Google Favorite Places coming to window near you
Google is turning its sights squarely on the local ad market, with plans to promote its local business listings in storefronts around the U.S. Stickers bearing Google’s logo and a QR code have been distributed to 100,000 of the most popular businesses in Google’s Local Business Center database, and starting this week consumers will be [...]
Bing getting a fall refresh
Unlike when you stand over your coworker’s desk, Microsoft’s Bing search engine actually works better when you hover. One of the key features of the would-be rival to Google is that when you hover to the right of a result, you can get a preview of what to expect. As part of an update this [...]
Google runs a fade pattern on home page
Google.com won’t show any of the links in the image on the right until a home page visitor moves his or her mouse. (Credit: Google) After testing a new-look home page for several weeks, Google is ready to roll it out to the masses. Google announced the new “fade-in” look for its home page Wednesday, [...]
Michael Jackson tops Google, Yahoo search in 2009
The death of Michael Jackson in June launched a frenzy of Web activity and propelled the late pop star to the top of the search charts for 2009. That’s the word from Google, Yahoo, and Bing, all of which have revealed their popular search terms for the past year. It’s not too shocking to see [...]
Google, Twitter call attention to World AIDS Day
To show support for the global fight against AIDS, both Google and Twitter changed up their sites a bit Tuesday. If you go to Google.com, you’ll find a link under the search box that leads to several resources where you can learn more about AIDS, volunteer to fight the disease, and donate money to fight [...]
Google News policy limited
Reading The Wall Street Journal articles for free through Google News will get harder if the paper decides to embrace Google’s new changes to its “First Click Free” policy. (Credit: Screenshot technknowledge) As the journalism industry gathers once again to wring its hands about the future, Google has thrown it a bone with new limitations [...]
Google prefers HTML5 to Gears
Word from the LA Times is that Google plans to phase out its Gears plug-in in favor of HTML5 when it comes to augmenting browser abilities. The precise details of its enthusiasm for the plug-in aren’t clear yet, but the general trajectory is no surprise. Google, along with Mozilla, Opera, Apple, and some other allies, [...]
Google picks up ad company Teracent
Google has entered into an agreement to acquire online ad-optimization firm Teracent, the search giant announced in a blog post on Monday. The transaction is subject to several closing conditions, but is expected to close by the end of the quarter. Google said it has been “busy releasing new features and products to help improve [...]
Google places ad explaining offensive image
Google has reserved one of its valuable ad spaces on Google Image Search to explain why an offensive image of Michelle Obama appears as the first result for searches on her name. Search Engine Land noted that last week, Google had removed the image after claiming the site hosting it was spreading malware, but it’s [...]
Brin: Google’s OSes likely to converge
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.–Google’s dual-pronged operating-system strategy will likely produce a single OS down the road, according to Google co-founder Sergey Brin. Many Google observers were puzzled when the company announced plans for Chrome OS in July, coming amid growing acceptance of the company’s Android operating-system project as a smartphone and Netbook OS. After all, why [...]