Google posts

Let’s face it, even in a world where spam is a daily occurrence, we still receive a load of email that isn’t spam, but might as well be. For example, thanks a bunch Facebook for introducing a messaging system that functions half as well as email AND sends email notifications to alert me to new messages. Google wants to help, and as usual they’re doing it for no other reward than for the joy it will bring their users. The new feature, dubbed “priority inbox” aims to separate our important communications from the stuff that isn’t spam, but might as well be. When an email reaches your inbox, Gmail decides…

So Google is pitching a YouTube pay-per-view service to Hollywood studios that would enable video rentals for five bucks a pop. That’s not… so bad, I guess. I mean, if you’re not already a Netflix convert. But we’ll go over that in a second. YouTube’s pay-per-view is, in fact, not new. Yeah, I was surprised, too. Open since January of this year, YouTube’s rental service has offered video rentals from indie and niche publishers from $1.99 – $3.99. That is nothing if not rad, but so far, no one’s really biting. With only 1500 views in its first weekend (featuring Sundance festival titles), and only…

Google’s new calling feature, typically poorly named and chucked out there to exist somewhere between Google Chat and Google Voice is a hit compared to, well, Google. The service launched on the 25th of August, and in just 24 hours one million calls were placed. The new feature takes aim at Skype, already offering cheap calling over the net with their dedicated client, but another rumored target is Facebook. Google’s Buzz might be fizzling, but Facebook can’t compete with Google when it comes to communications. It remains to be seen if Google will rethink it’s product line, since they appear to…

Net Neutrality – the idea that all internet traffic should be treated equally regardless of source or purpose – is, to put it mildly, a hotly debated topic. There is a huge variety of arguments on both sides of the fence, many of them both compelling and complex – and in light of the recent agreement between Google and Verizon, many have been revisiting the debate. At stake is an essential question: whether or not the growth and development of the internet should be something regulated by government or guided by free enterprise. But also at stake in the debate is whether or not the internet will be a new…

The senior editor for Techi just told me they put a bunch of money into Skype. So I want to take this once in a lifetime chance to laugh at my boss. HAHAHAHA! God, that felt good. Why is that funny? Because the folks up at Google HQ have just flicked the switch allowing us common folks to call people from our Gmail accounts. Using Gmail you can now call cellphones, home phones and bananaphones without paying a dime. “Given that most of us don’t spend all day in front of our computers, we thought, ‘wouldn’t it be nice if you could call people directly on their phones?’” wrote software engineer Robin Schriebman…

Apple has been fighting hard against the jailbreak community for years now. Every update Apple dishes out feels like its a direct punch to the kidney to those wishing to install third-party applications to their device. Another heavyweight, Motorola,  is taking large steps to lock down their new devices as well. Efuse Chip The new Motorola Droid X which touts impressive specs such as a 1ghz processor, 4.3” high resolutions screen, an 8 MP camera, and an impressive HDMI output up to 720p. It is currently running the latest version of Android (2.1), with the understanding that when Froyo (2.2)…

When rumors of a possible Playstation-branded “PSP Phone” recently broke, the tech world was, more than anything, a bit baffled. Here we had a rumor of a potential collaboration between Google and Sony, both of whom already have their own mobile ecosystems (Android on the one hand, and the Playstation Store on the other). What’s more, no-one, it seems, is quite sure what to think of the rumored device, which is suggested to be a mix of a slider phone and the PSP Go. “Hardcore” gaming communities like Neogaf seemed a bit on the fence. Some saw the business possibilities for both Google and Sony, while…

A few years ago, iTunes seemed like the future. In fact, in a sense, it was the future we’d all been promised. Here, finally, was a digital business that worked! The music labels, film studios and TV stations were on board. Selection was good. Sure it was closed, but everyone and their mother had an iPod or, later, an iPhone or iPad. This was the dream of ‘digital content’ realized. Trouble is, iTunes and other services like it are starting to feel a bit quaint. Don’t get me wrong: for what they are, they still work beautifully (well, the service I mean, not the software), and the selection on iTunes is…

Plenty of people are up in arms about Google and Verizon’s Legislative Framework Proposal, but on Friday the company faced a very public response to the issue. Essentially the two companies suggest that the internet could be viewed differently depending upon whether one is using a broadband internet connection from home or work or via a mobile device on a 3G or 4G network. Bloggers and online news sources have attacked Google for this, claiming that they benefited from an open internet that they are now trying to section off. A small group of protesters gathered outside Google headquarters to…

Oracle, a company who for the past decade seems to be known only for being relevant a decade ago is in the spotlight once again. Apparently Google’s Android operating system uses Java, a product of Sun Microsystems which Oracle purchased in 2009. Oracle claims Google “knowingly, directly and repeatedly infringed Oracle’s Java-related intellectual property”, most likely hoping to scupper a “whoops, our bad” legal defense. Oracle has not yet filed suit, so Google is unable to comment on the press release, but at an estimated 200,000 Android handsets being sold each day around the world, this…