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May 7, 2012 Gmail Now Includes Language Translation Google's Gmail service now has language translation built in to messages as of last week. If you receive a message in a foreign language, you can click on the Translate Message button on the header of the page and your e-mail will be instantly translated.The service for Gmail comes from Google Translate, a powerful feature which lets users translate documents or entire webpages into various languages. Google says this has become a popular feature for Google Apps for Business users who have local teams around the world and can help them communicate better from different countries. It's also an amazing tool to communicate with relatives overseas. April 26, 2012 Google Drive Debuts Google has officially introduced a new online storage service called Google Drive. Users can upload and access all of their files, including videos, photos, Google Docs, PDFs and more.Google Docs is built right into Google Drive, so you can work with others in real time on documents, spreadsheets and presentations. Once you choose to share content with others, you can add and reply to comments on anything (PDF, image, video file, etc.) and receive notifications when other people comment on shared items. Google Drive can be accessed with your Mac or PC and you can download the Drive app to your Android phone or tablet. The company says it is still working on a Drive app for iOS devices. Blind users can access Drive with a screen reader. You can search for files by keyword and filter by file type, owner and more. Drive can even recognize text in scanned documents using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology. Users get up to 5 GB of storage space for free. You can choose to upgrade to 25GB for $2.49/month, 100GB for $4.99/month or even 1TB for $49.99/month. When you upgrade to a paid account, your Gmail account storage will also expand to 25GB. April 14, 2012 Google to Split Stock Google announced financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2012 and plans to split its stock 2-for-1. Shares in the company dropped Friday $26.41 to close at $624.60 per share."Google had another great quarter with revenues up 24% year on year," said Larry Page, CEO of Google. "We also saw tremendous momentum from the big bets we've made in products like Android, Chrome and YouTube. We are still at the very early stages of what technology can do to improve people's lives and we have enormous opportunities ahead. It is a very exciting time to be at Google." Google announced that its Board of Directors unanimously approved a stock dividend proposal designed to preserve the corporate structure that has allowed Google to remain focused on the long term. The stock split will give shareholders a new class of stock that won't include voting rights, allowing Page and Google's other co-founder Sergey Brin to maintain control of the company. These non-voting shares will be primarily for corporate uses such as equity compensation for employees. Page said in a letter that the company is not planning a big acquisition as part of the stock split. Google reported revenues of $10.65 billion in the first quarter of 2012, a 24% increase over first quarter 2011 revenues of $8.58 billion. The company reported net income of $2.89 billion. Google's network revenues which includes Adsense, generated $2.91 billion, or 27% of total revenues, up 20% from the previous year. The company said it has 33,077 full-time employees at the end of March, up from 32,467 the previous quarter. April 7, 2012 Google CEO Gives Company Update Google CEO and co-founder Larry Page wrote an open letter to investors giving an update about the company. It's the one year anniversary for Page as CEO since taking over for Eric Schmidt on April 4, 2011. Some highlights from the letter: - Page says he has reorganized the company to focus on core products and also cleaned up and eliminated unnecessary and underused projects. Google has closed or combined over 30 products, including projects like Knol and Sidewiki. - Google acquired ITA Software last year and is integrating it into the company by adding prices to searches for flights on its site. Page said the company is also working on Hotel Finder, where users can compare hotel prices and book rooms from Google. - Android has become a big hit for the company with over 850,000 devices activated daily through 55 manufacturers and 300 carriers. Google Chrome is now on Android and the company is also looking to build its own devices with the acquisition of Motorola Mobility. - Gmail now has over 350 million users and is also adding more than 5,000 education and business customers each day. - YouTube has over 800 million monthly users and they are uploading an hour of new video every second. - Google Adsense is continuing to support content online and has paid over $30 billion to partners over the past decade. Partner revenue on YouTube has also doubled for the fourth year in a row. April 5, 2012 Google Testing Computerized Glasses Google researchers are working on new computerized glasses that let wearers get information online beamed right in front of their eyes. Called Project Glass, three Google employees - Babak Parviz, Steve Lee, and Sebastain Thurn - are working on the new technology and are welcoming input on their Google Plus page. March 7, 2012 Android Market Becomes Google Play Google is consolidating its Android Market app store and Google Music and eBookstore into a single entertainment destination called Google Play. Google Play will let users find, enjoy and share your favorite music, movies, books and apps on the web and on your Android phone or tablet. Google Play is entirely cloud-based so all your music, movies, books and apps are stored online, always available to you, and you never have to worry about losing them or moving them again. With Google Play you can: February 28, 2012 Google Plus Not Very Sticky Despite Google's claim that