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Google report sheds light on copyright takedown requests Google this week received a somewhat rare accolade from a privacy rights group for publishing a detailed report on all the copyright related content removal requests it has received over the past year Google's Motorola buy seen boosting Android in workplace With the closing of Google's $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility this week, talk of the possibilities for Android in the enterprise has spiked. Lawmakers call on DOJ to reopen investigation into Google Wi-Fi spying Two U.S. lawmakers have called on the U.S. Department of Justice to reopen its investigation into Google's snooping on Wi-Fi networks in 2010 after recent questions about the company's level of cooperation with federal inquiries. Yahoo Axis may be game changer for search and the troubled company With Axis, Yahoo is trying to change the search game, while also trying to change its image as a troubled company. 4.5 million Catholic school students to get Office 365 About 4.5 million Catholic school students will get access to Microsoft's Office 365 cloud e-mail and collaboration suite as part of a 3-year deal the software vendor struck with the Catholic International Education Office (OIEC). European privacy regulators want more detail on Google's policy changes European privacy regulators want better answers from Google about its privacy policy and the way it informs its users about changes to it. Motorola Mobility has infringed Microsoft patent, says Munich court Google-owned Motorola Mobility has infringed a Microsoft patent related to SMS messaging, according to a ruling in the Munich regional court, which also dismissed a second case related to a localization patent. Bounty hunters find 8 Google services bugs Security researchers unveiled eight vulnerabilities in Google services during the Hack in the Box conference in Amsterdam on Thursday -- but they claim to have discovered more than 100 such bugs over the past few months. Google to offer mapping and other software in Syria Google is now allowed under U.S. export control rules to offer downloads in Syria of its mapping software Google Earth, photo sharing software Picasa, and its Chrome browser, it said Wednesday. Most jurors sided with Google on APIs and 'fair use' Most of the jurors in the Oracle v Google trial thought Google's use of 37 Java APIs in Android should be allowed under the doctrine of fair use, one of the jurors revealed Wednesday after the trial had ended. McAfee reports big spike in malware PC malware had its "busiest quarter in recent history," according to McAfee's quarterly security report released Wednesday. Google's Android did not infringe Oracle patents, jury finds Google's Android operating system does not infringe Oracle's Java patents, a jury in San Francisco found Wednesday in a setback for Oracle. Pwnium hacking contest winners exploited 16 Chrome zero-days Google yesterday revealed that the two researchers who cracked Chrome in March at the company's inaugural "Pwnium" hacking contest used a total of 16 zero-day vulnerabilities to win $60,000 each. Google warns users infected with DNSChanger as Web outage nears Google on Tuesday hauled out a tool it last used nearly a year ago to warn users infected with the "DNSChanger" malware. Google becomes hardware company with $12.5B Motorola buy Google said Tuesday morning that it has closed the deal to acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion Google has finally closed Motorola Mobility acquisition Google has finally closed its acquisition of Motorola Mobility, and will now start working on new devices while keeping Android open, it said on Tuesday. Microsoft-backed groups praise EU's antitrust ultimatum to Google A pair of Microsoft-backed industry groups applauded the ultimatum European Union antitrust regulators issued to rival Google over alleged anti-competitive practices. Chrome trumps IE as world's top browser Google's Chrome edged past Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) last week to become the world's most widely used browser, according to data from an Irish metric firm. EU offers Google a chance to avoid fines over four antitrust concerns Google has "a matter of weeks" to address four antitrust issues identified by European Union antitrust regulators. If Google addresses these issues the case can be solved by a so-called "commitment decision" instead of formal antitrust proceedings resulting in a fine, said JoaquAn Almunia, Vice President of the European Commission responsible for Competition Policy. I, Robot Owner Are we ready for robots that share our highways and homes? We'd better be, because they're coming. China approves Google acquisition of Motorola Mobility Chinese regulatory authorities have approved Google's acquisition of Motorola Mobility, paving the way for the deal to close within the week, company officials confirmed