The customer who says "I don’t like that" is loathed by companies everywhere. Their ideal customer says "I don’t like that," explains why, and offers a reasonable suggestion, instead. Microsoft is trying to bring users possessing this mindset to an experimental search engine called U Rank.
Google-Yahoo Deal Delayed
A report surfaced yesterday saying the Googel-Yahoo ad deal was effectively toast. That was according to an unnamed lawyer present at a meeting between the Dept. of Justice and attorneys for the companies. But the companies’ official public response is that the (waiting) game is still on.
Google CEO Denies Interest In Government Job
Google CEO Eric Schmidt has been on the campaign trail stumping for Barack Obama, virtually formalizing his “informal campaign advisor” role, a suddenly very public endorsement that fueled speculation about a possible cabinet position, specifically Obama’s proposed tech czar.
Amazon’s Newest Foray Into Gaming
Amazon has purchased Reflexive Entertainment, a computer game developer based in Lake Forest, California, founded 11 years ago. Apart from actually developing games for PCs, Macs, and even the XBox 360, they own the popular site Reflexive Arcade, which offers downloads of PC games and Mac games, as well as online web games.
Google Expands Geolocation API to WiFi
Google announced that they have expanded the Google Gears Geolocation API to include WiFi compatibility. Previously, it was only available for mobile phones. It is set up so that applications using the API can find WiFi networks within 200m.
Yahoo Continues Quest for Relevancy
Yahoo is still awaiting approval from the U.S. Department of Justice on their proposed search advertising deal with Google, but that has not stopped them from making adjustments to their own advertising platform. In fact, some think they might even be doing it to emphasize to critics of the deal, that they are still serious about their own advertising endeavors, and are not just bowing down to the forces of Google.
More Journalists Embracing Social Media
Journalist’s use of online resources to cover news stories continues to be more extensive then believed by public relations professionals, according to a study by Bulldog Reporter and TEKgroup International, Inc.
Gmail Cans Email Replies
There is a new feature for Gmail, which will allow users to create a "canned response". This means you will be able to save a message that you are likely to send a number of times. Gmail engineer Chad Perry gives the example of being on paternity leave and leaving the following response "in the can":
Joetheplumber.com Gets Big Offers
I ran into Joe the Plumber this morning. He said he and Joe Six Pack plan to celebrate their newfound fame tonight by gettin’ lit and layin’ pipe. Those guys! Another Joe the Plumber, this one in Amarillo, Texas, is about to score big time with his joetheplumber.com domain.
The New and Improved iGoogle
Google has rolled out a new version of homepage customizer iGoogle. They say they’ve rolled it out to all U.S. users, but that would include me, and I have seen no signs of it on my page, so apparently "all" is a little strong. Hopefully I will be included soon, because being a fan of iGoogle, I would find the new features quite useful.