Google's eBook Store Opens to Face Struggle against Amazon
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Google’s ebook store opens for business in Britain today, but the web giant faces a struggle to gain a foothold in the growing market.
Major publishing houses including Hachette, Random House, Penguin have signed on to provide content for the new service, which will also offer free access to more than two million out-of-copyright titles.
Google eBooks will be available to anyone via the web, with app for iOS and Android, plus integration with the Android Marketplace.
It represents a big step for the firm towards becoming a major content provider, but compared to Amazon and Apple it [is] a complete novice.
“We’ve been working with publishers for some time to build new online revenue sources for writers and publishers, and this is the next step in that direction,” said Jason Hanley of Google. » | Christopher Williams, Technology Correspondent | Friday, October 07, 2011
Wednesday, February 09, 2011
Freed Google Executive Rejoins Protesters
Wael Ghonim returns to square
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
Egypt Protesters Use Voice Tweets
BBC: Google and Twitter have launched a service which circumvents the ban on net services in Egypt.
The so-called speak-to-tweet system allows people caught up in the unrest to post messages without any need to use an internet connection.
The service, which is already live, allows people to dial an international telephone number and leave a voicemail message. The message is then sent out as a tweet with the hashtag #egypt.
People can listen to messages by dialling the same phone numbers (+16504194196 , +390662207294, +97316199855) or going to a special Twitter page. >>> | Tuesday, February 01, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Wulff sieht "ewige" Verantwortung der Deutschen
WELT ONLINE: Christian Wulff hält als erster Bundespräsident eine Rede im Vernichtungslager Auschwitz. Er bedankt sich bei den Überlebenden und ihren Nachfahren.
Durch Eis und Schnee, entlang der Baracken aus rotem Backstein schreiten Jugendliche gemäßigten Tempos. Gut hundert Menschen schließen sich ihnen an. Aus Deutschland und Polen stammen die jungen Leute, Kränze tragen sie über die Wege des Stammlagers I im Konzentrationslager Auschwitz.
Zur Spitze des Zuges zählen Christian Wulff und Bronislaw Komorowski, die Staatsoberhäupter aus Deutschland und Polen, samt ihrer Delegationen. Wulff trägt einen schwarzen Mantel und einen schwarzen Hut, wie es nach jüdischem Ritus üblich ist. An der Todesmauer legen die Jugendlichen die Kränze nieder. Komorowski begibt sich nach vorn, hält inne, verbeugt sich. Dann tritt der Bundespräsident vor die Totenmauer, doch er tut dies nicht alleine.
Wulff wird eingerahmt von Dieter Graumann, dem neuen Präsidenten des Zentralrats der Juden, und Romani Rose, der schon viele Jahre die Sinti und Roma in Deutschland repräsentiert. Die drei Männer halten schweigend inne – und dann entscheidet sich Wulff zu einer Geste außerhalb des präzisen Protokolls: Er wendet sich Graumann zu, und umarmt ihn, dann legt er seinen Arm um Rose. Die Schleifen am Kranz richtet der Präsident diesmal nicht. >>> Autor: Daniel Friedrich Sturm | Donnerstag, 27. Januar 2011
MAIL ONLINE: Google mogul Larry Page has joined the billionaire boat owner club by splashing out $45m on his own super yacht - but unlike many moguls, he bought his yacht used.
Page, 37, picked up the 193-ft boat 'Senses' which comes with a helipad, gym, multi-level sun decks, ten luxurious suites, a crew of 14 and interior design by famed French designer Philippe Starck. [Also here.]
The 193-foot Senses first set sail in 1999. Photo: Mail Online
Page, who is worth an estimated $15billion, bought the boat from New Zealand brewing heir Sir Douglas Meyer [sic].
It was first launched onto the seas in 1999.
Meyer said Page took delivery on the mega-yacht shortly before the new year, and perhaps enjoyed the holidays on the high seas with his family.
THE GUARDIAN: The internet giant's New York headquarters have fallen prey to a city-wide outbreak of bed bugs
They are reddish-brown, smaller than an apple seed, have a taste for human blood and when they bite they itch like hell. And now the onward march of the common bedbug has extended into cyberspace.