its Google Plus service has 90 million members and integration with its Gmail service, Internet users aren't spending a lot of time on it. According to research firm Comscore, U.S. users spent just 3.3 minutes on Google Plus in January, down from 4.8 minutes in December and 5.1 minutes in November. The figures were reported by Bloomberg. Facebook continues its overwhelming dominance in social networks with 7.5 hours of average use per month in January, up from 7 hours in December. Facebook has over 845 million members worldwide and is set to go public later this year. February 14, 2012 Google, Motorola Mobility Deal Approved The U.S. Deparment of Justice and the European Union have approved Google's proposed $12.5 billion deal to acquire Motorola Mobility. Google says the deal with Motorola Mobility will help supercharge its Android operating system. The deal is still awaiting approval from China before it is closed. Motorola Mobility is a maker of cellular phones and tablets with 17,000 issued patents and 6,800 applications. Here is a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division: "After a thorough review of the proposed transactions, the Antitrust Division has determined that each acquisition is unlikely to substantially lessen competition and has closed these three investigations. In all of the transactions, the division conducted an in-depth analysis into the potential ability and incentives of the acquiring firms to use the patents they proposed acquiring to foreclose competitors. In particular, the division focused on standard essential patents (SEPs) that Motorola Mobility and Nortel had committed to license to industry participants through their participation in standard-setting organizations (SSOs). The division's investigations focused on whether the acquiring firms could use these patents to raise rivals' costs or foreclose competition." February 1, 2012 Google Changing Privacy Policy Google plans to consolidate over 60 privacy policies for its different services into one main privacy policy starting March 1. The main change is for users with Google Accounts. The new Privacy Policy makes clear that, if you're signed in, Google may combine information you've provided from one service with information from other services. In short, you'll be treated as a single user across all Google products. This will allow Google to better track your usage and target ads toward your interests. The tracking will let Google tailor search results toward your interests and also determine your age and gender but has upset privacy advocates. Google says you can edit your interest categories in Ad Preferences Manager and turn off certain ads. January 23, 2012 Google Reports $10.58 Billion in Revenue Google reported revenues of $10.58 billion for the quarter ended December 31, 2011, an increase of 25% compared to the fourth quarter of 2010. Google-owned sites generated revenues of $7.29 billion, or 69% of total revenues, in the fourth quarter of 2011. This represents a 29% increase over fourth quarter 2010 revenues of $5.67 billion. "Google had a really strong quarter ending a great year. Full year revenue was up 29%, and our quarterly revenue blew past the $10 billion mark for the first time," said Larry Page, CEO of Google. "I am super excited about the growth of Android, Gmail, and Google+, which now has 90 million users globally -- well over double what I announced just three months ago. By building a meaningful relationship with our users through Google+ we will create amazing experiences across our services. I'm very excited about what we can do in 2012 -- there are tremendous opportunities to help users and grow our business." Google's partner sites using Adsense generated revenues of $2.88 billion, or 27% of total revenues, in the fourth quarter of 2011. This represents a 15% increase from fourth quarter 2010 network revenues of $2.50 billion. International Revenues from outside of the United States totaled $5.60 billion, representing 53% of total revenues in the fourth quarter of 2011, compared to 55% in the third quarter of 2011 and 52% in the fourth quarter of 2010. net income in the fourth quarter of 2011 was $2.71 billion, compared to $2.54 billion in the fourth quarter of 2010. On a worldwide basis, Google continues to hire. The company employed 32,467 full-time employees as of December 31, 2011, up from 31,353 full-time employees as of September 30, 2011. Wall Street did not like Google's revenue report and shares in the company plunged on Friday. January 18, 2012 Google Blacks Out Logo  Google has blacked out its logo today in protest of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA) bills that are before Congress. Google is joining hundreds of other sites in a day of protest including Wikipedia, which has totally shut down access to English language content today. Google is offering users the ability to participate in an online petition that will be sent to Congress protesting these two bills. December 21, 2011 Rebecca Black Most Watched YouTube Video YouTube, a division of Google, announced the most watched videos on its service over the past year and Rebecca Black was No. 1.Black is a 14-year old California teenager who released a single on the site called Friday which quickly became the most watched viral video and derided by critics. YouTube said there were a total of 1 trillion video playbacks this year and Rebecca Black's video was estimated at over 167 million views. Below are the top 10 videos viewed globally on YouTube that were not made by a major music label: Most-viewed YouTube videos globally (excluding videos from major music labels)(playlist)
December 13, 2011 Android Market Tops 10 Billion Downloads Google said its Android Market exceeded 10 billion app downloads last weekend. The Android momentum is equal to a growth rate of one billion app downloads per month. To celebrate the milestone, Google is offering 10 paid apps each day for only 10 cents each. The deal will expire this Friday.
