Jordan Kahn

Google’s Eric Schmidt appears to be continuing his media tour in New York this week. Yesterday, we posted a video of Schmidt sitting down one-on-one with The Economist’s Daniel Franklin, but today several U.K. publications are reporting on comments made by the Google Chairman at another one of his media stops last night. According to reports from both Daily Mail and The Independent, Schmidt defended the company’s controversial tax avoidance schemes by stating he is “‘proudly capitalistic”:

‘We pay lots of taxes; we pay them in the legally prescribed ways… ‘I am very proud of the structure that we set up. We did it based on the incentives that the governments offered us to operate…. ‘It’s called capitalism….‘We are proudly capitalistic. I’m not confused about this.’

The U.K.’s chairman of the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee Margaret Hodge said Schmidt and Google should be ashamed:

For Eric Schmidt to say that he is ‘proud’ of his company’s approach to paying tax is arrogant, out of touch and an insult to his customers here in the UK,” she said.

“Ordinary people who pay their taxes unquestioningly are sick and tired of seeing hugely profitable global companies like Google use every trick in the book to get out of contributing their fair share… Google should recognise its obligations to countries like the UK from which it derives such huge benefits, and pay proper corporation tax on the profits it makes from economic activity here. It should be ashamed, not proud, to do anything less. ”

Schmdit continued:
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As noticed by TNW, Google appears to be testing a new flight search service that differs from its Google Flights offering launched in September of last year. In our tests, the service, dubbed “Flight Explorer”, is fully accessible through www.google.com/flights/explorer, indicating this might be an upcoming refresh of the Google Flights service. Upon navigating to the Flight Explorer page, Google automatically detects your location for the “From” category and selects what appears to be the next closest country in the “To” section.

The service also provides some improvements over Google’s old flights search, allowing users to select the trip length with a slider under their destination, as well as a number of filters along the top, including: Stops, Airline, Duration, Outbound time, and Return Time. While the service appears to be ready to go, clicking links for any flights that show up in the results takes you to a familiar Google Flights page currently. We expect to hear more about Google’s new Flight Explorer service soon.

[tweet https://twitter.com/Telsyte/status/278693143325581313]

Android has passed Apple’s iOS for the first time in Australia, according to a new research report from Telsyte (via TheSydneyMorningHerald). Telsyte reported 44 percent of smartphones in Australia are now running on Android—just slightly edging out Apple with 43 percent of the market running iOS. Telsyte Research Director Foad Fadaghi attributed Android’s growth to a wider range of handsets, faster product cycles, and carrier support has helped Android close the gap:

“Our new research shows that the lower prices, faster product cycles and carrier support has helped Android become the leading platform,” Fadaghi says.

While Apple and Android dominate the market with 87 percent of smartphones in the country, Fadaghi noted Apple has “the highest repeat purchase intention amongst consumers, with iPhone upgrades significantly driving re-contracting with carriers.”

You can read the full results of the Telsyte report here.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=xY_MUB8adEQ]

Google is out today with its 12th annual Zeitgeist report that provides us with insight into the most popular search queries over the year. Google is providing even more stats this year for more countries, with 838 different lists covering 55 countries around the globe. Other new additions to the Zeitgeist report include an interactive map on the 2012 Zeitgeist website and a new Android app (iOS in the works). Now for the stats…

Whitney Houston comes in at the No. 1 spot for top-trending search worldwide, followed by Gangnam Style by PSY. Both, of which, were also able to grab the No. 1 spots for many other lists worldwide. As for consumer electronics, iPad 3 lands at No. 1 for trending searches worldwide, followed by the Samsung Galaxy S3 and iPad mini.  Google walked us through some of the other topics that reached the top of the list in many countries:

People researched a breadth of other topics, too. Web users took a serious interest in threats to the open Internet, with proposals like SOPA and ACTA both finding their way to the top of many countries’ lists. The U.S. elections brought attention to the candidates and issues, not least the presidential campaigns’ most notorious political gaffes. And while it might not be surprising to see that tragic natural disasters like Hurricane Sandy ranked highly (#3 on the global trending list), it is reassuring to find searches like [donate to Sandy] spiking as well.

You can check out Google’s 2012 Zeitgeist website here for access to all 838 lists.

Google today announced on Google+ that it is introducing a new Chrome extension that will allow users to save content from on the web directly to their Google Drive account. Using the new Chrome extension, users will be able to select which part of a webpage they want to save, such as “an image of a page, the HTML source code, or a Web archive.” Once installed, users will also get an option to save images, links, or files directly to Drive when right clicking.

