google

Google has revealed that it rejects the majority of complaints it gets from users asking for embarrassing or false content to be removed from its search results. It seems to be getting most decisions "right," but there's still concern about the ... process. The issue involves a ruling by the European Union of Justice, which handles those laws that apply across 28 countries in Europe. It affects any search engine that offers results to European users, even if the search engine or the sites it lists are based elsewhere. The "right to be forgotten" ruling involves cases where ... (view more)

Google has revealed the full details of its cellphone network. It will use a combination of space leased from existing cellphone firms, as well as WiFi hotspots to create the network. The service will be dubbed Project Fi. Initially it will only be ... available to users of Google's Nexus 6 phone, but that will only be used short term as an experiment. If all goes well, it's likely to be expanded to other Android phones. Project Fi Consists of WiFi, Sprint and T-Mobile Google will act as a mobile virtual network operator, meaning it leases space on existing networks. In this case, the leased ... (view more)

The European Union has formally accused Google of breaching competition rules by favoring its own sites in search rankings . It's a big step towards a potential $6.6 billion fine. The case involves specialist websites that let users compare prices ... and availability for retail products or travel deals. The EU claims that Google is effectively rigging the search results because it owns many of the sites in the list, and therefore places them higher in the search results ranking. It says that the favored sites are listed higher than they 'deserve', rather than listing the sites based ... (view more)

Google is said to be planning a tool to let users receive bills via and email, then pay with a single click of a button - all without leaving their inbox. While it will be promoted as a service to benefit users, it could be part of a wider business ... move for Google. Leaked screenshots reveal the service is codenamed Pony Express, though it's unknown if that will be the real name if and when it launches. The current plan is to start the service in the final quarter of 2015. The plan isn't so much to replace existing electronic billing. Instead, Google is targeting companies which print ... (view more)

Google has added a new measure to protect users from visiting risky websites. It's now going to warn users about bogus downloads, even before they go to the website concerned. The changes will affect Google Search, users of the Chrome browser, and ... advertisements provided by Google to third-party websites. Safe Browsing Warnings Extended to Chrome Google's Chrome browser will now contain special warning messages built into the web browser. The warnings are part of Google's Safe Browsing Service , which is also available as a third party API (application program interface). Parts of the ... (view more)

Microsoft has publicly lashed out at Google for revealing a severe security flaw in Windows 8.1 before it was able to release a fix. The public disclosure has reawakened a longstanding dispute about how to go about reporting security flaws. Comments ... on Google's website suggest that the same bug also affects Windows 7 Professional 64bit, with Service Pack 1; if true, it's equally likely the bug also affects other earlier versions of the Windows operating system, including Windows XP, which is no longer supported by Microsoft and will therefore remain unpatched. The bug involves the way ... (view more)

HP has unveiled a Windows 8.1 mini desktop computer that's only two inches tall and costs under $200. It's part of an ongoing campaign to battle Google by producing cheap Windows computers. The Stream Mini Desktop is just under six inches square and ... weighs only 1.6 pounds. It's a small, self-contained box with two USB ports, video outputs for HDMI and DisplayPort, an audio socket, an SD card reader, and an Ethernet port for connecting to a network. At the time of writing, it does not appear to have a wireless (Wi-Fi) connection, though one could easily add a USB Wi-Fi dongle to ... (view more)

Windows 8.1 users will soon have the opportunity to test a potentially revolutionary feature: live speech translation in Skype. Skype is a software program that allows users to make phone calls or video chat with other Skype users around the world, ... using the Internet. Skype is one of the most popular applications of its kind, with over 300 million users world-wide using the service. (Source: skype.com ) Skype Live Speech Translation - On the Fly The live speech translation feature has been in the works from some time, stemming back to 2011 when Microsoft bought out Skype for $8.5 billion . It ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'Dave' writes: " Dear Dennis, I have a question which I can't seem to find a clear-cut answer to. Can you tell me: is it possible to view a web site / web page and determine when it was last updated? " My Response: The simple ... answer is that there is no easy way to know when a page was last updated - which is most likely why you're having trouble finding the answer. Information regarding the 'last modified date' of a page is usually reserved for web site owners (via direct access to the web site files / database with their associated time stamps). However, there are ways to ... (view more)

The Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) director believes encrypting information on smartphones makes Americans less safe from violent criminals. In fact, James Comey suggests that smartphone companies may be marketing the feature in a way that ... actually encourages criminal behavior. Largely in response to the scandal involving the National Security Agency (NSA) and Edward Snowden , the world's largest mobile phone technology companies have introduced encryption systems designed to help users protect their data against government snooping. Last week Google announced it would enable ... (view more)