Alphabet Inc. (formerly: Google)

TV seems the focus for Google and Apple...

Google explores Web TV service: Sources

SAN FRANCISCO — Google, operator of the world’s most-popular search engine, has held discussions with media companies to introduce its own online-television service, sources with knowledge of the matter said.

The product would offer viewers television packages that bypass cable subscriptions, said the sources, who asked not to be identified because the matter is private. The talks, which also cover issues related to online piracy, are preliminary and nothing is imminent, the sources said.

http://www.todayonline.com/tech/google-e...ce-sources

Makes sense. With the proliferation of smart TV sets that connect to internet, I can see people watching Youtube on top of their regular TV and cable program.

Google Q2 results miss as online ad prices slip

SAN FRANCISCO — Google reported second-quarter results short of Wall Street’s estimates as weakening prices for the Internet company’s ads and widening losses from its Motorola mobile phone business weighed on the bottom line.

Shares for Google, which had risen to all-time highs in recent weeks, were down more than 5 per cent at US$863 in after-hours trading yesterday, having earlier closed at US$910.68 on the Nasdaq.

The average price of Google’s online ads decreased 6 per cent on-year in the second quarter, compared with the first quarter’s 4 per cent decrease, even as the overall number of Internet user clicks on Google ads increased 23 per cent during the quarter.

Google, the world’s No 1 Internet search engine, said net income in the quarter was US$3.23 billion, or US$9.54 per share, compared with US$2.79 billion, or US$8.42 per share, in the year-ago period

http://www.todayonline.com/tech/google-q...rices-slip

Google to launch 2nd-gen Nexus 7 next week: Reports

SAN FRANCISCO - The updated version of Google’s flagship tablet is rumoured to launch on July 24.

The second-generation Nexus 7 tablet, which Google is expected to unveil at an event in San Francisco next week, apparently includes a rear-facing camera and is expected to run Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean), according to leaked photos and specs.

Like its predecessor, the new Nexus has a 7-inch LCD display and a 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera. It also has a 5-megapixel camera on the back for snapping pictures, according to details leaked by technology site Android Central.

The original Nexus 7 ran on an Nvidia Tegra 3 processor, whereas the upcoming model will reportedly feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor. The new model also has a 1980 x 1200 resolution, compared to 1280 x 800 on the original version, the Daily Telegraph reported.

http://www.todayonline.com/tech/gadgets/...ek-reports

Hmm... It seems that next Google's product has more "wow" factors than next Apple's product ...

Google unveils ‘self-driving’ smartphone

NEW YORK - Google has unveiled an American-built “self-driving” smartphone, the first made from scratch by Motorola since it was acquired by the internet company last year.

Using voice control as its standout feature, the Moto X is designed to be in permanent listening mode, able to serve up directions, a weather forecast or dial a number in response to a spoken command.

http://www.todayonline.com/tech/gadgets/...smartphone

Google is almost half of the Internet... Wow...

Google’s 5-minute outage kills 40% of Internet traffic

SAN FRANCISCO — An outage seemingly affecting all of Google’s services last Friday left many users lost, according to reports.

The disruption started around 4.37pm Pacific Time (7.37am, Saturday, Singapore time) and lasted between one and five minutes, according the Google Apps dashboard. Online tech website The Register said all services were back online by 4.48pm.

The blackout affected Google’s services simultaneously, including Google Drive, Search, YouTube and Gmail.

Internet traffic across the globe plunged in the wake of Google’s services failure, reported India’s Hindustan Times.

According to the report by Web analytics firm GoSquared, global Internet numbers fell 40 per cent, an indication of the tech giant’s hold over global Internet services.

http://www.todayonline.com/tech/googles-...et-traffic

(19-08-2013, 07:31 PM)CityFarmer Wrote: Google is almost half of the Internet... Wow...

This piece of news also made me realise how dependent many companies are on Data/Server centres. More companies are moving towards Big Data and Cloud computing.

Does this mean that Data Centres have room for strong growth? Probably Keppel T&T will benefit from this trend? Mapletree Industrial Trust is also building a data centre for Equinix.

(19-08-2013, 09:23 PM)Dividend Warrior Wrote:

(19-08-2013, 07:31 PM)CityFarmer Wrote: Google is almost half of the Internet... Wow...

This piece of news also made me realise how dependent many companies are on Data/Server centres. More companies are moving towards Big Data and Cloud computing.

Does this mean that Data Centres have room for strong growth? Probably Keppel T&T will benefit from this trend? Mapletree Industrial Trust is also building a data centre for Equinix.

Er... the news shows the dependency of companies on Google services, regardless of data/server centres used? Big Data and Cloud computing are also irrelevant here, except Google Cloud, but it seemed not affected in this incident...

(19-08-2013, 09:49 PM)CityFarmer Wrote:

(19-08-2013, 09:23 PM)Dividend Warrior Wrote:

(19-08-2013, 07:31 PM)CityFarmer Wrote: Google is almost half of the Internet... Wow...

This piece of news also made me realise how dependent many companies are on Data/Server centres. More companies are moving towards Big Data and Cloud computing.

Does this mean that Data Centres have room for strong growth? Probably Keppel T&T will benefit from this trend? Mapletree Industrial Trust is also building a data centre for Equinix.

Er... the news shows the dependency of companies on Google services, regardless of data/server centres used? Big Data and Cloud computing are also irrelevant here, except Google Cloud, but it seemed not affected in this incident...

Thanks for clarifying, CityFarmer.

I like Kit-Kat, which provided needed energy during busy days...

Google dubs new Android system ‘KitKat’

NEW YORK — Google, which is known for nick-naming its Android mobile operating systems for smartphones and tablets after desserts, has chosen a brand-name candy for its 4.4 version that’s expected to launch this fall: Kit Kat.

Financial terms weren’t disclosed for the sweet deal between Google and Hershey, which makes Kit Kat.

Google approached Hershey about six to nine months ago for permission to use the name, said Ms Jennifer Podhajsky, vice president of US chocolate at Hershey, which licenses the Kit Kat brand in the US, while Nestle owns the worldwide brand.

Ms Podhajsky said that Kit Kat’s jingle is a good fit for people taking a break to look at their smartphones or tablets. She added that the deal appeals to Hershey because Android hits the sweet spot of Kit Kat eaters, who are typically between the ages of 18 and 34.

“Kit Kat consumers are young, vibrant consumers of candy and chocolate bars, and that’s a nice match with Android,” Ms Podhajsky said.
...
http://www.todayonline.com/tech/google-d...tem-kitkat