Saturday. Inside Apple's secret plan to kill the cash register Apple's plans for a Bluetooth 4.0-based iWallet could be the beginning of the end for the venerable cash register. ITC bans import of infringing Motorola Android devices The U.S. International Trade Commission issued an import ban Friday on any Android devices from Motorola that infringe one of Microsoft's patents. We're not waiting for Android 5 'Jelly Bean,' developers say Despite the rumors, developers are focused on making apps -- and money -- from today's Android Mozilla product director says Firefox on Window RT 'probably not worth it' Unless Microsoft allows other browser makers to call important APIs in Windows RT, it's "probably not worth it to even bother" building a version of Firefox for the new OS, a Mozilla product director said. Google to sell Nexus smartphones, tablets direct, report says Google is reportedly moving to more direct sales of its Android smartphones and tablets in a move to wrest control away from wireless carriers that install their own services on Android gear or block Google apps like Google Wallet. Google aims to make search smarter, easier The vaunted Google search engine is set for an upgrade that will make it easier for users to find the information they need by putting their searches in context, the company said Wednesday. Google releases Chrome 19, adds tab sync and patches 20 bugs Google released Chrome 19, patched 20 vulnerabilities in the browser and doled out $16,500 in bug bounties and rewards to independent researchers. About 600,000 L.A. Community College students to get Microsoft Live@EDU The Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) will provide email and collaboration applications to about 600,000 students via Microsoft's Live@EDU cloud suite, a project for which it also considered Google Apps for Education. Twitter will deliver weekly highlights via email Twitter will begin delivering a weekly email digest to highlight for users the tweets they are most likely to be interested in, the company said on Monday. Yahoo launches big data analytics tool for online advertisers Yahoo today launched Genome, a new tool that allows online advertisers take advantage of the company's extensive experience with big data analytics. With another CEO out, Yahoo's turnaround stalled For the second time in eight months, Yahoo is without a permanent CEO. The latest development brings more trouble to a company struggling to regain its stature in the industry. Elgan: How I publish from Google+ Columnist Mike Elgan offers tips on how to post to Twitter and Facebook, send a newsletter and more all from a Google+ account. Microsoft Bing goes social in search war with Google Microsoft's move to boost Bing's social networking feaures could finally give it an opportunity to truly take on Google's dominant search engine, analysts say. Facebook IPO's elephant in the room -- mobile While Facebook executives talk to the country's top investors about its 900 million users and its powerful global reach, analysts say they need to explain how they're going to fix one glaring problem -- mobile. Mozilla on new browser brouhaha: Microsoft, Apple different cases Two wrongs don't make a right, Mozilla's chief counsel said Thursday when asked why his company hasn't lambasted Apple, as it did Microsoft, for blocking rival browsers from its mobile operating system. C keeps lead over Java in poll; PHP developer questions results An important PHP developer dismissed the validity of Tiobe's language survey, which has C continuing to displace Java as the most popular language Mozilla accuses Microsoft of anticompetitive behavior with Windows RT Mozilla yesterday accused Microsoft of withholding APIs necessary to build a competitive browser for Windows RT, and said the behavior "may have antitrust implications." Inside the Google v. Oracle courtroom drama The trial pitting Google vs. Oracle on the claim of intellectual property infringement by Google in Android has reached almost a tabloid like feel. Outside the courtroom feels like the red carpet as tech giant after tech giant emerge from limos and town cars to testify. Insider (regisration required) What the summer portends in new tablets Summer 2012 promises to be the season of tablet experimentation. Just about every tablet maker is expected to announce a new product in the next four months. The devices are likely to be smaller in the case of Apple, bigger in the case of Amazon. Judge declines to eject Google's 'fair use' defense from Android trial Oracle was dealt a minor setback in its lawsuit against Google on Wednesday when a judge denied its motion to toss out one of Google's key defenses against copyright infringement. Google simplifies use of Analytics API Google has developed a tool to automate the creation of custom-reporting dashboards for its Analytics website-usage tracking service, the company said on Wednesday. Android developers ignored Sun patents, Google