Articles about Google
Columbia U boffins HACK GOOGLE PLAY to check apps
It's the app developer's equivalent of hiding the door keys under the mat: researchers from Columbia University have found Android apps containing the developers' secret keys.
That's a more serious issue than the old “don't re-use passwords”: the thousands of credentials embedded by developers, blithely assuming they're not …
Google uses disruptive 'poem' tech to announce new Chromebook availability
Google has announced that Chromebooks will soon be available to buy in nine more countries.
The advertising company said on Monday that its eponymous key-slabs would soon be available in New Zealand, the Philippines, Norway, Denmark, Mexico, Chile, Belgium, Spain, and Italy.
"Chromebooks are coming to nine more nations to …
EU privacy A-Team tells Google: Get a grip and obey OUR laws
The EU's advisory panel on privacy and data protection has warned Google to comply with Europe's laws in an unusually strongly worded statement.
The Article 29 Working Party vowed to investigate if Google refused to abide by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling – Google Spain v Gonzalez et al – that decreed Google was not …
Google in NOT EVIL shocker: Bins student email ad scanning
Google has taken the astonishing decision to stay partly true to its founding promise after deciding to stop scanning kids' emails.
Until now, Google automatically rooted through all users' mails so they could be targeted for advertising.
But now Mountain View has decided to abide by its "don't be evil" maxim and stop the …
Google bit barge ordered to set sail for safe waters
The San Francisco member of Google's mystery barge fleet has sailed into stormy waters, with the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (SFBCDC) ordering the ad giant to find a new dock for the craft.
At issue, says Associated Press, is zoning for the dock where Google shipwrights are working on the bit barge …
Page through Page's page page-views: Google+ shows how many saw your profile
Google has added a new feature to its Google+ kinda-social network that identifies how many people have looked at your profile page, blog and photos on Google+.
"Starting today you’ll see a new number on your Google+ profile or page: total content views," said Eddie Kessler, a Google engineering manager. "This number is the sum …
Google: 'EVERYTHING at Google runs in a container'
Google is now running "everything" in its mammoth cloud on top of a potential open source successor to virtualization, paving the way for other companies to do the same.
Should VMware be worried? Probably not, but the tech pioneered by Google is making inroads into a certain class of technically sophisticated companies.
That …
Google's too-smart-for-own-good Nest Protect alarm is back on sale
Google's Nest smart smoke alarm is back on sale at a lower price after being withdrawn from store shelves for nearly a month because of a safety issue.
"We're very pleased that Nest Protect is once again available to customers," Nest marketing chief Doug Sweeny said in a blog post. "And now, the price is $99 to make it …
'F-CK YOU GOOGLE+' ukelele missy scoops BIG WAD of $$ - for Google
A futile attempt to convince Google to reverse its decision to lock its ID-tracking, data-mining Google+ product into YouTube comments has helped to generate more ad revenue on the vid-sharing site.
A sweary, well-spoken young woman from Essex has had more than half a million hits on a YouTube video she posted just two days ago …
YouTube will nuke indie music videos in DAYS, says Google exec
Google will nuke its bridges with independent record labels and pull their music videos from YouTube, the advertising giant has told its favourite newspaper – the Financial Times.
The dispute is over royalty terms for Google's forthcoming and as-yet unannounced music-streaming service, believed to be a Spotify clone.
Two weeks …
Google sees Microsoft's iPad bet, raises with fondleslab Docs and Sheets
Google is bringing its Docs and Sheets applications to Apple's iOS as a pair of standalone apps for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch.
The company said that the two productivity apps will be tailored for both Apple's handset and tablet lines with the ability to function with online, or offline as local tools. Both Docs and Sheets …
Google tells indie labels to take its YouTube deal or face OBLIVION
Google has threatened to "censor" YouTube music videos from the world's independent labels if the indies don't agree to its terms for the forthcoming YouTube subscription music streaming service.
Indie label association WIN says YouTube has threatened to remove the videos it already hosts. WIN called foul last night after the …
Google launches hacker game to train bug 'mercenaries'
Google wants to bring new blood into the security bug hunter community with a game launched to test developers' knowledge of cross site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities.
