Virgin Atlantic using Google Glass, Sony smartwatches for London passenger check-in

Virgin Atlantic has begun a six-week test aimed at giving its employees more information about some passengers as they enter the London Heathrow airport. The program, which is currently designed only to aid customer service staff attending to upper class passengers, uses Google Glass and Sony's SmartWatch 2 to serve up information about passengers and their destinations:

From the minute Upper Class passengers step out of their chauffeured limousine at Heathrow's T3 and are greeted by name, Virgin Atlantic staff wearing the technology will start the check-in process. At the same time, staff will be able to update passengers on their latest flight information, weather and local events at their destination and translate any foreign language information. In future, the technology could also tell Virgin Atlantic staff their passengers' dietary and refreshment preferences - anything that provides a better and more personalized service.

FOR FLIGHT INFO, WEATHER, AND LOCAL EVENTS

Virgin says the program replaces an existing service that gave its employees customized information. If successful, Virgin says it could bring Glass or the Sony watches to other airports, though the company did not say whether it might trickle the service down to passengers with lower tier tickets.

Google Glass continues to be available only to those who sign for up the company's Glass Explorer program, with the hardware running $1,499 a pair (or more if you opt for the new prescription frames). It's unclear just how many units of Glass and the Sony smartwatch Virgin Atlantic bought and plan to use as part of the pilot.

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Apple, the biggest loser in the Google-Motorola-Lenovo deal

Things are about to get tougher for Apple. Google late Wednesday made an unexpected announcement that it's selling Motorola Mobility to Chinese PC giant Lenovo for $2.91 billion, or less than a quarter of what it paid for the handset vendor just a couple of years ago. During the years Google owned it, Motorola lost money and market share, and the relationship caused tension between Google and the other Android vendors, particularly Samsung. It also led those other phone makers to develop their own software and services, rather than push those from Google. That amplified Android's fragmentation in the market. Overall, Google's purchase of Motorola turned out much better for iPhone maker Apple than for Google. That's now going to change. Related stories: Google sells Motorola unit to Lenovo for $2.9B With Motorola out, can Samsung, Google be BFFs again? Apple's higher standard: How 51M iPhones is somehow disappointing Apple's iPhone 5C misses the low-cost mark By ditching Motorola, Google frees Android from distractions Behind Samsung's push to rule the world Google, sans Motorola, can go back to focusing on what it does best -- making a really great operating system and apps. It can mend its relationship with Android leader Samsung and the other vendors. And it can concentrate on unifying and streamlining the Android experience, rather than worry about bolstering its own hardware operations. All of those factors mean that Apple may not be able to win over customers as easily as it has in the past. "Getting rid of Motorola helps Google, and anything that Google can do to create a more cohesive user experience across vendors is competitive to Apple," Current Analysis analyst Avi Greengart said. But Google isn't all Apple should be worried about. Up to this point, only Samsung has posed a real threat to Apple in smartphones. A combined Lenovo and Motorola, however, has the potential to take a large chunk of the market. It won't be easy or quick, but Lenovo has a strong track record for dominating markets it enters. Less than a decade after buying IBM's PC operations, Lenovo became the world's biggest PC maker . Already, Lenovo is one of the fastest-growing smartphone makers in China, a market that's also getting a lot of attention from Apple. Last year, Lenovo was the second largest smartphone vendor in mainland China by volume, up from eighth place in 2011, according to Strategy Analytics. That boosted its position in the global market in 2013 to fifth place behind Samsung, Apple, Huawei, and LG. At the same time Lenovo's market share has risen in China, Apple's has fallen. In 2011, Apple was the third largest smartphone vendor in the country. By last year, it had dropped to sixth place, according to Strategy Analytics. "Apple's lack of presence in the lower end of the smartphone market has cost it sizable volumes in China in recent years," said Neil Mawston, executive director of Strategy Analytics. Apple, predictably, has offered no public reaction to the Lenovo- Motorola news. We've contacted the company for comment and will update the report when we have more information. The iPhone maker doesn't have device pricing that touches the lower end of the market . So far, it hasn't needed or wanted to, but that will need to change if it doesn't want to be relegated to niche status. Already, the low end of the smartphone market is growing much faster than the high end. Strategy Analytics expects Apple's deal with China Mobile to boost it to fifth place in the Chinese market this year, but that's nowhere near the position of Samsung or Lenovo. And Apple's less expensive, more colorful iPhone 5C has failed to catch on with users. Apple positioned the device as more of a mainstream product, but it's still too pricey for developing countries. And it turns out that most people are buying the higher-end iPhone 5S that includes a fingerprint sensor, Apple CEO Tim Cook acknowledged during the company's earnings conference call earlier this week. Apple won't just face Lenovo in China. The company also will use Motorola to break into the US market. Lenovo gains not only a well-known brand with Motorola but also closer relationships with US carriers and retailers. The company wants to become the world's biggest seller of smart devices -- which includes PCs, tablets, smartphones, and smart TVs -- and it won't be able to do that without addressing the US market. Lenovo won't become Apple's biggest threat overnight. It will take awhile for the Chinese company to figure out its strategy with Motorola, and Lenovo also will have to invest heavily to get Motorola back on its feet. In the meantime, Apple and Samsung won't be slowing down in their efforts to dominate the market. But a few years down the line, it may be Samsung and Lenovo jockeying for the top mobile spot, not Samsung and Apple.

