, he said:

Your car should drive itself. It’s amazing to me that we let humans drive cars. It’s a bug that cars were invented before computers.

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WebP: Google’s new attempt at speeding up the web

admin — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 05:43:16 +0000

By Garett Rogers | October 3, 2010, 9:26am PDT

In their latest attempt to make the web even faster, Google has devised their own image format to rival JPEG. Since forever, JPEG has been doing a great job of compressing photographic images — it doesn’t support transparency, like other formats, but it does what it was meant to do very well.

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Microsoft Sues Motorola Over Android

admin — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 21:30:05 +0000

By NICK WINGFIELD

Microsoft Corp. launched a legal attack aimed at fighting the explosive growth of cellphones powered by Google Inc.’s Android software, as the technology giant struggles to find its own answer to the shift away from traditional computers in favor of mobile gadgets.

The software company sued Motorola Inc., one of the biggest backers of Google’s software, claiming the cellphone maker is infringing nine patents in handsets powered by Android.

While Microsoft has struggled to win adoption of its Windows software for phones, Android, which Google gives away free, has been widely adopted by handset makers and software programmers.

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