Google promises UK regulator that Waze will remain separate pending review

Google promises UK regulator that Waze will remain separate pending review

When Google acquired Waze, it said that it would keep the newly purchased company at arm’s length. Well, we now know exactly how separate Waze will be, at least for the foreseeable future. Google has promised the UK’s Office of Fair Trading that it won’t touch Waze’s business operations while the British regulator determines its authority over the deal. The search giant has also offered to warn if there are any substantial changes in staff, business plans or customer numbers for both itself and Waze. The terms may not last forever — if the OFT decides to review the acquisition, it can reject Google’s offer. For now, though, Waze will (mostly) remain a distinct entity.

Filed under: ,

Comments

Via: Bloomberg

Source: Office of Fair Trading (PDF)

iOS 7 web usage tops 18% in first day, beats iOS 6 record

This year’s first day of adoption for Apple’s iOS 7 has, according to Chitika, hit just over 18% in just under 24 hours since release. In the first day of adoption for iOS 6 last year – one year ago nearly to the day, as it were – web usage for Apple’s newest mobile operating […]

Google patent filing describes tailored online book clubs, minus the wine

Google patent describes tailored online book clubs, minus the wine

The phrase “virtual book club” may not conjure romantic visions of low-lit rooms and vintage wines, but you don’t necessarily need those things to throw fancy words around. Amazon-owned Goodreads hosts user-created online clubs, but a Google patent application that’s surfaced today imagines a different way of bringing bookworms together. It describes a system that automatically prompts the buyer of a new title, presumably acquired through Google Books, to join a club. To make this virtual version a little more like the real thing, it’ll suggest specific groups based on your age, location, interests, preferred club size, reading speed and literary tastes. Furthermore, you’ll only be coupled with those who’ve bought the work recently, so your new-found chums aren’t on page 400 before you’ve even started.

It’ll all be managed through a social network, of course (we hear Google has one of those), and members will be able to fill specific roles within the club hierarchy. They’ll also be able to schedule “activities,” which we assume is patentese for Hangouts and the like to foster discussion. The patent filing also talks of financial rewards to tempt participation, which sounds like the perfect strategy for building millions of inactive G+ pages.

Filed under: ,

Comments

Source: USPTO

YouTube’s offline video for mobile explained

YouTube's offline video for mobile explained

Need more clarification on how YouTube’s offline video feature for mobile will work? Well, All Things D has shed a little light on the process via a memo Google sent to its YouTube partners. Turns out, offline video will be enabled by default in the YouTube app when it goes live in November, but wary partners do have the option to opt-out and can make that change right now. On the viewer end, all cached videos, accessible through the YouTube app’s “on device” section, will be available for a 48-hour offline window that refreshes whenever the app reconnects to the internet. And, yes, there will be ads, but they’ll be of the in-stream variety only. The new functionality doesn’t apply to any movies or TV shows that Google offers for rent or sale and it’s also still unclear if music videos will be whitelisted. But, hey, at least now you’ll have one more way to watch this glorious weirdness when you’re out of signal range.

Filed under: , , ,

Comments

Source: All Things D

Bloomberg: Staples and RadioShack remove Amazon lockers from stores

Staples and RadioShack withdraw Amazon lockers from stores

Perhaps placing Amazon lockers right within the confines of a couple of its toughest competitors might not have been such a great idea after all. Several months ago, Staples and RadioShack agreed to add the online retailer’s lockers inside a few brick and mortar locations so that Amazon customers could choose to pick up their goods at the store instead of missing a delivery, with the host retailer getting a small fee in exchange. According to Bloomberg however, Staples and RadioShack have now decided to yank the lockers from their stores. Staples claimed the Amazon deal “didn’t meet the criteria” that was set up, while RadioShack stated that the lockers “didn’t fit with its strategy.” We can’t say we’re terribly surprised to see the rivals part ways, but hey, at least you can still find an Amazon locker in select 7-Elevens.

[Image credit: Adam Matan, Wikimedia Commons]

Filed under: ,

Comments

Source: Bloomberg

Report: Google May Stop Using Cookies to Track Users

Report: Google May Stop Using Cookies to Track Users

According to a report from the WSJ, Google is considering ditching cookies to track its users. Instead, Google would "create its own anonymous identifier for each individual". Google, which has previously secretly planted cookies in Internet Explorer and the iPhone, says it’s an attempt to make the Internet more secure for users.

Read more…


    



LinkedIn petitions court to provide more details regarding government data requests

LinkedIn petitions court for more transparency in government data requests

It’s not just the heaviest of the internet heavyweights pushing for greater government transparency. LinkedIn has filed its own petition with the US Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court asking for the ability to publish the exact number of national security requests that it gets. The social network argues that restricting data request numbers to vague ranges is not only pointless, but misleading — the figures imply that the government wants as much data from LinkedIn as it does from larger firms. There’s no certainty that the court will grant the company’s wish, but its petition adds volume to an increasingly louder chorus.

Filed under:

Comments

Source: LinkedIn

NC State develops personalized web search without the usual server strain

NC State develops extraefficient contextual web search

The notion of personalized, contextually aware search is nothing new, but it can put a tremendous strain on servers by asking for a lot of data at once. NC State has developed a search technique that could ease that burden. Its code prioritizes results based solely on the “ambient query context,” or the concepts related to a person’s recent search history. Look for politicians, for example, and a search for Ford is more likely to bring up Gerald Ford than the car company. By focusing on just a fraction of a user’s search habits, the university can customize results using far fewer processor cycles: while a test server could only handle 17 active searchers with an old approach, it can manage 2,900 with the new method. The query engine won’t be confined to the lab, either. NC State tells us that a community-driven search beta is due within several months, and there are plans to commercialize the technology in the long run.

Filed under: , ,

Comments

Source: NC State

BlackBerry Messenger app arriving on Android and iOS this weekend

Image

BlackBerry’s effort to extend its messaging service beyond its own failed hardware has finally come to fruition. After some awkward false starts, plus a detailed leak, BlackBerry Messenger apps for iOS and Android will soon be available for download at the respective app stores, allowing members of those more popular ecosystems to do… well, chat-related things that they could largely do already, except now through BlackBerry’s BBM servers. The company has confirmed that the Android BBM app will launch at 7AM ET on Saturday, while its iOS equivalent will be available beginning at 12:01AM local time (in each market) on Sunday. More details at the source link below.

Filed under: , , ,

Comments

Source: BlackBerry

Skype for iOS now lets you join group voice calls

Skype for iOS now lets you join group voice calls

Can’t make it to the office in time to join the weekly conference call through Skype? Don’t fret — Skype has just updated its iPad and iPhone apps to let users join group voice calls. The releases also improve video and voice quality. Either update is otherwise quite light, but those who want to always stay in the loop can grab the new Skype versions at the source links.

Filed under: , , , ,

Comments

Via: The Next Web

Source: App Store (iPad), (iPhone)