November 17, 2011 Google Music Open for Business Google has officially opened up its long-awaited digital music store at Google Music. The store is part of the Android Market so users can buy digital songs and albums directly to their smartphones, computers or tablets.Popular songs are available for $1.29 with full-length albums priced at $5.94 and up. You can purchase individual songs or entire albums right from your computer or your Android device and they'll be added instantly to your Google Music library, and accessible anywhere. The store offers more than 13 million tracks from artists on Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, EMI, and the global independent rights agency Merlin as well as over 1,000 prominent independent labels including Merge Records, Warp Records, Matador Records, XL Recordings and Naxos. Google has also partnered with the world's largest digital distributors of independent music including IODA, INgrooves, The Orchard and Believe Digital. Google Music is offering the following exclusive songs and albums as part of its launch:
November 7, 2011 Google Brings Fresher Results to Search Google says it has made improvements to its search algorithm to bring fresher and more updated results to users. According to a blog post by Amit Singhal, a Google Fellow, the company has finished a significant improvement to its ranking algorithm that impacts roughly 35 percent of searches and better determines when to give you more up-to-date relevant results.The search improvement includes: recent events or hot topics, regularly recurring events and frequent updates of these hot topics or events. For example, a search for Olympics will provide more results for the upcoming Summer Olympics in 2012 rather than a previous Olympics in 1900. The update comes on top of Google's caffeine web index system which was completed last year. October 31, 2011 Google Bought 57 Companies So Far in 2011 Google has acquired a total of 57 companies this year for total cash payments of $1.443 billion according to a recent quarterly filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.The largest acquisition Google made was the purchase of ITA, a flight-information software company, for $676 million in cash. This deal closed in April. In September, Google acquired Zagat, a leading reviewer of restaurants and businesses, for $151 million in cash. Also purchased in the same month was Daily Deals Gmbh, a German-based online commerce deals company, for $114 million in cash. The company made 54 other acquisitions and purchases of intangible assets for approximately $502 million. Google also has agreed to acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion in a deal announced in August. The purchase isn't expected to close until the end of the year or early 2012. September 30, 2011 Android Dominates Smartphone Market Google's Android operating system makes up 43% of the market for smartphones according to research firm Nielsen in August. But for purchases over the past three months, Android's lead is even wider with 56% of smartphone purchases.Apple iOS remains popular in second place with 28 percent of all smartphone users, and the same percentage among those who recently got a new device. But those figures could change quickly in the months to come. Every time Apple launches a new iPhone or makes it available on a new wireless carrier, there is an increase in their sales according to Nielsen and that's expected to change with the launch of iPhone 5 in October. Changes in share aside, the smartphone pie is getting bigger. While 43 percent of all mobile subscribers in the US had a smartphone as of August, 56 percent of those who got a new device in the last 3 months chose a smartphone over a feature phone. The holiday season and the launch of new devices like the next iPhone could further accelerate smartphone adoption, though this is always tempered by the fact that many consumers are unwilling or unable to break their service contracts before they expire. In any event, the growing popularity of app-and-media friendly smartphones spells tremendous opportunity for those advertisers, publishers and developers eager to leverage mobile media. September 21, 2011 First Version of Google Wallet Launches Google has introduced the first app of its Google Wallet payment system that was first announced in May. The app makes your Android phone your Wallet through partnerships with Citi, MasterCard, Sprint and First Data.With Google Wallet, you can tap, pay and save using your phone and near field communication (NFC). Google is releasing the first version of the app but only to Sprint users with the Sprint Nexus S 4G phones. Google Wallet enables you to pay with your Citi MasterCard credit card and the Google Prepaid Card, which can be funded with any of your existing plastic credit cards. As a thanks to early adopters, Google is adding a $10 free bonus to the Google Prepaid Card if you set it up in Google Wallet before the end of the year. The company also announced that Visa, Discover and American Express have made available their NFC specifications that could enable their cards to be added to future versions of Google Wallet. September 13, 2011 Google to Buy Zagat Google has a agreed to buy Zagat, a New York City-based provider of reviews and ratings for restaurants, nightclubs, hotels and other local attractions. The terms of the deal weren't disclosed but The Wall Street Journal said Google is paying $166 million for Zagat.In a blog post by Marissa Mayer, VP of Local, Maps and Location Services for Google: "Zagat will be a cornerstone of our local offering -- delighting people with their impressive array of reviews, ratings and insights, while enabling people everywhere to find extraordinary (and ordinary) experiences around the corner and around the world." The acquisition will allow Google to offer more user reviews and compete with Yelp, which Google reportedly tried to buy but was turned down. Zagat has over 350,000 surveyors around the globe which helps compile its data and reviews in 13 categories and over 100 cities. It also publishes annual print guides for restaurants in major cities. Zagat was founded in 1979. September 6, 2011 Google to Close 10 Services Google announced a "Fall-Spring cleaning" that will eliminate 10 services and features on its website. The move helps the company free up resources for other parts of the company that will have more impact on users.Here's an overview of the products that will be closed down according to Alan Eustace, Senior Vice President of Google:
