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5,737 'Google' stories January 2009 - January 2015

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Google interrogated over relinquished emails and private data of three WikiLeaks staffers

Stephen Hall Jan 26 2015 - 10:21 am PT

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Three years ago, Google, under a secret search warrant from a federal judge, shared the emails and personal data of three WikiLeaks staffers with the US government reports The Guardian. Google was unable to say anything to the group about it doing so until Christmas Eve of 2014, at which point the company told the activist publisher of secret information that it had complied with a Justice Department order from 2012. WikiLeaks wants to know why it took so long.

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Official NFL YouTube channel launches w/ highlight reels, video in Google Search ahead of Super Bowl XLIX

Stephen Hall Jan 26 2015 - 7:43 am PT

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Google and the NFL have struck a deal—just in time for the Super Bowl—to bring a plethora of in-game footage to YouTube, and the Mountain View company says that it’s also putting some of that content directly in Google search results. This doesn’t mean you’ll be able to stream any entire games, but you will be able to catch some of the most important moments. Google says that “no way he caught that” plays from Odell Beckham Jr. will definitely be showing up on YouTube at one point or another.

It’s pretty simple: On any screen you watch YouTube, NFL’s YouTube channel will bring you the sights and sounds this week in Arizona, from pre-game analysis to the highlights that everyone will be talking about. After the Super Bowl, don’t let the worst Monday of the year get you down. NFL’s YouTube channel will post more videos all through the offseason.

Highlights from Super Bowl XLIX will be the first content to hit the channel, but Google says that the NFL will be posting plenty of content through the offseason. You’ll be able to pick up right where you left off at the beginning of the 2015-2016 season, when you can expect the channel to blow up with all kinds of new videos and analysis. And, as a bonus, Google says that it’s making it super easy to find this content; all you have to do is search for the name of your favorite team in a Google search.

Rumored fingerprint reader in Nexus 6 was real until Apple killed it, reveals former Motorola CEO

Ben Lovejoy Jan 26 2015 - 5:35 am PT

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The recessed Motorola logo was originally going to be a fingerprint sensor

The fingerprint reader widely rumored before the launch of the Nexus 6 was indeed part of the plan, confirmed former Motorola CEO Dennis Woodside. Speaking to the Telegraph, Woodside said that the dimple on the back of the handset was originally intended to be a fingerprint reader, but they were stymied by Apple’s purchase of biometrics company AuthenTec back in 2012.

Indeed, the 6-inch Nexus 6, he can now admit, was stymied by just one of those big players. A dimple on the back that helps users hold the device should, in fact, have been rather more sophisticated. “The secret behind that is that it was supposed to be fingerprint recognition, and Apple bought the best supplier. So the second best supplier was the only one available to everyone else in the industry and they weren’t there yet,” says Woodside.

It’s believed a fingerprint reader was included in internal prototypes, before it was abandoned. Woodside’s comments provide the explanation, Motorola originally intending to buy or license the sensor from AuthenTec. Motorola of course pioneered the smartphone fingerprint reader with the “Atrix” in 2012.

Google potentially working w/ BLOCKS smartwatch team to build cross platform Project Ara modules

Stephen Hall Jan 23 2015 - 9:50 am PT

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The BLOCKS smartwatch platform was unveiled a few months ago, and it’s still very much in development. But the company building the modular wrist-worn computer recently had a chance to sit down with the Project Ara team at Google, and it seems that the Mountain View corporation might be interested in working with the team to bring the best of the market’s modular devices together in harmony.

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Motorola says Lollipop now rolling out to Moto G in US and India

Stephen Hall Jan 23 2015 - 6:55 am PT

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Motorola this morning has taken to Google+ to say that Android 5.0 Lollipop is rolling out to the Moto G in the United States and India. Specifically, the update is today hitting the 2nd generation Moto G in the states and both 1st and 2nd generation devices in India.

