The Google-branded Nexus tablet the search giant is rumored to be co-developing with ASUS may be pushed back until July. Earlier reports had the device slated for launch some time in June, with an unveiling possibly set for Google’s annual I/O conference on June 27th. Unnamed sources informed The Verge on Friday that Google pushed back its planned release so it could tweak the device, however. The 7-inch tablet is supposedly equipped with a quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and Wi-Fi connectivity. The device would reportedly cost $249 in its current state, but Google and ASUS are both looking to reduce the price. Earlier rumors indicted that the Mountain View-based company was attempting to offer the tablet for as little as $149. It has also been speculated that Google could be delaying the planned release in order to pre-load its tablet with the next version of Android — Jelly Bean. The Verge claims this scenario is unlikely though, as the current product is designed for Android 4.0.

Read

In a turnaround from a lower court ruling, three Australian Federal Court judges ruled yesterday that Google was responsible for its advertisers' content and that it breached the country's trade law by hosting misleading ads. The case centered on four ads in particular, in which the advertisers used the names of their competitors to ensure the ads appeared in search results for said companies. That, the court ruled, was likely to mislead folks searching for those competitors. While there's no fine imposed on Google with that judgement, the judges are asking Google to change its practices and to pay court costs. The ruling also, of course, sets quite a precedent if it is upheld. Not surprisingly, Google disagrees with the judges' decision, noting that it believes "advertisers should be responsible for the ads they create on the AdWords platform," and that it's now considering its options (including an appeal to the High Court).

Australian court holds Google responsible for misleading search ads originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Apr 2012 10:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink TG Daily  |  Businessweek  | Email this | Comments

Normally an unmitigated disaster on the scale of the Nexus One would normally give a company pause, but not Google. The search giant is jumping back into competition with Apple and Amazon with potential plans to hock Android tablets on its website. More »

Google's Flight Search -- which was conjured up after its acquisition of ITA -- has been giving Kayak and Bing Travel a run for their respective dollars here in the States, but an airline search engine is only as good as its reach. This week, the company announced that over 500 airports outside of the US are now being included in the results (but, sadly, only if you start in the US), and while no specific promises were given, Google says that it's "working hard on expanding [its] global coverage and adding more routes in the future." Oh, and for those looking to disconnect in Samoa, APW totally made the cut here. Happy trails!

[Thanks, sciwiz]

Google's Flight Search engine adds 500 international destinations, more on the way originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Mar 2012 10:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Jeff Huber (Google+)  |  The Official Google Search Blog, Google Flights  | Email this | Comments

Google isn't one to rest on its laurels, and over the coming months it plans to massively overhaul its search system. Expect to see far more than just a page of links; Google is planning to push the boundaries of semantic search to give you answers directly. More »

A search engine should be about more than just keywords. MC Hammer believes that passionately and Google must do too, because over the next few months and years it'll gradually adjust its own algorithms to put greater emphasis on "semantic search". Under this system, search queries are run through a vast knowledge database that discovers relationships with other words and facts. A Mountain View exec explained it thus: If you search for "Lake Tahoe", you won't just get ranked websites containing those two words but also key attributes about the lake, such as its location, altitude, average temperature and Bigfoot population. If a piece of knowledge isn't the in the ever-expanding database, the search engine will still use semantic search to help it recognize and evaluate information held on websites. In doing this, Big G hopes to compete with social networks that are amassing their own valuable (and sometimes intrusive) databases full of personal information, while also encouraging people to stay longer on its site and see more targeted ads. Google, who is Viviane Reding?

Google to switch on 'semantic search' within months, emphasize things as well as words originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Mar 2012 04:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  WSJ  | Email this | Comments

The FTC has subpoenaed Apple as part of an antitrust probe of Google, in order to determine how search is incorporated into iOS devices. The request for information specifically asks for details about agreements that made Google the default search engine on Apple's mobile devices. More »

Google search now shows upcoming concerts, helps you find the next gig originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Feb 2012 00:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Verge  |  Inside Search Blog  | Email this | Comments

In recent months, the proverbial has really hit the fan for file sharing sites. But now, the music industry may be turning its sights to Google instead, focusing on the results they return to people searching for music. More »

Social gaming was a big part of Facebook's success, so in a continued effort to get more people using Google+, the search giant has created a promo video for an upcoming game that turns their maps into a playable labyrinth. More »

As you may know, you can search for photos by dropping a picture on Google Images. It shows you images that are equal or similar to yours. This is what happens when you feed one search with the result of the previous search. 2,951 times. More »

As you may know, you can search for photos by dropping a picture on Google Images. It shows you images that are equal or similar to yours. This is what happens when you feed one search with the result of the previous search. 2,951 times. More »

Mozilla announced Tuesday that it has reached an agreement with Google in which Google Search will remain the default search engine in Firefox for the next three years. “Mozilla has been a valuable partner to Google over the years and we look forward to continuing this great partnership in the years to come,â€� said Google’s senior vice president of search, Alan Eustace. While terms of the agreement remain confidential, Mozilla reported in October that its partnership with Google helped the company achieve a large portion of the $123 million in revenue in reported last year, CNET said.

Read [Mozilla] Read [CNET]

I swear, sometimes Google search is a little too helpful. I prefer my search engines not try to out-think me so normally I just use quotation marks to force it into strict searches. But now, Google Verbatim does that for me automatically, sans the quotes. More »

The search giant sent out invitations to an event for November 16. The invite states that "These Go To Eleven," a reference to the Spinal Tap joke and a clue that it'll be talking about its Google Music service. More »

The search giant sent out invitations to an event for November 16. The invite states that "These Go To Eleven," a reference to the Spinal Tap joke and a clue that it'll be talking about its Google Music service. More »

Maybe it's just a bit of false modesty, but chairman Eric Schmidt told a Senate subcommittee recently that he believes Apple's Siri technology poses a threat to Google in the search market. More »