Android netbooks on their way, likely by 2010
[Update: Since posting this story, we've had a lot of inquiries from readers, with questions ranging from whether Android is ready for laptops and full-scale PCs, why Android can't rely fully on Linux, and so on. See our follow-up Android FAQ post.]
The image above… Continue Reading
LightPole’s software mobilizes web sites and adds geo-context
Putting “geo-context” into information is a hot topic these days on the mobile web.
The phrase means making data more useful by putting geographic context behind it, like listing all of the wireless Internet hot spots nearest you on a map on the phone. Adding… Continue Reading
Latest action: ThinkGreen, MingleNow shuts, Freewebs relaunches, more
Here’s the latest action:
1) Bizarre claim made by academic: France shipping nuclear waste to U.S.
2) Google up against new rivals, which can see what you surf
3) MingleNow is leaving the party
4) Solar’s scaling challenges may have an answer
5) Incandescent lighting… Continue Reading
Google releases useful “my location” feature for cellphones
Google today released a revised version of its maps for mobile phones, including a new “my location” feature that uses cell tower ID information to provide users with their approximate location.
This is a very significant release, for a few reasons: Location information makes search… Continue Reading
Confirmed: MySpace joins Google’s OpenSocial movement
updated
MySpace, the large social networking company, has joined the anti-Facebook coalition led by Google, we’ve confirmed.
Meanwhile, SixApart, the blogging software company, has confirmed with VentureBeat that it is joining the ever-growing coalition.
The grouping, called OpenSocial (see our coverage here), is setting open… Continue Reading
Google-led gang to take on Facebook — Google’s OpenSocial to launch
Updated
A host of Silicon Valley companies led by Google are ganging together to take on Facebook — the social networking company that is the toast of the town right now.
A group of Facebook’s cross-town rival, including Google, LinkedIn, Hi5, Friendster, Plaxo and Ning,… Continue Reading
Google’s sneak attack? Adsense for Facebook
Is Google-the-Goliath sneaking into the Facebook building — via the basement?
Google is actively recruiting third-party developers with applications on Facebook to run Adsense ads within applications pages, VentureBeat has learned.
These aren’t just any old Adsense ads, according to our sources — developers have… Continue Reading
Web 2.0 Summit: MadeIt, Nokia’s new phone, and Zennstrom’s disappearance
Web 2.0 Summit, co-hosted by O’Reilly Media and CMP, kicks off this Wednesday at San Francisco’s Palace Hotel. A who’s who list of Web 2.0 digerati will converge for three days of deal making, partying and more deal making.
If you didn’t have the budget… Continue Reading
Yahoo considers sale of shopping service Kelkoo, after bad performance
Yahoo said it is considering the sale of Kelkoo, its online shopping comparison service, only three-and-a-half years after it acquired the company for €475m ($672m).
The move, reported by the FT last night, comes as Yahoo is struggling to redefine its business strategy, and after… Continue Reading
Google offers nice refinements on book search
Google has revamped its Book Search, now giving you a way to create and search your own book collection, or library.
This is pretty powerful, since Google lets you search for words within your books. It’s more fruit from its laborious but contentious process of… Continue Reading
Mahalo: If you can’t beat them, follow them
Mahalo, the search engine that relies on humans to organize results around popular search returns, has released a toolbar that gives you supplemental results to the ones you get from Google.
The new release by Mahalo, launched by scrappy entrepreneur Jason Calacanis, is called Mahalo… Continue Reading
Google earmarks $4.6 billion for wireless bid, backs Ubiquisys
Updated
Google, seeking to extend Internet access to more people, which helps it make more money from its own services, made two big wireless announcements today.
It said it will bid at least $4.6 billion in an upcoming up-coming auction to operate a part of… Continue Reading
EBay pulls all its advertising from Google’s network
EBay, in a surprisingly defensive move, has yanked all of its advertising from Google’s network (a story that has been widely covered).
The action came after Google planned a fun party — with free drinks, food and massages — to pitch its online payment service,… Continue Reading
Sedo, and the Boobtube.com problem
Sedo, the world’s largest domain name auctioneer, sold a popular URL, Boobtube.com, for $41,688 last week, but then turned around and canceled the sale because the seller didn’t really own it.
This auction had lasted more than two weeks, and was frenetic.
The cancellation raises… Continue Reading
Google’s move to “universal search”
Updated
Google said today it will offer a range of new features in its search results, including things like a new navigation bar at the top left side of the home page to things like Google’s Calendar, Docs & Spreadsheets and Picasa Web Albums.
The… Continue Reading
Tellme, Google 411 searches — all about the data
Tellme, the voice recognition company, has released more mobile search features, giving it a leg up on Google’s recently announced 411 service.
In addition to offering voice mobile search, which Tellme announced last month, it gives you a way of search for business listings using… Continue Reading
Start-up advice for entrepreneurs, from Y Combinator Startup School
Here’s a summary of the more compelling tips given by several tech industry luminaries — including Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Google’s Gmail creator Paul Buchheit, Sequoia Capital venture capitalist Greg McAdoo — at the Y Combinator Startup School event at Stanford this weekend.
The event attracted… Continue Reading
Yahoo just needs to fix one thing: Monetization
Everyone seems to be chapping Yahoo’s hide these days, including even Yahoo itself — or at least one very audible Jerry Maguire over there. However while many large companies could benefit from more focus and cost-cutting, neither issue is really at the core of the… Continue Reading
Googlogy, and how to avoid the Google Juggernaut
It used to be de rigueur in Silicon Valley to stay out of the way of Microsoft’s product road map • even areas Microsoft hinted they might pursue. Nowadays, venture folks more commonly ask, “What are you going to do about Google?”
The reality of… Continue Reading