exec testifies Google's engineers never studied other companies' patents while developing Android for fear of allowing those patents to influence their design decisions, Google's Android chief Andy Rubin testified on the stand Wednesday. Pogoplug service turns your computers into private cloud Pogoplug launched a service today that allows small and medium-sized businesses, as well as home users, to turn their PCs and servers into pools of storage accessible from the Web. Google files for new trial on copyright claims in Android suit Google is seeking a new trial on copyright claims in Oracle's intellectual-property lawsuit against it over the Android mobile OS, according to a filing made late Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Google tests 'experimental' full-text search API for App Engine Google is testing a long-awaited full-text search API (application programming interface) for the Google App Engine, the company said on Tuesday. 5 Hidden Gmail Tricks for Power Users Whether you use Google's Gmail service at work or for personal purposes, you probably have a good handle on the basics: organizing your contacts, sending emails, setting up folders and more. Google gets first license for self-driving cars The people of Nevada may be in for a surprise when they drive to the market or down the highway: They might encounter driverless cars. Symantec conference puts focus on mobile security At its annual Symantec Vision conference attended by enterprise customers and business partners, Symantec laid out its management and security product strategy for mobile endpoint devices, including the iPhone, iPad and Google Android devices. Google infringed Java copyrights in Android, jury finds A jury has found that Google infringed Oracle's Java copyrights in Android but could not decide unanimously if the the infringement was protected by "fair use." Apple patches Google 'Pwnium' bug with iOS 5.1.1 update Apple today shipped iOS 5.1.1 for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch owners that dealt with connectivity issues on the tablet, fixed bugs in AirPlay's video playback and patched four vulnerabilities in the mobile operating system. Google, Oracle battle over Lindholm, Schwartz testimony Oracle and Google have each tried to jettison potentially damaging testimony in their intellectual-property dispute over Android, as a jury deliberates over Oracle's copyright allegations and prepares to move on to the patents part of the case. Adobe preps silent Flash updates for Macs Adobe last week released a new beta of Flash Player that includes silent updates for Macs Google Raises Bug Bounties to $20,000 Google has dramatically raised the bounties it pays independent researchers for reporting bugs in its core websites, services and online applications. Jury nears verdict in Oracle-Google trial over Android The jury has reached a partial verdict in the copyright phase of Oracle's intellectual property dispute with Google, and the judge has given them one more day to try to resolve the remaining issue. Office Live Small Business customers grapple with migration The deadline to migrate email domains and websites hosted on the Microsoft Office Live Small Business (OLSB) online service suite passed on Monday, but customers continue to post a steady stream of complaints and problem reports, indicating that the number of businesses that haven't made the transition is considerable. Less than half of Facebook, Google users understand sites' privacy policies Most users of Facebook and Google had fundamental gaps in understanding, even after reading privacy policies, about how the websites handled their information and how other Web users could discover it, according to a study released by the digital branding firm Siegel+Gale. Will Yahoo CEO's misstep kill company momentum? All the momentum and vision that Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson has been building for the struggling company may have been thrown off course. Adobe patches new Flash zero-day bug with emergency update Adobe today warned that hackers are exploiting a critical vulnerability in its popular Flash Player program, and issued an emergency update to patch the bug. Oracle wants ex-Sun CEO Schwartz's testimony barred in Google suit Oracle has asked a judge to bar Google from using some testimony given by former Sun Microsystems CEO Jonathan Schwartz in the companies' intellectual-property suit over the Android mobile OS, saying it has "no legal and factual predicate." iPad share of tablet market jumps as Kindle Fire slumps Apple's iPad reclaimed a larger share of the global tablet market last month, in part because of a more-serious-than-expected slump in sales of the hot Kindle Fire in the first quarter, IDC analysts said today. Authors argue that Google's book-scanning project hurts millions A group representing authors in a copyright case slammed Google in court on Thursday, saying the company's