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10 years from now it’s Google’s world: we’ll just be living in it

I don't have a crystal ball, so it's hard for me to see into the future like some. But the writing appears to be on the wall in the technology industry: Google, the company that made a name for itself in search, will go on to become the most influential and important company in the world within the next decade. Moreover, the company's efforts will turn us all into citizens of a world we'll call Google.

Yes, I know this sounds a bit extreme, and I can appreciate that some people who don't like what the search giant is doing find that more than a little disconcerting. The truth is, though, Google is the only company that I can point to right now in the industry that is committed to not just sticking to iterative updates to its products. No, Google is in it to innovate. And there's something to be said for that.

Looking beyond the more well-known Google services, one will find an awful lot of reasons to think that, eventually, Google will be dominating the world.

The company has acquired nearly 10 companies in the last year to start a robotics program headed up by Andy Rubin that could very well turn our lives on their heads. Moreover, the search company has invested heavily in green technology, it's funding another rover to go to the Moon, it's trying to bring the Web to areas that have historically not had access to the Internet, and it's even trying to make us live longer.

And with tens of billions of dollars of cash on hand, it's entirely possible that the company's recent spending spree into other areas only continues. After all, why not buy up companies with promising technologies?




I can see a future where we're so overrun with Google products that it'll be hard to view it as anything other than another GE. We'll be wearing Google-branded prescription glasses that can give us directions and surf the Web. We'll be going to space on an elevator that lets us see what looking at Earth from up-top is all about. We'll even be using Google's medical equipment and insight to determine how we can see our great- great- great-grandchildren grow up.

Now, while this might all come off sounding somewhat "fanboy-ish” on my part, I should point out that the idea of a single company playing such a major role in our lives scares me. But, at the same time, it excites me. I'm happy to see that at least one company wants to do something special and above and beyond what we're used to, though I'd prefer to see multiple companies doing the same.

Where has vision gone in the industry? Where has the desire to do great things gone in the industry? Right now, Google is the only major company trying to change our lives in a huge way. And unless someone else comes along to compete on that, Google will soon run the world we're living in.

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The Motorola gambit: what Google really got by selling an American icon

Google’s romance with Motorola was star-crossed from the start. With the $12.5 billion purchase of Motorola it wasn’t just taking on an ailing manufacturer — challenge enough — but simultaneously competing with Google’s own hardware partners in the Android ecosystem, meaning it had to tread carefully. The payoff for all that heartache? Motorola’s impressive collection of 24,000 patents and patent applications. Unfortunately for Google, the much-ballyhooed war chest of intellectual property didn’t hold up in the courtroom.

Google’s initial motivation for buying Motorola was extremely simple: Motorola’s patent portfolio included core pieces of standard technologies like Wi-Fi and GSM. At the height of the patent battles between Apple and Android phone manufacturers like Samsung,governments around the world were undecided on whether those "standards-essential" patents could be used to completely block products from the market — and Motorola had already filed several lawsuits attempting to block the iPhone from sale in courts across the US.

IF GOOGLE HAD SUCCEEDED IN BLOCKING THE IPHONE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE SMARTEST $12.5 BILLION EVER SPENT

If Google had succeeded in using Motorola’s patents to block the iPhone, gain Congressional interest, and force Apple to the negotiating table, it would have been the smartest $12.5 billion ever spent.

Unfortunately, it didn’t quite work that way. Court after court rejected Motorola’s patent claims — the influential Judge Richard Posner of the 7th Circuit completely threw out the case after deciding neither Apple nor Motorola had even demonstrated any reason to be in court — and trade agencies in the US and Europe took a hard line against using standards patents to block products. In the US, Google settled a Federal Trade Commission investigation into its improper use of standards patents by agreeing that those patents would not be used to block products from market but instead be licensed fairly. And the value of a fair license plummeted: the court in Motorola’s case against Microsoft’s Xbox 360 found that Microsoft owed just $1.7M in royalties per year, far less than the $4 billion Motorola had demanded.