August 25, 2011 Google Forfeits $500 Million From Pharmacy Ads Google has agreed to forfeit $500 million for allowing online Canadian pharmacies to place advertisements through its AdWords program targeting consumers in the United States, resulting in the unlawful importation of controlled and non-controlled prescription drugs into the United States. The deal was announced by Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole; Peter F. Neronha, U.S. Attorney for the District of Rhode Island; and Kathleen Martin-Weis, Acting Director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Office of Criminal Investigations (FDA/OCI). The forfeiture, one of the largest ever in the United States, represents the gross revenue received by Google as a result of Canadian pharmacies advertising through Google s AdWords program, plus gross revenue made by Canadian pharmacies from their sales to U.S. consumers.The shipment of prescription drugs from pharmacies outside the United States to customers in the United States typically violates the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and in the case of controlled prescription drugs , the Controlled Substances Act. Google was aware as early as 2003, that generally, it was illegal for pharmacies to ship controlled and non-controlled prescription drugs into the United States from Canada. An investigation by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Rhode Island and the FDA/OCI Rhode Island Task Force revealed that as early as 2003, Google was on notice that online Canadian pharmacies were advertising prescription drugs to Google users in the United States through Google's AdWords advertising program. Although Google took steps to block pharmacies in countries other than Canada from advertising in the U.S. through AdWords, they continued to allow Canadian pharmacy advertisers to target consumers in the United States. Google was aware that U.S. consumers were making online purchases of prescription drugs from these Canadian online pharmacies, and that many of the pharmacies distributed prescription drugs, including controlled prescription drugs, based on an online consultation rather than a valid prescription from a treating medical practitioner. Google was also on notice that many pharmacies accepting an online consultation rather than a prescription charged a premium for doing so because individuals seeking to obtain prescription drugs without a valid prescription were willing to pay higher prices for the drugs. Under the terms of an agreement signed by Google and the government, Google acknowledges that it improperly assisted Canadian online pharmacy advertisers to run advertisements that targeted the United States through AdWords, and the company accepts responsibility for this conduct. In addition to requiring Google to forfeit $500 million, the agreement also sets forth a number of compliance and reporting measures which must be taken by Google in order to insure that the conduct described in the agreement does not occur in the future. August 15, 2011 Google Buys Motorola Mobility for $12.5 Billion Google has announced its largest acquisition ever with the purchase of Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion or $40 in cash per share.Motorola Mobility split off from Motorola Corp. earlier this year and is the handset division of the company. The deal gives Google a maker of cellular phones to expand its Android platform and also access to 17,000 patents. The acquisition of Motorola Mobility, a dedicated Android partner, will enable Google to supercharge the Android ecosystem and will enhance competition in mobile computing. Motorola Mobility will remain a licensee of Android and Android will remain open. Google says it will run Motorola Mobility as a separate business. Larry Page, CEO of Google, said, "Motorola Mobility's total commitment to Android has created a natural fit for our two companies. Together, we will create amazing user experiences that supercharge the entire Android ecosystem for the benefit of consumers, partners and developers. I look forward to welcoming Motorolans to our family of Googlers." Sanjay Jha, CEO of Motorola Mobility, said, "This transaction offers significant value for Motorola Mobility's stockholders and provides compelling new opportunities for our employees, customers, and partners around the world. We have shared a productive partnership with Google to advance the Android platform, and now through this combination we will be able to do even more to innovate and deliver outstanding mobility solutions across our mobile devices and home businesses." Andy Rubin, Senior Vice President of Mobile at Google, said, "We expect that this combination will enable us to break new ground for the Android ecosystem. However, our vision for Android is unchanged and Google remains firmly committed to Android as an open platform and a vibrant open source community. We will continue to work with all of our valued Android partners to develop and distribute innovative Android-powered devices. " August 4, 2011 Google Claims Patent Attack on Android Google claims Microsoft and Apple are teaming up to hurt its Android operating system by obtaining patents that will affect its growth.According to a blog post by David Drummond, Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer of Google, Android's growth is on fire. More than 550,000 Android devices are activated every day, through a network of 39 manufacturers and 231 carriers. Android and other platforms are competing hard against each other, and that's yielding cool new devices and mobile apps for consumers. But Drummond claims Android's success has yielded something else: a hostile, organized campaign against Android by Microsoft, Oracle, Apple and other companies, waged through bogus patents. Drummond says they are doing this by banding together to acquire Novell’s old patents (the “CPTN” group including Microsoft and Apple) and Nortel’s old patents (the “Rockstar” group including Microsoft and Apple), to make sure Google didn’t get them; seeking $15 licensing fees for every Android device; attempting to make it more expensive for phone manufacturers to license Android (which we provide free of charge) than Windows Phone 7; and even suing Barnes & Noble, HTC, Motorola, and Samsung. Patents were meant to encourage innovation, but lately they are being used as a weapon to stop it.A smartphone might involve as many as 250,000 (largely questionable) patent claims, and Android's competitors want to impose a “tax” for these dubious patents that makes Android devices more expensive for consumers. They want to make it harder for manufacturers to sell Android devices. Instead of competing by building new features or devices, they are fighting through litigation. This anti-competitive strategy is also escalating the cost of patents way beyond what they’re really worth. The winning $4.5 billion for Nortel’s patent portfolio was nearly five times larger than the pre-auction estimate of $1 billion. Fortunately, the law frowns on the accumulation of dubious patents for anti-competitive means — which means these deals are likely to draw regulatory scrutiny, and this patent bubble will pop. Drummond says that the Department of Justice forced the group mentioned earlier to license the former Novell