Google

Google diving into 3D mapping of oceans

We've got Google Earth and Google Sky. Next up will be a map of the world below sea level--Google Ocean.

The company has assembled an advisory group of oceanography experts, and in December invited researchers from institutions around the world to the Mountain View, Calif., Googleplex. There, they discussed plans for creating a 3D oceanographic map, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The tool--for now called Google Ocean, the sources say, though that name could change--is expected to be similar to other 3D online mapping applications. People will be able to see the underwater topography, called bathymetry; search … Read more

SEC suit recommended against Google director

Ann Mather, a Google board member, could well find herself on the receiving end of a Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit regarding stock option transactions made while she was chief financial officer at Pixar Animation Studios.

"On April 23, 2008, Ann was advised by the staff of the Los Angeles office of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that it intends to recommend that the SEC initiate a civil proceeding against her, alleging violation of federal securities laws related to certain stock option transactions involving her former employer, Pixar Animation Studios," Google said in a regulatory filing Monday. … Read more

Media execs size up video's future on the Web

LOS ANGELES--Video may be the next content revolution on the Internet after text and photos, but it's still unclear how to sell it best to advertisers and Web surfers. And that's even for a Google executive.

"The challenge in the future of video is how to find video...and maintaining that sense of discovery," said Jordan Hoffner, head of content partnerships at YouTube, which is owned by Google. "Sharing and tagging video is a start."

Hoffner was speaking on a panel here Tuesday at the Economics of Social Media 2008 conference, along with executives … Read more

Google issues warning about phishing e-mails

Google is warning people about the dangers of phishing e-mails that ask for sensitive information and appear to come from a legitimate trusted source, like your bank, but are really scams to steal your data.

You would think that with all the publicity phishing attacks have had over the years there wouldn't need to be a public education campaign. But so many people still get lured by these spam e-mails every day that the warning is merited.

"Millions of people have gotten 'urgent' e-mails asking them to take immediate action to prevent some impending disaster. 'Our bank has … Read more

Google map directions get Street View

Google has built its Street View into Google Maps' ability to provide driving directions, the company said Tuesday.

With the feature, a small camera icon appears next to the intersections in the turn-by-turn directions. Clicking on the icon brings up a view of the intersection so people can see the area in question.

Google Street View is available in 44 areas of the United States, and there are strong signs Google is bringing Street View to Europe. Street View is available through the Google Maps programming interface so that those using Google Maps can add Street View abilities to their … Read more

Random sampler: Chubbier websites, Canada the pirate, profligate Google, and Macs ascendant

Lots of great news today, though not much that relates to open source, per se. First of all, it's interesting to see that the average web page size has tripled since 2003. Why? No reasons are given, but the data is highly interesting. Have a look.

The US has released a list of the worst companies for respecting intellectual property. The usual suspects are all there: China, Russia, Argentina, Chile, India, Israel, Pakistan, Thailand, and Venezuela. But so is Canada. Canada???

Despite the downturn, Apple continues to do well with a 51 percent rise in Mac sales. IDC puts … Read more

What you need from your e-mail system (Test-driving Google Apps Premier)

Before I became a marketing wonk I was a knowledgeable technologist, which is probably why I've never once enjoyed any e-mail system that I have used or implemented. Over the last 15 years, I have tried pretty much everything, from Pine to Zimbra, to MS Exchange to Lotus Notes and several different IMAP and POP options. Every time it's the same thing--the system works within reason but is never great. And there is always something that bites you in the rear.

I first started outsourcing e-mail to managed providers in 2003 when I worked for a CEO who demanded MS Exchange and we only had Linux boxes. It was never great and it was too expensive to boot. But the offerings have gotten much better and at this point I can't see a small- or medium-sized business running its own mail server. It's just not necessary.

Here are my fundamental hopes for e-mail:

Reliable delivery of mail (dare to dream) Reliable delivery of mail on mobile devices (Blackberry and iPhone) Shared calendaring with administrator abilities (i.e. admin access) Backup and recovery Reliable SPAM prevention Sync across multiple computers and devices

… Read more

Report: Google unworried about Yahoo ad deal's antitrust issue

Google thinks antitrust regulators would approve an advertising partnership with Yahoo because the deal isn't exclusive and isn't a merger, Reuters reported Friday.

Google sees the deals as comparable to its partnership with Time Warner's AOL and IAC/InterActiveCorp, both of which use Google's technology to show advertisements, Reuters said, citing a source familiar with the matter.

In addition, the source said, Google thinks Microsoft acquiring Yahoo would be more likely to cause antitrust problems because Microsoft would then corner multiple markets, including Web-based e-mail and instant messaging.

That view is at odds with the opinion … Read more

More Google Docs available offline: Spreadsheets, presentations

Google has broadened the number of online applications that people can use offline, adding spreadsheets and presentations to the mix.

However, unlike with word-processing documents, spreadsheets and presentations can only be viewed, not edited, according to a post by marketing manager Andrew Chang on the Google Docs blog Friday. That's still useful, though. Chang gives the example of giving a slide presentation without having to worry about network access.

The offline access uses the Google Gears technology the search engine giant introduced in 2007 as an open-source project.

Google is trying to take on Microsoft with its online software, … Read more