Google also explained it has made enhancements to the photo viewer in Google Drive that allows users to zoom, fit to page, and comment:

We’ve also added a few new ways to work with images that are already stored in Drive. You can now zoom by scrolling or using the new fit to page and 100% buttons. And if you have something to say about a specific part of an image, you can select a region and add a comment to it.

The Google Drive Chrome extension is available from the Chrome Web Store here.

Samsung just confirmed the Galaxy Camera will come to Verizon’s 4G LTE network starting Dec. 13 for $549.99. The Android 4.1-powered camera will land on the carrier in two colors, including the white model we’ve seen before and Cobalt Black exclusive to Verizon. Samsung also noted “users will be able to add the Samsung Galaxy Camera to their Share Everything account for the promotional price of $5 per month.” The device will initially be available online through Verizon.

The full press release is below:

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There were some questions surrounding Google’s launch of its new LG-made Nexus 4. The device quickly sold out after going on sale in the United States mid-November, followed by the same scene for international rollouts in Canada and elsewhere. Google resumed sales of the device earlier this week and last in the U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, and other locations. Most models of the device were listed as sold out, and they continue to be shortly after Google’s relaunch. With many orders of the device shipping as late as “6-7 weeks” from now, there were many questions regarding the source of Google’s inventory problems. According to LG, the issue is simply due to the “huge demand” for Nexus 4….

CNET got in touch with head of mobile LG U.K. Andy Coughlin. He claimed the device “had proven extremely popular, and as such retailers have been met with huge demand.” He added that LG is “working closely with Google to ensure that those who wish to purchase a handset are able to do so”.

As for supply to Google Play versus other retailers, Coughlin explained:

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lpUDWCSRQIU]

Google announced a new Google+ feature today, dubbed “Communities”, in a post on the Official Google Blog that aims to bring people of common interests together in discussions on the network. The new Google+ Communities will be made up of both private and public groups, discussion categories for finding conversations that meet your interest, hangouts, and sharing through +1 integration. You can activate the new feature by clicking the “Communities” icon to join or create a new community.

From photography to astronomy (and everything in between), Google+ has always been a place to crowd around common interests and meet new people. What’s been missing, however, are more permanent homes for all the stuff you love: the wonderful, the weird, and yes, even the things that are waaay out there. With Google+ Communities there’s now a gathering place for your passions

Google just announced Google I/O 2013 would kick off in 162 days from May 15 to May 17 at the Moscone Center West in San Francisco. Google is not accepting registrations yet, but it will announce more details in February.

It might only be December, but Google I/O 2013 is set and is just 162 days away! We’ll be returning to Moscone Center West in San Francisco on May 15-17, 2013, and sharing the experience beyond via Google Developers Live and I/O Extended viewing parties. We’ll announce registration details in February 2013.
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Gmail version 2.0: Google just released a major update to its Gmail iOS app,  introducing multiple account support, a new look that appears to be partly inspired by its Sparrow acquisition, search predictions, and much more. The update also brings interactive Google+ posts support, an infinite scroll inbox, new welcome screen, and the ability to respond to Google Calendar invites. Google walked through some of the new features of the overhauled Gmail app in a blog post, and it noted the app was six months in the works:

Six months ago, our team set out to completely rebuild the Gmail app for iPhone and iPad to give you you a faster, sleeker, and easier experience on iOS. The result? Version 2.0. With version 2.0 of the app, you’ll get a totally new look and feel, plus a bunch of improvements like profile pictures in messages, numerous new animations from swivels to transitions and infinite scrolling in the message lists.

[tweet https://twitter.com/gmail/status/276023586265919489]

As noted in The Verge forums, images posted online show Google is informing customers in at least Germany and the United Kingdom that sales of the Nexus 4 will go live starting at 5 p.m. Sales in Germany will kick in at 5 p.m. CET, while sales in the U.K. start at 5 p.m. GMT. Yesterday, Google resumed sales of the device in Canada, selling out of the 8GB model within the first half an hour and the 16GB model shortly after. In the U.S., Google is currently listing the 8GB model of the device as sold out and shipping the 16GB model in “5-6 weeks”. Some customers, at least in Canada, have received shipping estimates of “6-7 weeks” for orders placed yesterday.