patents on fair terms, and that it’s looking into whether Microsoft and Apple acquired the Nortel patents for anti-competitive means. Google is also looking at other ways to reduce the anti-competitive threats against Android by strengthening its own patent portfolio. July 27, 2011 Google Launches Adwords Express Google this week introduced Adwords Express, a simplified version of its popular Adwords advertising interface that is aimed toward local businesses and new customers. The company said it first launched this product as Google Boost last October for a small number of local businesses but has since expanded it so all businesses could use it and target customers in as little as five minutes.AdWords Express helps potential customers find their website or Place page, and provides a quick and straightforward way to connect with them and grow your business. You simply provide some basic business information, create your ad, and your campaign is ready to go. Ads placed will be shown in the Ads section of search results pages -- on the top or right hand side -- and in Google Maps with a distinctive blue pin. Customers can see your ad whether they're searching on laptops or mobile phones. Customers can set their ad budget and only pay when a user clicks on an ad. July 15, 2011 Google Soars on Earnings Report Google announced strong financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2011 which helped send shares soaring over $60 on Friday."We had a great quarter, with revenue up 32% year on year for a record breaking over $9 billion of revenue," said Larry Page, CEO of Google. "I'm super excited about the amazing response to Google+ which lets you share just like in real life." Google reported revenues of $9.03 billion for the quarter ended June 30, 2011, an increase of 32% compared to the second quarter of 2010. Google-owned sites generated revenues of $6.23 billion, or 69% of total revenues, in the second quarter of 2011. This represents a 39% increase over second quarter 2010 revenues of $4.50 billion. Google's partner sites generated revenues, through AdSense programs, of $2.48 billion, or 28% of total revenues, in the second quarter of 2011. This represents a 20% increase from second quarter 2010 network revenues of $2.06 billion. Revenues from outside the U.S. totaled $4.87 billion, representing 54% of total revenues. Net income for the quarter was $2.51 billion. Page also said it had 10 million users for its new Google Plus social network which is still in limited availability. Google's Android operating system for smartphones is also seeing success with more than 135 million users with 550,000 new phones activated per day. Google said it employed 28,768 full-time employees worldwide as of June 30, 2011, up from 26,316 full-time employees as of March 31, 2011. Net headcount growth (excluding approximately 450 employees hired as part of the acquisition of ITA Software) was similar to the first quarter of 2011. June 24, 2011 Google Under Investigation by FTC Google has admitted that is under investigation by the Federal Trade Commission over its business practices, especially with its industry-leading search engine and advertising dominance.Amit Singhal, Google Fellow, wrote the following in a post one the official Google blog: At Google, we've always focused on putting the user first. We aim to provide relevant answers as quickly as possible -- and our product innovation and engineering talent have delivered results that users seem to like, in a world where the competition is only one click away. Still, we recognize that our success has led to greater scrutiny. Yesterday, we received formal notification from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission that it has begun a review of our business. We respect the FTC's process and will be working with them (as we have with other agencies) over the coming months to answer questions about Google and our services. It s still unclear exactly what the FTC's concerns are, but we're clear about where we stand. Since the beginning, we have been guided by the idea that, if we focus on the user, all else will follow. No matter what you're looking for -- buying a movie ticket, finding the best burger nearby, or watching a royal wedding -- we want to get you the information you want as quickly as possible. Sometimes the best result is a link to another website. Other times its a news article, sports score, stock quote, a video or a map. Instant answers. New sources of knowledge. Powerful tools -- all for free. In just 13 years we ve built a model that has changed the way people find answers and helped businesses both large and small create jobs and connect with new customers. Search helps you go anywhere and discover anything, on an open Internet. Using Google is a choice -- and there are lots of other choices available to you for getting information: other general-interest search engines, specialized search engines, direct navigation to websites, mobile applications, social networks, and more. June 21, 2011 Google Buys SageTV Google has made its second acquisition within a week by purchasing Sage TV, a startup developing software and technology for digital video recording and media center technology. The purchase price was not disclosed and there was only a brief notice on the SageTV website.SageTV is based in Inglewood, CA and its technology is expected to be used in Google's TV product which is available as standalone TVs through Sony or from a separate box made by Sony or Logitech. Google TV lets you perform searches of the Web on your TV and also lets you access applications such as Netflix, YouTube, Pandora, CNBC and Napster. June 14, 2011 Google Acquires Admeld Google has acquired Admeld, a New York-based company that helps advertisers maximize yield for online display ads.Current Admeld customers include Answers.com, FOX News, IDG TechNetwork, Hearst Television, Discovery, The Weather Channel, and more than 500 others worldwide. Founded in 2007, the company is headquartered in New York City with offices in San Francisco, London, Berlin, and Toronto. The terms of the deal weren't diclosed and still requires regulatory approval. Neal Mohan, Vice President of Display Advertising for Google, wrote in a blog post: By combining Admeld's services, expertise and technology with Google's offerings, we're investing in what we hope will be an improved era of flexible ad management tools for major publishers. Together with Admeld, we hope to make display advertising simpler, more efficient and more valuable, provide improved support and services, and enable publishers to make more informed decisions across all their ad space. These are all things our publisher partners have been asking us to further invest in. Of course, Admeld will continue to support other ad networks, demand side platforms, exchanges and ad servers, to yield the best possible results for publishers. June 2, 2011 Google Blames