Motorola’s patent portfolio was essentially rendered worthless; an anemic licensing business compared to Google’s other massive revenue streams.

WHILE THE PATENT PLAY BLEW UP, THE HARDWARE SIDE MAY HAVE PAID OFF

But while the patent play blew up spectacularly, the hardware side of the Motorola acquisition may have actually paid off: by building its own phones, Google gained valuable leverage over the Android partners, particularly Samsung.

Motorola actually made some nice phones during its run at Google. The flagship Moto X was well-received by critics, including our own. "The additions to the software that Motorola has made are legitimately useful and really quite impressive," wrote Joshua Topolsky. "They add to the experience of Android without removing what is most vital in Google's software, unlike the competition, which seems intent on obscuring what's already a sophisticated and beautiful operating system." The Moto X never sold well, but it increased the pressure on Google's partners to build great products by showing what was possible.

The problem was that Google’s Motorola lacked the marketing and distribution power needed to actually sell enough phones. Despite a warm welcome from critics, Motorola’s losses widened to $248 million during the first quarter when the Moto X was on sale. "Motorola needs to build tighter relationships with other carriers after a long tie-up with Verizon on the Droid line," said Ross Rubin, principal analyst at Reticle Research.

Overall, Motorola had burned through $600 million since the acquisition and was on pace to bleed about $1 billion a year. To turn things around Google would have had to pour hundreds of millions into expanding marketing and distribution, upping the competition with its partners. Rather than doubling down on making its own phones, Google used Motorola as leverage to secure the Android ecosystem against a painful and expensive patent battle and to prod its partners into accepting its version of Android.

A FEW DAYS AFTER BRINGING SAMSUNG IN MORE TIGHTLY, GOOGLE LET GO OF MOTOROLA

Earlier this week it reached an interesting détente with Samsung: the two companiesagreed to share patents, helping each other defensively and not litigating against one another. At the same time, Samsung reportedly made concessions about what Androidwill look like on its future devices, agreeing to tone down the extensive customization and duplication of apps and services that characterize its most popular phones and tablets. It’s hardly a coincidence that a few days after bringing Samsung more tightly into the fold, Google let go of Motorola.

How long will this balance hold? The purchase of Nest indicates that Google has rethought its hardware strategy, preferring to avoid competition with its Android partners and instead invest in the wide-open world of connected devices and smart homes instead. Larry Page said as much in an email to staffers about the Motorola sale. "As a side note, this does not signal a larger shift for our other hardware efforts. The dynamics and maturity of the wearable and home markets, for example, are very different from that of the mobile industry. We’re excited by the opportunities to build amazing new products for users within these emerging ecosystems."

Of course, Samsung has plenty of interest in building a smart home of its own. The delicate dance goes on.

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Google has another privacy snafu, is fined in South Korea

Google has been bumping into pockets of privacy violations across the globe recently, the latest of which has taken place in South Korea. This follows a recent issue in Canada, which arose from issues with advertisements and was resolved with an agreement, and abigger issue in France that surfaced last year and culminated in a big (except for Google) fine.

In a writeup on The Korea Herald this week, it was revealed Korea's communications regulator has elected to slap Google with a fine for the collection of personal data from residents while taking pictures for Street View. This is similar to past instances related to privacy and Street View that have arisen, and is followed with a $196,000 fine.

This is the first fine of this sort issued by the Korea Communications Commission against a global company for privacy law violations, said KCC chairman Lee Kyung-jae. He followed this up with a warning for other companies, as well. "This commission will punish those who collect information of the Korean public without exception."

Google is said to have collected information that spans several categories, incluing passwords and usernames, registration numbers for locals, MAC addresses, and what sounds like IP addresses (the KH isn't entirely clear). Google hasn't issued a statement on the matter yet.

VIA: BGR
SOURCE: The Korea Herald
Image via Carlos Luna

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Google's partnering with Samsung and others for new educational devices this spring

Google began its play for the education market late last year with a student-oriented version of the Play Store. Since then, partners of the Google for Education program have provided their classes with learning software and tools on select Chromebooks and Android-based tablets. Today, Mountain View announced two new devices headed for that very lineup this spring: Lenovo's ThinkPad 11e series and the Toshiba Chromebook, starting at $349 and $299 (respectively). Samsung's also on board with a classroom-ready edition of its Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 set to launch this April.

