google

OpenMoko gains some independence

Google's Android project has stolen most of the thunder, but another Linux-based mobile phone effort is still making a go of it, and on Wednesday, OpenMoko announced it's gained a measure of independence.

OpenMoko now is a separate operation of its parent company, Taiwan-based First International Computer. In addition, the company announced two new employees: Steven Mosher, vice president of worldwide marketing and formerly of Creative Labs; and Wolfgang Spraul, vice president of engineering and formerly of DataViz. In November, the company hired Carsten "The Rasterman" Haitzler to be lead graphics architect. Haitzler is creator of … Read more

Google's market share tops 65 percent

Google may not have monopoly power, but it certainly has monopoly mind share. As The New York Times reports, Google's search market share has jumped from 58 percent in March 2006 to 65.1 percent today. Yahoo? Less than one-third of Google's share. Microsoft? Less than one-ninth.

Monopoly? Not in the ordinary sense of the word. Google may well be aiming for a data monopoly to keep us close forever and ever, but for now it just has a brand monopoly that keeps users on its site, feeding it ever-increasing mountains of data.

We are feeding the beast, … Read more

Microsoft's biggest threat: Google or open source? Or both?

Glyn Moody, ever insightful and provocative, states clearly in a recent RedmondMag.com article just what Microsoft is up against:

What is the greatest threat to Microsoft's dominance: Google Inc. or open source? The answer is both, especially when they're working together.

Obvious, right? Well, no. Not exactly. What isn't so obvious, and which Glyn teases out to good effect, is just how clever Google has been about its use of open-source software. I have never connected the dots to Google's open-source arsenal as Glyn has. Nor had I given full credence to just how dependent Google is upon open source. Here's a very small taste:

"[Google is] an example of a company that literally couldn't have existed in the same form pre-Linux or pre-open source," says Jim Zemlin, executive director of The Linux Foundation -- the organization that pays Linus Torvalds to work on the Linux kernel. "If they had to rely on Microsoft or Sun, not only would it have been too expensive, they could not have done the modifications necessary to create their services."… Read more

Power Downloader: Best adventures of 2007

With the holidays over and only a few days to go in 2007, Power Downloader decided to take a look back at the year to relive some of his more exciting adventures. Always knowing which software to download in a given emergency is never easy, but having Download.com at his disposal definitely helps when on the trail of an Internet bad guy.

Looking through his case files, Power Downloader remembered the time when he had to get a new laptop computer. As with anytime Power needs to get a new computer, he knew he wouldn't be comfortable until … Read more

Ex-Googlers becoming VCs: More advertising fixation to come?

To the person with a hammer, everything looks like a nail. To the ex-Googler, does everything look like advertising? That's the question I asked myself while reading this New York Times' article on ex-Googlers who want to parlay their wealth into venture capital.

"Google arguably is at the center of the online advertising ecosystem," said Roger Lee, a general partner at Battery Ventures...."If you understand how Google works and how associated business models work, it gives you a great lens to understand other advertising companies."

Maybe. But who cares? That is, unless you're investing in advertising companies (of which there aren't actually that many, and certainly not many in Silicon Valley or Boston, where Battery largely operates). We've already seen a multitude of Google wannabes trying to monetize the web through advertising, and it turns out that advertising is a very blunt tool to apply to the various types of web businesses.… Read more

Google's privacy faux pas with Reader

In its attempts to add social elements to products, is Google pulling a Facebook?

Google Reader has allowed people to share items they are interested in with others since 2006 with hyperlinks, clips on blogs and storing them on a public page that you had to know the URL for to see.

Last week, Google tweaked Google Reader so that your shared items are automatically made available to your Google Talk contacts.

But, as anyone who uses instant messaging knows, not all of your IM contacts are friends. Many are acquaintances or people you barely know and with whom you … Read more

Appeals court rules against Google in patent suit

An appeals court has reinstated a patent lawsuit filed against Google over a toolbar feature called AutoLink that provides links to online maps or books on Amazon.com, according to a Bloomberg News report.

Wisconsin-based HyperPhrase Technologies sued Google in 2006 for patent infringement. The case was thrown out a year ago by a district court judge, but this week the U.S. Court of Appeals for the federal circuit in Washington said the lower court judge had erred in interpreting some of the patents and sent the case back.

However, the appeals court agreed with the lower court ruling … Read more

Chinese court dismisses trademark suit against Google

A court in China has dismissed a trademark lawsuit filed against Google, according to a report on ChinaCourt.org that was translated into English and posted on Pacific Epoch.

A Beijing company called Gu Ge Technology sued Google China earlier this year, claiming that its Chinese name, "Gu Ge" was confusingly similar to its own name.

However, the Haidian People's Court in Beijing threw the suit out because Google China began using the name April 12, 2006, seven days before the other company registered its name.

New Mac owners: Start here!

So, you were one of the lucky people to receive a shiny new Mac for the holidays. We're all jealous! But if you're reading this, you've probably already spent some time getting set up and checking out all the cool features and programs that come with your Mac--and now you want more! Out of the box, your Mac is loaded with cool apps to get you started on stuff like uploading and organizing your digital images, creating a music library, making your own movies, and surfing the Web. (You're here, so it must have worked!)

While … Read more