China for Hacking Into E-mail Accounts Google said this week that it has discovered phishing scams intended to hack into users' Gmail accounts and believes the scheme originated in China.Google said in a blog post: Through the strength of our cloud-based security and abuse detection systems, we recently uncovered a campaign to collect user passwords, likely through phishing. This campaign, which appears to originate from Jinan, China, affected what seem to be the personal Gmail accounts of hundreds of users including, among others, senior U.S. government officials, Chinese political activists, officials in several Asian countries (predominantly South Korea), military personnel and journalists. The goal of this effort seems to have been to monitor the contents of these users' emails, with the perpetrators apparently using stolen passwords to change peoples' forwarding and delegation settings. (Gmail enables you to forward your emails automatically, as well as grant others access to your account.) Google detected and has disrupted this campaign to take users' passwords and monitor their emails. We have notified victims and secured their accounts. In addition, we have notified relevant government authorities. Google said its own internal systems have not been affected but only Gmail users. The FBI is now reportedly investigating the incidents. May 31, 2011 Google Wallet to Let You Pay by Phone Google has partnered with Citi, MasterCard, First Data and Sprint to create Google Wallet, an app that will make your phone your wallet so you can tap, pay and save money and time while you shop. For businesses, Google Wallet is an opportunity to strengthen customer relationships by offering a faster, easier shopping experience with relevant deals, promotions and loyalty rewards."We've joined with leaders in the industry to build the next generation of mobile commerce," said Stephanie Tilenius, vice president, commerce and payments, Google. "With Citi, MasterCard, First Data and Sprint we're building an open commerce ecosystem that for the first time will make it possible for you to pay with an NFC wallet and redeem consumer promotions all in one tap, while shopping offline." Google Wallet is currently in a field test and will be available to consumers this summer. At commercial launch, Google Wallet will support payments with two payment solutions: a PayPass eligible Citi MasterCard and a virtual Google Prepaid card. Most people who already have a PayPass eligible Citi MasterCard can simply add it to Google Wallet over the air, using First Data's trusted service manager service. Or, they can fund the Google Prepaid card with any payment card. Google Wallet uses near field communication (NFC) to make secure payments fast and convenient by simply tapping the phone on any PayPass-enabled terminal at checkout. May 24, 2011 Google Claims $64 Billion Economic Impact Google has released a report that says the search engine has helped hundreds of businesses in every U.S. state grow and was responsible for generating $64 billion of economic activity in 2010. This figure was up from $54 billion in 2009.The estimate of Google's economic impact in each state comes from examining the economic value provided by Google Search and AdWords, Google AdSense and Google Grants in 2010. Google estimates that $2 of value is generated by every $1 spent on its Adwords advertising program. In California, Google generated the most money with $15.8 billion for businesses, website publishers and non-profits in 2010. To see more info and data for all 50 sites, visit Google Economic Impact. May 12, 2011 Google Introduces Chromebooks Google has unveiled new laptops at its I/O conference called Chromebooks that run on Google's own operating system and powered by apps and feature the Chrome web browser. The first Chromebooks will be made by Samsung and Acer. The laptops can power on in just eight seconds and include wi-fi. Optional 3G connections will also be offered.Apps and documents are stored by Google in the cloud so if you lose your computer, you can just log-in from another Chromebook to get your files. New apps will automatically update. Chromebooks will be available online June 15 in the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Netherlands, Italy and Spain. More countries will follow in the coming months. In the U.S., Chromebooks will be available from Amazon and Best Buy and internationally from leading retailers starting at a price of $349. Google is also offering the option for schools to rent Chromebooks for $20/user per month and for businesses at $28 per month. Android Sees Torrid Growth Google announced at its I/O conference in San Francisco some amazing figures of Android's growth on smartphones worldwide. There are now:
Google is also testing Music Beta, a service that lets users and upload music and stored on Google's servers. Music Beta is only available by invitation and in the U.S. only. Movies are also now available for rent in the Android market, starting at $1.99 per night. April 15, 2011 Google Reports First Quarter Results Google reported revenues of $8.58 billion for the quarter ended March 31, 2011, an increase of 27% compared to the first quarter of 2010. Google reports its revenues, consistent with GAAP, on a gross basis without deducting traffic acquisition costs (TAC). In the first quarter of 2011, TAC totaled $2.04 billion, or 25% of advertising revenues.Google said it employed 26,316 full-time employees as of March 31, 2011, up from 24,400 full-time employees as of December 31, 2010. Revenues - Google reported revenues of $8.58 billion in the first quarter of 2011, representing a 27% increase over first quarter 2010 revenues of $6.77 billion. Google Sites Revenues - Google-owned sites generated revenues of $5.88 billion, or 69% of total revenues, in the first quarter of 2011. This represents a 32% increase over first quarter 2010 revenues of $4.44 billion. Google Network Revenues - Google's partner sites generated revenues, through AdSense programs, of $2.43 billion, or 28% of total revenues, in the first quarter of 2011. This represents a 19% increase from first quarter 2010 network revenues of $2.04 billion. International Revenues - Revenues from outside of the United States totaled $4.57 billion, representing 53% of total revenues in the first quarter of 2011, compared to 52% in the fourth quarter of 2010 and 53% in the first quarter of 2010. Excluding gains related to our foreign exchange risk management program, had foreign exchange rates remained constant from the fourth quarter of 2010 through the first quarter of 2011, our revenues in the first quarter of 2011 would have been $19 million lower. Excluding gains related to our foreign exchange risk management program, had foreign exchange rates remained constant from the first quarter of 2010 through the first quarter of 2011, our revenues in the first quarter of 2011 would have been $23 million lower.
