Computerworld Google News

Google report sheds light on copyright takedown requests

jvijayan@computerworld.com (Jaikumar Vijayan) — Fri, 25 May 2012 19:25:00 GMT

Google this week received a somewhat rare accolade from a privacy rights group for publishing a detailed report on all the copyright related content removal requests it has received over the past year

Google's Motorola buy seen boosting Android in workplace

mhamblen@computerworld.com (Matt Hamblen) — Fri, 25 May 2012 14:45:00 GMT

With the closing of Google's $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility this week, talk of the possibilities for Android in the enterprise has spiked.

Lawmakers call on DOJ to reopen investigation into Google Wi-Fi spying

(Grant Gross) — Thu, 24 May 2012 23:37:00 GMT

Two U.S. lawmakers have called on the U.S. Department of Justice to reopen its investigation into Google's snooping on Wi-Fi networks in 2010 after recent questions about the company's level of cooperation with federal inquiries.

Yahoo Axis may be game changer for search and the troubled company

sgaudin@computerworld.com (Sharon Gaudin) — Thu, 24 May 2012 19:42:00 GMT

With Axis, Yahoo is trying to change the search game, while also trying to change its image as a troubled company.

4.5 million Catholic school students to get Office 365

(Juan Carlos Perez) — Thu, 24 May 2012 18:55:00 GMT

About 4.5 million Catholic school students will get access to Microsoft's Office 365 cloud e-mail and collaboration suite as part of a 3-year deal the software vendor struck with the Catholic International Education Office (OIEC).

European privacy regulators want more detail on Google's policy changes

(Peter Sayer) — Thu, 24 May 2012 17:42:00 GMT

European privacy regulators want better answers from Google about its privacy policy and the way it informs its users about changes to it.

Motorola Mobility has infringed Microsoft patent, says Munich court

(Mikael RicknA$?s) — Thu, 24 May 2012 15:24:00 GMT

Google-owned Motorola Mobility has infringed a Microsoft patent related to SMS messaging, according to a ruling in the Munich regional court, which also dismissed a second case related to a localization patent.

Bounty hunters find 8 Google services bugs

(Loek Essers) — Thu, 24 May 2012 12:56:00 GMT

Security researchers unveiled eight vulnerabilities in Google services during the Hack in the Box conference in Amsterdam on Thursday -- but they claim to have discovered more than 100 such bugs over the past few months.

Google to offer mapping and other software in Syria

(John Ribeiro) — Thu, 24 May 2012 07:46:00 GMT

Google is now allowed under U.S. export control rules to offer downloads in Syria of its mapping software Google Earth, photo sharing software Picasa, and its Chrome browser, it said Wednesday.

Most jurors sided with Google on APIs and 'fair use'

(James Niccolai) — Wed, 23 May 2012 23:34:00 GMT

Most of the jurors in the Oracle v Google trial thought Google's use of 37 Java APIs in Android should be allowed under the doctrine of fair use, one of the jurors revealed Wednesday after the trial had ended.

McAfee reports big spike in malware

(Cameron Scott) — Wed, 23 May 2012 20:08:00 GMT

PC malware had its "busiest quarter in recent history," according to McAfee's quarterly security report released Wednesday.

Google's Android did not infringe Oracle patents, jury finds

(James Niccolai) — Wed, 23 May 2012 20:08:00 GMT

Google's Android operating system does not infringe Oracle's Java patents, a jury in San Francisco found Wednesday in a setback for Oracle.

Pwnium hacking contest winners exploited 16 Chrome zero-days

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Wed, 23 May 2012 13:59:00 GMT

Google yesterday revealed that the two researchers who cracked Chrome in March at the company's inaugural "Pwnium" hacking contest used a total of 16 zero-day vulnerabilities to win $60,000 each.

Google warns users infected with DNSChanger as Web outage nears

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Wed, 23 May 2012 10:36:00 GMT

Google on Tuesday hauled out a tool it last used nearly a year ago to warn users infected with the "DNSChanger" malware.

Google becomes hardware company with $12.5B Motorola buy

sgaudin@computerworld.com (Sharon Gaudin) — Tue, 22 May 2012 14:52:00 GMT

Google said Tuesday morning that it has closed the deal to acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion

Google has finally closed Motorola Mobility acquisition

(Mikael Ricknas) — Tue, 22 May 2012 14:36:00 GMT

Google has finally closed its acquisition of Motorola Mobility, and will now start working on new devices while keeping Android open, it said on Tuesday.

