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Google Editions ebook service set to launch this year
Posted by Patrick Lambert Categories: Google, Internet,
Google Editions is an initiative Google has been working on for a while now, their own e-book venture that aims to compete with Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, and others. Word is now making the rounds that t's set to launch by the end of the year in the US. As Google describes it, one of the main features that sets it apart from competitors is the fact that the books sold through this service will be open, available through a web browser, and thus readable on any device that can connect to the Internet. They also plan to have native applications so people can access the e-books offline. Finally, referrals will be available, in order to create an ecosystem between Google and publishers of all types. The company will obviously need to create deals with those various publishers, but that is said to be well on its way. Prices are not known yet, but they should be equivalent to other stores.
Read More 
| WSJ
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Google to buy Groupon for $2.5 billion?
Posted by Patrick Lambert Categories: Acquisitions, Rumors, Startups,
Following a week of rumors about a Groupon buyout, it seems now that Google could be buying the small company for $2.5 billion, according to internal sources. While neither company will comment on rumors, VatorNews quotes an internal source that confirmed the news to them. This would be a big deal for the small company since it could then use Google's intensive data on maps, locations and userbase, which could allow them to expand past the current select list of cities that they cover. Also, the acquisition makes sense for Google as they've been trying to grow Google Places, and compete with the likes of Facebook.
Read More | VatorNews
Google talks about Chrome OS
Posted by Patrick Lambert Categories: Corporate News, Google, Software,
Google already has a browser, Chrome, and a touch-based operating system in Android. Yet, the company has been touting it's upcoming Chrome OS, a system to be run on low powered devices, which will be a complete cloud OS, with no local storage or apps. The New York Times talks with Sundar Pichai, Google's VP, about some of the ideas behind the new OS. The vision is a computer that starts in seconds, not minutes. The system basically runs a browser, and everything is accessed through the web. Whether it's email with Gmail, productivity with Google Docs, or any of the myriad of online products that the giant offers. While the OS will start with netbooks, Google now sees Chrome OS expanding to tablets, laptops and TVs.
It's worth remembering however that the cloud can fail, and that an OS that is completely web centric is of no use when the Internet connection goes down. With the two Google systems, Chrome OS and Android, likely to clash in the future, it's hard to see how compelling the cloud-only option will be.
Read More | New York Times
Android introduces content rating
Posted by Patrick Lambert Categories: Smartphones, Google, Software,
The Android marketplace has often been called the wild west, as compared with the more organized Apple App Store. It's hard to always know which apps are available, and if those apps are suitable for everyone. Providing users with more information about the apps they download has apparently been a top request, and now the Android team at Google is introducing a rating system which all apps will have to adopt going forward. Starting next week, developer who want to sell software in the Android marketplace will need to signify if their app is intended for All, Pre-Teens, Teens or Mature people only. For those already in the marketplace, the developers will have to add a rating, or they will be marked as Mature.
Read More | Android Blog
Google Docs now editable on iOS and select Android devices
Posted by Patrick Lambert Categories: Google, Handhelds, Software,
Google Docs has been available on mobile devices for several months now, but there was no way to edit Google Docs documents on the go while in the browser. Now, Google has announced that over the coming days they will push a new version of the mobile service on their servers, and suddenly all your docs will be editable on the go from some Android devices, and iOS devices running version 3.0 or higher. When opening a document, you will be able to turn edit mode on, and add text, bullet points, edit spreadsheets and so on. Changes will be shown in "near realtime" on the web, and changes that other people do to shared documents will be reflected on the mobile device as well. This should be very good news for everyone who've come to depend on Google Docs for productivity.
Read More | Google Docs Blog
Google Voice app finally approved, appears in the App Store
Posted by Patrick Lambert Categories: Productivity, App Store News, New Apps, Free Apps,
Google Voice is a popular service within the US, providing a single phone number to anyone which can then connect to land lines or cellphones, offers visual voice mail, forwarding, SMS, and more. Up until now, it's been easily integrated only on Android devices, while people wanting to access the service on the iPhone were left out in the cold, until a few third-party apps started appearing last month. In fact, Apple famously denied (or rather, "didn't approve") the Google Voice app back in 2009, and it's been sitting there in the App Store review queue for 16 months. However, things changed today when the official Google Voice app was finally made available in the App Store. From it, you can make free calls using the service, access your voicemail, send and receive SMS for free, and more. Of course since this service is only available in the US, so is the app. You need to setup a Google Voice account to use it, but both that and the app itself, are free.
Read More | Google Voice App
Google Hotpot takes on Yelp
Posted by Patrick Lambert Categories: Google, Internet,
Google is once again trying to show that location services are really important to them with the release of Google Hotpot, a social recommendation engine for Places. According to Google, this service will provide recommendations "powered by you and your friends" to businesses and locations you happen to be near. Right now, Google Places mostly provides information and facts about restaurants, clubs, banks, or anything you can find on a map, as well as imported ratings from outside sources like Yelp. Hotpot adds the ability to like or dislike a location on the spot, and provide your opinion. Then, the engine will present that additional information from your social circle. The new feature is available on Android phones now and on the web, and uses your Google account to allow you to rate businesses.
Read More | Google Hotpot
Netflix coming to “select” Android devices next year
Posted by Patrick Lambert Categories: Smartphones, Home Entertainment, Software,
Netflix posted an interesting blog entry this weekend on which they went behind the scenes as to why there isn't an Android Netflix app just yet. Apparently, it has to do with the fact that Android devices are fragmented, and there isn't a single DRM system across the board, unlike the iPhone and Windows Phone 7 (which both have a Netflix app.) This means that, according to the blog, it's much harder to ensure security of the video content provided by Netflix, which is something that's required by publishers. Still, they are working on it, and now say that they will be able to release an Android app for "select" devices early next year. While there is no mention of which ones, more updates are said to be upcoming.
Read More | Netflix Blog
Facebook set to unleash email service to compete with Gmail, Hotmail?
Posted by Patrick Lambert Categories: News, Social Media, Social Networks,
Facebook sent an invitation recently to news agencies for another announcement coming this Monday. While there is no direct mention as to what that announcement is, TechCrunch believes that this may be a major play on a new email service, aimed at competing with Google's Gmail service. Based on the invitation image, it seems likely that the announcement has to do with messaging, since that's what the graphic shows. Then, references to a secret project called Project Titan came up again recently. Finally, just this week, we reported on how Google and Facebook have started an all-out war concerning the exporting of contacts and friends information. It's all still rumors for now, but it will be very interesting to see if a Facebook based email service would take a big chunk out of services like Gmail. Since Facebook has done everything it can to become your primary contacts platform, it would sure make a lot of sense.
Read More | TechCrunch
A look at the Google Nexus S
Posted by Patrick Lambert Categories: Smartphones, Google, Rumors,
Ever since Google released an "official" Android phone, the Nexus One (a.k.a. the phone that provided a baseline of what an Android phone should be,) people have been speculating and wondering when the Nexus Two would appear. In the past few weeks, the rumors have gained momentum once again, and now it appears Engadget received some exclusive images that show the Nexus S, a phone from Samsung that would be the true successor to the Nexus One. A lot is still rumored at this point, but check out the link for detailed shots of every side as well as the interior from this upcoming device.
Read More | Engadget