April 8, 2011 Justice Dept. Set to Approve Google-ITA Deal The Department of Justice announced today that in order for Google Inc. to proceed with its proposed acquisition of ITA Software Inc., the department will require Google to develop and license travel software, to establish internal firewall procedures and to continue software research and development. The department said that the proposed settlement will protect competition for airfare comparison and booking websites and ensure those websites using ITA s software will be able to power their websites to compete against any airfare website Google may introduce.The department said that the acquisition, as originally proposed, would have substantially lessened competition among providers of comparative flight search websites in the United States, resulting in reduced choice and less innovation for consumers. The department said that Google will also be required to provide mandatory arbitration under certain circumstances and provide for a formal reporting mechanism for complainants if Google acts in an unfair manner. The Department of Justice's Antitrust Division filed a civil antitrust lawsuit today in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., to block the proposed acquisition. At the same time, the department filed a proposed settlement that, if approved by the court, would resolve the competitive concerns of the lawsuit. "The Department of Justice's proposed remedy promotes robust competition for airfare websites by ensuring those websites will continue to have access to ITA's pricing and shopping software," said Joseph Wayland, Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Department of Justice s Antitrust Division. "The proposed settlement assures that airfare comparison and booking websites will be able to compete effectively, providing benefits to consumers." Google announced last May plans to acquire ITA Software for $700 million. March 31, 2011 Google Selects Kansas City for Broadband Network Google announced it has selected Kansas City, KS as the first test city for its super high-speed broadband network. Kansas City was chosen among 1,100 communities across America to provide Internet service at over 100 times faster than what is usually available today.Google said in selecting a city, the goal was to find a location where it could build efficiently, make an impact on the community and develop relationships with local government and community organizations. They found this in Kansas City. The company will be working closely with local organizations including the Kauffman Foundation, KCNext and the University of Kansas Medical Center to help develop the gigabit applications of the future. The deal is pending approval from the city's Board of Commissioners and is expected to begin service in 2012. No word on the costs of the project and how much Kansas City will have to pay for the fiber-optic service. March 22, 2011 Sprint Integrates Google Voice Sprint, the nation's third-largest wireless carrier, is integrating Google Voice into its mobile phones and replacing its voicemail service with Google.First, Sprint customers will be able to use their existing Sprint mobile number as their Google Voice number and have it ring multiple other phones simultaneously. So now, calls to your Sprint mobile number can easily be answered from your office or your home phone, or even your computer through Gmail. Calls from Gmail and text messages sent from google.com/voice will also display your Sprint number. This basically gives Sprint customers all the benefits of Google Voice without the need to change or port their number. Alternatively, Google Voice users can choose to replace their Sprint number with their Google Voice number when placing calls or sending text messages from their Sprint handset. This feature works on all Sprint phones and gives Sprint users all the benefits of Google Voice without the need for an app. In both cases, Google Voice replaces Sprint voicemail, giving Sprint customers transcribed voicemail messages available online and sent via email and/or text message. International calls made from Google Voice users' Sprint phones will be connected by Google Voice at our very low rates, and Sprint customers will also have access to the rest of Google Voice's features, like creating personalized voicemail greetings based on who's calling, call recording, blocking unwanted callers and more. This feature will soon be introduced to all Sprint users. Google also announced the Nexus S 4G smartphone will be on sale through Sprint. March 8, 2011 YouTube Acquires Next New Networks YouTube announced it has acquired Next New Networks, a developer of video programming for the Web and based in New York City. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed.The move is part of YouTube's plan to improve the quality of content and find emerging talent for Web-based programming. Next New Networks has over 2 billion pageviews and 6 million subscribers across their partner networks of channels and shows. YouTube, a Google subsidiary, is trying to boost its partner program which had over 15,000 partners worldwide in 2010. Partners can run ads on their videos similar to Google's Adsense program and receive a percentage of ad revenue. YouTube said a number of partners are making over $1,000 a month and the number is up 300% since the beginning of 2010. There are also hundreds of partners making six figures a year. February 17, 2011 Google Introduces One Pass Google CEO Eric Schmidt unveiled One Pass yesterday in Berlin Germany, a new payment system that lets