Microsoft-backed groups praise EU's antitrust ultimatum to Google

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Tue, 22 May 2012 10:22:00 GMT

A pair of Microsoft-backed industry groups applauded the ultimatum European Union antitrust regulators issued to rival Google over alleged anti-competitive practices.

Chrome trumps IE as world's top browser

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Mon, 21 May 2012 16:59:00 GMT

Google's Chrome edged past Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) last week to become the world's most widely used browser, according to data from an Irish metric firm.

EU offers Google a chance to avoid fines over four antitrust concerns

(Loek Essers) — Mon, 21 May 2012 14:36:00 GMT

Google has "a matter of weeks" to address four antitrust issues identified by European Union antitrust regulators. If Google addresses these issues the case can be solved by a so-called "commitment decision" instead of formal antitrust proceedings resulting in a fine, said JoaquAn Almunia, Vice President of the European Commission responsible for Competition Policy.

Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols: I, robot owner

sjvn@vna1.com (Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols) — Mon, 21 May 2012 10:00:00 GMT

Are we ready for robots that share our highways and homes? We'd better be, because they're coming.

China approves Google acquisition of Motorola Mobility

(Marc Ferranti) — Sat, 19 May 2012 22:29:00 GMT

Chinese regulatory authorities have approved Google's acquisition of Motorola Mobility, paving the way for the deal to close within the week, company officials confirmed Saturday.

Inside Apple's secret plan to kill the cash register

(Mike Elgan) — Sat, 19 May 2012 11:00:00 GMT

Apple's plans for a Bluetooth 4.0-based iWallet could be the beginning of the end for the venerable cash register.

ITC bans import of infringing Motorola Android devices

(Cameron Scott) — Fri, 18 May 2012 23:32:00 GMT

The U.S. International Trade Commission issued an import ban Friday on any Android devices from Motorola that infringe one of Microsoft's patents.

We're not waiting for Android 5 'Jelly Bean,' developers say

(Paul Krill) — Fri, 18 May 2012 10:09:00 GMT

Despite the rumors, developers are focused on making apps -- and money -- from today's Android

Mozilla product director says Firefox on Window RT 'probably not worth it'

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:10:00 GMT

Unless Microsoft allows other browser makers to call important APIs in Windows RT, it's "probably not worth it to even bother" building a version of Firefox for the new OS, a Mozilla product director said.

Google to sell Nexus smartphones, tablets direct, report says

mhamblen@computerworld.com (Matt Hamblen) — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:53:00 GMT

Google is reportedly moving to more direct sales of its Android smartphones and tablets in a move to wrest control away from wireless carriers that install their own services on Android gear or block Google apps like Google Wallet.

Google aims to make search smarter, easier

sgaudin@computerworld.com (Sharon Gaudin) — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:05:00 GMT

The vaunted Google search engine is set for an upgrade that will make it easier for users to find the information they need by putting their searches in context, the company said Wednesday.

Google releases Chrome 19, adds tab sync and patches 20 bugs

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Wed, 16 May 2012 10:29:00 GMT

Google released Chrome 19, patched 20 vulnerabilities in the browser and doled out $16,500 in bug bounties and rewards to independent researchers.

About 600,000 L.A. Community College students to get Microsoft Live@EDU

(Juan Carlos Perez) — Tue, 15 May 2012 00:48:00 GMT

The Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) will provide email and collaboration applications to about 600,000 students via Microsoft's Live@EDU cloud suite, a project for which it also considered Google Apps for Education.

Twitter will deliver weekly highlights via email

(Cameron Scott) — Tue, 15 May 2012 00:41:00 GMT

Twitter will begin delivering a weekly email digest to highlight for users the tweets they are most likely to be interested in, the company said on Monday.

Yahoo launches big data analytics tool for online advertisers

jvijayan@computerworld.com (Jaikumar Vijayan) — Mon, 14 May 2012 19:52:00 GMT

Yahoo today launched Genome, a new tool that allows online advertisers take advantage of the company's extensive experience with big data analytics.

With another CEO out, Yahoo's turnaround stalled

sgaudin@computerworld.com (Sharon Gaudin) — Mon, 14 May 2012 15:19:00 GMT

For the second time in eight months, Yahoo is without a permanent CEO. The latest development brings more trouble to a company struggling to regain its stature in the industry.

Elgan: How I publish from Google+

(Mike Elgan) — Sat, 12 May 2012 11:00:00 GMT

Columnist Mike Elgan offers tips on how to post to Twitter and Facebook, send a newsletter and more all from a Google+ account.

Microsoft Bing goes social in search war with Google

sgaudin@computerworld.com (Sharon Gaudin) — Fri, 11 May 2012 18:02:00 GMT

Microsoft's move to boost Bing's social networking feaures could finally give it an opportunity to truly take on Google's dominant search engine, analysts say.

