Google recently rolled out an update for its web search algorithm that makes it harder for people to find pirated media through torrent sites like Pirate Bay and Isohunt. This new software push comes soon after News Corp. chief executive Robert Thomson issued a letter blasting the search giant, referring to it as a “platform for piracy” and requesting that the EU enforce stricter policies against the company.
Google is in the process of testing a new search result icon that helps people quickly identify websites that aren’t mobile-friendly. A few months back, the search giant started taking action against sites that weren’t properly optimized for smartphones and this new notification icon appears to be part of the company’s focus on mobile web browsing.
A recent scandal that involved countless private pictures of several high-profile female celebrities being published online was initially linked to Apple’s iCloud, however such claims were never validated and the Cupertino software company has publicly denied such allegations. After taking aim at Apple, some of the outraged celebrities are now targeting Google, threatening to sue the company behind its web search results linking to their leaked photos.
After receiving a lot of pressure from a group German publishers, Google is changing the way its search engine handles news articles. The company is now removing excerpts and image thumbnails from its web search results for sites like bild.de,bunte.de or hoerzu.de and replacing them with headlines and story links.
Google is today rolling out a new version of its web search to make it more obvious how to search for a specific page within a website.
Search for a company or website by name and Google has long displayed a list of popular links within that site. For example, search for Samsung and this is what Google will show you:
If the page you’re after isn’t shown, you can click the ‘More results from’ link to open up a site-specific search – but most people didn’t notice it. In the new version, a site search box will pop up right underneath the main link, with greyed-out text letting you know that will search within the site – as in the YouTube example shown. Type in your keyword(s) and Google will take you right there.
Websites with their own search engines can also include code that tells Google how to access it, in which case the site’s own search facility will be used.
The new page is appearing on google.com today, and is likely to reach other countries soon.
Google today announced a new feature for its Google Search app for Android, catering to the billions of people in the world who speak more than one language. Previously, you had to manually switch between the language you wanted Google to recognize, but now you’re just a flick of a switch away from being able to speak in multiple languages at once—and Google will be able seamlessly switch with you. Expand Expanding Close
Google this afternoon, as part of its Update Wednesday regiment, started rolling out an update to the Play Music app on Android. The update bumps the app to version 5.6.1616 and includes several interface tweaks and new features. For one, the update adds a newly-skinned 4×1 widget, as well as a new 1×1 widget that allows you to instantly listen “I’m Feeling Lucky” radio. For those unfamiliar, the “I’m Feeling Lucky” feature provides an infinite stream of music that Google thinks you will like.
Google recently helped police in Houston, Texas catch a sex offender after tipping the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that it had located explicit pictures of children in a man’s email. Although the search giant’s efforts helped catch a criminal, they’ve also made some people wonder if the company regularly monitors its subscribers’ email accounts.
Despite having its hand in things like wearables and robotics, web search is arguably still Google’s mainstay and it looks like the company is working on a new tool that will help people point and click their way through historical events. Discovered by code tinkerer Florian Kiersch, Mountain View appears to be working on a new Knowledge Graph tool that pulls data from Wikipedia to create interactive timelines based on the item being searched.
Google is working on a new feature for its voice search that will allow the software to understand multiple languages at a time. Currently, the company’s voice search only listens to your default language settings for your Google profile. This can be changed within your account’s settings, but Mountain View is trying to make things easier for multilingual individuals.
Many people use Google’s search engine to get answers to tough questions and in some cases the results produce excerpts from reputable websites. For example, if you search for: “what are flu symptoms?” You’ll pull results from flu.gov, along with an information card like the one pictured above.
Setting Google Now reminders by voice is all very well when you’re walking down the street, but you can feel just a little self-conscious doing it in an open-plan office or coffee-shop. Google now allows you to add reminders by typing them directly into the searchbar on your laptop, reveals the Google Blog.
You don’t have to use the mobile Google Search app to add reminders. Just search Google for add reminder or create reminder, enter a name, a date or a place. You can also enter specific queries like: add reminder to buy milk tomorrow or create reminder to buy sandwich when I am in Chicago. Just click “remind me on Google Now” …
Microsoft is reportedly blocking Google as a search engine option on some of Nokia’s new Lumia handsets. Windows Phone devices ship with Bing as their default search engine without an option to change platforms. Prior to Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia’s phone making division, the Finnish company provided users with an option to change a Lumia’s search engine via its web browser, but this appears to be gone from some devices.
Google, over the past year, has gradually been ramping up the features of which its Knowledge Graph is capable . For those unfamiliar, the Knowledge Graph is the box that appears in search results, either at the top or on the right, with information about your search query. Over the past few days, Google has gradually started integrating step-by-step directions into the Knowledge.
