Google News, Inside.

A Better Mobile Shopping Experience

The Google Mobile team has joined forces with the, what was the Froogle team, now the Google Shopping team, to provide a better mobile experience while shopping around town.
The video below explains how to use the new and improved mobile shopping application.
For me, I think this is a great addition and will definitely help me [...]

Mobile Posting to Blogger

Blogger announced the graduation of its most recent testing ground product. Mobile posting.
The Blogger blog has the full tutorial on how to use it, but something I found of interest was that they were able to claim the text number for BLOGGR (256447). Good for Google on that.

Better Gmail and Calendar for the iPhone

Earlier this week, Google launched enhanced versions of both the Gmail app and the Calendar app for the iPhone.
Google is going to the extra mile for Android phones, as I expect they would, while they are keep legacy support for the iPhone to specific versions. “Please note, these web-based mobile products are only available [...]

Syncing Facebook to Google Calendar to the iPhone

This tutorial will teach you how to synchronize your Facebook events calendar to your Google Calendar and then to your iPhone.
First off, you need to have a Facebook account and have events that you are attending.
Step 1: Go to http://apps.facebook.com/fbcalendar/. You will see two images as seen below. Click “Allow” to add access [...]

Google and iPhone Syncing

Google released a native method of syncing your iPhone and Google Services, such as Google Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Contacts. Oh yeah, it syncs up to Windows Mobile now too. The syncing is done via the Exchange protocol.

Overall, I think this is a great service. But, the problem I have with [...]

Google News for the iPhone [Now Relevant]

Already in production, there is a new version of Google News that you can get via your iPhone.
What is so different about this version of Google News? This version is geared to be a lot more like Google’s Blogsearch. In a way like Blogsearch lets you see how many people are talking about [...]

Gmail Mobile Task List

Recently, the Gmail team added mobile enhancements to the TODO, or task, list. Right now, the mobile version at gmail.com/tasks is optimized for both Android and iPhone platforms.
There is also a Google Module version of the task list in case you want to see it on your iGoogle.
The tasks feature also works on domain-hosted [...]

New Data Encryption for Google Android

Last week Patrick Townsend Security Solutions announced that they would be providing new security features for the Android OS.
January 14, 2009: Olympia, WA – Patrick Townsend Security Solutions (PTSS) announced today that their new Alliance Key Manager appliance will support key retrieval from the Google Android platform. In addition to deploying Enterprise key management applications [...]

Google Loses Mobile Search Deal to Microsoft

In recent news, Verizon chose Microsoft over both Google and Yahoo! as its search provider for its mobile devices.

Obviously Verizon did not choose Microsoft based on advanced or superior technology, but it’s purely based on the dollar amount of the deal. Microsoft must have forked out some serious cash to be selected as Verizon’s [...]

Google to Crowdsource for New Ideas

Google was almost able to skip this into 2008 without anyone noticing, but a few of us did notice.
Google recently, as of December 2008, is crowdsourcing for new product ideas.

Product Ideas for Google Mobile launched on Google’s App Engine under the appspot.com domain name.
Here are some numbers at the time of writing this post. [...]

Search by Saying with Google Mobile on the iPhone

Google recently released an iPhone app which will let you search the web, both the world wide web and the local web, by simply saying so.

Google produced a video about the application, but I actually think the video is pretty lame. It doesn’t really dig into how the application works or give you any [...]

Searching for Books Using Android

Google has been holding a few tricks up their sleeve and have been waiting to pull them out. It’s time.
Google’s Android product is a platform for mobile phones, a competitor would be Windows Mobile.
Google announced that they are rolling out some software which will allow Android-powered phones to search Google Books’ platform for physical [...]

Google’s Opportunity to Gain Mobile Market Share

Google has a huge opportunity to gain market share with the G1 Android phone.
In a short and simple sentence, open up an app store that will let developers create essentially whatever they want.
Saul Hansell of NY Times’ Bits touched on Apple’s huge down fall. Transparency.
John Gruber wrote this very clearly last month:
Here is a [...]