Facebook IPO's elephant in the room -- mobile

sgaudin@computerworld.com (Sharon Gaudin) — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:52:00 GMT

While Facebook executives talk to the country's top investors about its 900 million users and its powerful global reach, analysts say they need to explain how they're going to fix one glaring problem -- mobile.

Mozilla on new browser brouhaha: Microsoft, Apple different cases

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Fri, 11 May 2012 10:46:00 GMT

Two wrongs don't make a right, Mozilla's chief counsel said Thursday when asked why his company hasn't lambasted Apple, as it did Microsoft, for blocking rival browsers from its mobile operating system.

C keeps lead over Java in poll; PHP developer questions results

(Paul Krill) — Thu, 10 May 2012 17:25:00 GMT

An important PHP developer dismissed the validity of Tiobe's language survey, which has C continuing to displace Java as the most popular language

Mozilla accuses Microsoft of anticompetitive behavior with Windows RT

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:24:00 GMT

Mozilla yesterday accused Microsoft of withholding APIs necessary to build a competitive browser for Windows RT, and said the behavior "may have antitrust implications."

Inside the Google v. Oracle courtroom drama

(Ryan Francis) — Thu, 10 May 2012 15:04:00 GMT

The trial pitting Google vs. Oracle on the claim of intellectual property infringement by Google in Android has reached almost a tabloid like feel. Outside the courtroom feels like the red carpet as tech giant after tech giant emerge from limos and town cars to testify. Insider (regisration required)

What the summer portends in new tablets

mhamblen@computerworld.com (Matt Hamblen) — Thu, 10 May 2012 10:00:00 GMT

Summer 2012 promises to be the season of tablet experimentation. Just about every tablet maker is expected to announce a new product in the next four months. The devices are likely to be smaller in the case of Apple, bigger in the case of Amazon.

Judge declines to eject Google's 'fair use' defense from Android trial

(James Niccolai) — Thu, 10 May 2012 00:40:00 GMT

Oracle was dealt a minor setback in its lawsuit against Google on Wednesday when a judge denied its motion to toss out one of Google's key defenses against copyright infringement.

Google simplifies use of Analytics API

(Juan Carlos Perez) — Wed, 09 May 2012 18:27:00 GMT

Google has developed a tool to automate the creation of custom-reporting dashboards for its Analytics website-usage tracking service, the company said on Wednesday.

Android developers ignored Sun patents, Google exec testifies

(James Niccolai) — Wed, 09 May 2012 17:51:00 GMT

Google's engineers never studied other companies' patents while developing Android for fear of allowing those patents to influence their design decisions, Google's Android chief Andy Rubin testified on the stand Wednesday.

Pogoplug service turns your computers into private cloud

lmearian@computerworld.com (Lucas Mearian) — Wed, 09 May 2012 16:42:00 GMT

Pogoplug launched a service today that allows small and medium-sized businesses, as well as home users, to turn their PCs and servers into pools of storage accessible from the Web.

Google files for new trial on copyright claims in Android suit

(Chris Kanaracus) — Wed, 09 May 2012 14:02:00 GMT

Google is seeking a new trial on copyright claims in Oracle's intellectual-property lawsuit against it over the Android mobile OS, according to a filing made late Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Google tests 'experimental' full-text search API for App Engine

(Cameron Scott) — Wed, 09 May 2012 00:31:00 GMT

Google is testing a long-awaited full-text search API (application programming interface) for the Google App Engine, the company said on Tuesday.

5 Hidden Gmail Tricks for Power Users

(Kristin Burnham) — Tue, 08 May 2012 20:58:00 GMT

Whether you use Google's Gmail service at work or for personal purposes, you probably have a good handle on the basics: organizing your contacts, sending emails, setting up folders and more.

Google gets first license for self-driving cars

sgaudin@computerworld.com (Sharon Gaudin) — Tue, 08 May 2012 17:26:00 GMT

The people of Nevada may be in for a surprise when they drive to the market or down the highway: They might encounter driverless cars.

Symantec conference puts focus on mobile security

(Ellen Messmer) — Tue, 08 May 2012 14:31:00 GMT

At its annual Symantec Vision conference attended by enterprise customers and business partners, Symantec laid out its management and security product strategy for mobile endpoint devices, including the iPhone, iPad and Google Android devices.

Google infringed Java copyrights in Android, jury finds

(James Niccolai) — Tue, 08 May 2012 01:00:00 GMT

A jury has found that Google infringed Oracle's Java copyrights in Android but could not decide unanimously if the the infringement was protected by "fair use."