Feb 02

Google Struggles to Grow Google News

Posted in: Google, Today's Chili, Yahoo

This article was written on June 25, 2008 by CyberNet.

google news struggles to grow.pngIt’s usually easy to tell which services Google is passionate about and which ones they most want to grow because they update and add new features to them pretty regularly. One service that has kinda been neglected over time is Google News, and people are starting to notice. A recent article over at The New York Times points out how slow Google is at updating the top news of the day. Their example was last week when Tim Russert of NBC News died. They pointed out that news sites like Yahoo News had it posted immediately while it took Google an hour to catch-up to their competitors.

To point out even further how Google is struggling to grow Google News, we’ll let the numbers do the talking. In May, Google News had 11.4 million visitors. That number, while it may seem large, was enough to put them in 8th place. Take Yahoo News on the other hand, they were ranked #1 with 35.8 million visitors which is quite a difference.

So what does Google plan to do with Google News? Are they going to try and grow it and gather up more daily visitors? Are they going to place ads on the site to monetize it? According to Google officials, Google News is available as part of a plan to “feed the main business.” Google’s Vice President for Search and User Experience, Marissa Mayer explains, “For us, news is about search and helping people find information.”

Of course it’s worth pointing out that Google uses an entirely different system for obtaining news than sites like Yahoo. Yahoo aggregates news while cites like CNN are original news sources. Google on the other hand has their own system for finding news. The NYT explains it saying:

In the same way that Google’s computers crawl through the Web to add pages to its search engine, the company’s news service scans Web sites and compiles the articles it collects into an index. It then groups together articles on a particular subject and uses various signals – the placement of an article on an ews site, the authority of a news publisher on a given topic, whether the article appears elsewhere– to rank those articles by importance.

The bottom line is that Google News is a little behind their competitors when it comes to providing the most up-to-date news which could be keeping them from growing.

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Jan 25

Apple, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo compared at the macro level

Posted in: Apple, Google, industry, Microsoft, Today's Chili, Yahoo

We all love a good debate about how the tech giants of today are competing with each other, but rarely do we get a handy reference sheet like this to point people to. Nick Bilton of the New York Times has put together a segment-by-segment comparison between America’s tech heavyweights, which does a fine job of pinpointing who competes with whom and where. We find the gaps in coverage more intriguing than the overlaps, though, with Microsoft’s only unticked box — mobile hardware — raising habitual rumors of a Pink phone. Apple’s absence from the provision of mapping services might also soon be at an end, given the company acquired map maker Placebase in July of last year (see Computerworld). Anyway, there should be plenty more for you to enjoy, so hit the source for the full chart and get analyzin’.

Apple, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo compared at the macro level originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jan 2010 03:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 23

Google News Goes Local, Yahoo Still Does it Better

Posted in: Google, Today's Chili, Yahoo

This article was written on February 07, 2008 by CyberNet.

Google News just added a new “local news” section to the Google News homepage. You’ll find it by going to http://news.google.com and looking towards the mid-right side of the page. All you have to do is enter your zip code and Google will pull in news from various sources for your area. On their blog announcement they say that they are aware that they’re not the first news site to do something like this, but they’re doing it a bit differently by including thousands of sources.  They say, “we’re not simply looking at the byline or the source, but instead we analyze every word in every story to understand what location the news is about and when the source is located.”

Sure, it’s nice that they search thousands of sources, but I still think Yahoo does local news better.  Back in March of 2006 (so almost two years ago) they launched their local news service.  You enter in your zip code and then they provide you with local news.  What’s nice about Yahoo’s service that Google doesn’t allow is customizability.  Google’s customization option includes only the option to select how many stories you would like displayed.  Yahoo allows you to customize your local news by choosing which sources you want active, which ones you don’t, and in what order.

local news

At this point, Google says that this is still just an experiment for them which is why they’re only offering the service in English.  While it is definitely nice to have the local news, I think they could take some time to integrate more customization options like Yahoo has, and of course, add more languages in the near future so that a global audience can benefit from it.