Google Goes Head to Head with Apple

Now that Google has entered the mobile market, despite denying that they were making a phone, they will now have to go face to face with ex-IBM chip guru Mark Papermaster.
Apple announced that they let go their previous iPod Group Director, Tony Fadell, to be replaced by IBM chip guru Mark Papermaster.

Papermaster, an ex-IBM employee, [...]

Google Shares Vision on Mobile Advertising

I am currently attending DPAC II right now, sitting in the “Simply Just Add and Go Mobile?” It’s been a great session so far, here are some notes I’ve taken away from it.
Google’s Vision for Mobile
Google is focusing their efforts on the “new” for mobile. G1, the new Android release, for instance, is [...]

Google Earth Now on the iPhone

Google has announced that Google Earth is now available for the iPhone.
The Earth team has created a short video explaining how Google Earth for the iPhone works.
Languages available: 18
Countries supported: 22
Where can you get it? iPhone App Store

Gmail for Mobile 2.0

Google has introduced Gmail for Mobile 2.0, the next generation of Gmail on your cell phone.
Here’s a quick glimpse of what it looks like,
Here are a few key features I would like to highlight about this release.

Available in 35 languages
Basic offline support
Multiple mobile email drafts
Multiple account management

I’m personally still going to continue using my mail.app [...]

Google Pushes Again to Mobile Devices

If it wasn’t obvious already to you that Google wants to be part of the mobile industry, this should clear any doubt you have.
Google recently registered a patent regarding Location-Based Responses to Telephone Requests.
Abstract
A method for receiving processed information at a remote device is described. The method includes transmitting from the remote device a verbal [...]

gPhone Coming Soon!

So the long awaited “gPhone” is coming soon. But it’s not called “gPhone” anymore.

The name that it is taking is Google Android and T-Mobile.
T-Mobile will be presenting its latest creation using the new Google Android platform.
But from what the rumors are saying, Google Android will not just be for mobile devices. Google Android [...]

The Dust Settles Around FCC Wireless Auction

As reported earlier, Google indeed lost the wireless spectrum auction. They lost, but the consumer won. Here is what Google has to say about [losing] the auction.
“Nonetheless, partly as a result of our bidding, consumers soon should have new freedom to get the most out of their mobile phones and other wireless devices.”
It’s [...]

Google to Use Open TV Band for Wireless Use?

This morning, the New York Times reported on what Google is thinking about doing. Last week, Google lost the FCC wireless auction to Verizon and AT&T, but Google actually still “scored a victory” because they achieved what they were hoping to, opening up the airwaves for “any legal devices.”
Google is planning and hoping that [...]

Google Loses, Verizon Wins 700mhz for $9.6bn

The FCC finally pulled through with the 700mhz frequency auction results. Google did not win.

Verizon won the auction, with a nice price tag of $9.6bn.
It really turns out that the spectrum will be used by the already-existing mobile players, such as AT&T, Verizon, and Vodafone (which is part of the Verizon Wireless Group).
AT&T already [...]

Google to Provide Free Voicemail to SF Homeless

Google is partnering with the city of San Francisco, nearby their headquarters, to offer free voicemail to the homeless that reside within San Francisco. Google is doing this through their acquisition of GrandCentral late last year.

The announcement that Google was going to offer this free service to those in need was made only a [...]

World’s Ugliest Cell Phone by Alienware Using Google’s Android

There is not any solid source on this, but I found it pretty funny. Reported on dialaphone.co.uk, they have some “first images” of what Alienware could potentially be cooking up.
Years ago, Dell tried to enter the cell phone market through PDAs, but failed miserably. So, could Dell be trying it again through their recently [...]

Google Provides Search for Nokia Mobile Users Worldwide

“…Nokia and Google today announced that Google’s popular search engine will be integrated with the Nokia Search application.” Just another reason we strongly see Google moving into the mobile industry.

Over two years ago, we saw Motorola and Google partner together to offer Google services in a more efficient manner.
Then, shortly after that partnership, we [...]