Web publishers charge for their content through subscriptions, pay-per-view or single day access.The service is powered by Google Checkout, so publishers' e-commerce and payment processing needs are covered, and there is no need to build a third-party payment system into publishers' sites. Schmidt announced the One Pass service just a day after Apple said it would offer subscriptions in iTunes for makers of apps. Apple, however, will charge 30% of revenues for its commission. Google plans to only take a 10% commission. Readers who purchase from a One Pass publisher can access their content on tablets, smartphones and websites using a single sign-on with an email and password. Importantly, the service helps publishers authenticate existing subscribers so that readers don't have to re-subscribe in order to access their content on new devices. Google One Pass is currently available for publishers in Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the U.K. and the U.S. German publishers Axel Springer AG, Focus Online (Tomorrow Focus) and Stern.de joined Eric at Humboldt University as some of the first Google One Pass partners. Other publishers already signed up include Media General, NouvelObs, Bonnier's Popular Science, Prisa and Rust Communications. February 8, 2011 Google Receives Record Number of Job Applications Google has received over 75,000 job applications last week according to Bloomberg News, the largest weekly number in the company's history.The previous weekly record for job applications was set in May 2007 and this number was beat by 15%. Google said it plans to hire over 6,000 new workers this year and with record high unemployment, there are plenty of people out there looking for jobs. Google is known for great benefits including free meals, snacks and transportation to its Mountain View campus. Also, all employees were given a 10% raise by the company at the beginning of the year. January 26, 2011 Google to Hire Over 6,000 in 2011 Google plans to hire over 6,000 new employees in 2011 according to Alan Eustace, Sr. VP of Engineering and Research, at the search giant.It was a big year for Google in 2010 with bets on mobile devices and Android taking off along with Google Chrome and Google Apps. The company said over 1 million businesses switched to Google Apps last year and Chrome has 120 million active users. Eustace said in a blog post that Google is looking to "hire as many smart, creative people as we can to tackle some of the toughest challenges in computer science: like building a web-based operating system from scratch, instantly searching an index of more than 100 million gigabytes and even developing cars that drive themselves." Eustace said the average number of software engineers on a Google project is 3.5. In 2010, Google added over 4,500 employees. The new hires in 2011 will surpass the company's record in 2007 of 6,000 new workers. However, not all the new employees will be from the U.S. with no breakdown given of where the hiring will take place. The company reported over 24,400 employees total at the end of December. January 20, 2011 Larry Page to Take Over as Google CEO Google announced that co-founder Larry Page will take over as CEO of the search engine giant starting on April 4. Page will be responsible for day-to-day operations of Google. This will be part of several management changes affecting the company.Current CEO Eric Schmidt will assume the role of Executive Chairman while co-founder Sergey Brin will devote his energy to strategic products, in particular working on new products. Schmidt, as Executive Chairman, will focus externally on deals, partnerships, customers and broader business relationships, government outreach and technology thought leadership. He will also act as an advisor to Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Schmidt, 55, has been CEO of Google since 2001, helping nurture the company from being a startup to a successful IPO and now one of the world's most influential technology firms. Eric Schmidt said in a statement: "We've been talking about how best to simplify our management structure and speed up decision making for a long time. By clarifying our individual roles we'll create clearer responsibility and accountability at the top of the company. In my clear opinion, Larry is ready to lead and I'm excited about working with both him and Sergey for a long time to come." Larry Page said: "Eric has clearly done an outstanding job leading Google for the last decade. The results speak for themselves. There is no other CEO in the world that could have kept such headstrong founders so deeply involved and still run the business so brilliantly. Eric is a tremendous leader and I have learned innumerable lessons from him. His advice and efforts will be invaluable to me as I start in this new role. Google still has such incredible opportunity--we are only at the beginning and I can't wait to get started." January 18, 2011 Google Has 69.6% of Search Market Google accounted for 69.67 percent of all U.S. searches conducted in the four weeks of December ending Jan. 1, 2011 according to research firm Hitwise. The search giant maintained its overwhelming lead but is seeing some increased competition from Microsoft's Bing, which also powers Yahoo Search.Bing-powered search received 25.77 percent of searches for the month, with Yahoo Search and Bing receiving 15.17 percent and 10.60 percent, respectively. The remaining 70 search engines in the Hitwise Search Engine Analysis report accounted for 4.57 percent of U.S. searches.
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