#Lollipop is rolling out in phases to #MotoG (2nd Gen) in US & #MotoG (1st & 2nd Gen) in India. Look for the notification on your device to update!

This official announcement comes a couple months after Motorola began soak testing the update for the 2nd generation Moto G, and about a month after the update started rolling out to the Google Play Edition of the device.

Talking Schmidt: the Internet will disappear

Ben Lovejoy Jan 23 2015 - 6:29 am PT

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Asked at the World Economic Forum to predict the future of the web, Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt said that “the Internet will disappear.”

The somewhat surprising prediction isn’t quite as crazy as it sounds. What he means is that the Internet of Things will become so ubiquitous, that much of our interaction with the web will be invisible.

“There will be so many IP addresses…so many devices, sensors, things that you are wearing, things that you are interacting with that you won’t even sense it,” he explained. “It will be part of your presence all the time. Imagine you walk into a room, and the room is dynamic. And with your permission and all of that, you are interacting with the things going on in the room. A highly personalized, highly interactive and very, very interesting world emerges.”

It’s clearly hyperbole: none of us are going to stop viewing webpages anytime soon. And as Gizmodo wryly insinuates, that “with your permission” part is far from certain when a company makes its money from the data rather than the devices. But there’s certainly a core truth here: with more and more smart devices, we won’t need to interact with them so directly.

Google is, though, not taking its dominant position for granted. Schmidt said that at a time when new apps can spring out of nowhere and become billion dollar businesses, “all bets are off.”

Check out some other Talking Schmidt quotes.

Google Play services ceasing in Crimea on 1st February, AdSense & AdWord blocks underway

Ben Lovejoy Jan 23 2015 - 4:26 am PT

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Google’s Moscow offices

Google has started to block AdSense and Adwords accounts in Crimea, and Google Play services will cease on 1st February, reports TechCrunch. The moves are being made in order to comply with sanctions on the Crimea region of the Ukraine imposed by the US Government.

Free services, like search, maps and gmail are all expected to remain unaffected, but all services involving payment to or from Google will cease, said Russian site Lenta.ru.

“Google’s prohibited from providing paid services in the Crimea,” a source at Google told Lenta.ru. “In addition, Google cannot make payments to anyone in the Crimea. It is now technically impossible, as almost all international banks have ceased to make payments.”

The US joined the EU in imposing economic sanctions in protest at Russia’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula, which legally remains part of the Ukraine. TechCrunch notes that the political conflict could escalate, with the possibility that Russian government may retaliate by blocking the sale of US imports into Russia–an important market for many US companies, including Google.

Apple terminated its own agreements with app developers in the region earlier this week, and has announced that all sales of Apple products and services will cease as of 1st February. Other companies are similarly ceasing business in the region, including both Steam and PayPal.

Google trying to regain search marketshare from Yahoo w/ new messages for Firefox users

Chance Miller Jan 22 2015 - 1:37 pm PT

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Late last year, Mozilla announced a joint five-year partnership with Yahoo that saw the default search engine in Firefox change from Google to Yahoo. It seemed unlikely at the time that Google would notice too big of a loss from that deal, but following contrary reports from earlier this month, Search Engine Land has also noticed that the company has started trying to convince Firefox users to switch to Google Search.

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Opinion: Can Google woo businesses while seemingly suffering from ‘Product ADD’?

Ben Lovejoy Jan 22 2015 - 6:54 am PT

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Two of the biggest tech companies in the world–Google and Apple–couldn’t be more different in their philosophies. Apple has always believed in doing a very few things very well, famously saying no to a thousand things for every time it says yes. Google, in contrast, has tried to do– well, almost everything, including things well in the realms of science fiction.