No to gPhone, Yes to Google Mobile Operating System (Android)

Steve Horowitz, Director of Engineering for Google, confirms there is no gPhone. But, he then confirms that there is a Google mobile operating system that is real — Android.
The video below demos what Android can do and what Google has in store for it.

Now this is the stuff we’ve really been waiting for!

Google Wins the 700mhz FCC Auction @ $4.7bn

Google came out with the winning bid for the 700mhz frequency that the FCC has been auctioning off. A nice price tag of USD$4.7bn for the frequency.
A bid of $4.7 billion this morning for the most valuable group of wireless licenses in the Federal Communications Commission auction for 700Mhz spectrum pushed the price over [...]

Google Hosts Online Advertising Meetup

Earlier this week on Monday, I attended an advertising meetup that was being hosted at Google NYC. A lot of people felt it was a sales pitch for Google products, but I had other thoughts. Since I author this site, I felt it was actually informative and there were some really interesting things [...]

Google Seeks to Capture Mobile Market

Google released the iPhone interface for Google Apps products. “During Christmas (when nobody was at work!) iPhone browsing numbers even surpassed Symbian – which holds 63% of the world smartphone market – compared to the iPhone’s 2%. ComputerWorld.com”
The surge in traffic to Google from Apple’s iPhone is very encouraging for iPhone users around the [...]

Google’s gPhone by GE (411 too!)

The long-awaited gPhone is, well, sort of here now. GE is featuring a new phone that has a GOOG-411 button built directly onto the interface.
This new product line by GE simply proves that Google has an even more extensive interest in VoIP than we had imagined originally.
Kudos to Google for starting the push of [...]

Google Will Apply to Participate in FCC Spectrum Auction

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (November 30, 2007) – Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) announced today that it will apply to participate in the Federal Communications Commission’s upcoming auction of wireless spectrum in the 700 megahertz (MHz) band.
As part of the nationally mandated transition to digital television, the 700 MHz spectrum auction — which begins January 24, 2008 — will free up spectrum airwaves for more efficient wireless Internet service for consumers. Advocacy by public interest groups and Google earlier this year helped ensure that regardless of which bidders win a key portion of the spectrum up for auction (the so-called “C Block”), they will be required to allow their users to download any software application they want on their mobile device, and to use any mobile devices they would like on that wireless network. The winner must ensure these rights for consumers if the reserve price of $4.6 billion for the C Block is met at auction.
“We believe it’s important to put our money where our principles are,” said Eric Schmidt, Chairman and CEO, Google. “Consumers deserve more competition and innovation than they have in today’s wireless world. No matter which bidder ultimately prevails, the real winners of this auction are American consumers who likely will see more choices than ever before in how they access the Internet.”
Schmidt also praised the leadership of FCC Chairman Kevin Martin and his fellow commissioners for adopting the new rights for consumers earlier this year.
Google’s formal application to participate in the 700 MHz auction will be filed with the FCC on Monday, December 3, 2007 — the required first step in the auction process. Google’s application does not include any partners.
About Google Inc.
Google’s innovative search technologies connect millions of people around the world with information every day. Founded in 1998 by Stanford Ph.D. students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google today is a top Web property in all major global markets. Google’s targeted advertising program provides businesses of all sizes with measurable
results, while enhancing the overall Web experience for users. Google is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.google.com.
Media Contact:
Adam Kovacevich
Google
202-742-6598
akovacev…@google.com
Investor Contact:
Maria Shim
650-253-7663
mar…@google.com

Google Inside Goes Mobile!

Thanks to Andy Beal for pointing this one out. A great service provided by Mofuse.com is a service that allows people to instantly setup mobile feeds. In the matter of 30 seconds, I had signed up for an account, logged in, created my site settings, and had my site running on mobile. I then went ahead and added a CNAME record to my DNS zone. Then I created the custom domain name in my settings and I’m all set. You can now point all your mobile browsers to http://m.ginside.com to get Google Inside on the fly! I know that you can’t have your morning coffee before you read Google Inside, but I assure you, now you can. We’ve gone mobile! Thanks again Andy, great suggestion.