The XSS Game put devs through six games of increasing complexity that required successful attacks against mock vulnerable web applications.
"The game is …
Google's Nest flings HALF an INSTAGRAM at Dropcam buyout
Google's home automation push has a new view of the world after its Nest subsidiary wrote a half-Instagram ($555m) cheque for camera-maker Dropcam.
Dropcam's cameras use Wi-Fi to beam video out of your home or office and into the cloud, from where it can either be beamed back to a variety of devices for you to watch it in real …
Google adds 'data protection' WARNING to Euro search results
Google has begun notifying European Union-based netizens that its search results have to respect the 28-member-state bloc's 19-year-old data protection law.
The ad giant has plastered the warning on its search engine across the EU from today. But, anyone living in those countries who navigate to Google.com will find that the " …
So long, 'invincible dreamers': Google+ daddy Gundotra resigns
Vic Gundotra, the Google senior vice president best known for creating Google+, is leaving the Chocolate Factory after nearly eight years on the job.
Predictably, perhaps, Gundotra announced his departure in a bittersweet post to his personal Google+ page, in which he thanked the team that helped build Mountain View's not- …
OUCH... right in the Androids! Google hit by another antitrust sueball
Google is facing a new antitrust class action lawsuit in the US over its "illegal monopoly" on internet and mobile search.
Consumer rights law firm Hagens Berman said in a statement that the Chocolate Factory had "financially and creatively stagnated the American market of internet and mobile search" with its alleged monopoly …
Google in talks to nail Virgin as 'partner' in satellite internet plan
Google is reportedly in talks with Virgin Galactic for a multi-million dollar joint venture and an equity stake in the business, according to Sky News.
The Chocolate Factory is planning to sink its cash into a project with the space tourism biz that will use Virgin Galactic tech in its plans to put hundreds of satellites into …
Report: Google back in Europe's crosshairs over web domination claims
Regulators in Europe are about to rewrite a settlement with Google and expand their anti-competition probe into the web giant, it's claimed. The company was already under the microscope for allegedly screwing over its rivals in web search results.
The Wall Street Journal cited the proverbial "person with knowledge" in reporting …
Google+ maker Vic Gundotra: My work on this 'NETWORK THINGY' is DONE
Now that Google's "network thingy" is melded into the web giant's product line-up, the man behind Google+ Vic Gundotra has quit Mountain View to pursue a yet-to-be-revealed new venture.
Arguably, his work is largely done at Google, a company that has routinely shied away from describing Google+ as a social network.
In 2012, …
EU dons gloves, pokes Google's deals with Android mobe makers
Industry sources have confirmed to The Reg that the European Commission is once again prodding Google's Android contracts with phone makers. Preliminary letters, sent out a month ago, merely ask the phone makers if they find anything in Google's contracts restrictive.
We understand the Commission is particularly interested in …
Google rival BLASTS Almunia 'n' pals for settlement proposals
The lead complainant against Google in the ongoing European antitrust case has accused the Competition Commission led by Joaquin Almunia of "misleading" other Commissioners and the European Parliament about the search giant’s proposals to resolve the matter.
In an open letter (PDF) to the Commissioner on Wednesday, search and …
When PR backfires: Google 'forgets' BBC TV man's banker blog post
On Wednesday, Google emailed the BBC to say it had removed from its search results a blog post written by TV journalist Robert Peston about Merrill Lynch boss Stan O'Neal.
Was this a PR stunt to highlight the "unfairness" of the EU ruling on the right to be forgotten? We don't know – but whether it was or not, it has backfired …
Teardowns confirm $1,500 Google Glass hardware is DIRT CHEAP
Yet another analyst firm has placed a low price tag on the hardware comprising Google Glass headsets.
Researchers with IHS said in a teardown analysis of the augmented reality platform that each headset contains a bill of materials (BOM) of $152.47.
According to IHS, Google uses parts that cost $132.47 per Glass headset, while …
Yelp files competition complaint against Google search biz in EU
Local services review site Yelp has formally submitted a complaint against Google's search business to Brussels' competition officials.
