The week in cloud: Google and Microsoft spar while IBM and SAP play hot hands
photo: Shutterstock / Alexey Repka
Google and Microsoft slapfest continues; IBM pushes Watson for third-party apps; SAP bets big on HANA for ERP. Read more »
Google CEO Larry Page: Do as I say, not as I do
Google CEO Larry Page, who has been suffering from vocal cord issues, showed up at the end of the Google I/O keynote and spent some time talking about his vision of technology and took questions from the audience. And that’s when the fun started. Read more »
The web giants are rising above humans and their petty rules, and that worries me
The titans of the web are rebels, playing by their own rules. That is to be applauded at times, but we should also be thinking about the wider, long-term implications for society and fair competition. Read more »
Why the snap of a photo changed my mind about Google Glass
Until I tried them on, I had no interest in wearing Google Glass around town. But the simple snap of a photo with Google Glass on Wednesday without moving my head or hands gave me a new understanding of Glass. Read more »
What Google was thinking when redesigning the new Google+
Google’s reworking of its social network, Google+ shows that the company has started to marry data with design and craft new experiences. Will that be enough to turn you and I into active participants? Who, knows, I am just happy it doesn’t look like Facebook. Read more »
Struggling Google Wallet reportedly abandons the idea of plastic cards
photo: Android Police
Google has reportedly abandoned plans to launch a physical Google Wallet card. The company’s mobile payment system has been slow to take off. Read more »
GigaOM Reads: A look back at the week in tech
First the New York Times rankles Facebook and then they release a new feed redesign; technology is making people richer, though not as many billionaires; Time runs out for Time Inc.; some VCs have problems & Spotify has more new competition; and a few stories we recommend. Read more »
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The technological imperative: An excerpt from The Battle for the Books
In the latest GigaOM Book, Jeff John Roberts provides an in-depth look at the twists and turns behind Google’s attempt to digitize the world’s books. This excerpt examines why the company took on the project, which promised minimal financial benefit but plenty of legal headaches. Read more »
Google has $8 billion in mobile revenue: is that good or bad?
Google disclosed that it’s on pace to pull in an impressive $8 billion from the mobile environment — but its refusal to provide details about the nature of that revenue means it’s still not possible to tell whether the company can thrive without desktop computers. Read more »
Report: Apple, Google CEOs’ talk could mean possible patent truce
The impetus for these talks was reportedly Apple’s landmark victory in its Samsung patent case last Friday. Apple hasn’t sued Google directly for infringing on iOS patents with Android, but a jury found very easily that Google’s most important and most successful Android customer did. Read more »
Both Google — and CEO Page — still quiet on mobile ad specifics
Google offered few details about search advertising on cell phones even while noting that 400 million people are now using mobile devices that use its Android software. Meanwhile, Google’s CEO was unable to speak about the topic at all. Read more »
Applying The Muppet Theory to tech — who are the Chaos Muppets?
The Muppet Theory making the rounds of late holds that everyone is either either a Chaos Muppet — volatile, energetic, perhaps brilliant — or an Order Muppet, surprise-averse, and hyper-organized. The late Steve Jobs? Order Muppet extraordinaire. Steve Ballmer? Hmmmm. Larry Page? Read more »
So Google owns Motorola. What happens now?
After waiting months and finally gaining approval from China on the deal, Google’s $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola closed on Tuesday. While the deal is still about patents to protect Android partners, Google finally has a vehicle to gain control of Android over the long term. Read more »
How Google is growing up into a real IT company
Of the dozens of meeting requests I received for this year’s Interop conference, the one I least expected came from Google. Interop is all about enterprise IT — networks, security, servers, stuff with gravitas. But in its own way, Google is becoming a serious IT company. Read more »
How tech’s giants want to re-invent journalism
photo: Shutterstock / artjazz
Some of Silicon Valley’s biggest technology companies keep rejecting comparisons with news organisations.