And what's the best way to complement that influx of hardware? Google thinks it's by adding thousands of K-12 books to Google Play for Education, including popular titles like Bridge to Terabithia and Lord of the Flies. The plethora of digital reads are available for affordable access periods (60, 180 or 360 days) to a few select schools as early as today, but arrive for the rest in the coming weeks.

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Google and Samsung may finally agree on what Android should look like

Samsung may be planning to cut back on its oft-criticized Android customizations. A new report from Recode claims that the company recently met with Google to begin working out an agreement that could see Samsung's software move closer to Google's vision of Android. Discussions reportedly began after Samsung unveiled its Galaxy TabPro at CES. Google executives were apparently so displeased with the major changes in the tablet's Magazine UX — which has been compared to Flipboard and Windows 8 — that they felt compelled to open a dialogue with the number one Android manufacturer.

It's unclear what the exact outcome of those talks will be, but Recode's sources say Samsung may consider dumping Magazine UX entirely in future hardware. It may also put a greater spotlight on Google's own applications rather than pushing in-house apps like ChatON on its customers.

A source told Recode that the Samsung / Google relationship has gone through "a huge change, a sea change in the last few weeks." On Sunday, the two companies announced a broad patent cross-licensing deal that will see them share key intellectual property — another indication of an improved relationship. We've reached out to Samsung for comment.

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Google's partnering with Samsung and others for new educational devices this spring

Google began its play for the education market late last year with a student-oriented version of the Play Store. Since then, partners of the Google for Education program have provided their classes with learning software and tools on select Chromebooks and Android-based tablets. Today, Mountain View announced two new devices headed for that very lineup this spring: Lenovo's ThinkPad 11e series and the Toshiba Chromebook, starting at $349 and $299 (respectively). Samsung's also on board with a classroom-ready edition of its Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 set to launch this April.

And what's the best way to complement that influx of hardware? Google thinks it's by adding thousands of K-12 books to Google Play for Education, including popular titles like Bridge to Terabithia and Lord of the Flies. The plethora of digital reads are available for affordable access periods (60, 180 or 360 days) to a few select schools as early as today, but arrive for the rest in the coming weeks.

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Google and Samsung may finally agree on what Android should look like

Samsung may be planning to cut back on its oft-criticized Android customizations. A new report from Recode claims that the company recently met with Google to begin working out an agreement that could see Samsung's software move closer to Google's vision of Android. Discussions reportedly began after Samsung unveiled its Galaxy TabPro at CES. Google executives were apparently so displeased with the major changes in the tablet's Magazine UX — which has been compared to Flipboard and Windows 8 — that they felt compelled to open a dialogue with the number one Android manufacturer.

It's unclear what the exact outcome of those talks will be, but Recode's sources say Samsung may consider dumping Magazine UX entirely in future hardware. It may also put a greater spotlight on Google's own applications rather than pushing in-house apps like ChatON on its customers.

A source told Recode that the Samsung / Google relationship has gone through "a huge change, a sea change in the last few weeks." On Sunday, the two companies announced a broad patent cross-licensing deal that will see them share key intellectual property — another indication of an improved relationship. We've reached out to Samsung for comment.

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Microsoft buys Gears of War franchise, new game in development

Microsoft now owns another major franchise tied to its Xbox game consoles: Gears of War. That includes "rights to all existing and future games, entertainment experiences and merchandise," and it looks like a new game (likely for Xbox One) is already in production at Black Tusk Studios in Canada (Microsoft actually teased that news back at E3 2013 during the company's press briefing). The franchise's former director of production, Rod Fergusson, will take on oversight.

The Gears of War franchise was exclusive to the Xbox 360 (and later on PC as well), and Unreal Engine developer Epic Games used the third-person shooter series to show off its engine's graphical chops. Beyond being a graphical showcase, however, Gears of War developed a loyal following among online console gamers -- last year's Gears of War: Judgment was the first entry in the franchise co-developed by Epic and Bulletstorm dev People Can Fly, and it was expected to be the final entry in the series.

Beyond a new entry in the massively popular shooter franchise, we expect re-issues (perhaps prettied up re-issues) will happen at some point (a la Tomb Raider's "Definitive" Edition). At very least, Gears fans can rest assured that more tales of meaty space marines taking down locust are on the way care of Microsoft.

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Google and Samsung reach a patent license accord

Samsung and Google's lawyers have been busy bees over the weekend. Now the two companies have announced a global patent license agreement that will extend 10 years into the future in the hopes of fostering innovation and perhaps to also shield themselves from patent litigation.
Buying patents and making patent agreements are already familiar ways companies can protect themselves against the patent portfolio of rival companies. And perhaps no other company needs such protection right now than both Samsung and Google. Both companies have been the target of patent lawsuits, both jointly and individually, which seem to be escalating recently.