To try this feature out, simply type in a “how-to” search into Google and the steps will appear at the top of the search results page. As you can see in the images above, Google will sometime present you with the materials need to perform your task, while in other instances it will give you step-by-step directions. For shorter tasks, all of the steps will be listed in the Knowledge Graph, while tasks with longer processes require you to click through to the publisher’s website.
Google pulls in the steps from a variety sources. Publishers would obviously prefer that readers have to click through to see all of the steps, but Google doesn’t seem to care. Try it out for yourself now.
A recent ruling by the European Union Court of Justice (ECJ) determined that people had “the right to be forgotten” and mandated that Google remove outdated, unflattering information about them from search queries if requested by an individual. In response to the court’s ruling Mountain View created an online form for people to formally file requests to have old links removed from web searches.
In case you didn’t know, Google can help you plan your next meal. No, the search behemoth isn’t using its Zagat-owned tech to recommend a restaurant, it’s helping you in the kitchen. Perhaps dormant or maybe new, Google recently outed a filter that lets you pull up an ingredients list when searching for food or a recipe.
Google Now has been updated with a slick new feature that will remind you to pay your bills based on emails in your Gmail inbox. Notifications cards will display a bill’s payee, amount owed, due date and an option to display the email that the information came from. It’s not clear how many bill collectors are supported at this time, however Google Now gets payee information by scanning emails in your Gmail account, so you’ll need to have some type of online correspondence set up with the companies that you wish to pay.
Google Now features typically roll out silently, so there shouldn’t be any update prompts, however it never hurts to make sure that your device is rocking the latest version of the Google Search app.
Update: It turns out Google Search/Now on Android is also getting a ton of other new features in addition to the ability to find a parked vehicle (via SearchEngineLand):
Offline support: Google Now cards will remain loaded when users lose their internet or mobile connections
Indoor maps: in “some malls” Google Now will offer a searchable directory of stores (US + Japan) and then take users to an indoor map of that mall. We don’t know which particular malls but probably the ones available on the US and Japan lists here. In addition Google has individual store maps (probably coming later) for some retailers such as Best Buy, Home Depot, Ikea and others. It doesn’t have everyone store in those chains however.
Product search reminders: If you’ve done a previous search for a product online or on a mobile device and you happen to be near a store that carries that product, Google will show you a Now card (kind of like a reminder/notification) about the product.
Google this afternoon has updated its Search app on Android with several new features. The update bumps the app to version 3.4 and has some pretty useful features within it. First off, it adds a Google Now card that offers the ability to automatically detect where you’ve parked and help you find that spot later, a feature that was rumored earlier this month.
Google’s claim to fame is its ability to crawl the web and find information, however its mobile search results weren’t always the most favorable when looking for a hotel or restaurant. Sure, it pulls things up fairly quickly, but are they places that you suit your taste or better yet in your price range? Today, however, the company has released an update for its mobile search app that introduces a set of filters similar to what Yelp offers — guess that Zagat purchase is being put to use. Users can now tap the onscreen mic icon on their device and ask a specific question like “where’s the best Mexican food in downtown Los Angeles?” If you need a place to crash for the evening, you can also narrow things down by price, ratings or business hours. Currently the update is only available in the US, but Google hints that it’s working on bringing this feature to other territories.
Google is considering giving higher search rankings to websites that use security encryption, according to The Wall Street Journal. If true, this could force more websites to adopt a secure setup, possibly making it harder for cyber criminals to spy on web users. This new idea was recently mentioned at a conference by Matt Cutts, the head of Google’s Webspam team. Still under consideration, if Google decides to move forward with this process, a change reportedly won’t happen for quite a while.
Planning to watch American Idol tonight and vote on your favorite performers? Google is making voting through its Search apps possible through a partnership with FOX. As the live finalist performance shows debut, American Idol is allowing viewers to vote through Google.com and Google’s Android and iOS Search apps.
Voting through Google allows you to cast up to 50 votes for each contestant as the new voting system is piloted. Simply search american idol or idol during voting hours and cast your votes!
Google Search for Android is available for free from the Google Play Store.
Google noted today on its Google+ page that it’s added detailed transit schedules to the Google Search app for at least Android users.
Tap the microphone on the Google Search app and say, “From New York City to Boston by train.”
Google will now display detailed information for schedules and fares to the requested destination and also a countdown timer that will show how long until the next train or bus, for example. “And if the train ever gets delayed due to a maintenance issue or an accident, you’ll see a status alert in the results.” The feature appears to be limited to users in the U.S. currently.
Chalk up another Google app for iOS update as the app goes all iOS 7-fied as the official app finally receives the treatment. It takes a few seconds to notice the changes as I almost missed the full screen front page that now omits the signal, battery and carrier label. Overall, the update introduces:
Oh Canada as the country’s Competition Bureau is targeting Google with a formal inquiry. Our neighbors to the north are eyeballing el Goog over concern the company is abusing its position as the worlds most dominant search engine.