book-scanning project has hurt millions of authors whose works have been digitized. Mobile experts disagree on who should protect privacy Users of mobile apps need more information about the ways those apps use their personal information, a group of experts agreed Thursday, but they didn't agree on who is most responsible for protecting user privacy. At Interior Dept., Google Apps to co-exist with Outlook, Office -- for now Although the U.S. Interior Department plans to replace its on-premise email servers with Google Apps' cloud-based Gmail, the agency will retain Microsoft Outlook and Office as its standard e-mail client and desktop office productivity software for end users. Xamarin ports Android from Java to C# Xamarin has ported Android to C# in an effort to improve its own development tools and show that the OS doesn't have to be dependent on Java. Developers fear they'll be stifled if Oracle wins copyright case Oracle's argument about copyrighting APIs would be a problem for the entire industry, observers say Location-based services: Are they there yet? Mobile apps that use your location to offer services are no longer new. But are they truly useful to businesses? We look at Facebook, Foursquare, Google Latitude and Yelp to see how they're doing. Google Drive Begs the Question: Who Owns Your Data in the Cloud? Google Drive raises several concerns about cloud storage. Many of these consumer-level questions -- who owns your data, how data can be used and what happens if the data is lost or stolen -- are ones enterprise IT executives should be asking, too. Java creator: Fears over consequences of possible Oracle trial win may be overblown Should Oracle prevail in its intellectual-property lawsuit against Google over alleged Java patent and copyright violations in the Android mobile OS, it shouldn't result in the "industrial meltdown" some observers fear, Java creator James Gosling said in a blog post late Tuesday. Mozilla ponders major Firefox UI refresh Mozilla is working on a revamp of Firefox to synchronize its various versions -- desktop, tablet, phone and Windows 8 Metro -- into a single visual style, according to documents posted by members of its UI design team. After legal tussle, Google beats Microsoft for large US contract The U.S. Department of the Interior has picked Google Apps to provide cloud-based email and collaboration applications to about 90,000 staffers, choosing Google's services over Microsoft's Office 365. IE on a rebound, browser share data shows Microsoft's Internet Explorer in April again gained usage share, the third time in the year's first four months, to stay well above the 50% mark and remain the world's top browser, a Web analytics company said today. Is Google Drive ready for prime time? In summing up the experts' thoughts, Network World's Brad Reed put it rather succinctly about the emergence of Google Drive: "We like it, but couldn't it have been released two years ago?" Insider (registration required) Flashback gang could be making $10K a day off infected Macs The Flashback malware that's infected hundreds of thousands of Macs may be generating more than $10,000 a day for the hackers who made the Trojan horse, Symantec said. Jury begins deliberations after Oracle, Google attorneys debate fair use The jury began its deliberations Monday in the copyright phase of Oracle's lawsuit against Google over Android. Privacy group calls for hearings on Google StreetView snooping U.S. lawmakers should reopen an investigation into the snooping on Wi-Fi networks by Google's Street View cars because of information in a U.S. Federal Communications Commission report that suggests several people at Google knew of the spying, a privacy group said Monday. AT&T, Google among top lobbying spenders in Q1 AT&T spent nearly $7.1 million on lobbying Congress and President Barack Obama's administration in the first quarter of 2012, making it the leading corporate spender on lobbying, with Google, Comcast and Verizon Communications also making the top five. Strategic Guide to IT Talent Management Download our ebook for advice from peers about how to recruit and nurture the types of IT professionals you'll need to gain a competitive advantage. Insider (registration required) Google posts FCC report about Street View Google has made public a report of the Federal Communications Commission's probe into the payload data its Street View cars had been collecting from unprotected Wi-Fi networks, reports the Los Angeles Times. I have seen the future (and it's made of glass) Expect to see incredible innovation in consumer electronics glass over the next few years from Apple, Google, and Microsoft, writes columnist Mike Elgan. Dropbox adds photo auto-upload feature for cameras, smartphones After launching a mobile app in February that can automatically upload photos and videos from Android phones, Dropbox unleashed an upgrade that expands the service to just about any device, including tablets, smartphones and Internet-enabled cameras. FTC chairman talks privacy as agency pumps up Google probe The FTC has moved to hire a high-profile outside attorney to oversee its antitrust investigation into Google.