The search engine giant Google confirmed today that its 9th Avenue offices in Manhattan have been infested with the bugs. Parts of the headquarters, a futuristic space renowned for having a Lego room and scooters for staff to move around, have been found to be harbouring the parasites, prompting the wags at Gawker media group to wonder whether its possible for them to spread via the internet.
Google is the latest victim of an epidemic that has been rampaging through New York over the summer and has the city that normally prides itself on its permanent state of cool in a veritable panic: the blood suckers have wreaked havoc everywhere from the Empire State building to hospital wards, the prosecutor's office in Brooklyn and Time Warner's Manhattan headquarters. >>> Ed Pilkington in New York | Friday, September 03, 2010
Google Accused of Betraying Internet Golden Rule in Net Neutrality Row
THE TELEGRAPH: Google, the internet giant, has been accused of betraying one of the most widely accepted "laws" of the internet called net neutrality; the principle that everyone has equal access.
The firm has admitted that it has been in talks with the US communications provider Verizon and even agreed an outline plan on how internet traffic should be carried over networks.
However, many have already voiced fears that if the plan becomes public, it could serve as a blueprint for how to carve up the internet and sell the best performance to the highest bidder.
Some critics have described it as "doomsday scenario" that "marks the beginning of the end of the internet as you know it".
Google said discrimination is permissible in some circumstances.
The principle of net neutrality was one of the founding ideas of the web.
Gigi Sohn, president of Public Knowledge, a digital rights campaign group, said: "The deal between Verizon and Google about how to manage internet traffic is deeply regrettable and should be considered meaningless.
"The fate of the internet is too large a matter to be decided by negotiations involving two companies."
Josh Silver, president of Free Press, a media reform group, wrote a piece in the Huffington Post and warned: "Since its beginnings, the Net was a level playing field that allowed all content to move at the same speed, whether it's ABC News or your uncle's video blog.
"That's all about to change, and the result couldn't be more bleak for the future of the Internet, for television, radio and independent voices." >>> Andy Bloxham | Friday, August 06, 2010
Sen. Franken: Stop the Corporate Takeover of the Media
A Note to Google Users on Net Neutrality *:
The Internet as we know it is facing a serious threat. There's a debate heating up in Washington, DC on something called "net neutrality" – and it's a debate that's so important Google is asking you to get involved. We're asking you to take action to protect Internet freedom.
In the next few days, the House of Representatives is going to vote on a bill that would fundamentally alter the Internet. That bill, and one that may come up for a key vote in the Senate in the next few weeks, would give the big phone and cable companies the power to pick and choose what you will be able to see and do on the Internet.
Today the Internet is an information highway where anybody – no matter how large or small, how traditional or unconventional – has equal access. But the phone and cable monopolies, who control almost all Internet access, want the power to choose who gets access to high-speed lanes and whose content gets seen first and fastest. They want to build a two-tiered system and block the on-ramps for those who can't pay.
Creativity, innovation and a free and open marketplace are all at stake in this fight. Please call your representative (202-224-3121) and let your voice be heard.
Thanks for your time, your concern and your support.
No. 1 Nation in Sexy Web Searches? Call it Pornistan
FOX NEWS: They may call it the "Land of the Pure," but Pakistan turns out to be anything but.
The Muslim country, which has banned content on at least 17 websites to block offensive and blasphemous material, is the world's leader in online searches for pornographic material, FoxNews.com has learned.
“You won’t find strip clubs in Islamic countries. Most Islamic countries have certain dress codes,” said Gabriel Said Reynolds, professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Notre Dame. “It would be an irony if they haven’t shown the same vigilance to pornography.”
So here's the irony: Google ranks Pakistan No. 1 in the world in searches for pornographic terms, outranking every other country in the world in searches per person for certain sex-related content. >>> Kelli Morgan | Tuesday, July 13, 2010
This should come as no surprise. Anyone who has ever worked in the Islamic world, and who has kept his eyes open, will have experienced prurience as he will never have experienced it before in the West. The seclusion of women – purdah – is one of the main causes of this preoccupation with matters sexual in the Muslim world.
