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The timeline's time has come
Facebook's Timeline feature will soon be imposed on all the social network's users. Columnist Mike Elgan expects to see an increased use of timeline-like interfaces in all kinds of applications because they work the way people think -- and people like them.

Google abandons big, black drop-down menu
Google has begun replacing the chunky, black drop-down menu of services it launched in November as part of an effort to integrate Google+ across its whole platform.

FAQ: Windows on ARM explained
In an 8,600-word epistle, Microsoft's top Windows executive pulled aside the curtain on the first version of the company's iconic OS that targets tablets. We dig into the details for you.

Google expands its vulnerability reward programs to cover Chromium OS
Encouraged by the success of its Web and Chromium vulnerability reward programs, Google has decided to expand their scope in order to cover security issues in Chromium OS as well.

Google "Drive" Could Step on Cloud Partners' Toes
Google is preparing to launch a long-rumored cloud storage service that tramples a bit on products and services offered by Google partners. A Wall Street Journal report citing "people familiar with the matter" says the new "Drive" service will be launched by Google in the coming weeks or months. What does that mean for other companies that Google works closely with?

Web app lets enterprise set security, sharing for Google Apps users
A new security tool lets enterprise IT groups set access and share policies for employees, including mobile users, who are working with the online Google Apps suite.

Eolas loses in Web patents claim against Google and others
A jury in Texas gave the verdict that two patents of Eolas Technologies that enable Internet browsers to host embedded interactive applications were invalid, in a protracted legal battle which involved top Internet companies like Google and Amazon.com.

Report: Google building home entertainment system
Google is planning to enter the home entertainment market with a Google-branded wireless device that streams music within a house, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Google, Microsoft and Apple letters aim to keep regulators at bay
As patent infringement lawsuits continue to pile up in the mobile industry, Google, Apple and Microsoft appear to be trying individually to reassure regulators and standards bodies that they won't use their patents to build a monopoly, experts said.

Google's GDrive Reportedly To Launch As Dropbox-rival 'Drive'
Google's long-rumored GDrive that would let you upload and store files to its servers and be able to access them from anywhere you have an Internet connection may finally be close to launching in the coming weeks as a more cheaply priced Dropbox rival.

EPIC sues FTC over Google privacy plan
The Electronic Privacy Information Center has filed a lawsuit against the Federal Trade Commission to force the agency to take action against Google over planned changes in collecting personal data.

Yahoo in another shakeup as chairman and directors depart
The shakeup at Yahoo continues as the company's chairman and three directors stepped down Tuesday. The new board could be gearing up to sell the Internet company, or the new CEO may be looking for a board that will support him.

Google to pay users to track their movements online
Amid widespread concern about its new privacy policies, Google is now facing criticism over an offer to give users Amazon gift certificates if they open their Web movements to the company in a program called Screenwise.

Google ships Chrome 17, touts more malware alerts and page preloads
Google patched 20 vulnerabilities in the desktop edition of Chrome and added new anti-malware download warnings to version 17.

Google may be working on computerized eyeglasses
A report Tuesday, from the website 9to5Google, said Google is close to coming out with eyeglasses, or goggles, equipped with processing power, storage and Android phone functionality.

Google Leads Green IT Ranking
Google's motto of "Do No Evil" apparently extends to its environmental policies, as the company was recently ranked first on Greenpeace's Cool IT Leaderboard for overall green practices. Google grabbed the top spot for the first time, ranking high due to recent disclosure of its own carbon footprint as well as its investment in utility projects such as a large-scale solar project taking place near Sacramento. Other reasons it made the top of the list? The RechargeIT.org project which was designed by Google to demonstrate the technology used in plug-in electric vehicles and to accelerate their adoption, as well as other actions such as increasing its renewable energy purchasing and creating a subsidiary called Google Engery.

Google Chrome will no longer check for revoked SSL certificates online
Google plans to remove online certificate revocation checks from future versions of Chrome, because it considers the process inefficient and slow.

Adobe confirms no Flash for Chrome on Android
Chrome for Android will not run Flash Player, the popular software that Apple has famously banned, Adobe confirmed.

Greenpeace scorecard documents greener enterprise offerings
Technology companies are not just making their products less carbon-intensive; they are also increasingly designing products to improve energy efficiency in the industries that they serve, according to the latest in a series of Greenpeace ratings of the sector's energy practices.

Google to commit to offer some Motorola patents on fair terms
Google is planning to send a letter to standards setting organizations, stating that Motorola Mobility's standards-essential patents will continue to be available on FRAND terms after its acquisition of the company, a person close to the situation said late Tuesday.