Steve Jobs and Larry Page spoke about this difference shortly before Jobs died, with the Apple co-founder urging Page to “figure out what Google wants to be when it grows up.” Jobs expressed the view that, without focus, Google was in danger of turning into the next Microsoft, creating a large number of ok products but none of them with any wow factor …
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Google silently stops selling Play Edition HTC One (M8), the last remaining GPE device

Chance Miller Jan 21 2015 - 2:38 pm PT

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Google has been killing of Google Play Edition devices left and right over the past year and today, the final one has been given the axe. As noticeable on the homepage of the Play Store, the Google Play Edition HTC One M8 is no longer available for purchase. The device was listed at $699 and released last year.

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Google reportedly planning to launch its own wireless network

Chance Miller Jan 21 2015 - 1:05 pm PT

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A new report from The Information claims that Google is preparing to sell cellular plans directly to customers. The report, citing “three people with knowledge of the plans,” says that Google will sell customers the service and manage their calls and data, much like other U.S. carriers:
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Google changes its mind and signs student privacy pledge, says reaffirms existing promises

Ben Lovejoy Jan 21 2015 - 4:04 am PT

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Google has changed its mind and signed the student privacy pledge endorsed by President Obama last week, reports the WSJ. The pledge commits companies not to sell student data or use targeted ads on education products.

A total of 75 companies signed the pledge last week, including other tech giants like Apple and Microsoft, but Google declined, saying that it already had these commitments in place. Google’s change of heart may have been influenced by Obama’s statement that he would ensure parents were aware of companies that had not signed-up …
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SpaceX officially announces Google investment leading billion dollar financing round

Jordan Kahn Jan 20 2015 - 1:39 pm PT

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After reports this week that Google was close to making an investment in SpaceX, Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s privately funded company working to make advancements in space travel, the companies today have made an official announcement.

Google is leading a billion dollar financing round with Fidelity giving the two companies collectively almost 10% of SpaceX:
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Google’s Field Trip app updated with Material Design

Stephen Hall Jan 20 2015 - 11:03 am PT

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You might not have heard of it, but Google has a first-party app on the Play Store called Field Trip that basically serves as a guide to all things located in your vicinity. The Mountain View company just recently released a new version of the app, bringing to it Material Design and a flurry of other improvements.

While the app used to sport a vintage look and feel that made it somewhat unique, the new version goes the opposite direction and simplifies the entire experience. In addition to the redesign, Google says that the new version comes with new content from “hundreds” of publishers and performance improvements.

Here’s the full change log:

V2.0.5

* New sleek & modern design.

* Easier to discover and browse more cool stuff around you.

* New content from hundreds of publishers.

* Performance improvements.

You can get Field Trip on the Play Store for free.

Google gives Chrome for iOS a Material redesign, OS X Handoff support, & iOS 8/iPhone 6 optimizations

Jordan Kahn Jan 20 2015 - 10:15 am PT

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Google is today rolling out Chrome 40 for iOS and with it bringing Material Design to Chrome users on iDevices, OS X Handoff support, and optimizations for iOS 8 and the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.
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Google reportedly plans SpaceX investment for high-speed Internet satellites

Jordan Kahn Jan 19 2015 - 10:42 am PT

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According to a new report from The Information, Google is currently considering investing in SpaceX, Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s privately funded company working to make advancements in space travel. Rather than SpaceX projects looking to enable low-cost space travel, Google’s potential investment, according to the report, would be to help “support the development of SpaceX satellites that could beam low-cost Internet around the globe to billions who don’t have it.”

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Screenshots show Google’s upcoming Calendar iPhone app w/ Gmail, Photos, & Maps integration

9to5 Staff Jan 19 2015 - 9:16 am PT

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It appears that Google could soon release its promised redesigned Calendar app for iPhone after first making the announcement and releasing the app for Android last November. The Next Web this morning shared a handful of leaked screenshots that provide a first look at Google Calendar for iOS, including info cards that indicate Gmail, Photos and Maps integration will be key features of the app.
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Google now offering fast access to ticket purchases when searching bands and venues

Ben Lovejoy Jan 16 2015 - 3:54 am PT

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Performer search left, venue search right

If you search for a band or live venue, there’s a high chance it’s because you want to buy tickets for an upcoming show. Google is now making that easier by displaying upcoming events in the search results, with a direct link to purchase tickets.