Perhaps the most prolific patent litigation that Samsung has been and continues to be involved in is the one brought upon it by Apple. Although one chapter of that saga has been closed with Apple emerging victorious, it is far from over and the two will meet again in court in March should the mediation session scheduled next month fail. Google is also in hot water as it has been named as one of the defendants in a lawsuit brought by the Rockstar consortium. Interestingly, other defendants in that lawsuit include Samsung and other Android device manufacturers.

It not hard to imagine that Google and Samsung are trying to get their patent ducks in a row to strengthen each other's portfolios. Of course, the official press release points to this move a way to help them focus on innovation instead of expending resources in courts and legal fees. After all, it's easier to come up with new ideas and products when you don't have the threat of patent suits breathing down your neck.

The details of the actual patents involved are a bit murky at this point, save that they cover a broad range of technologies and business areas, we can probably safely assume that a good number of these would be related to mobile devices and Android. The coverage of the patent agreement is also quite exhaustive, including both companies' existing patents as well as those that will be filed for the next 10 years.

SOURCE: Samsung

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Google purchases DeepMind to augment its artificial intelligence portfolio

Google has just made an acquisition that is somewhat both puzzling and, on further analysis, feels quite natural. It has just bought DeepMind, a startup that focuses on artificial intelligence, for a rumored but unconfirmed amount of $400 million.

The London-based startup is just three years old, according to LinkedIn, and the company hasn't really made headlines in the tech industry. It's roster, however, includes some impressive names such as Skype and Kazaa developer Jaan Tallin and neuroscientist Demis Hassabis. The latter is considered to be a genius, a progidy in chess, and one of the best mind games player of late.

DeepMind's profile says it specializes in artificial intelligence for simulations, e-commerce, and games. At first glance, it might not make sense for a company more known for search, ads, and Android, but a closer analysis of Google's products and sometimes strange projects reveals that it could be a close fit.

Google has lately been making acquisitions and hires that reveal the company's new bent towards even smarter machines. Under Andy Rubin's guidance, the company has beenreported to have bought several companies and startups related to robotics and it isn't hard to imagine Rubin's team needing a bit of brains for those. And last December, Google was also reported to have hired a former Microsoft employee to work on machine learning.

A more down to earth application of artificial intelligence would actually be for Google Now. Google has been steadily selling Google Now as the personal assistant of choice that is able to predict what you want or need before you even ask it. Google and Apple are believed to be taking their rivalry to virtual personal assistants, and a dash of machine learning and artificial intelligence might go a long way in gaining the upper hand.

VIA: Re/code

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Google applies for .android, .nexus, .moto, and 98 other top-level domains

On one hand, once we heard that ICANN would be selling off custom top-level domains (meaning instead of just .com, .org, or .net, you could get .anything), it was easy to assume that Google would be applying to get some of those domains. On the other hand, Google is directly responsible for the steady decline of users actually typing in full URL addresses in the first place.


An annoyingly large number of users will use Google to search for "www.phonearena.com" rather than simply typing the address into the address bar. And, of course there are plenty of users who are too lazy to type the .com, and will just put "phonearena" in their Google Chome omnibox and then click away from



there. Even so, Google has applied for an impressive 101 top-level domains. This is extra impressive because: 1) there were only 2,000 applications, meaning Google has 5% of all applications for the entire world; and, 2) the application fee alone for each of these is $185,000, meaning Google spent a cool $18.7 million just to try to obtain these domains.


The list of domains that Google is applying for is varied and has the entries that you would expect, plus quite a few that are just odd. The ones you might expect include .Android, .Nexus, .Moto, .App, .YouTube, .Chrome, .Play, .Plus, .Gmail, .Google, .Search, .Hangout, and more. But, the entries you might not expect get weird and interesting very quickly, including .Dad, .Esq, .Kid, .LOL, .Meme, .PhD, and .Wow.


Google hasn't really explained itself much, saying basically that it wants to "make the introduction of new TLDs a good experience for web users". It basically equates to getting more people online (so they can see more Google ads), and making them feel at home once they're on the web. Google says that it has applied for certain domains simply because of the "creative potential", like .LOL. If nothing else, this feels like Google might be building up a catalogue to sell domains like Hover or GoDaddy.


source: Google Blog via Quartz

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Google's ready to give away over $2.7 million to folks that hack Chrome OS successfully

But not if you hack from the comfort of your own home. Instead, you'll have to travel to the CanSecWest security conference in Vancouver this March to showcase your skills at Google's Pwnium 4 competition. For those who aren't familiar, Google's been holding these Pwnium contests for years as a means to crowdsource the finding of security bugs in both the Chrome browser and Chrome OS.