But they nevertheless think they have the prescription for what news media must do next… Read more at paidContent »
Asteroids: a future source of energy materials
Here is a wild idea: mining energy materials for batteries, fuel cells and other electronic devices from asteroids. Except that is exactly the plan announced by a startup on Tuesday that counts Larry Page and Eric Schmidt as investors. Read more »
This week in the Oracle/Google trial: Week 1
One of the biggest trials in the recent history of the tech industry is in full swing, as Oracle and Google argue whether or not Google improperly used technology from Oracle’s Java when developing Android. Here’s what has happened during the first week of the trial. Read more »
Subscriber Content
Social media in Q1: commerce and discovery dominated
Media issues like advertising and discovery along with commerce dominated the activity in social and real-time Web technologies during the first quarter. Google raised some hackles, Facebook responded to demands from traditional advertisers, and Yahoo got a new chief executive. Read more in the full report. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Subscriber Content
Google doesn’t like walled gardens — except its own
Google-co-founder Sergey Brin recently said he believes the future of the “open Internet” is at risk. Then why is the company trying to build its own closed network? Because the open vs. closed debate is more complicated than it first appears when it comes to Google. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Google still having to prove it’s ready for mobile
One year into the second coming of Larry Page, a lot has changed but one thing hasn’t: Google is still making boatloads of money off its core search product and still having to face questions about whether it is prepared for its world to change. Read more »
CEO Larry Page & 7 amazing stats about Google
On the occasion of the first anniversary as the chief executive officer, Larry Page shared a letter with company’s investors. While reading the letter, some stats caught my eye that are simply staggering, regardless of how one feels about the company. Read more »
Google also used Android/iOS battle “for show”
Google CEO Larry Page is either experiencing amnesia or consciously rewriting the history of Apple and Google in the battle for mobile developers and consumers. In an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek, Page says that for Apple, the “Android differences were actually for show.” Read more »
Google: AppEngine is here to stay
Software developers in search of a platform still wonder whether Google is really serious about Google AppEngine. Google’s Greg D’alesandre insists that Google — up to and including CEO Larry Page — is all-in with GAE Read more »
Hey, new-and-improved Google, please fix your apps
Google under CEO Larry Page will focus on easy, intuitive user experience, according to VP Marissa Mayer. Taking her at her word, could the company please, please get to work on its productivity applications and really fix Google Docs and Gmail? Read more »
This is why Google is losing the future
“Google is a crack dealer” is a phrase Larry Page never wanted to hear: but as the company’s relationships with developers begin to fracture across the board — from the web to mobile to apps — it is losing its grip on its own destiny. Read more »
60% of YouTube’s video ads are skippable
Google SVP of ads Susan Wojcicki said on the company’s earnings call that 60 percent of all video ads that appear on YouTube are TrueView ads, meaning that viewers can skip it and move on to the video if it’s not relevant or interesting. Read more »
And the CEO of the 21st century is . . .
We are barely into the second decade of this century and already one Harvard Business School academic (who is a former CEO himself) is naming his candidate for CEO of the 21st century. His choice may or may not surprise you. Check it out. Read more »
Joi Ito: Open-source hardware is a no brainer
The coming wave of open-source hardware, 3-D printing and other breakthroughs will open the floodgates to tech innovation, just as open-source software sparked the last tech boom by fueling the Google, Facebook software empires, said Joi Ito, director of MIT’s Media Lab. Read more »
Larry Page, CEO of the year? You kidding me?!
Investor’s Business Daily has named Google’s Larry Page “CEO of the year” eight months after he took over for Eric Schmidt. Talk about being premature. There is no doubt he has made many moves, but it is not clear if those moves are going to pay off. Read more »
Video: Google’s Schmidt, Page Answer ‘Really Hard Questions’ At Zeitgeist
At Google’s Zeitgeist Americas conference, Larry Page spent a good amount of time on stage — maybe one of the longest appearances he has ma… Read more at paidContent »
Focusing on what works, Google shuts down Aardvark
Google’s doing a bit of house cleaning today, announcing on its blog that it’s shutting down a handful of properties and projects, including a big one they shelled out $50 million for. Social search company Aardvark is getting the axe just 18 months after being acquired. Read more »
Is Google becoming more mature — but less interesting?
Ever since co-founder Larry Page took over as CEO in January, Google has been getting more businesslike, shutting down projects like Google Health and now Google Labs. While this may be a sign of maturity, it could also make the company less experimental — and less interesting. Read more »
Subscriber Content
Don’t relax, Google. Integrate
Google had a great quarter and finally has a hot social media offering. But it can’t relax on its laurels. Google faces key challenges to the growth of its search and advertising businesses that it could address with better product ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Google passes on chance to signal stronger Android patent defense
Google CEO Larry Page addressed a question about what Google’s plans regarding Android’s patent situation, but generally side-stepped the query, pointing to Android’s momentum before finishing with a modest commitment to the platform. It seems like a missed opportunity to signal support to manufacturers and developers. Read more »
Why Larry Page thinks Google+ will win
Google+ has gained 10 million users in the few weeks since its launch, but it has a long way to go to catch up with Facebook. So why is Google CEO Larry Page convinced Google+ will be a major competitor in the social space? Read more »
Why I Like Google’s Reorg & Why It’s Only a Start
This week, Larry Page took back the reins of Google. In his first task as CEO, Page has shaken up the executive ranks in a reorg that’s about addressing two of Google’s big challenges: its overcomplicated bureaucratic structure and Facebook. Read more »
Dear Google: You Can’t Threaten People Into Being Social
In a memo to Google staff, new CEO and co-founder Larry Page says employee bonuses are effectively on the line if the company’s efforts to add more social features don’t succeed. But the Google co-founder may find that you can’t threaten people into being social. Read more »
What If Google Is Just a One-Trick Pony?
Google justified its CEO swap by saying the company needed to become more flexible. But what if the search giant’s biggest problem isn’t a lack of flexibility, but a fundamental inability to create new lines of business? What if it’s just a gargantuan one-trick pony? Read more »
Page As CEO. Is That What Google Really Needs?
Google CEO Eric Schmidt is stepping down to become executive chairman of the web giant, and Larry Page is taking back the chief executive position he had until Schmidt arrived in 2001. But does the Google co-founder have what Google needs right now? Read more »