Google accelerates Android browser updates with mobile Chrome
Google's launch Tuesday of Chrome for Android may be a move to accelerate the pace of browser updates, an analyst said.

Want to Build an App? Consider These 7 Points First
Smartphones and tablets are dominating technology, and apps are among the top selling points for each mobile OS. With Apple's and Google's app stores each having over 500,000 apps and tens of billions of downloads, the desire to be a part of this growing market is strong. Apps can be useful for internal use by your company, or as a way to collaborate with clients, vendors, customers, and the public. Before deciding to develop an app for your business, though, take these considerations into account.

FBI declares cloud vendors must meet CJIS security rules
The FBI Tuesday reaffirmed its rule that all cloud products sold to to U.S. law enforcement agencies must comply with the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Systems security requirements.

Top EULA Gotchas: Website Fine-Print Hall of Shame
Long, confusing, and littered with jargon, end-user license agreements (EULAs) are all too easy to ignore. Instead of taking the time to read and understand the legalese, we just scroll to the bottom, click Accept, and get on with our lives. Did checking the "I agree" box have any consequences? Who cares, right? Gulp!

The rise of Node.js: JavaScript graduates to the server
Microsoft and others have already adopted this technology to extend JavaScript beyond the browser -- but it has limits developers must beware

Appeals court denies Google bid to keep email out of Oracle trial
Google has failed in its latest attempt to keep a potentially damaging email out of the lawsuit Oracle filed against it over alleged Java intellectual-property violations in the Android mobile OS.

Mobile device management: Apple's extra little tricky requirement
Anyone wanting to buy mobile-device management (MDM) software to manage Apple iOS devices will find they need a special digital certificate from Apple to activate it, a requirement that doesn't apply to the same MDM software that would be used to manage Google Android devices, for instance.

Google piques curiosity with Solve for X website, video
Google on Monday released a video regarding its Solve for X project, which the company says is "a place where the curious can go to hear and discuss radical technology ideas for solving global problems."

Google agrees to court order in India to remove content
Google has agreed before a court in Delhi to remove religious and other content considered objectionable, though some other Internet firms are likely to appeal the court's decision, plaintiff Mufti Ajiaz Arshad Qasmi said on Monday.

Social makes the Super Bowl more super
The Super Bowl has always been a social event. What's different now is that social media and the Internet have turned geography and proximity into nonfactors.

Microsoft wraps up ads aimed at Google with IE9 pitch
Microsoft on Friday wrapped up a three-day campaign against rival Google by claiming its newest browser, Internet Explorer 9, is superior in stopping users from being tracked by online advertisers.

Social media fuels Planned Parenthood backers in Komen protest
Fueled by a firestorm of outrage on Twitter and Facebook, the people behind the Susan G. Komen For the Cure Friday backed off their decision to cut funding of Planned Parenthood programs.

Social media takes over the Super Bowl
For Sunday's Super Bowl, fans will split their attention between the screens on their TVs, laptops, smartphones and tablets. The big game is going social.

German gov't endorses Chrome as most secure browser
Germany's cyber security agency today recommended that Windows 7 users run Google's Chrome browser, citing the application's sandbox and auto-update features.

Who really was behind the SOPA protests?
Some critics have blamed Silicon Valley tech firms for the massive online protests last month against two controversial copyright bills. Other groups have trumpeted the grassroots nature of the protests.

Google won't delay new privacy policy despite EU concerns
Google does not plan to delay its new privacy policy despite calls from Europe's data protection watchdog.

Google reveals Android malware 'Bouncer,' scans all apps
Google yesterday unveiled an automated system that scans Android apps for potential malware or unauthorized behavior, a move critics have long called the company to make.

Google Docs for Android gets offline access
Google Docs users can now get offline access to documents on their Android-based smartphones and tablets, Googlesaid in a blog post on Wednesday.

Google introduces country domains on Blogger to aid content removal
Google is directing users to localized country domains on Blogger to provide it flexibility to comply with content removal rules in various countries.

Could Facebook IPO help it dominate Google?
With the Facebook IPO now official, industry and financial analysts say that a huge influx of cash could allow it to topple Google from its dominant position in the online world.

Symantec recants Android malware claims
Symantec has backtracked from assertions that 13 Android apps distributed by Google's Android Market were malicious. It now says the code in question comes from an aggressive ad network that provides revenue to the smartphone programs.