It comes as the European Commission's antitrust chief Joaquin Almunia pushes to bring an end to a lengthy probe of the ad giant by sealing a proposed settlement deal with Google, even as …
Need some college cash? Google offers $80K for students' doodles
Google is once again opening its homepage up to student designers with a logo art contest carrying $80,000 in prizes.
This edition of the Chocolate Factory's "Doodle 4 Google" contest offers students the chance to reinterpret the Google search logo, where the winner will receive both a $30,000 college scholarship and a $50,000 …
Google updates Maps app for iOS, Android, adds Uber support
Google has issued a major update to its Maps app for iOS and Android, including integration with the Uber private taxi app and an improved local business search that spells bad news for Yelp.
The Chocolate Factory has put a lot of work into using Maps offline. You've been able to save maps for offline use for a while, but it's …
Google TOO WHITE and MALE, says HR boss, looking in mirror
Google has published its first report on the diversity of its workforce, and the web giant admits it has a lot of work to do.
The online ad-slinger revealed its findings on Wednesday, revealing how its employees break down along gender and ethnic lines for the first time. Predictably, perhaps, the report found that Google was in …
Google slurps sound-powered security upstart SlickLogin
Google has bought five-month-old security startup SlickLogin, which specialises in sound-based authentication technology.
Financial terms of the deal were kept secret.
The Israel-based company, which was founded by three ex-Israeli-military security bods in 2013, announced that it had been scooped up by Google in a statement on …
STILL no move by Brit data cops over Google's 2012 privacy slurp
Britain's data cops are still investigating Google's sneaky privacy policy tweak from last year, even though many of its counterparts elsewhere in Europe have already taken action against the advertising giant.
On Monday, Italy's regulator warned Google that it had 18 months to comply with the Rome's demands or else face fines …
Google Glass GOES GLAM, grabs Gap guru
In a move that could signal a looming consumer-market push for Glass, Google has hired former Gap and Calvin Klein executive Ivy Ross to lead its augmented-reality project.
Last serving as CMO of Art.com, Ross brings to the project an extensive résumé from the fashion and design worlds. The Harvard-educated exec has held …
Google YouTube U-turn: Indie music doomsday 'postponed'
Google has postponed its plan to block independent music companies who wouldn't agree to the terms of its proposed deal, the FT reports - but it isn’t clear for how long.
Small independent companies are refusing to sign new pro forma deals with Google, which has publicly said it will block their music videos from YouTube – an …
Google starts selling Glass to Brits – for £1,000 a pop
Google is opening up the sale of its Glass head-mounted computers to customers outside the US for the first time, and the UK is the first country to get them.
"Beginning today, we're extending our open beta Explorer program to the UK. The world sees the UK as a center (actually, a centre) of innovation," said the Chocolate …
Google Nest slurps your life into the Matrix? The TRUTH
Thought your home was safe from corporate surveillance? Think again, because thermostat-maker Nest is set to share your personal data with its mother company, Google.
Nest Labs has admitted to the Wall Street Journal that personal assistant system Google Now will be among the first non-Nest apps to connect to Nest sensors and …
Google Ventures opens new fund in London
For schoolkids, being labelled disruptive was a sure fire sign that teacher didn't like you. But when Google uses that word about your business, it's time to start thinking about buying that yacht.
Now the Chocolate Factory has announced a new investment fund based in London which is dedicated to rooting out Europe's most " …
Conformist Google: Android devices must LOOK, WORK ALIKE
Don't expect to see "skins" like HTC Sense or Samsung TouchWiz on kit made with Google's new versions of Android for devices, a source familiar with the company's plans has said.
Much like how Google is forcing device makers to stick to the default UI if they want to carry its new Android Silver brand, gadgets running Android …
Google shuts Glass store and nixes Video Call feature
After giving the public one day to become "Explorers" of its $1,500 face-computer, Google has shut its online store saying that "all spots have been claimed".
The company announced the withdrawal of Glass sales to the hoi polloi on Tuesday night following a one day sale during which the company "sold out" of the tech in white, …
Rejoice, Russians! The annexation of Crimea is complete and legitimate – Google Maps proves it
Google appears to have sided with Vladimir Putin in the current sovereignty dispute over the Crimean Peninsula – at least as far as residents of Russia are concerned.
