Open Source Google Apps Provisioning Toolkit Appears
Ever see the animation in which a figure wears down his fingers, arms, and then head while typing quickly? IT admins risk becoming that figure if they’ve got to create too many accounts in Google Apps. Or they can avoid the bloodshed and use the new Open Source Google Apps Provisioning Toolkit.
iTunes Becomes Number 2 Music Seller In U.S.
The amount of music that consumers purchased in the U.S. rose by 6 percent in 2007, according to The NPD Group.An increase in digital download revenues was not able to make up for the decline in CD sales, which resulted in a net 10 percent decline in music spending (from $44 to $40 per capita among Internet users).
SMX West: Tasty Blend Of Search, Retail
Universal search presents retailers an opportunity to reach searchers with more information than a few words of plain text.
Opera Dumps Yahoo Search From Mobile Browsers
Users of the Opera Mini or Opera Mobile web browsers will see Google take Yahoo’s place as the default search on March 1st.
EFF Wants Horvath, Google Messages
Former Justice Department chief privacy officer Jane Horvath once criticized the government subpoena in Gonzales v Google; she joined Google’s legal team last August.
SMX West: Universal Search Abides, Dude
The big thing in search brings more than text to searchers. Images and video figure in the universal search plans of the major engines.
Comcast Is Blocktastic
Here’s some news to make you feel icky all over: Comcast paid disinterested uninterested squatters and employees to fill up the room at the FCC hearing at Harvard Law. With supporters and ambivalent attendees taking up real estate 90 minutes beforehand, protestors were unable to enter the building.
Skype Gets A New CEO
Skype isn’t exactly a model company; onlookers have often equated it with an anchor weighing eBay down. But, be that as it may, Josh Silverman seems content enough to have been appointed CEO of the Internet telephone company.
YouTube To Test Personalized Homepage
YouTube said it is testing a new experimental personalized homepage with a small group of users it has selected at random.Don’t worry if you are not part of the group testing the new homepage, YouTube says it will give access to everyone in the near future. The experimental homepage will still have "Featured" and "Most Popular" videos but will add personalized recommendations, videos from subscriptions and a way to see what videos your friends are uploading and rating.
CPC Is Flat, But People Are Still Shopping
Speculation as to why Google’s paid clicks have flattened in January has led to further speculation that a recession has caused consumers to do less search-initiated shopping. Hitwise’s Bill Tancer has information that suggests otherwise.(It occurs to me also that investors have been spoiled by Google’s constant growth, as even when Google grows there is disappointment that there wasn’t more growth. And flat returns now might as well be declines. Regardless, I suppose market corrections are inevitable. It just sucks if you bought in at $747 per share.)