Google Image Search Adds New Features
Google has been working on a couple of new features for Google Image Search. The first one is the addition of suggestions for Google Image Search, which is basically just Google Suggest for the image search engine.
U.S. Consumers Avoiding Mobile Banking
U.S. consumers think mobile banking is important but do not want to pay for it and are hesitant to use their mobile devices for financial transactions and online banking, according to a survey by accounting firm KPMG.
The survey of about 500 U.S. consumers found the majority (91%) had never tried banking on a mobile device. Of those respondents who have never done banking on a mobile device, 48 percent said security and privacy were the main reason.
Google Introduces New Features for App Engine
At Campfire One, an event where developers are invited to "talk shop" at the Google campus, Google announced a new set of features for App Engine that helps it interface more easily with existing technologies.
Kutcher’s Million, Twilight In Paris, and Jury Box Tweeting
People’s search habits on Twitter aren’t so different from their search habits elsewhere; Ashton Kutcher may be the first Twitterer to grab a million followers; and an Arkansas judge says a juror’s reckless tweeting does not warrant a new trial.
Blockbuster May Have Busted Its Last Block
Mom-and-Pops might get to watch Blockbuster close up shop for a change. In a filing with the SEC, the movie rental company acknowledges it may not be able to secure a $250 million loan to continue operations.
Blockbuster, which operates 7,400 stores in 20 countries, had hoped to close next month on financing that would float them until 2010. Because of lender reluctance and the illiquidity facing the larger economy, however, the company may not be able to meet lenders’ terms. From the SEC filing summary:
Google CEO Eric Schmidt Fires Back at Newspapers
The Associated Press (AP) announced this week that it’s working on a system to "protect" its content from being "misappropriated" online. Murdok CEO Rich Ord posted a thought-provoking piece on the subject giving some background into the situation.
Facebook Unveils New TOS On April 16th
This year April 16th is no longer just the day after your taxes must be done (or extensions filed depending on what’s going on). This day is now a new Opening Day of sorts. It is the day the Facebook’s new terms of service (TOS) will be unveiled after the 30 day public comment period.
Older Generations Are Flocking To Twitter
The folks at comScore put some numbers to what everyone already suspects. Twitter traffic is growing at a very rapid rate. What may surprise some are the people that are leading the charge. They also say that the March numbers to be released in the next week will raise some eyebrows as well.
Despite Recession, US Online Ad Spending Continues to Rise
Research shows that marketers are spending more on online advertising and less on ads in newspapers, magazines, and radio. According to eMarketer, each year, ad spending on online media is growing by at least a percentage point.
eMarketer also projects that online ad dollars will jump about 5% by 2013. Here’s how they see it playing out:
XP Remains an Option for Windows
If you’re Microsoft, it probably isn’t the most comforting thought to know the biggest headline about your new OS, Windows 7, isn’t about features or updates… it’s about supported downgrade options.
Of course if you are a Vista person who has already downgraded back to XP, today is a good day for you. Microsoft has announced that the new Windows 7 OS will have downgrade support to both Vista and XP.