Google picks apart News Corp attack in open letter September 25, 2014 THE SPAT between Google and Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp escalated yesterday as the search giant responded to scathing claims made by the publisher last Thursday that it was a “platform for piracy”. In a blog post sarcastically titled “Dear Rupert”, referring to the billionaire chairman, Google’s comms chief Rachel Whetstone hit back at claims made [...]
Google faces an existential risk in its EU battle – Bottom line September 25, 2014 The European Union’s antitrust case against Microsoft’s abuse of its dominant position to bundle software with Windows began in 1993 and wouldn’t conclude until 2009. The result was that Microsoft had to unbundle software from its platform, share information with rivals and pay a record €1.4bn (£1.1bn) fine. But the lasting impact of the ruling [...]
Google Vs News Corp: Internet giant refutes piracy claims made by Rupert Murdoch-owned publisher September 25, 2014 Google has responded to scathing claims made by News Corp that it’s a “platform for piracy” run by “cynical management” in a blog post titled “Dear Rupert”. The piece, penned by Google's global head of communications Rachel Whetstone, outlines a point by point response to claims made by News Corp’s Robert Thomson last week in [...]
Routemaster bus celebrated in Google doodle for 60-year anniversary September 24, 2014 London’s famous Routemaster bus is being celebrated in the form of a Google doodle after 60 years as an icon of the capital. The first ever Routemaster was unveiled on this day in 1954 at the Earl’s Court Commercial Motor Exhibition to replace the network of trolley buses across the capital ushering in a new [...]
Finally, Google stops forcing Google+ on Gmail users September 23, 2014 Could this be the beginning of the end for Google+? After years of forcing Gmail users to sign up to a G+ account, Google has finally stopped the practice – for new Gmail users, at least. Google+, Google's "Facebook killer", was launched in 2011 to lukewarm reviews. Since then, all users have been automatically signed [...]
Is News Corp right that Google’s internet dominance is damaging? September 18, 2014 Carl Miller, research director at the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media at Demos, says Yes. Google: Gmail, Chrome, Google+, Search, all free. It gives us a suite of brilliantly useful products that almost all of us use daily. What’s not to like? That’s the problem. Day-to-day, everything is convenient and free. We treat [...]
News Corp chief Robert Thompson calls Google a “platform for piracy” run by “cynical management” in letter to EU commissioner Joaquin Almunia September 18, 2014 News Corp has told the EU it believes Google is stifling competition and undermining the business model of “content creators” in its dominance of internet search. The Rupert Murdoch-owned company, which publishes the the Times, the Sun, the Wall Street Journal and book publisher Harpercollins lambasted Google in a letter to the EU’s competition commission [...]
How Google and Amazon workers keep their focus September 15, 2014 Harriet Green examines the Two Pizza Rule and the benefits of workplace mindfulness. Distractions can be crippling to productivity. Gloria Mark of the University of California found that, on average, office workers are distracted every 11 minutes. And worse, it takes 25 minutes to return to a task once you’ve wandered onto something else. [...]
Android One: How Google’s budget smartphone for India compares with its rivals September 15, 2014 Google has launched its first Android One smartphone in India – a budget device aimed at enticing the “next billion” smartphone users in the country and other emerging markets. Google’s initiative aims to create cheap, high-quality smartphones for those in countries where incomes are lower and devices less affordable. Android One offers a package of [...]
Google is the media brand you love to hate most September 2, 2014 The media is full of celebs, politicians and high profile figures we love to hate – and it is no different in the media industry, with that highest of profile brand Google being ranked as most loved and disliked in a recent survey. The tech giant topped a poll of nearly 800 media professionals, [...]