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Nov 13

Palm Pre WebOS 1.3.1 update available now

Posted in: breaking news, BreakingNews, cellphone, firmware, palm, phone, pre, Sprint, Today's Chili, update, webos, Yahoo

webOS 1.3.1 was always destined to come right around the launch of the Pixi, but it’s surprised us by showing its face early. No app catalog bombshells here, but there are a slew of more minor fixes and updates that should make users experience a great deal smoother. Is this the update that finally unlocks access to the GPU and provides the speed boost Pre owners are waiting for / advances the iTunes chess match another step? We’ll let you know once our unit reboots, for now here are a few highlights from Palm’s list of changes:

Update: Downloaded, applied and rebooted. iTunes still isn’t spotting our Pre as a device to sync with, and at least for the moment there’s no great speed increases to speak of, but we have noticed a few more key tweaks that owners are sure to like — setting a specific ringtone for text messages is exactly what we’ve been looking for.

  • Yahoo! now appears as a Calendar/Contacts/instant messaging synchronization account.
  • You can forward a text or multimedia message by tapping the message > Forward.
  • A new option is available for restarting the phone: press and hold power > Power > Restart. The prior restart method (Device Info > Reset Options > Restart) is still available.
  • Widescreen videos (including YouTube) now display in widescreen mode on the phone by default, instead of being cropped.
  • If you tap to play a YouTube video embedded on a web page, the YouTube application launches and the video plays in the app.
  • You can select a unique ringtone for new message alerts: Open Messaging > application menu > Preferences & Accounts > Sound > Ringtone.
  • While listening to a song with album art displayed, you can tap the screen below the art to display a playback slider. Dragging the slider jumps forward or backward in the song.

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Palm Pre WebOS 1.3.1 update available now originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nov 10

Yahoo Joins Free WiFi Race in Times Square

Posted in: Today's Chili, wifi, Yahoo

Not to be outdone by Google’s recent gift of free WiFi to 47 airports across the US, Yahoo is getting into the game. As part of its bold new advertising push, the company announced today that it will be bringing free WiFi to New York’s Times Square for the next year.

“While Yahoo! is the place where your world meets the world online, over 500,000 of you take in Times Square each day and it’s become a central spot for New Yorkers and people around the world,” the company wrote in a blog post today. “We and our partners at the Times Square Alliance think it’s the perfect place to bring you free WiFi service.”

The WiFi will be accessible both on PCs and mobile devices, because, as every New York already knows, the sidewalks of Times Square definitely need more distractions.

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Nov 10

Google Serves Up Free Wi-Fi at 47 Airports for the Holidays

Posted in: Google, Microsoft, Today's Chili, top, Travel, wi-fi, wifi, Yahoo

Holiday season air travel just got a little less crappy—freebie access starts today, and runs through to January 15. Read on for the full list of airports, and info on free Wi-Fi promos from Yahoo and Microsoft, too.

You may also remember that Google already said it would foot the bill for Virgin America Wi-Fi during the same period.

The catch? Once you log into the network, you’ll be pestered if you want to set Google to your homepage or try Google Chrome. But that’s it. I can deal with that. You’ll also have the option to make a donation to Engineers Without Borders, the One Economy Corporation or the Climate Savers Computing Initiative.

Meanwhile, Yahoo is providing free Wi-Fi for an entire year in Times Square, and Microsoft and JiWire will give free Wi-Fi at airports and hotels if you make one search on Bing. I like free stuff! [Google]

Airports for Google-Sponsored Free Wi-Fi:

• Austin (AUS)
• Baltimore (BWI)
• Billings (BIL)
• Boston (BOS)
• Bozeman (BZN)
• Buffalo (BUF)
• Burbank (BUR)
• Central Wisconsin (CWA)
• Charlotte (CLT)
• Des Moines (DSM)
• El Paso (ELP)
• Fort Lauderdale (FLL)
• Fort Myers/SW (RSW)
• Greensboro (GSO)
• Houston (HOU)
• Houston Bush (IAH)
• Indianapolis (IND)
• Jacksonville (JIA)
• Kalamazoo (AZO)
• Las Vegas (LAS)
• Louisville (SDF)
• Madison (MSN)
• Memphis (MEM)
• Miami (MIA)
• Milwaukee (MKE)
• Monterey (MRY)
• Nashville (BNA)
• Newport News (PHF)
• Norfolk (ORF)
• Oklahoma City (OKC)
• Omaha (OMA)
• Orlando (MCO)
• Panama City (PFN)
• Pittsburgh (PIT)
• Portland (PWM)
• Sacramento (SMF)
• San Antonio (SAT)
• San Diego (SAN)
• San Jose (SJC)
• Seattle (SEA)
• South Bend (SBN)
• Spokane (GEG)
• St. Louis (STL)
• State College (SCE)
• Toledo (TOL)
• Traverse City (TVC)

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Sep 17

Yahoo Goes Green – Get Your Free Light Bulb

Posted in: Today's Chili, Web Sites, Yahoo

This article was written on May 14, 2007 by CyberNet.

Who’s the greenest? That’s the question that Yahoo is asking.  Tech companies have been taking big steps forward to help the environment, and it appears as though a green-trend has started as more and more people get involved. The latest green project that we wrote about was Google’s solar-power project, and now Yahoo is taking their own route to help in the form of a contest.

It’s Yahoo’s “national call-to-action” and they’re out to find the greenest city in America.  The city that wins the title will receive an entire fleet of hybrid taxis, which by the way, are already popping up in cities across the US like New York. From the pictures, it looks like they’re going with a Hybrid SUV, which is a little surprising, but only because there are standard cars that get better mileage than the Hybrid SUV. In terms of SUVs though, it’s a huge improvement.

Yahoogreentaxi

There are a few ways that you can get involved in the contest:

  1. “Take the green pledge” – Select from a list (pictured below) different ways that you can lower your CO2 emissions. IE: Make sure your walls and ceilings are well-insulated
  2. Share your knowledge on Yahoo Answers – earn credits by answering questions in the “environment category.”
  3. Use your mobile phone – search eco-friendly terms (organic food, bike, ride share, etc.) on your mobile phone and earn credits.

Yahoogreen

By participating in the contest, you’ll automatically get a free compact fluorescent light bulb. Each way that you participate earns you credits, and after you’ve accrued 500 credits, you’ll get another free CFL.

To go along with this contest, they’ve launched a brand new site called Yahoo! Green.  It was designed to be the place to go when you’re looking for any topic related to bettering the planet. There you’ll find gas savings tips, ways to better the planet, and opportunities to meet other people online who are striving to be green too.

So, if you’d like to see a Yahoo themed hybrid taxi driving around your town, or you just want a free compact fluorescent light bulb, go check-out Yahoo! Green.

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Sep 12

Yahoo Shuts Down Unlimited Music Service, Acquires FoxyTunes

Posted in: Music, Today's Chili, Web Sites, Yahoo

This article was written on February 04, 2008 by CyberNet.

rhapsody Back in May of 2005, Yahoo launched Yahoo! Music Unlimited, an on-demand online music service where users could pay a subscription fee to stream or download unlimited amounts of music for either $8.99 or $5.99 per month. While the unlimited services were a hit back then, they’ve slowly lost popularity as the ad-supported free music has become the way to go.  Yahoo recently made it clear that they were no longer focusing on their unlimited subscribers yet there was no word on how they were going to handle the situation. A recent partnership with RealNetwork’s Rhapsody music service is now the solution to their problem of what to do with all of those subscribers.

