Google

Google has come up with yet another new feature for its Gmail system. This one allows users to store a range of 'standard' responses and even have them sent automatically to emails based on their content. The 'Canned Responses' feature lets you set ... up a range of replies for particular situations that you experience commonly. It's the same kind of idea as an 'out of office' message but lets you tailor the response to different types of correspondence. For example, as a tech writer, I receive emails from computer-related organisations with story ideas. When I'm pressed for time, I'll usually ... (view more)

YouTube is about to legally broadcast full-length television shows complete with a commercial break. However, for now the programs being featured will be reruns. The video site has previously experimented with commercials before clips, but the ... strategy has not been effective. That's mainly because the commercials seemed too obtrusive in a short clip that may only be a minute or so long. The hope is that online viewers will tolerate commercial breaks in full TV episodes in the same way as watching on a TV set. There is a major drawback, however: TV rights restrictions mean the content is only ... (view more)

Google is to introduce one-click links to buy products associated with video clips on its YouTube site. The move will be the first step towards recouping the $1.65 billion it spent acquiring the company two years ago. The new links allow viewers to ... automatically buy songs through iTunes or the Amazon digital download service. The links will appear next to videos of the relevant songs. There will also be appropriate links to buy the popular video game "Spore." At the moment the music links are restricted to songs produced by EMI or Universal, two of the four major record labels. However, given ... (view more)

"Mail Goggles" is now part of Google's free Gmail service. The feature is simple really, but could serve as an effective deterrent against very bad email-based decisions while in an 'altered state'. Just answer a few basic math questions in a ... specified period of time before sending out your email. You shhhaid wha...? After a grueling work week, you decide to accept an invitation from some friends to meet at a local bar for a beer. While reminiscing about the "good old days", you realize that one beer has become two, two beers have become four and in no time at all you have surpassed your ... (view more)

A pact between two of America's most popular search engines has been delayed. A controversial advertising deal between Google Inc and Yahoo Inc was pushed back, according to reports from Yahoo on Friday. The delay is closely tied to controversy ... surrounding the agreement. Yahoo openly admitted that its deal with Google -- which would allow Google to sell advertising for some of Yahoo's online advertising space -- is being closely scrutinized by the United States Department of Justice. "We have had discussions with regulators and look forward to responding to their questions about this ... (view more)

Ten years ago, Google filed its business incorporation papers. In the decade since, the search company has changed the planet. Without any doubt, it is the most successful business on the Internet landscape and is well-poised to continue in that ... vein. To fully appreciate Google's achievement, one needs only to examine its history in comparison major competitor Microsoft. A decade down the road, Google boasts revenues of just under $20 billion. Microsoft is 33 years old and has revenues of approximately $60 billion. At age 10, Microsoft had revenues of only $140 million. Google's market value ... (view more)

The first mobile phone based on Google's "Android" system will be available on the T-Mobile network in October. But insiders say the device, while functional, lacks the grace and style of its obvious market rival, Apple's iPhone. As we reported back ... in November, Google opted against launching its own mobile phone, instead developing an open source software package with the idea that it could encourage manufacturers to develop cheaper handsets. The belief at the time was that Google might get back its investment by negotiating a cut of any advertising revenue network carriers would make ... (view more)

Google has said sorry to users of its Gmail service after they were left without access to their emails for almost two hours early last week. The firm made a rare apology on its official blog after the outage, saying "The issue was caused by a ... temporary outage in our contacts system that was preventing Gmail from loading properly." (Source: blogspot.com ) There has been some speculation the problem may be connected with a recent change to Gmail's contacts system, designed to separate contacts users have manually added from those which are created automatically when you send or receive a ... (view more)

Google is to introduce close integration between its two main advertising systems. It should mean better targeted ads, though it will lead to extra tracking information on users' computers. The changes involve both Doubleclick -- an online ad ... company Google bought for just over $3 billion last year -- and Google's own Adsense system. They work in different ways: Doubleclick tracks the browsing history of a user and builds up a picture of their interests, while Adsense ads are specific to a particular website's content (though they do take into account a user's geographical location to provide ... (view more)

Google has upgraded its Google Search Appliance, making it better and smaller. The "Google for the office" appliance is a box (previously a rack of 5) that can store and search through 10 million documents. Usually sold to large businesses and ... government in a refrigerator-sized rack, the new version offers the same punch in a smaller package. The boxes run on Dell storage hardware but use Google software for searching. New features include greater security encryption and the ability to search in 27 languages and deliver results in 40. The system can also provide notifications when documents ... (view more)