Google engineers are so good at their jobs, they apparently have plenty of time at work to tackle the really pressing problems facing the world today. For example — who wants to sit around and use their very own brains to try and figure out how far apart any given actor is from Kevin Bacon? [More]
YouTube Launches New iOS App Just In Time For That New Phone Everyone's Been Waiting For
By 9.11.12
Ever since Apple told Google it wouldn’t include a pre-loaded YouTube app on new iPhones anymore because the license to do so had expired, the two companies have totally not been best friends anymore. Upping the fight ante this time around is YouTube’s owner Google, which launched a new YouTube app for iOS just in time for the expected iPhone 5 announcement tomorrow. [More]
You Should Really Use Google Two-Factor Authentication
By 8.29.12
If you haven’t heard of it, Google Two-Factor authentication is a simple process that combines something you know (your password) with something you have in your possession (your smart phone.) You may think you don’t need something like this, but we suggest you read this completely terrifying article from Ars Technica that explains that with every password breach, the bad guys are getting smarter. [More]
Man Announces "Toyota Sucks" On Roof — And Google Maps Takes Notice
By 8.27.12
Writing “Toyota Sucks” on your roof and turning your Toyota truck into an anti-Toyota billboard may seem like a slightly fruitless exercise. That is, until both of them end up on Google Maps, much to the amusement of the Internet. [More]
Google Switches Up Its Search Engine To Shun Sites Suspected Of Peddling Pirated Content
By 8.13.12
Google is making some tweaks in how its search engine runs in order to crack down on any sites that could possibly be promoting or hosting pirated entertainment content. As for why, well, there are a few prevailing thoughts. Perhaps it’s because the entertainment industry wouldn’t get off Google’s back for letting users find free movies and music on the Internet or maybe Google just wants to impress the cool kids of Hollywood so it doesn’t get sued. [More]
Google On The Hook For A Record $22.5 Million In Safari Privacy Case
By 8.9.12
Better start digging around in those couch cushions, Google. The company has agreed to settle with the Federal Trade Commission over charges that it fudged privacy settings of Apple’s Safari Internet browser when it told users it wouldn’t place cookies or serve targeted ads. It’s going to cost Google a pretty penny to pay the civil penalty — a record $22.5 million. [More]
Google Apparently Wants To Get Sued Again, Now Including Gmail Content In Search Results
By 8.8.12
Because Google didn’t learn anything from the Google Buzz privacy debacle, the company has now decided to begin testing the integration of users’ Gmail content into general search results. [More]
It Took Half An Hour For Hackers To Totally Shred Tech Journalist's Digital Life
By 8.7.12
Hackers wanted access to technology journalist Mat Honan’s Twitter account. It doesn’t just have 16,000 or so followers, but was tied to Gizmodo’s account, allowing for exponentially more mischief and, above all, lulz. So how did they get access to his account and destroy most of his digital life in the process? Knowledge of how different companies confirm customer identities and how their password retrieval systems work are all that a determined person needs to get into your life and mess everything up. The weakest links in this rather insecure chain? Apple and Amazon. [More]
Apple Hates Your Kitten Videos, No Longer Pre-Installing YouTube On iOS Devices
By 8.7.12
When the next versions of Apple’s iPhone and iPad devices hit customers’ hands this fall, they will come without the YouTube app that was one of the initial big marketing points of original iPhone back in 2007. [More]
YouTube Thinks You’ll All Be Nicer To Each Other If You Use Your Real Name To Comment
By 7.24.12
Since the dawn of the Internet, some users have hid behind screen names to post needlessly vitriolic comments on blog posts, news stories, bulletin boards, forums, photos and videos. Now the folks at Google YouTube are now pushing users to post comments using their real names; will it do anything to curb the nastiness? [More]
Google Introduces The World To The Nexus 7 Tablet
By 6.27.12
Proud parent Google has finally unveiled what we all knew was coming — its very own tablet to compete with Amazon’s Kindle Fire. The 7-inch Nexus 7 tablet will sell for $199 and will run on Android software dubbed Jelly Bean. Cute. [More]
Google Reveals What Kinds Of Stuff Governments Asked It To Remove Last Year
By 6.18.12
Google might have complied with some governments’ requests to remove content, but the subject matter of those censored pieces has been revealed in the company’s latest transparency report. Also included in the report were demands from countries to turn over information about Google users. [More]
Google Product Search Results Will Now Depend On How Much Retailers & Advertisers Pay
By 6.1.12
Big changes are coming to Google’s shopping business soon, the company announced yesterday, starting with a renaming of Google Product Search to Google Shopping. And unlike now, with a free program where product results appear based on relevance, starting in the fall, results will be influenced by how much retailers and advertisers are paying. [More]
Google Update Begins Transition From Search Engine To 'Knowledge Engine'
By 5.16.12
Over the last few years, several updates to Google have improved the quality of its search results, and features like page preview have helped cut down on unnecessary clicking. But today the Internet biggie announced the roll-out of what it calls the Knowledge Graph, which supplements search results with information and links that you might also be interested in based on your search. [More]
Google's Self-Driving Cars Get License To Cruise Nevada's Highways And Byways
By 5.8.12
It’s not just about heading to Taco Bell anymore — Google has been granted a license in the state of Nevada to test its driverless cars on public streets and highways. Back in March, Google got permission from local police in Santa Clara, Calif. to let a blind man sit behind the wheel of the self-driving car to test it out. [More]
FCC Report Says Google Knew It Was Collecting Data With Street View Cars
By 4.30.12
Google is all about showing the report the Federal Communications Commission wrote up detailing its probe into the company’s Street View cars collecting data from Wi-Fi networks. Which is great, but it seems its claim that it had no clue info was being gathered is kind of suspect. [More]
Google Play Store Is Now Selling Devices Directly To Customers
By 4.24.12
It’s not just about books, apps and audio now — the Google Play store unveiled its “Devices” section today, where it’s selling the unlocked GSM version of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. This new section of the store will offer hardware directly to customers, something the company tried to do before with “eh” results. [More]
Brief Gmail Outage Shows Us All How Dependent We Are On One Company
By 4.17.12
Some time around noon ET today (some say it was earlier; Google says it was later), many Gmail users were unable to access their accounts and instead received a message reading “Temporary Error (500).” As to be expected, the world came perilously close to being engulfed in rioting, looting and other fun stuff. [More]