Twitter Jitter from Google – Jaiku Acquired

Coming in from news.com, Jaiku — a Twitter rival — has been acquired by Google.
Q: What is Jaiku?
A. Jaiku is an activity stream and presence sharing service that works from the Web and mobile phones. Jaiku, Ltd. was founded in February, 2006 by Jyri Engeström and Petteri Koponen from Finland. The service was released on the Web in July 2006. Jaiku is based in Helsinki.

Google Changes the Game with the Google Phone (gPhone)

“That kind of 24/7 advertising engagement–on a phone, no less–may sound like a nightmare. But what if you could determine the kinds of products you get pitched? Or, when your flight gets canceled in a faraway airport, text messages pop up for the best hotel deals in town? No random insurance ads or airline deals for trips to places you never visit. Best of all: Watch or read the

Google Acquires Mobile Social Network Zingku

Google already has plans to launch their own mobile phone [service] in the near future so this is exactly what they needed to build on top of that. “We’ve entered into an agreement to have Google acquire our Zingku service.” Straight from the Zingku.com homepage, we can see that Google will be extending their mobile services even more. Zingku’s mission is to enable individuals and businesses to

Google AdSense for Mobile

The Google AdSense Team has announced the new AdSense for Mobile market. As part of our ongoing efforts to develop new ways for users to find the information they need anytime and anywhere, Google announced today the availability of AdSense™ for Mobile, a program that contextually targets ads to mobile website content. AdSense for Mobile also allows AdSense publishing partners the ability to earn revenue from their mobile websites

gPhone News Updates

“Google may be preparing a new mobile platform, a would-be rival to the Nokia-dominated (NOK) Symbian OS, Microsoft’s (MSFT) Windows Mobile, mobile Linux, Palm (PALM), and other operating systems. ” From the looks of it, Google Phone, termed gPhone, is definitely a future release of Google’s mobile division. Rumors were first heard of this “gPhone” back in early March 2007. Then a week later it was confirmed.

Google Lied, New Developments of Google Cell

In March of this year, Google came out and definitively stated that they are “not doing a mobile phone.” Five months later, they are showing prototypes of the Google mobile phone. So what gives? Why did Google lie to the public just to cover something up? There is no possible way that they put together a prototype in just 5 months after denying that they were

Google to Offer Free 411 Information Service

Search for businesses by name or category — Can’t stand typing? Let your fingers rest – GOOG-411 will understand your voice and find the business you’re looking for. You can search by name (”Giovanni’s pizza”) or category (”Pizza”).
Connect to the business directly, free of charge — No need to write down a note or memorize long phone numbers. GOOG-411 lets you connect to the business you choose, free of charge.
Get more details by SMS — Simply say “text message” and GOOG-411 will send you a text message with more information and a link to a map of the business you’ve selected, free of charge.
According to a recent press release by Google under their mobile division, Google is now offering a free 411 information service.
Right now, all wireless service providers — as far as I know, all — offer a 411 service that you can call for a charge of $1.25 (on average). With this new Google service, which I’m sure will spread like wildfire across the websphere, these wireless cell phone providers may actually have competition.
What’s to happen next?

Google Denies New Mobile Phone

“We’re not doing a mobile phone,” Alan Eustace, senior vice president of engineering and research, said in an interview Thursday at Google’s office in Atlanta. During an event earlier in the day, Eustace said, “I’d like to find something that is broader, rather than do yet another mobile device.” Contradicting all the hype that went around the blogosphere just a few weeks ago, Google denies that they are working on a mobile phone — straight from the VP of engineering and research. So Google wants to go bigger than just another phone in the market…what could they be thinking of that’s bigger than mobile phones? Something that hasn’t yet been created or even released onto the market maybe?

Google Phone is the Real Deal

There were rumors flying around from before, but it has been confirmed by a Google executive that the secret of the Google phone is indeed a real product. The Google Phone has been a ‘pet project’ for co-founder Larry Page and he was quite distraught when the news leaked out about a possibility of the Google Phone. It makes perfect sense to me why Google would want to move into the mobile industry. Advertising, power, and market share. “Whoa, sweet new phone, who made it? — Google!” I can see it now, Google on your computer screen, Google on your phone, Google on the radio, and soon Google coming to a television near you! Google is flooding the entertainment and communication markets with a huge strategy to ‘go big or go home.’ That’s exactly what they’re doing though. Either do something right or don’t do it at all.

