Archive for October, 2008
Google, Yahoo Ad Partnership May Falter
A proposed partnership amoung Google and Yahoo for the sale and distribution of online advertisements has been a hot topic in tech circles that year, drawing scrutiny from privacy groups, European regulators and the Justice division. Now reports are circulating that the long-delayed deal might fall apart.
In an scoop in the online version of the Wall Street Journal, reporter Jessica Vascellaro says that according to “people familiar with the matter,” the companies might walk away from the deal as early as next week.
“The two companies met Thursday with the Justice station, part of a series of meetings to address the concerns of regulators,” Vascellaro reported. “While the parties may agree to continue the talks — or they could reach a resolution — there are signs they are unwilling to form compromises to address the Justice Department’s objections.”
Representatives of both companies said that discussions with the Justice agency are ongoing, but otherwise declined to discuss the specifics of any negotiations. Yahoo spokesperson Tracy Schmaler said that Yahoo is still hoping to resolve matters.
“We have been working with the office of Justice regarding our agreement with Google, and those discussions are ongoing,” Schmaler said. “As we have said, we believe strongly that that agreement will strengthen Yahoo’s competitive position in online advertising and will help to drive a more robust, higher-quality Yahoo marketplace for our advertisers, publishers and users.”
Sticking Points
Without more elaboration from the principals, it is difficult to know precisely what is holding up the Justice Department’s verdict on the antitrust implications of the proposed ad deal. The companies agreed to give the Justice branch four months to evaluate the proposal, but the deadline came and went earlier that month without any word from Washington.
Vascellaro suggested that one sticking point is a DOJ proposal to have the parties sign a consent…
Orginal post by Mike
Microsoft Puts Booths In Front Of Apple Store
Microsoft has setup a booth just outside the Apple Store, Bullring, Birmingham. The booth looks like it will aim to turn patrons away from the Mac store by the next few days. As part of Microsoft’s new $300 million advertising campaign, Microsoft has invited visitors to its website to upload their own videos and photos to show “how they, too, are PCs”. that is probably a response from Microsoft to Apple’s “I’m a Mac” ads. To be honest, Apple will probably just invent fun of Microsoft’s latest attempt to look trendy and fun, so we’ll just wait and see what the response from Apple is.
Add a comment | From: Microsoft Puts Booths In Front Of Apple Store | Visit Ubergizmo | Good deals
Orginal post by Mike
Nintendo DSi To Be Released In Summer 2009?
Reports have surfaced that Nintendo’s DSi handheld will be released in the US during the summer of 2009. While that means it’s still a while away, folks in Japan on the other hand, will be able to get theirs from that Saturday onwards for about $192. In preparation for these sales, Nintendo has already shipped 200,000 units of the DSi, and plans to ship another 100,000 during the following week. Global credit crunch or not, Nintendo looks like it’s in for a busy Christmas period.
Add a comment | From: Nintendo DSi To Be Released In Summer 2009? | Visit Ubergizmo | Good deals
Orginal post by Mike
Google Makes PDF Files Searchable
Google has rarely included scanned documents in its search results considering it had no way to determine the nature of the composition, but that’s about to change. The search engine giant says it will use optical character recognition (OCR) software to build it possible for Web surfers to search any Web-hosted document stored in the PDF file format developed by Adobe Systems.
Google is using the technology to convert scanned documents into equivalent text files that can be searched, indexed and returned as responses to Google search queries, noted Evin Levey, a Google product manager.
“This is a small but urgent step forward in our mission of making all the world’s info accessible and useful,” Levey said.
A Boon for Books
The company’s brute-force application of OCR technology to the Web is plus expected to aid Google Book Search — the ambitious and controversial book-scanning project that the search engine giant first unveiled at the 2004 Frankfurt Book Fair. Ever since, Google has been scanning the book collections at the world’s major libraries at a rate of 3,000 book titles per day.
Though the project initially raised copyright concerns, Google has just concluded an agreement with the Authors Guild and the organization of American Publishers under which Google will be able to expand online access to millions of in-copyright books and other written materials in the United States. The agreement resolves lawsuits that had challenged Google’s plan to digitize, search and show snippets of in-copyright books and to share digital copies with libraries without the explicit permission of the copyright owner.
Google’s Chief Legal Officer David Drummond says the agreement is truly groundbreaking considering it will give readers online access to millions of in-copyright books for the very first date.
“Second, it will create a new market for authors and publishers to sell…
Orginal post by Mike
Recon Scout Throwable Robot
You can run, but you definitely can’t hide - not when you have the Recon Scout robot hot on your trail. that might look like a technologically advanced dumbbell at first glance, but it actually does something totally different from building up your biceps. The Recon Scout robot moves around on electric motors that are quieter than a human whisper, and can be controlled by a handheld controller as lengthy as it remains within a 100 foot radius. The remote control comes with an integrated display so that the human controller will know where to position the Recon Scout robot as it searches for someone hiding in a prison or correctional facility. It is durable suitable not to be turned off by a hard impact, so anyone throwing the Recon Scout against the floor or wall will be in for a big surprise, as it was specially built to survive a 30 foot drop onto concrete.
Add a comment | From: Recon Scout Throwable Robot | Visit Ubergizmo | Good deals
Orginal post by Mike
50-foot Snowball Launcher
In every battle, having ranged units are always an advantage, assuming they’re on higher ground for an advantage multiplier with close combat forces nearby just in case of an ambush. Same goes for a snowball fight, as you will have a great advantage with the 50′ Snowball Launcher that is able to throw softball-sized snowballs up to the stated range, giving you the chance to strike the enemy before they can even approach your base to engage in another barrage of snowballs. All you need to do is place a ready-made snowball in the muzzle, take aim, pull back the slingshot mechanism and see whether your calculations are spot-on or not. Good thing it uses elastomers instead of batteries, hence prolonging your fun. The 50′ Snowball Launcher can be yours for $29.95 - a perfect gift for the upcoming winter.
Add a comment | From: 50-foot Snowball Launcher | Visit Ubergizmo | Good deals
Orginal post by Mike
Opera Mini Given The Boot By Apple
it is sad to see Apple rejecting Opera Mini for the iPhone from the Apple Store, leaving iPhone users with Mobile Safari as their browser of choice. Not that the latter is poor in any way, but hey, whether Opera Mini is one of the most popular mobile browsers on handheld devices and has availed itself to smartphones everywhere regardless of operating system, why not the iPhone? According to Mr. von Tetzchner, Opera’s engineers have developed churned out an iPhone version of Opera Mini but Apple fears that that could compete with their own Safari browser, hence the rejection. whether you’re an iPhone user, would you be happy with that development?
Add a comment | From: Opera Mini Given The Boot By Apple | Visit Ubergizmo | Good deals
Orginal post by Mike