It may take a few days to start seeing these results, as Google has just explained to webmasters for bands and venues the steps they need to take to ensure the information shows up in searches. They can either add a little HTML to their webpages, or install a widget that does it for them …
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Google relaunches ‘City Experts’ program as ‘Local Guides,’ makes it more community friendly

Stephen Hall Jan 15 2015 - 12:34 pm PT

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Google has today relaunched its review program previously called City Experts as Local Guides, and hopes to engage the community and get more people involved through what looks to be some much more friendly branding and fun new features. While Google previously touted the “exclusive benefits” you could receive through the program and required “50 high-quality reviews” for entry, the new program instead suggests that you “help others and support businesses” and encourages you to “be yourself.”

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Google adds social links for brands to Knowledge Graph search results

Stephen Hall Jan 15 2015 - 8:31 am PT

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As noticed by Search Engine Land, Google recently added a new section to its Knowledge Graph for brands searches. As you can see in the screenshot above, searching for a brand like McDonald’s will show a new “Profiles” section including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, and Instagram accounts. As of today, the same is not true about celebrity Knowledge Graph results. Updates to the Knowledge Graph usually sneak in under the radar, but they seem to keep coming nonetheless. This update follows last month’s Knowledge Graph update, which added a new lyrics section.

Google and PwC are teaming up to help reinvent healthcare for the US military

Stephen Hall Jan 15 2015 - 7:37 am PT

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PwC—short for PricewaterhouseCoopers—is a large multinational professional services network, and the company announced in October of last year that it would begin working with Google to bring “a variety of new and innovative technologies to companies around the world.” Reading that sounds unspecific and, frankly, because Google is always working on new technology, these kinds of announcements don’t really catch the eye of the public.

Today, though, PwC has announced a specific venture that Google is joining, and this one intends to reimagine the military health system in the United States…

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Google patent could mean private browsing will be switched on automatically

Ben Lovejoy Jan 15 2015 - 4:58 am PT

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A Google patent could mean that you never again have to remember to switch to incognito mode when searching for presents for your wife (other uses for incognito mode are available). The patent was applied for in 2011 and granted this week.

The patent describes a method by which your browser (presumably Chrome) can work out whether privacy is required “based on the plurality of identifiers.” A diagram in the patent application shows that the browser would analyze the URL, metadata and page content in order to determine whether incognito mode may be appropriate.

The sole example given curiously doesn’t mention browsing online stores for gifts.

Metadata that identifies adult content may automatically trigger that webpage [to] be opened in the privacy mode.

The patent was first spotted by Patent Yogi (via TNW).

Google partners with auto suppliers, enters talks with GM, Ford, Volkswagen and Daimler over self-driving cars

9to5 Staff Jan 14 2015 - 12:49 pm PT

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Google is getting serious about its self-driving car initiative.

Reuters reports on Wednesday that Google has entered discussions with several top automative manufacturers about self-driving cars, including General Motors, Ford, Volkswagen and Daimler, the German company behind Mercedes-Benz. The company has also partnered with a number of auto suppliers to develop and refine self-driving systems and components, such as Continental AG, Robert Bosch, LG Electronics and Nvidia.
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This is what’s new in Spiral 2 of Project Ara

Stephen Hall Jan 14 2015 - 11:26 am PT

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The second developer conference for Google’s Project Ara is happening today, and the ATAP team took some time this morning to show the world the second iteration of the modular smartphone—dubbed Spiral 2. While the hardware for the updated prototype is said to be complete at this point, the firmware still needs a bit work, as mentioned on stage by ATAP’s Paul Eremenko. But that aside, this new version continues to usher in the Project Ara mentality that consumers should be free to use hardware (much like we use software) to build a phone based on their needs—not the needs a company has determined they likely have.

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