Google reaches agreement with EU in antitrust case

Google reaches agreement with EU in antitrust case

BRUSSELS: The European Union's antitrust watchdog on Wednesday accepted "far-reaching" concessions offered by Google to settle allegations it is abusing its dominant position in Internet searches, bringing the three-year-old case close to an end.

 

Google would significantly change the ways it displays some search results in Europe in favor of its competitors. But reaching a settlement will spare the company a longer antitrust procedure that could have resulted in fines of up to 10 percent of the company's annual revenue, or about $5 billion.

Google buys 'smart' thermostat maker Nest for $3.2 bn

Google buys 'smart' thermostat maker Nest for $3.2 bn

SAN FRANCISCO: Google on Monday announced that it is buying smart thermostat start-up Nest in a deal valued at $3.2 billion.

 

"They're already delivering amazing products you can buy right now -- thermostats that save energy and smoke/CO alarms that can help keep your family safe," Google chief executive Larry Page said in a press release.

 

"We are excited to bring great experiences to more homes in more countries and fulfill their dreams."

 

The big-ticket buy continues a move by the California-based Internet titan into consumer electronics hardware, adding smartphone-synched thermostats to its Motorola Mobility smartphones; Nexus mobile devices, and the promise of releasing Google Glass eyewear some time this year.

 

"Google has the business resources, global scale and platform reach to accelerate Nest growth across hardware, software and services for the home globally," Nest co-founder and chief executive Tony Fadell.

 

"And our company visions are well aligned ? we both believe in letting technology do the hard work behind the scenes so people can get on with the things that matter in life." (AFP)

Google gets in game of Internet age storytelling

Google gets in game of Internet age storytelling

SAN FRANCISCO: The Google lab behind augmented reality game "Ingress" is teaming with HarperCollins Publishers and top author James Frey for an Internet age adventure in storytelling.

 

Niantic Labs announced Wednesday that it will create a mobile augmented reality game as part of an "Endgame" multimedia project meshing together digital novellas, YouTube videos, social media and search results.

Next Android mobile software version dubbed 'KitKat'

SAN FRANCISCO: Google on Tuesday said the next version of Android will be called "KitKat" in keeping with its penchant for giving tasty names to its software for powering mobile devices.

"Since these devices make our lives so sweet, each Android version is named after a dessert," the California-based technology titan said in a blog.

"As everyone finds it difficult to stay away from chocolate we decided to name the next version of Android after one of our favorite chocolate treats."

Microsoft buys Nokia phone unit to fight Apple, Google

HELSINKI: Nokia said on Tuesday it was selling its beleaguered mobile phone unit to Microsoft for 5.44 billion euros ($7.17 billion) as the US tech giant tries to fight back against rivals Apple and Google.

Investors cheered the news, as Nokia's share price soared by 45 percent in opening trading on the Helsinki stock exchange to 4.3 euros.

Nokia, once the world's leading mobile phone maker, will grant the US software giant a 10-year non-exclusive licence to its patents and will itself focus on network infrastructure and mapping services, which it called "the best path forward for Nokia and its shareholders."

Microsoft joins Google in US spying suit

SAN FRANCISCO: Microsoft on Friday said that a battle to shed light on secret US government requests for Internet user data would play out in court after failed peace talks.

Microsoft and Google filed suits in federal court in June, arguing a right to make public more information about user data requests made under the auspices of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

The technology titans agreed six times to extend the deadline for the government to respond to the lawsuits, allowing time for negotiations that "ended in failure," Microsoft general counsel Brad Smith said in a blog post.

Google buys virtual imaging patents from Foxconn

SAN FRANCISCO: Google has bought virtual imaging patents from Taiwanese supplier Foxconn that could be used in its interactive "Google Glass" devices, according to a document acquired by AFP on Saturday.

No details were released on the amount of the transaction. The patents relate to a technology that permits virtual images to be super-imposed over real ones, according to media reports.

Google Glass to be used to explore filmmaking

LOS ANGELES: Beauty is in the eye of the Google Glass wearer. At least that's what the Internet search giant hopes a handful of young filmmakers will discover.

Google is enlisting film students from five colleges to help it explore how its wearable computing device can be used to make movies.

The $1,500 Google Glass headset is already being used by 10,000 so-called explorers.

The device resembles a pair of glasses and allows users to take pictures, shoot video, search the Internet, compose email and check schedules.

Google gets deeper into hardware with new tablet, TV gadget

SAN FRANCISCO: Google Inc showcased a new-generation, slimmer Nexus 7 tablet that the Internet search company hopes will expand its presence in consumer hardware, and ensure that its online services remain front-and-center on mobile devices.

The latest Nexus 7, featuring a Qualcomm Inc Snapdragon processor and a higher display resolution, on July 30 will be priced at $229 for a basic version with 16 gigabytes of storage. The original year-old tablet started at $199 for an 8 gigabyte version.

Google coming out with two new Android phones

SAN FRANCISCO: Google revealed Thursday that it has two new sophisticated Android smartphones in the works, one of which will have the unprecedented distinction of being made in the United States.

An HTC One smartphone customized to be "Google's take on Android" will make its US debut on June 26 at a price of $599, the head of Android, Chrome and Google Apps said at an AllThingsD conference in California.

Google and NASA Launch Quantum Computing AI Lab

The Quantum Artificial Intelligence Lab will use the most advanced commercially available quantum computer, the D-Wave Two.

Quantum computing took a giant leap forward on the world stage today as NASA and Google, in partnership with a consortium of universities, launched an initiative to investigate how the technology might lead to breakthroughs in artificial intelligence.

Google Provides Free 15 GB Now Shared Between Drive, Gmail, And Google+ Photos

Life gets a bit easier when your Google products work well together—whether that’s inserting a Drive file into an email or sharing a photo from Drive on Google+. As this experience becomes more seamless, separate storage doesn’t make as much sense anymore. 

So instead of having 10 GB for Gmail and another 5 GB for Drive and Google+ Photos, you’ll now get 15 GB of unified storage for free to use as you like between Drive, Gmail, and Google+ Photos.

Microsoft Obtains Upper Hand in Google Patent Trial

Microsoft Corp arrived on the scene on top in the first of two patent trials vs . Google Inc's Motorola Flexibility unit in Thursday, to be a federal determine in Seattle ruled largely inside its benefit.

U S District Judge James Robart inside Seattle stated Microsoft owed only a fraction with the royalties Motorola experienced claimed for by using its technology in Microsoft's Xbox console.

Google Buys Wavii For $30 Million

Google Inc has acquired Wavii, the Seattle-based startup behind a news summarization app, for roughly $30 million in cash, a person with knowledge of the matter said Tuesday.

Google's successful bid came after Apple Inc had expressed interest in buying Wavii to incorporate the startup's natural language technology into Siri, Apple's voice-activated personal assistant feature, said the person, who declined to be named because the deal has not been publicly announced.

Provo Is Next Stop on the Google Fiber Express

Google's ambitious plan to spread its speedy fiber optic broadband service across the country will next head west to Provo, Utah. The company and Provo's mayor announced the proposed deal that has Google removing the millstone of an existing debt-ridden, unfinished fiber network off its budget. 

That current network may actually make the upgrade to gigabit technology easier for Google,
which means Provo may enjoy better quality video and Web interactivity before Austin.