Homosexuality, too, is a huge problem in the Islamic world. Why? Because young men, when they reach puberty and become frisky, have no outlet for their sexual urges. So, what they do is look for pretty young men to fit the bill! If the young man is clean-shaven and handsome, look out!
This is one reason why the French and Belgians are so much wiser than the Brits and the Americans. The burqah should be banned. The Belgians have banned it already; the French will have banned it very soon. Britain should follow suit. But our politicians lack the balls to take such a bold step.
THE TELEGRAPH: The 'face' of Jesus Christ has been 'seen' in an image picked up by Google Earth.
The resemblance was found by a 26-year-old man as he used the mapping website to look for holiday destinations.
Zach Evans, from Southampton, spotted the outline in satellite pictures of a field on farmland near Puspokladany in Hungary. >>> | Monday, July 05, 2010
Google Moves into Travel Business with ITA Purchase
THE TELEGRAPH: Google has agreed to acquire ITA, a flight information software company for $700 million in cash, in a bid to enter the lucrative digital travel market.
Image: The Telegraph
The search giant is hoping that the cash acquisition, the fourth largest in its history, will allow it to create bespoke search tools focused on travel. ITA, which has been in existence for 14 years, aggregates and organises information it gathers from travel agents and airlines, including flight times, ticket prices and availability.
However, the deal needs approval by the US competition authorities, as the acquisition would bring together the world’s largest search engine with one of the biggest pieces of travel search software. >>> Emma Barnett, Technology and Digital Media Correspondent | Friday, July 02, 2010
Google was among a number companies which opposed a successful California initiative to legally define 'marriage' as exclusively a union between a man and a woman. Image: Google Images
Google Pays Gay Workers Extra
THE TELEGRAPH: Google has begun paying extra to its gay employees in the US to compensate them for additional taxes on their benefits.
The search engine giant yesterday adjusted the pay packets of employees in same sex relationships to offset income tax they have to pay on health insurance for their partners[.]
Gay couples have also been given the same rights as heterosexuals to take off from work for family or medical reasons, Cynthia Yeung of the Google's strategic development team said in a blog post.
The company has strong gay representation, with nearly 300 "Googlers' marched in San Francisco's 40th annual Pride parade on Sunday.
"We braved the rain in Boston, enjoyed the sun in New York, rode a trolley in Chicago and marched with the Israel Gay Youth Organization in Tel Aviv and Haifa," Ms Yeung said of Google workers taking part in such celebrations.
"Googlers will be participating in EuroPride, held in Poland this year, as well as many other parades, including Tokyo for the first time. And we'll be celebrating Pride season in Singapore too." >>> | Thursday, July 01, 2010
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Google to Be Monitored for Anti-Islamic Content by Pakistan
THE TELEGRAPH: Google is among several high-profile websites which Pakistan is to begin monitoring in an attempt to block content it deems anti-Islamic.
Google to be monitored by Pakistan for anti-Islamic content. Photo: The Telegraph
Seven major websites, including Google and Yahoo, will be monitored and 17 lesser-known sites are being blocked outright for alleged blasphemous material under court orders.
The moves follow a temporary ban that Pakistan imposed on Facebook in May.
The sites to be monitored include Yahoo, Google, YouTube, Amazon and MSN, Hotmail and Bing from Microsoft, according to a spokesman for the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority.
He added: "If any particular link with offensive content appears on these websites, the (link) shall be blocked immediately without disturbing the main website."
Scott Rubin, a spokesman for Google, responded that the company intends, in turn, to monitor how the new policies affect access to its services.
He said: "Google and YouTube are platforms for free expression, and we try to allow as much ... content as possible on our services and still ensure that we enforce our policies."
Yahoo said Pakistan's actions were disappointing. Microsoft and Amazon did not respond immediately. >>> Andy Bloxham and Asif Shahzad | Saturday, June 26, 2010
Friday, May 21, 2010
Google TV Launched
THE TELEGRAPH: Google has launched 'smart' TV, a service that unites surfing on the internet with surfing TV channels.