This year, like last year, Google's offering $110,000 for each "browser or system-level compromise in guest mode or as a logged-in user, delivered via a web page," and $150k to anyone who can "compromise with device persistence: guest to guest with interim reboot, delivered via a web page." We don't understand exactly what that means, but we feel certain that with so many dollars at stake, there will be no shortage of interested parties who do. Plus, there are "significant" bonuses available for "particulary impressive or surprising" exploits -- so feel free to get creative, folks. Would-be winners should also know that the offers are good for hacks performed on the ARM-based HP Chromebook 11 or the Intel-packing Acer C720, and you've gotta register by 5PM Pacific Time on March 10th to compete. No time like the present, y'all.

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Google Glass to be the next Super Bowl spectacle

JC Torres

You know that a mass market launch of Google Glass is soon approaching once Googlehas put its well-oiled marketing machine into full gear. At the upcoming Super Bowl match scheduled next month, viewers all over will not only be able to watch the game from the literal viewpoint of a commentator but will also get an idea of what Google Glass might feel like, thanks to a partnership between Google and CBS.

Google Glass, which has just recently undergone its second hardware version, has been out for a long time but only for a limited number of people, including developers, reviewers, and tech evangelists. People who have been keeping tabs on the industry might very well be aware of its existence, but the masses to whom Google might be selling the eyewear are pretty much still in the dark.

If Google Glass has hit public consciousness or media, it was probably along the lines of driving while using a cellphone, which would definitely bias a good number of people against it. A recent San Diego court decision has let a Glass-wearing driver off the hook but has not closed the question about the safety, much less the legality. of Google Glass.

But Google Glass is much, much more than a glorified navigation device, whether inside or outside a vehicle. That is definitely the message that Rochester Optical Glass team member and Google Glass expert Tim Moore wants to be heard. And what better pulpit to preach that than one of the largest sports event in the world, the Super Bowl.



Spectators will be able to watch the game from the vantage point of John reporter and sports anchor John Kucko from CBS' WROC-TV Rochester affiliate. But Kucko won't just be covering the game itself but will also give a first-hand look at the events leading up to the match. With a potential audience of around 1 billion spread across 200 countries, this could be the perfect pitch that Google needs to change how people see Google Glass and, potentially, the world.

SOURCE: Forbes

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Google wants you to know what you're clicking on

Google knows a lot, both about its users and about the internet in general. Today, the team in Mountain View has found a new way to share more of its vast knowledge of the web with us by providing background info on sites that show up in search results. You see, site information is gleaned from Google's Knowledge Graph, and for every site we've checked thus far, that means the data's coming from Wikipedia -- so don't go thinking that this new cursory background check is 100-percent accurate. Google's not providing the extra info about all sites, either, just those that are "widely recognized as notable online" according to the company's blog post announcing the new capability. Still, it's a nifty addition that should give netizens some peace of mind before clicking search-provided links, and Google's promising that as the Knowledge Graph grows, so too will the amount of information this new feature can provide.

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Google leads pack as ten tech firms spend more than $61 million lobbying Washington

Ten of the largest technology companies in the US spent more than $61 million lobbying Washington in 2013, according to an analysis of records filed by Consumer Watchdogearlier this week. The firms, including Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Facebook, used the money in attempts to guide the government's hand on issues such as privacy, data security, and advertising.

The $61 million used for lobbying between the ten companies is an increase of 16 percent since 2012, in which they spent a collective $52.78 million. 2013's biggest spender remained Google, but the $14.06 million the search giant put towards Washington was actually a decrease in outlay of 14.7 percent from the previous year, when it was the target of an antitrust investigation. The firm's lobbying costs looked to be trending upwards at the end of 2013: after a decrease in relative third quarter spending, Google's fourth quarter expenses rose from $3.35 million to $3.98 million.

SEVEN OF THE TEN COMPANIES ON THE LIST INCREASED THEIR LOBBYING SPEND FROM 2012 TO 2013

Seven of the ten companies on the list increased their spending on lobbying. Microsoft increased its budget 30 percent from 2012, spending $10.49 million last year. Amazon was up 38.3 percent to $3.46 million, IBM leaped 45.6 percent to $7.06 million, while Yahoo's one percent increase pushed its spending to $2.78 million. Facebook and Apple had the largest rises in lobby spending: the former was up 61.2 percent to $6.43 million, while the latter jumped almost 72 percent to $3.37 million.