The online ad giant has made an update to its Google Maps of the region that denotes the border between Crimea and Ukraine as a bold, black line – seemingly …
Google's Oculus-defying VR headset is made of CARDBOARD – no joke
Among the other announcements at the Google I/O conference in San Francisco this week, the Chocolate Factory says it's moving into virtual reality – albeit in a decidedly low-fi way.
Attendees of the Wednesday morning I/O keynote each received a free VR headset called Cardboard – so named because it is, in fact, made out of …
Google offers $150 gift card for Chromebook Pixel data shutoff
Google has chosen to issue gift cards to customers who spent $1,449 on a shiny Chromebook Pixel with free Verizon LTE data only to find that the telco decided to ditch the offer early.
At launch, the Pixel was touted as coming with two years of free LTE data from Verizon. Admittedly you only got 100MB a month, but that's enough …
Hey, operators... 'member our edge-of-SPAAACE interwebs balloons? Help! - Google
Having failed to license spectrum around the globe, Google is now talking to mobile operators to make its Loon project work.
Loon is Google’s attempt to provide internet connectivity in rural areas through, er, balloons sent up to the stratosphere.
The revelation came in a presentation from Google X labs' Eric "Astro" Teller at …
Whoah! How many Google Play apps want to read your texts?
A security firm has criticised Android's all-or-nothing permission approach, arguing it unnecessarily creates extra privacy risks for businesses and consumers.
Users are obliged to accept an entire laundry list of requested permissions before they can download an Android app. Disagreement on any point means that the software …
Wanna make 15 bucks? Assimilate someone into the Google Apps BORG
Google is offering an incentive for Google Apps users in the US and Canada to spread the word about the online productivity suite, in the form of a cash reward for each new customer they refer.
The online ad-slinger will pay a $15 referral bonus each time a new user signs up for Google Apps using an existing customer's unique …
A scanner, darkly: Master data-miner Google tweaks terms of service
Google is providing an explicit explanation of how it automatically and routinely runs software to snoop on messages flooding in and out of a user's Gmail account – so as to better target them with ads.
The company made it clear that anyone with a Google account using any number of its services – such as search or YouTube – can …
That's no plane wreck, that's a Google Wi-Fi balloon
Emergency Services in New Zealand town today scrambled to assist what they thought was a downed plane, but actually turned out to be one of Google's Project Loon WiFi-beaming balloons.
Project Loon is Google's attempt to become an ISP of sorts by floating balloons over parts of the world where internet access is not often …
Google to Supremes: End this Street View fight once and for all
Google is taking the battle over its Street View data collection to the US Supreme Court, seeking a final decision on the legality of its Wi-Fi snooping activity.
The company has filed a petition (obtained by Wired) asking the Supremes to hear its appeal of a decision by the US Ninth Circuit court of appeals.
The case dates …
Google lets users slurp own Gmail, Calendar data
Google just made two of its mainstay cloud services a little less cloudy by giving users the opportunity to export data from the company's infrastructure.
The company announced data export features for Gmail and Google Calendar on Thursday as part of its "Google Takeout" service.
Gmail data will become available for download …
Bored yet? Now there's ANOTHER OpenSSL fork – it's from Google
With developers still struggling to plug vulnerabilities in the open source OpenSSL crypto library, Google has spun off a new fork of the project based on its own, internal work with the code, dubbed BoringSSL.
"We have used a number of patches on top of OpenSSL for many years," Google dev Adam Langley said in a blog post …
Google! and! Facebook! IDs! face! Yahoo! login! BAN!
Yahoo! doesn't want to play nice with Google and Facebook anymore. The result: the pair of competing free-content ad networks will be booted off Yahoo!'s turf.
The purple-tinged web giant plans to stop its users from logging into sites such Flickr, Fantasy Sports and other Yahoo!-owned stuff using their Google and Facebook IDs …
Google hit by Monday morning blues: Talk, Hangouts, Sheets crash
Three Google services were gripped by disruption today – just four days after the company dramatically reduced prices for one of its online storage lockers.
The web giant's online instant-messenger Talk, video conferencing system Google+ Hangouts, and office spreadsheet app Sheets were unavailable on Monday morning, US West …