Facebook announced an interesting new feature for its updated Messenger for Android app today: the ability to sign up/in using only a name and phone number. The announcement marks the first time Facebook is offering one of its core services and apps without the need of an actual Facebook account. The feature will initially roll out to select markets, including: India, Indonesia, Australia, Venezuela, South Africa, and more countries to follow. Facebook also told us it plans to open the feature to iOS users in the future. Since these users will not have a Facebook account, the app will pull the device’s contacts to start direct or group conversations.

An update to Messenger for Android is available today, and Messenger accounts will become available over the next few weeks

Facebook plans to officially announce the new feature at Le Web today at 6:25 a.m. PST. You can grab the livestream here. 
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Google announced today on Google+ that version 4.2.1 of the Gmail app for Android is now available to users running Android 4.0 and up. The update focuses on making it easier to view and read messages, including auto-fit messages and zooming features:

No longer will your favorite email newsletters get cut off at the edges; with this latest version, you can now choose to have the emails resized to fit neatly on your screen and pinch to zoom for a closer look.  You can turn on auto-fit underSettings > General Settings.

Other features in the update now available on Google Play include swipe to archive or delete, larger photo previews, and more:
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Google resumed sales of its Nexus 4 in the United States for a short while last week after the device officially sold out following its Nov. 13 launch. Now, Google is informing consumers in Canada that the Nexus 4 will be available to purchase starting later today at 12 p.m. PST (via Phandroid). Orders of the device in the U.S. have been pushed back up to six weeks, so it’s unclear how much stock will be available to purchase for Canadian customers. 
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The Digital Reader recently discovered benchmarks posted to the GLBenchmarks website for an unannounced Asus tablet that might be for Google’s much rumored $99 Nexus tablet. According to the specs listed in the benchmark data, the Asus ME172V will sport a 1,024-by-600-resolution display, Android 4.1.1, a 400MHz Mali GPU, and a 1GHz CPU. There’s a possibility this is just a low-cost Asus tablet, and not a Nexus. With the $159 Kindle Fire sporting a display with the same resolution, a $99 price point might be a bit of a stretch for this upcoming Asus tab—whether it’s a Nexus or not.

In recent months Digitimes, a publication with a spotty track record for predicting product launches, has reported several times that suppliers have confirmed a low-cost, $99 Nexus tablet is in the works. In October, NPD DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim also claimed that Google is working on a $99 tablet, adding that it could go into production as soon as December.

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Father of the Internet and Google’s Chief Internet Evangelist Vint Cerf took to the company’s Public Policy Blog today to urge people to join the freeandopenweb.com petition hours before a closed-door meeting with governments and the International Telecommunication Union in Dubai. Google launched the Free and Open Web campaign in response to what it called the ITU and governments attempts to “further regulate the internet.” As noted by Cerf in the post, the ITU is holding a conference in Dubai from Dec. 3 to Dec. 14 that would “revise a decades-old treaty, in which only governments have a vote.” Late last week, Cerf outlined some of the topics rumored to be discussed at the meetings:

Some of these governments are trying to use a closed-door meeting of The International Telecommunication Union that opens on December 3 in Dubai to further their repressive agendas. Accustomed to media control, these governments fear losing it to the open internet. They worry about the spread of unwanted ideas. They are angry that people might use the internet to criticize their governments.
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As noted by a blog post on the BufferBox blog and a report from the FinancialPost, Google confirmed today it has acquired two-year-old self-serve package pickup startup, Buffer Box, for an undisclosed sum. The Waterloo, Ontario based startup was previously working out of the Communitech Hub startup incubator, located downstairs from Google’s Waterloo offices.

FinancialPost explained how the BufferBox service works:

BufferBox’s service provides users with temporary lockers in central locations which can accept packages sent by online retailers. Users sign up for a BufferBox address, which is provided to the online merchant. When a parcel arrives at one of BufferBox’s self-serve kiosks, the users receives an email and can pick up their package using a one-time-use code. The locker can then be used to store a package from another user.

As for what Google plans to do with the company, Google Waterloo engineering director Steve Woods told FinancialPost it would “keep doing BufferBox” while saying there “real exciting space beyond this amazing start with boxes, and the idea of touching consumers as part of their end-to-end experience is something we’re going to explore together.”

Back in October we heard Google was testing a same-delivery service in San Francisco and even had plans to use self-driving cars in the pilot program. BufferBox could possibly play a role in Google’s future delivery services.

The BufferBox team, including founders Mike McCauley, Aditya Bali and Jay Shah, had this to say on the company’s blog:
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