The increase in lobbying spend comes as the United States' largest technology companies increase their political efforts. Among the group, Facebook has been particularly active. In April last year, Mark Zuckerberg launched FWD.us with other Silicon Valley executives to push for immigration reform. In November, the Facebook CEO took his political advocacy to ABC's This Week, discussing NSA surveillance and directly criticizing the government's Healthcare.gov. Addressing the rise in lobbying spend, Consumer Watchdog's Privacy Project Director John M. Simpson said "policymaking in Washington is all about how much money you can throw around." He sees the upward trend continuing. "These tech guys are increasingly willing to spend whatever it takes to buy what they want."

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8 Ways to Use Google Glass on the Job

Google Glass isn't without its limitations -- not to mention privacy concerns -- but Google Glass 'Explorers' are finding many ways to use the device to work smarter and faster. The key to more widespread adoption, though, will be seamless integration into existing technology workflows.

CIO — Glass, Google's head-mounted, Internet-connected device, won't be available commercially until sometime in 2014. Even so, there are thousands of Glass "Explorers," or early adopters, already using the high-tech eyewear on the job. Many are discovering that, in addition to being a geeked-out plaything, Glass can in fact solve everyday business problems, help people be more productive, enhance workflows and deliver other real-world benefits.

Here's a look at some of the practical and innovative ways Explorers are using the $1,500 prototype device in their work — from automotive repair to sports reporting.
 1. Live, Remote Sales Training
Josh Cohen is CEO of TownSpot, an online video network startup. The company has no actual offices, Cohen says, with team members scattered around the country. The virtual organization structure makes it challenging to train the sales team — a problem Google Glass is helping to solve, according to Cohen.

For example, on a recent sales call to a new customer in Los Angeles, with the customer's permission, Cohen streamed video of his view in real-time via Google Glass to an Atlanta co-worker. Cohen's colleague could see the customer's reactions and hear how he delivered the sales pitch, he says, adding that this type of easily set up, live and remote training "could never have been done before."

Often, salespeople are trained by accompanying the sales leader or CEO on customer calls, Cohen notes. This usually requires flying the sales person to another location, among other costs. Glass lets Cohen virtually take multiple people on sales calls with him wherever he goes, thereby reducing travel and other training expenses.
2. Hands-free Sports Reporting

Andrew Abramson, the Miami Dolphins beat reporter for The Palm Beach Post, uses Glass on the job. He was interested in the device mainly for its video and photo capabilities.

"Video has become a huge part of sports reporting," Abramson says. "While the traditional TV reporters still enter locker rooms with their bulky cameras, other reporters are often uncomfortably holding up their cell phones and shooting their own clips."

Meanwhile, Abramson finds it much easier to wear a video camera on his face. "With Google Glass, I can shoot photos and videos simply by pressing a button or using voice commands," he says. "I can instantly upload photos and videos to the Web without using my hands."


Abramson has received "an overwhelmingly positive response" from Dolphins fans who follow his reports, and about half of the Dolphins' players have tried on his pair. Reaction varies, he says, from ridicule to amazement to "Where do I get my pair?"
3. Sharing Conference Sessions

"Literally every day, there are different start-up related conferences and events," Cohen says. He can't make it to them all, but with Google Glass — and the permission of conference organizers — Cohen and his team divide and conquer. Recording the events in real time "is easier and less obtrusive than using a video camera," he says, and it gives employees the convenience of watching a conference or event on their own time.
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4. Taking Notes
Evernote, the popular note-taking Web service and application, is among the few official Google Glass apps currently available — and Shazafar Khaja, integration architect for The Kroger Company, says Evernote is the most useful app thus far for Glass.


"Before I go to meetings, I email myself the minutes from previous meetings and action items. I have all of this accessible to me in the meeting at the flick of a finger, with Glass," he says. "I've also started to record (with everyone's permission) parts of brainstorming sessions where we have ideas flying around. This enables me to be involved without having to fiddle with a phone or camera."

Khaja admits he could do all of the above using traditional methods — "But with Glass, I'm less distracted and more focused on what's going on."
5. Fixing Cars

Glass Explorer Will Elias says Glass has helped him with the complexity of fixing vehicles. "With cars changing so quickly, and everything computerized, I was able to work on a vehicle with the assistance of an ASE-certified mechanic," Elias says. "He watched what I was doing (through a Glass video chat) and guided me on how to fix the vehicle correctly."
6. Showcasing Your Company

Google Glass is an ideal way to show off a company's customer service experience, notes Hilary Topper, CEO of HJMT Public Relations: "Imagine walking in and videotaping, with a first-person perspective, the way someone would be treated if they entered your restaurant, spa or bank." Topper's firm used Glass to make a reality video to both showcase the firm and show off Glass. The video, Glasslandia, has received more than 50 million social media impressions," she says.