Facebook IPO may be social networking bellwether
Facebook today is expected to file plans for its initial public offering -- which IT and financial analysts say could be one of the biggest IPOs in U.S. history.

Google's punishment of Chrome drops browser's share, says metrics firm
The browser world turned upside down last month as Internet Explorer's share jumped by its largest-ever increase and Chrome posted its biggest one-month loss, Net Applications said today.

Ira Winkler: Is Google evil? The jury is out
Google's changes to its privacy policy should have been expected. It's what any corporation intent on maximizing value would do. But does that make it right?

In letter to Congress, Google defends privacy changes
In a letter sent to eight members of Congress, Google yesterday defended its move to consolidate its privacy policies and users' personal information.

EU launches antitrust investigation of Samsung patent licensing
The European Commission is investigating the way Samsung Electronics licenses its patents on technology essential to mobile communications networks, concerned that it may be in breach of European competition law.

Need More Storage? Reach for the Cloud
When you start out with a fresh new hard drive, it may seem like it has virtually unlimited capacity. The reality, though, is that it won't take nearly as long to max out that drive as you might think, and you will need to find some way to expand your storage.

Retrieve Your Entire Music Library from Your Google Music Account
For a while now I've been using Google Music as a kind of cloud-based backup for my music library. Except that it wasn't really a backup, because I couldn't easily retrieve all the songs I'd uploaded. In the event of a system failure, I'd have to download tunes in batches of 100. Bleh.

Google+ ups competition with Facebook by including teens
Google is widening the potential user base for Google+ by lowering the age requirement from 18 to 13 years old -- a move that could help it grow in Facebook's shadow.

Angry Birds comes to Facebook on Valentine's Day
Facebook is adding Angry Birds to its site starting on Feb. 14, adding one of the world's most popular mobile video games to the world's largest social network.

Update: Industry group makes fresh push to fight phishing
Companies such as Facebook, Google and PayPal are pushing for widespread use of a new technical specification, DMARC, that could make it harder for phishers to reach their victims.

Are Google and Apple really 'monopolies'?
Recent charges claiming that Google or Apple are monopolies, are monopolistic or wield monopoly power are simply false. And those who use the M word about these companies are misleading you, writes columnist Mike Elgan.

Lookout Security rebuts rival's Android malware claims
Researchers from Lookout Security disagreed with rival Symantec that 13 apps on the Android Market were malicious, instead saying that they showed the same behaviors as other ad-supported apps.

Massive Android malware op may have infected 5 million users
The largest-ever Android malware campaign may have duped as many as 5 million users into downloading infected apps from Google's Android Market, Symantec said today.

Apple reclaims top brand spot after iPhone 4S launch, Jobs' death
Apple reclaimed the top spot in a brand listing by collecting an estimated $900 million worth of traditional media, social media and Twitter coverage in the fourth quarter of 2011, a measurement company said today.

Google says privacy change won't affect government users
Google today dismissed concerns by a former senior federal IT official that its controversial new privacy policy would create problems for customers of Google Apps for Government.

Lawmakers question Google on its new privacy practices
Google's decision this week to share user data across its online services has caught the attention of eight members of the U.S. House of Representatives, with the lawmakers asking whether the changes will compromise privacy.

Google+ offers more restrictive user experience for teens
Google+ is now officially welcoming teenagers and tailoring the experience of the social networking site for them by making it more restrictive and potentially safer.

Google stirs up privacy hornet's nest
Google has whipped up a privacy brouhaha with a blog post announcing that the company is rewriting its privacy policy, consolidating user information across its services.

Should I Use the 32- or 64-bit Version of Internet Explorer?
DimplesAkaKaren noticed that Windows came with two versions of Internet Explorer. She asked the Answer Line forum which she should use.

Android's tablet share at 39% as sales triple, says study
Sales of Android-based tablets more than tripled during the fourth quarter of 2011. But Apple still dominates, even as its market share dropped, according to Strategy Analytics.

What JavaScript's inventor really thinks about Google Dart
Brendan Eich says that Google's language is not likely to get browser support and that JavaScript itself probably would not be extended to support native code

Critics: EU's proposed data protection rules could hinder Internet
Data protection and online privacy rules proposed for the European Union could hinder the development of new Web-based business models and bog down companies with regulations, some U.S. critics said Wednesday.

Node.js inventor extends JavaScript programming beyond browsers
Interview: Ryan Dahl discusses why his invention is catching fire with developers

6 Google Chrome remixes worth trying out
Chromium-based spinoffs bring privacy, security, social networking, and other interesting twists to Google's Chrome browser.