The technology company has joined forces Sony Corp., Intel Corp. and Logitech International.
Google wants to turn televisions into giant monitors for internet browsing so it can make more money selling ads. The company generated nearly $24 billion in revenue last year, mostly from internet ads displayed on computer screens.
Although Google began selling ads for regular television programming three years ago, analysts say that has yielded paltry dividends so far.
"I think this is going to be the biggest improvement to television since colour," Intel CEO Paul Otellini said. >>> | Thursday, May 20, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Google Had 1,200 Requests for Data from British Authorities
THE TELEGRAPH: Google was asked by British authorities almost 1,200 times for information about the internet activites of individuals and companies in just six months, the search engine has disclosed.
Britons are among the most spied upon on the web, according to the figures which show only Brazil and the United States asked for more information.
The 1,166 requests for information - which relate to the second half of 2009 - came from agencies such as local and national police, and usually formed part of a criminal investigation. France asked for 846 pieces of information, and Germany for 428.
The search engine also received 59 requests from British government departments and other official sources to remove items from Google's services.
A Google spokesman said that the company regularly gets asked by governments for information relating to users’ emails or on how and where they have logged on. The company added, however, that where broad requests are made it endeavours to release as little information as is necessary by law. It complies with approximately 77 per cent of all British requests for removal.
Google has launched its Government Requests Tool to highlight the extent to which governments are using their legal systems to gather information about citizens or censor the web. However, it admitted it could not provide data for China as Beijing considers such figures as a state secret. >>> Matt Warman, Consumer Technology Editor | Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Google Stops Censoring Search Results in China
THE TELEGRAPH: Google has stopped censoring search results in China in defiance of authorities there.
It is the latest step in a deepening row between the internet giant and Beijing over censorship and hacking.
Speculation had been mounting that Google was preparing to announce a decision to pull out of China, which is the world’s largest internet market by users, or at least shut down its Chinese search engine.
But instead it has decided to redirect users of its China search engine Google.cn to the Hong Kong-based Google.com.hk.
China has repeatedly warned Google that it will face consequences if it does not comply with censorship rules.
Google’s chief legal officer David Drummond said: “We want as many people in the world as possible to have access to our services, including users in mainland China, yet the Chinese government has been crystal clear throughout our discussions that self-censorship is a non-negotiable legal requirement.
“We believe this new approach of providing uncensored search in simplified Chinese from Google.com.hk is a sensible solution to the challenges we’ve faced. It’s entirely legal and will meaningfully increase access to information for people in China. >>> Nick Allen in Los Angeles | Monday, March 22, 2010
China Warns US Not to 'Politicise' Google Row
TIMES ONLINE: Google’s closure of its search engine in China should not damage Sino-US relations as long as it remains an isolated act by a commercial company, China’s Foreign Ministry said today.
The statement from Qin Gang, a Foreign Ministry spokesman, more modulated in tone than an angry tirade earlier from the State Council Information Office, signals that Beijing wants the US Government to keep out of the row over censorship.
Mr Qin said that the Government would handle the Google case “according to the law” and any repercussions would not damage Sino-US ties already strained over a currency dispute.
Mr Qin said: “I don't see it influencing Sino-US relations unless some people want to politicise it.”
Google had said two months ago that it would quit the mainland market if it were required to continue to submit to censorship after cyberattacks originating in China. >>> Jane Macartney, Beijing, and Mike Harvey, San Francisco | Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Google Goes Uncensored in China
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Google Italy Ruling 'Threat to Internet Freedom'
THE TELEGRAPH: Three Google executives were convicted on Wednesday of violating privacy laws by allowing disturbing footage of a disabled Italian boy being bullied to be posted on the internet.
The ruling was the first of its kind in history and was condemned by critics as "the biggest threat to internet freedom we have seen".
The trial centred on footage posted on Google Videos, of a teenager suffering from Down's syndrome and who was being bullied by four other boys, at a Turin school.
