From the Somehow We Missed Covering This Dept.: Search giant Google announced late last week that users who head to https://www.google.com (note the extra “s”) can now make a secure connection to Google for their searches, which Google says “helps protect your search terms and your search results pages from being intercepted by a third party on your network.” You’ll see a modified logo (pictured at left), won’t see the usual links to non-SSL-encrypted services like Images and Maps, and might get a slightly slower experience. We mentioned Google’s [...]

Continue Reading...

It was just last week when Google in its quartely earning reports revealed that the Android Market’s app count has reached the 38,000 mark. Now, AndroLib, a tracking company has revealed that the app count has gone past the magical 50,000 mark. 50,031 is the exact count as revealed by the app tracking entity, which is yet to receive searcn engine giant’s blessing. When Google was approached by Android Central folks for confirmation, they didn’t get one. Instead they got this in response: We’re sticking to 38,000 for now. We’ll announce when we do our next [...]

Continue Reading...

I’m at the Coachella Oasis (a giant, sprawling, endless rave taking place at the lavish desert manse formerly inhabited by Merv Griffin) setting up a weekend-long webcast with Richard Metzger for Brand X, the alt-culture publication of the Los Angeles Times. From 12-5 today, Saturday, and Sunday, artists performing at Coachella will be dropping by, and I’ll be taking your questions and streaming video live all weekend. Here’s the Ustream link, mostly just ambient party setup Friday. It’s hot and sunny here, with a chance of frolicking models in the pool. Tomorrow at noon [...]

Continue Reading...

Talks between Google and China are still on-going but it seems that the search giant is ready to pull out of the country. The censorship feud has been on-going since January, when Google issued a statement that it would not tolerate censorship of its search service in China. Both parties have stood firm since, with China’s Minister of Industry and Information Technology, Li Yizhong, saying last week that: “if you betray Chinese laws and regulations… it means that you are unfriendly, irresponsible, and you will have to pay the consequences.” Google isn’t likely to [...]

Continue Reading...

Associated Press stories have returned to Google, with discussions between the media agency and the search giant continuing. News giant AP’s stories have been missing from Google News of late, with the two believed to have been butting heads over the propagation of content. The ever-controversial News service from Google is at the centre of the debate over paid versus free content, with some news providers accusing the search giant of profiting from their work. AP’s feeds, however, are back on Google News with Google telling the Wall Street Journal’s Digits blog that discussions [...]

Continue Reading...