Ex-Sun boss McNealy sides with Oracle in Google dispute Former Sun boss Scott McNealy sided with Oracle on Thursday in its dispute with Google over Android, testifying in court that companies needed a license to use Sun's Java programming interfaces. FTC hires outside attorney in Google antitrust case The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has hired an outside litigator to lead its antitrust investigation of Google, a possible sign that the FTC is preparing to file a lawsuit against the search and advertising giant. Google calls on Detroit for self-driving car project Google plans to move ahead with its self-driving car technology and hopes to get a hand from the folks in Detroit. Google details Chrome browser security-testing technology Since late last year, Google has been using an industrial-strength testing system to identify, analyze and fix security holes in its Chrome browser, helping it significantly cut down on the number of vulnerabilities that slip through to the most recent version product in production. How Android stacks up Android device activations have skyrocketed lately, and now average around 850,000 a day. That's quite a leap from the first quarter of 2010, when Android activations were averaging a mere 65,000 per day. Android is currently the most popular mobile operating system in the world, as research firm Gartner reported late last year that Android devices accounted for more than half of all smartphones sold worldwide in the third quarter of 2011. Insider (registration required) 97% of enterprise tablet users got an iPad in Q1, survey finds Apple's dominance over Android in the corporate tablet market grew in the first quarter, according to a survey from mobile device management and wireless email vendor Good Technology. Can Dropbox, other cloud providers survive Google Drive? The 800-pound gorilla has landed and is leveraging its existing relationship with hundreds of millions of users to port them to their cloud storage and file sharing service Google Drive. Can smaller cloud storage players survive this assault? Can Dropbox, other cloud providers survive Google Drive? The Web's 800-pound gorilla has landed in the cloud. Google is leveraging its existing relationships with hundreds of millions of users as it drums up business for its new cloud storage and file-sharing service, Google Drive. Can smaller cloud storage providers survive this assault? Google seeks appeal in Australia AdWords case Google is asking Australia's High Court to hear an appeal over whether it mislead consumers by allowing advertisers to purchase AdWords containing competitors' names and products. Small firm sues Apple, Google, others over voice patent Apple, Google, Microsoft and all major smartphone vendors were slapped with a lawsuit Wednesday by Potter Voice Technologies, an obscure Colorado company that claims they are infringing its patent on natural-language voice control of a computer. Oracle loses bid to assert third patent in Google trial Oracle has lost its bid to assert a third patent in its trial against Google, with a favorable decision from the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office coming "a few days too late," a judge ruled on Thursday. California to develop mobile privacy guidelines The state of California will issue a set of best practices for mobile app developers this summer, responding to concerns that have emerged nationwide about smartphone use and privacy. Privacy advocates slam Google Drive's privacy policies Privacy advocates and cloud services users are concerned about Google's terms of use for its new Drive storage services, saying Google can basically do what it wants with a customer's data. The Enterprise App Store: 10 Must-Have Features Is 2012 the year app stores will break out in the enterprise? Google Drive could be a boon -- and a headache -- for IT With the launch of Google Drive this week, IT managers can look forward to a potential new productivity tool -- and some significant headaches, analysts say Google Drive review: Adding cloud storage to the mix The new Google Drive cloud storage service offers 5GB of storage and some nice features, but it's not yet an undisputed winner. Asus, fifth and rising in tablet market Asus in 2011 became one of the top five tablet makers, and though it still lags somewhat behind the market leaders, analysts say its influence on the market is clearly on the rise. Google begins penalizing search 'over-optimization' Google is making a change to its search algorithm to penalize what the company's head of Web spam called "over-optimization" and instead favor websites with high-quality content and less refined search-engine optimization.
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