The footage was posted in September 2006 and became the most viewed where it remained for two months before finally being removed.
Prosecutors in Milan brought the case after being contacted by the charity Viva Down and argued that the boys privacy had been violated and that Google should have removed the footage quicker than it eventually did.
In the footage the boy was seen cowering as he was punched and kicked before one of the youths attacking him made a mocking call to the Viva Down charity.
The three executives found guilty by judge Oscar Magi were David Carl Drummond, former Google Italy and now senior vice president, George De Los Reyes, a retired financial executive and privacy director Peter Fleischer.
The three were found guilty of violating privacy laws and given six month suspended sentences, while they were cleared of defamation. A fourth executive Arvind Desikan, an executive with Google video Europe was cleared. >>> Nick Pisa in Rome | Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Google Refuses Australian Government Request to Censor YouTube
THE TELEGRAPH: Google has refused to bow to a request by the Australian government to censor videos on YouTube, saying the move would stifle public debate on important issues such as euthanasia and drug use.
Stephen Conroy, the communications minister, asked the search engine to "voluntarily" censor videos that fall within the government's broad new "refused classification" category.
However, Google said blocking access to videos in the category would lead to the removal of many politically controversial, but essentially harmless, clips.
The Australian government is preparing to introduce new legislation that will force internet service providers to block a blacklist of "refused classification" websites, in an attempt to clamp down on pornography and websites used by criminals.
YouTube's own guidelines already block videos featuring sex, violence, bestiality and child pornography. But under the "refused classification" rules, videos featuring subjects as diverse as euthanasia, drug use and graffiti, would also be banned.
Google said it would not voluntarily censor videos on these subjects because exposing the topics to public debate was vital for democracy.
Iarla Flynn, Google Australia's head of policy, said the company had a bias in favour of freedom of expression. >>> Bonnie Malkin in Sydney | Thursday, February 11, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Iran Shuts Down Google Mail
THE TELEGRAPH: Iran has announced plans to permanently ban Google's email service from being used within its borders.
In a move ahead of Thursday's 31st anniversary of the creation of Iran's Islamic Republic, the national telecoms agency in Tehran said that it will ban Gmail and will instead facilitate its own national email service.
The decision, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, comes just a month after Google threatened to leave China amid concerns that its systems had been attacked by Chinese hackers.
The Iranian announcement is understood to be part of a wider crackdown on opposition protests ahead of today's anniversary, which is likely to bring significant protests from both dissenters and supporters of the Islamic revolution. >>> James Quinn in New York | Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Google Jihad
THE WASHINGTON TIMES – Editorial: Religions aren't all equal on popular search engine
Google isn't carrying water for jihad. That's what the company says, and they're sticking to it. Still, many Internet surfers wonder: Is there something bad about Islam the Google search engine doesn't want you to know?
Google has been accused of pandering to Muslims by censoring negative search suggestions in its main search box. Type "Christianity is" in the search bar, and Google suggests helpful endings to your query, such as "not a religion," "a lie," "a cult," and so on. Google makes similar adverse suggestions for Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism, among other religions. But type "Islam is" - and all you get is a big blank bar.
Google says there is no Islamic kowtowing involved, and that the omissions are a result of a program bug. If so, the bug is pretty selective. Typing "Muslims are" gives the same blank result. A Google representative said that the company is "working to fix it as quickly as [they] can." >>> The Washington Times | Thursday, January 14, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Google Will Quit China Unless Web Censorship Ends
THE TELEGRAPH: Google, the internet search engine, has set itself at odds with the authorities in China by declaring that it will stop censoring search results on its Chinese website.
In a surprise announcement, the group issued a veiled attack at Chinese censors and said it was prepared to shut down its operations there entirely if the authorities do not allow it to create an unfiltered search engine.
The company courted controversy in 2006 when it launched in China but, as a concession to the Communist government, agreed to filter the results available on its website for "inappropriate" content. It does not operate such filters in other major countries. >>> Edmund Conway | Tuesday, January 12, 2010