7. Staying Up to Date While Out and About


Matt McGee is editor-in-chief of Marketing Land and also runs the popular Glass Almanac blog. "With Glass I can get RSS feeds, Tweets, emails and so forth sent right to me while I'm out and about," he says. "It's great at conferences, for example, to be able to consume this kind of information while walking the halls or expo floors. It keeps me in the know."

McGee admits that he could get these updates on his iPhone — but consuming that kind of information at a conference means stopping, find an out-of-the-way spot and reading. With Glass, on the other hand, he can keep walking and see headlines and tweets as they come to him. "I can even speak a reply," he says. "And it's all done hands-free with my head up, so I don't have to worry about walking into someone."
8. Troubleshooting a Website From a Distance

Cohen says the capability to share visual information immediately can help solve tech issues. If he encounters a bug or other technical glitch on his company's website, the Los Angeles-based Cohen can say, "OK, Glass, take a picture," and share a photo of his computer screen with his two Web developers in Virginia. The real-time sharing lets his Web developers understand the issue better and react immediately, Cohen says.

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Google Video Quality Report to grade how well ISPs deliver YouTube

If you've ever tried to use YouTube as a practical measure of how fast your Internet connection is, then you might be in for a surprise. Apparently, Google has the same idea and has launched its Video Quality Report service to gauge an Internet Service Provider's performance based on how well they are able to stream videos from YouTube.

It might seem almost strange for Google to offer such a kind of service that would virtually pit ISPs against each other. After all, it can turn into a virtual hall of shame really quick. But Google's motives are more or less benign and want users to have a more understandable criteria for evaluating an ISP's offer, as well as making sure they're getting their money's worth.

Being Google, there is a bit of science and math behind the service. For sure, it isn't going to rely on users' feedback or comments, which will be very subjective. It also won't simply base its results from a single person's Home connection. Instead, it analyzes how fast billions of hours worth of YouTube videos are slurped over a span of 30 days. This is then categorized by service provider and location. It also properly considers the density of users on that network per region and adjusts the scores accordingly.

The result is a grading system, indicated by none other than badges, that Google believes can help users and service providers communicate better with each other. A "YouTube HD Vertified" badge tells users that the ISP in that area is able to load videos in 720p HD most of the time. "Standard definition", on the other hand, is given to those that can load at least 360p 90% of the time. And "lower definition" is reserved for those that cannot guarantee even standard quality or, worse, a stable connection.

The website for Google's Video Quality Report is already up but currently only contains informational material on what Google is trying to accomplish and how. For the moment, Google's first test subject is Canada, since Google considers the ISPs there to be exemplars of quality YouTube streaming. Google is so far keeping mum on when it plans to start rolling out to other regions as well. It will be interesting to see how much its badges will be adopted as a way of measuring quality of service in the future.

SOURCE: Financial Post

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2014 may bring an Intel-powered Nexus 8

If we could put extra stress on the "may" of that headline, we certainly would. Right off the top, this is a rumor based on DigiTimes' least reliable source group - the nebulous "upstream supply chain". According to those upstream supply chain sources, Google may be aiming to ditch the 7-inch tablet market in favor of building a Nexus 8 for 2014.


Supposedly, Google is finding demand for this year's Nexus 7 as being weaker than expected, and since there is quite a bit of competition from other budget devices in the 7-inch segment; so, Google is setting its sights on an 8-inch tablet. The sources don't think it is likely that Asus will be losing the orders for the Nexus 8, but that is certainly not clear. We should know better what company has the orders after February. Additionally, sources are making it sound possible that Google could use the Intel Bay Trail-T for the device, but Qualcomm isn't out of the running.


There are quite a few tablets all competing for the 7-inch space, including the Nexus 7, Amazon Kindle Fire, Samsung Galaxy Tab, and countless budget offerings that you'd find in Walmart. The competition is much lighter in the 8-inch space (something Apple may have realized when designing the iPad mini.) The only real options in the 8-inch space are the iPad mini, LG G Pad 8.3, and Samsung Galaxy Tab 8 (soon to be replaced with the Tab Pro 8.4). So, it's not out of the realm of possibility that Google will do this, we're waiting on more confirmation before believing it.


source: DigiTimes

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