Rhapsody music service will now be where Yahoo! Music Unlimited subscribers will go to get their music on-demand. The switch will occur sometime in the first half of this year and Yahoo’s customers will be paying the same fee as they always had, but only for a limited time.  At some point if they want to continue their subscription service, they’ll have to decide upon a Rhapsody plan which start at $12.99 per month. Yahoo says this move will allow them to focus their efforts on the free ad-supported music market and other types of media which are currently popular.

Even though Yahoo Music Unlimited users have a place to go, my gut feeling is that those users are eventually going to start wondering why they are paying for a service when they could get an ad-supported music service for free. Given the changes in how people listen to music, my gut says Rhapsody music service won’t be around for long.

Also in the news and pertaining to Yahoo Music is the announcement that they have acquired FoxyTunes.  We know many of you are very familiar with FoxyTunes and use it regularly as your media toolbar, and/or a way to share music. Yahoo says that while this may be “a major strategy shift,” they are still investing in the music business.

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Aug 21

Amazon, Microsoft and Yahoo unite against Google Books

Posted in: amazon, e-book, e-books, ebooks, Google, lawsuit, Microsoft, Today's Chili, Yahoo

Microsoft, its new pet dog Yahoo, and Amazon have decided to join together in the soon to be formed Open Book Alliance. You might expect this to be a revolutionary new collaborative effort at delivering the written word in a way that makes Google Books pale into insignificance, but you would, of course, be wrong. Far from trying to compete with Google, The OBA is set to act as the collective mouthpiece for all those opposed to Google’s recent $125 million settlement deal with book publishers and authors. With the US Department of Justice already investigating antitrust concerns relating to the case, the other big dogs just couldn’t restrain themselves from pitching in together for a united whinge. Should the settlement be cleared, it will permit Google non-exclusive rights to orphan works (those without an established writer) and will give it a 30 per cent cut of books sold via Google Books, both things that authors have agreed to. So what’s there to moan about, fellas — we all trust Google to do the right thing, right?

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Amazon, Microsoft and Yahoo unite against Google Books originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Aug 2009 08:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 17

Yahoo + Semantic Web = The Future

Posted in: Today's Chili, Web Sites, Yahoo

This article was written on March 14, 2008 by CyberNet.

 yahoo semantic web

The Yahoo Search Blog has made a big announcement yesterday that discussed their support for semantic web standards. The “semantic web” is often classified as the next big thing for the Internet, but the problem is that not everyone has taken the time to understand the benefits. With Yahoo jumping on semantic web bandwagon it is sure to start picking up steam.

What is the semantic web? It’s a set of standards that will give computers the tools needed to better understand the relationship between data on the Internet. Computers would be able to collect data from several different sites, aggregate it together, and display it in a way that’s meaningful for the users.

For example, imagine doing research on Christopher Columbus for a report that you have to write. On one site you might find some information regarding Columbus’ childhood while on another there might be details on his voyage in 1492. We can obviously see the connection between the two sources, but computers can’t. That’s where the semantic web comes into play.

Websites will be able to create specially designed RDF files that can be used to give computers the data they need to make relationships. Or, as seen in the screenshot at the beginning of the article, a search for someone’s name could return more helpful results. Here’s what Yahoo has to say about how they can use the semantic web to benefit consumers and site owners.

By supporting semantic web standards, Yahoo! Search and site owners can bring a far richer and more useful search experience to consumers. For example, by marking up its profile pages with microformats, LinkedIn can allow Yahoo! Search and others to understand the semantic content and the relationships of the many components of its site. With a richer understanding of LinkedIn’s structured data included in our index, we will be able to present users with more compelling and useful search results for their site. The benefit to LinkedIn is, of course, increased traffic quality and quantity from sites like Yahoo! Search that utilize its structured data.

The Internet is just brimming with too much information, and the semantic web will give surfers the ability to find content that they may not have found otherwise. Now we might start to see more applications of the semantic web emerge since Yahoo has joined in the game, and I can’t wait to see what comes out of all this.

Yahoo Search Blog [via TechCrunch]
Thanks to Omar for the tip!

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