Rumors Fly of the Google Phone

The rumor on the mill right now is about the Google phone. So what exactly is the Google phone? Some inside sources say that the Google phone will be blackberry-like with tons of additional features. I do notice that Google has taken a strong interest in the mobile industry during the past year and this would prove to be a good reason why. On that rumor

T-Mobile Bans Google

T-mobile has put out a new policy which doesn’t allow for any third-party applications to be used on their phones. This new policy applies to everyone, even including those people that have these feature-rich phones and pay monthly subscriber fees for data transfer and other cool gadgets. I am with Verizon Wireless myself and I am quite happy, but I do have to say that really sucks

Google Wants Another Part of the Mobile Industry

Yesterday, Google signed an agreement with Bharti Airtel. As part of the agreement, Airtel will bring Google search to the Airtel Live mobile WAP portal. Google will incorporate advertising through its Mobile Ads product on the Airtel Live mobile portal. Google is powered by advertising so what better way to get more advertising than send those advertisements directly to people’s handheld devices. Google is making a strong move into the mobile industry to gain a larger reach of consumers.

Going for the Mobile

…this month, it improved its mobile Gmail client to allow quicker access to the application. At the same time, Google has been busy developing partnerships with mobile operators, such as Sprint Nextel and Cingular Wireless. It’s also been testing new business models, such as text-based mobile advertising, and more localised advertising. News.com Google is giving mobile another shot with some more major partnerships. With their already-developed Gmail mobile java

Hutchison-Google Partnership

Google and Microsoft on Wednesday launched separate deals with telecoms operators to place their search engines on handsets, extending their fierce competition into the booming mobile internet search market. Microsoft teamed up with Sprint and Google teamed up with Hutchison. Google’s terms for the deal will be that they will have their logo on the 3Mobile handsets and use their search for anything on their mobile network. Right

Google thinks mobile phones should be free!

Google is starting the push for free mobile phones, but here’s the kicker: advertisements. Of course, advertisements. How else does anything come free from Google? As an end user, I honestly don’t care about seeing ads because I rarely click on them and they are basically blind to me since I’ve seen so many. I can easily detect what are advertisements and what are not.

Gmail Mobile Java Client

Google has launched a Java application which will let you easily check your Gmail from any phone. Gmail users can already access their accounts through the browser on their mobile devices, but this application brings users the same great Gmail experience — complete with search, conversation view, and automatic synchronization with the desktop version. This is great, even for users like me. While I have a POP client on my phone already, this is a great way if I don’t feel like using it. Great for other people too that don’t have a smart phone PDA like myself.

Google Maps for the Palm Treo

Google has released a version of Google Maps Mobile specifically for the Palm Treo now. As a personal user of the Treo 650, I’m very glad this finally came out. I’ll be using it quite often.

Talk About Blogging — seriously

Google has been working with Sony Ericsson and their new mobile phone line that is coming out. The new line-up will allow for people to blog directly from their phone, making publishing even easier than it ever has been before. Take a picture, write a little description, and post it to your blogging account on Blogger.com. With this easy application integrated into phones now (only with Sony Ericsson right now), blogging will become an even larger part of life (is that possible?) But yes, it does seem possible. Blogging is here and not going to go away any time soon.

Google Mobile: Your Local Traffic Report

Combining directions, maps, and satellite imagery, Google Maps is a free download that lets you find local hangouts and businesses across town or across the country — right from your phone. That’s right folks. Google Mobile is now offering live traffic reports for 30 major cities via your mobile phone. The cost is free — from Google — but the only requirement is that you have a data transfer plan through your wireless carrier (which is where the prices can come up). This will be nice for me since I’m in the Los Angeles area and now I can just hop on my Treo650 and grab the latest traffic reports. (via/2)