Google to combine users' data across its services
Google will be able to combine data from several Google services when a Google Accounts user is signed in, as part of a rewritten set of privacy policies that the company announced on Tuesday.

Google patches several serious Chrome bugs
Google on Monday patched four vulnerabilities in Chrome, and disclosed that it had patched a fifth two weeks ago.

Image gallery: Ice Cream Sandwich on Android tablets
Image gallery: Ice Cream Sandwich on an Android tablet: A visual tour

Google+ adds support for pseudonyms -- sort of
Google has relaxed somewhat its strict real-names policy on Google+ by letting members attach an alternate moniker to their profile name and by letting new members sign up with just a pseudonym, provided it is an "established" identity online or offline.

Obama to do YouTube, Google+ Hangout interview
Continuing his use of social networks, President Barack Obama is set to do an interview in a Google+ Hangout on Jan. 30.

Apple approves fake iPhone app for App Store
Apple let a fake app slip through its approval process for the iOS App Store, the makers of the popular Camera+ program said over the weekend.

Scot Finnie: Mobile Is Immediate
Smartphone usage is exploding. That creates challenges for enterprise IT shops that have to adapt to BYOD policies, but competition could bring welcome change to the mobile industry.

Google kills more services
Google is continuing to weed out its services and on Friday announced it will shut down Picnik, Google Message Continuity and Needlebase and make changes to some other services.

Wall Street Beat: Enterprise spending helps mixed quarter for tech
There were weak spots in the last quarter of 2011 for sector bellwethers Google, IBM, Intel and Microsoft, but corporate demand for technology appeared to remain resilient going into what is expected to be a year of slower growth for global IT spending.

Google to punish sites with many ads at the top of pages
Websites that load the top of their pages with ads, forcing visitors to scroll down to view content, will take a hit on their Google rankings.

Judge rejects Oracle's proposed plan to speed up Android trial
A judge on Friday shot down Oracle's offer to put its Java patent-infringement claims against Google over the Android mobile OS on hold, in exchange for a speedier trial on its copyright claims.

US Senate postpones Tuesday vote on PIPA
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has postponed a vote on the controversial Protect IP Act, scheduled for Tuesday, as a growing number of senators voice opposition to the copyright enforcement bill.

No blackout for SOPA/PIPA? We know who you are.
Yesterday saw many major Web sites going into blackout to protest SOPA and PIPA ... but, to their shame, a few of the biggest opted out

Google expands revenue but misses forecast
Google's fourth-quarter revenue climbed 25% from a year earlier but was less than analysts had expected, pulling its stock price down 9% in after-hours trading Thursday.

Google named Best Place to Work in U.S. by Fortune
Google moved up three spots to claim the top position in Fortune's list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in the U.S.

Galaxy Nexus smartphone a worthy upgrade
Review of the Galaxy Nexus smartphone, by Samsung.

Twitter, Facebook fuel SOPA protests
Several major internet companies and thousands of concerned users are lighting up social networks in efforts to spread opposition to controversial anti-piracy bills now under debate in Congress.

With Yang out, big changes coming to Yahoo?
Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang's departure this week from the company should put in in a better position to take drastic action to fix its long-running woes.

Google adds WebRTC to Chrome for in-browser voice, video chat
Google has built the WebRTC technology into a test version of Chrome to let the browser run voice and video chat applications within the browser interface.

Apple's iPhone narrows gap with Android among recent buyers
Apple's iPhone made major inroads among recent buyers in its battle against smartphones running Google's Android, but still lagged behind its OS rival, pollster Nielsen said today.

Microsoft opposes SOPA, declines to join blackout strike
Microsoft today said it opposes a controversial anti-piracy bill in the U.S., but did not join the widespread "Internet strike" that sites like Google and Wikipedia were conducting.

Wikipedia, Craigslist, other sites black out against SOPA at midnight
Wikipedia and other Internet companies blacked out their websites in one way or another early today in protest of controversial anti-piracy legislation in Congress.

Mozilla, Firefox join anti-SOPA strike
Mozilla, the open-source organization responsible for Firefox, joined other major technology companies today to protest anti-piracy legislation by blackening the browser's home page.

Oracle offers to drop patent charges against Google, to speed trial
Apparently fed up with delays, Oracle said it is willing to drop its claims of patent infringement against Google if the court will hear its copyright complaints soon.

Protests against SOPA, PIPA go viral
Several websites, including Google, Reddit, Wikipedia, BoingBoing, Imgur and Tucows, plan an unprecedented Internet "strike" Wednesday to protest anti-piracy legislation being considered by Congress.

