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State AGs blast Google over YouTube ads for illicit products

The attorneys general for Nebraska and Oklahoma have criticized Google for allegedly profiting from ads tied to YouTube videos that promote illicit activities.

In a letter (PDF) to Google general counsel Kent Walker, Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning and Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt asked the Web giant to describe how much money it generates from ads related to illegal sales of prescription drugs and counterfeit merchandise and the steps it was taking to curb the practice.

"As we understand the process, video producers are asked prior to posting whether they will allow YouTube to host advertising with the … Read more

Google's new Motorola ad one-ups Apple: It's all-American

Timing is everything.

Motorola has discovered this a few times in its interesting history.

So now that it is a Google company, it is attempting to time the launch of its new Moto X phone perfectly.

It has released a teasingly emotive ad, placing its hand on its heart and its flag in the ground.

While Apple has merely embraced the concept of its products being designed in California, Motorola thumbs its nose and displays its all-American credentials.

In ad due to appear July 3, the headline reads: "The first smartphone designed, engineered and assembled in the USA is … Read more

Candy-colored iPhone photos surface online

CNET Update offers a taste of the iPhone rainbow:

In this episode of Update:

- Get the latest reports on the next iPhone models expected this fall.

- Prepare for more buzz on the Pebble smartwatch when it goes on sale at Best Buy.

- Keep watch for student discounts, including Apple's back-to-school promotions.

- Export Google Reader data by July 15 and find a replacement app to keep up with your favorite websites.

- Buy a $500 ultra-HD media player to watch 10 videos on your new $5,000 4K TV.

CNET Update delivers the tech news you … Read more

Conan's hit men mock Google's algorithmic certainty

The lovely thing about Google is its certainty.

At least, I think I'm sure about that.

Google's algorithms exist to take the weight from our minds and direct us to where we should be going and what we should be doing. It's a wonderful relief.

Recently, Google declared it could out-Kreskin the critics and the Hollywood marketing men, by predicting, with 94 percent accuracy, which movies would succeed.

It was easy, Google huffed haughtily. All it had to do was look at search patterns.

Conan O'Brien and his team are a touch skeptical of this claim. … Read more

Two free ways to encrypt Google Drive files

This month marks the sixth anniversary of my Google Drive account. I've been aware since the beginning that the thousands of files I have uploaded to the service are stored unencrypted on Google's servers.

That hasn't prevented me from uploading plenty of sensitive information to Google Drive, including dozens of invoices that list my address and the amount of money I was billing for, although the invoices do not include any bank-account or Social Security numbers.

I could have easily encrypted the files using any number of free services. In last May's "Free services make Gmail, Google Drive, and Google search more private,&… Read more

App marries Google Glass to Tesla

Google Glass may not have as much porn as it once did, but an app developer is fulfilling another techie fantasy.

How about using the wearable computer to start charging your Tesla Model S, the electric automaker's sports sedan?

Developer Sahas Katta, known for a Microsoft fracas over a Windows Phone challenge, has created an app marrying Google glass with the vehicle, according to a post of his on a Tesla forum.

Katta says the app, called GLASSTESLA, can:

View vehicle charging status or start or stop charging via Glass Open the charge port without having to get back … Read more

Google Glass privacy concerns persist in Congress

U.S. Rep. Joe Barton of Texas says he is "disappointed" in Google's response to privacy worries caused by the emergence of Google Glass.

In a statement released after the Republican congressman reviewed Google's response to a letter sent to the company by members of the Congressional Bi-Partisan Privacy Caucus -- a group set up to examine the privacy issues Google Glass causes -- Barton said he believes that the general public needs to be given more choice to ensure their privacy is not violated.

Barton said:

I am disappointed in the responses we received from … Read more

Google Reader has expired, but your data lives until July 15

By now you probably already know that Google Reader has crossed over into the digital netherworld, joining many of its ill-fated Mountain View kin who were doomed never to exit beta.

When these sad departures occur, the ritual of going through the deceased's basement begins, and in the case of Google Reader it turns out that the place was full of lots of digital detritus belonging to you and me, and hundreds of thousands (if not millions -- we never really found out how popular Google Reader was in definite terms) of users.… Read more

Reeder app adds Feedly support after Google Reader's demise

Users of the RSS iOS app Reeder can now add feeds from Feedly following the demise of Google Reader.

Released on Tuesday, version 3.2 of Reeder for iOS no longer supports Google Reader since the search giant's RSS service has kicked the bucket. But the new support for Feedly should be able to fill the gap.

Feedly has been hard at work trying to make itself a home for RSS users. The company recently upgraded its site to offer a new interface and end its dependence on Google's RSS feeds.

Feedly has also made it easy for … Read more