Google

I hear wailing.

I think it's coming from all those who believed, in some sweet corner of their minds, that they were changing the world. You know, for the better.

The generation that believed technology was heralding a new togetherness, a new openness, a new freedom, a new transparency is suddenly confronted by the idea that its idols might be something terrible -- yes, pragmatic.

Suddenly, they hear that Facebook, Google, Yahoo, and all the other immature brand names might have been offering information to the government when the government asked nicely -- which hardly seems something new, given … Read more

After months of speculation on who would snap up Waze, Google is reportedly close to acquiring the mobile mapping and navigation company.

The search giant will soon close a $1.3 billion deal for the Israeli startup, according to a report Sunday by the Globes business newspaper in Waze's home country. The acquisition could help the Web giant improve its own mapping services, as well as help prevent encroachment by Facebook, which was reportedly courting Waze last month.

A Google spokesperson declined to comment on the report. CNET has also contacted Waze for comment and will update this report … Read more

Google makes a great tablet. But Apple does too. Neither are great writing platforms, though.

After picking up the Nexus 10 a while back, I've been finding it hard to put down. It's lighter and thinner than the 9.7-inch iPad 4 (and it certainly feels that way), it's fast (packing Samsung's latest dual-core A15 with quad-core graphics), has more system memory (2GB), has a gorgeous screen (boasting even higher resolution than Apple's Retina), and comes with the latest version of Android (4.2) -- also very likable.

Like I said, it's very hard … Read more

Trulia for Glass video on Vimeo.

From aiding first responders to real-time language translation, Google Glass has software developers excited for the potential of wearable computing. But the true test of success for Glass may be how quickly it's adapted to more commonplace uses, such as helping real estate listing company Trulia sell and rent properties.

"It's an exploration tool," said Jeff McConathy, Trulia's vice president of consumer engineering, of his company's in-development app during a visit to CNET's San Francisco office. "It's not about deeply engaging with the content, it'… Read more

Update, June 8 at 2:45 p.m. PT: In response to outcry over PRISM, the U.S. director of national intelligence has released some details. Among other things, he says the government "does not unilaterally obtain information from the servers of U.S. electronic communication service providers" and that PRISM-related activities are conducted "under court supervision." More here.

The National Security Agency has not obtained direct access to the systems of Apple, Google, Facebook, and other major Internet companies, CNET has learned.

Recent reports in The Washington Post and The Guardian claimed a classified program … Read more

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Crave has compiled a list of some of the most ridiculously opulent smartphones and tablets from around the world -- and surprisingly, they do a lot less than a cheap Android phone. Plus, a plush toy and app combo that turns your phone all cuddly. And a warp-speed look at Windows updates from Windows 1 to Windows 8. … Read more

Google continues to slowly build Google Now into its services. It made the data-rich Now-styled notifications available through an advanced option setting in Chrome for Mac on Thursday, following basic implementation in Chrome for Windows and Chrome OS earlier this year.

You can activate Google Now notifications in Chrome for Mac by typing chrome://flags into your address bar, scrolling down to the Enable Rich Notifications, and changing the setting to Enable. The setting is limited to the most unstable of the browser's builds, Chrome Canary. Canary will only work on OS X 10.6 and newer.

Google Now … Read more

The young people these days are really into the Google, even more than the Apple or the Facebook.

That's the finding of a poll conducted for The Washington Post in which 94 percent of respondents between the ages of 18 and 29 reported having a favorable opinion of the Mountain View, Calif., behemoth, with 72 percent saying they have a "strongly favorable" view of Google.

That officially makes Google more popular with twenty-somethings than chocolate, which 90 percent of people say they "love."… Read more

Google CEO Larry Page has flatly denied involvement in a secret spy program operated by the National Security Agency, calling into question recent news reports that alleged the company gave spooks a backdoor into its servers.

Page said in a statement on the company's official blog today, which we're reproducing in full:

You may be aware of press reports alleging that Internet companies have joined a secret U.S. government program called PRISM to give the National Security Agency direct access to our servers. As Google's CEO and Chief Legal Officer, we wanted you to have the … Read more