Expert to IT pros: Adopt IPv6 soon or be sorry later
A dozen of the world's largest Internet companies -- including Facebook, Google and Comcast -- have committed to June 6, 2012, as the start date for their production deployments of IPv6, an upgrade to the Internet's main communications protocol.

Oracle, Google must focus on patents and people at trial
Both Oracle and Google would be well-advised to center their cases around people along with a painstaking discussion of patents once their lawsuit over the Android mobile OS goes to trial, according to experts.

When your data's in the cloud, is it still your data?
Your contract with a cloud provider should have language clearly affirming your ownership of your data.

Google's Marissa Mayer says more women needed in tech
Women may have come a long way in the high-tech field in the last 10 years, but there's still room for growth, according to a group of female tech executives who spoke at CES.

Google apologizes to Kenya startup over dirty business tactics
Google has confirmed as true allegations made on Friday by a Kenyan provider of online business listings, Mocality, that Google staffers attempted to undermine its business by lying to its customers and improperly mining its data.

Google adds virtualization queen Diane Greene to its board
Google has appointed Diane Greene, a co-founder and former CEO of VMware, to its board of directors and audit committee.

Wall Street Beat: Tech earnings season could be stormy
Get ready for a perfect storm of earnings news. With tech bellwethers including IBM, Microsoft, Intel and Google set to issue financial reports next week, earnings season will pick up in earnest and judging from recent forecasts and profit warnings, it could be a bumpy ride.

Indian court issues summons to Google, Facebook for 'objectionable' content
A Delhi court sent a summons to the headquarters of foreign Internet companies including Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and Yahoo on Friday, in a private case against objectionable content online.

Microsoft's Exchange a casualty of bank's cloud move to Google Apps
Seeking to transform the way its staff communicates and collaborates worldwide, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA) will roll out Google Apps to its 110,000 employees, shedding along the way various legacy email systems, including Microsoft Exchange, a bank executive said in an interview.

Banking giant BBVA moves internal apps to Google cloud
BBVA, one of Spain's largest banks, is moving desktop applications to Google Apps' cloud computing systems.

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Apple sues Motorola over Qualcomm to protect industry standards

It now seems inevitable that Google and Apple will face each other in the courts. The great irony is that Apple will be fighting for open standards for the smartphone industry, while Google appears set on a course to make FRAND deals a whole lot less friendly. So much for the 'open' OS...

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Why Microsoft should fear Google's upcoming music and home-entertainment system

Google is working on a home-entertainment system that will wirelessly stream music to speakers throughout a home -- and Microsoft, more than any company, has the most to lose if Google succeeds. Music is only Google's first target. Next up are television and movies, which Microsoft wants to control in the home as well.

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HTC confirms Ice Cream Sandwich for three more devices

Google's Android Ice Cream Sandwich release is slowly trickling out to devices around the world -- and today, HTC has promised to send the upgrade to three more of its phones.

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Chrome to Mobile can let other people beam links to your Android phone

Google's new Chrome Android browser has a powerful link-beaming feature called Chrome to Mobile -- and it turns out there's even more to the feature than meets the eye.

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Chrome browser app for Android OS: Review roundup

Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) shipped a beta Chrome browser app for the Android OS. Well, for version 4.0, at least. In IT Blogwatch, bloggers review and analyze. Not to mention: Why pilots sometimes go-around instead of landing...

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Chrome for Android's hidden feature: PC-to-mobile page beaming

Google's new Chrome for Android browser lets you wirelessly beam info from your PC to your phone -- but if you don't know how to find the feature, you might not even know it's there.

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Google's Chrome for Android: A hands-on tour

Google's Chrome browser is finally available for Android phones and tablets. Here's a hands-on look at the new app and how it transforms the mobile browsing experience.

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Swype for Ice Cream Sandwich launching within 'days'

Craving some Swype with your Ice Cream Sandwich? Fear not: An Android 4.0-ready version of the popular keyboard is almost ready for digestion.

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Google moves to match Apple iPhone with Android

Google is moving to bridge the user experience divide between the iPhone and Android devices, delivering security enhancements and hinting at future product integrity improvements to improve devices within the Android ecosystem. Is that enough as Apple preps the ground for the next-generation of mobile devices?

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Android Market security: An interview with Android's VP of engineering

Google has just unveiled a new malware-protection system for the Android Market. I had a chance to chat with Android's VP of engineering about the new system, the state of Android security, and the future of mobile-based threats.

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