Tag Archives: Google

You won't be able to see it on the surface, but Google has just overhauled the way its search engine handles your queries. According to senior vice president at the firm, Amit Singhal, Google now understands you better than ever and can draw more meaning from your terms and therefore …

If you've ever glanced down from a Youtube video at the threads of conversation below, you'll know that it's not exactly the most englightened or informed place. There's no decent system of sorting the good comments from the bad, lots of upvoted “upvote this please,” comments and more often than …

For some time now, Google has had a list of search terms that it limits the functionality of, not offering suggestions through instant search and you'll need to actually hit the enter key to see any results pertaining to those terms. No one knows exactly how many words are on …

Leaked images show Google opting for a ‘flat' design for its stock apps in the next iteration of Android. This new design choice has shown up soon after the launch of IOS 7, which has drawn praise for its brand new look. While the leaked images are a bit blurry, …

Google Chromecast, the $35 dongle that made the ‘smart' tv redundant, has it's first competitor, with Sony announcing it's Google OS based ‘Bravia Smartstick,' priced at £100.  However, at that higher price point does it stand much of a chance? It doesn't really have the  sleek and simple design of …

Cyanogenmod, one of the most popular custom roms for Android users looking for a more stock experience, has raised $7 million to release it's own version of the operating system in a bid to become the third most used mobile OS. With 8 million registered users already its off to …

Media lobby groups like the MPAA and RIAA in America and the BPI over here in the UK, have been using all sorts of nefarious tactics over the past few years, to try and block sites related to piracy. They've used DMCA takedown requests – that have even targeted their …

Boy oh boy does the music and film industry love DMCA takedown requests. Since Google began publishing the requests it receives in an effort to be more transparent, we've become privy to the millions of URLs that automated tools working on behalf of the BPI, MPAA, RIAA and other such …

Google has submitted a new proposal to the European Commission, offering further concessions in an effort to avoid the biggest fine the EUC has ever threatened to give out: $5 billion. In it, Google offers to make it easier for advertisers to switch between search engines and for consumers to …

Google is one of those companies, that managed to turn its brand name into the generic term for what it does, like bandaids or iPods. It's  so embedded in our culture in-fact, that a lot of people don't even know there are alternatives. So it's no surprise that if Google …

Microsoft has accused Google of deliberately sabotaging its ability to have a working Youtube application on the Windows phone platform, by “manufacturing” reasons why it could revoke the Windows maker's license to use the Youtube API. In a blog post titled, “The limits of Google's openness,” Microsoft corporate VP and …

With the early second quarter numbers just in from Asus, it looks like the technology giant has managed to battle its way to increased sales in a tough market. KitGuru sits back to analyse the numbers and ponder what they mean. Small companies always look good. Anything they do – …

To help spread their latest viruses and trojans, malware creators are turning to legitimate content distribution platforms – meaning no one should trust downloads from any site without having a quick check first. The latest infection was picked up by the guys over at digital security solution firm, Zscaler Inc, …

One of the biggest problems with the US government's PRISM information gathering program, is that it forbids many of the companies involved from being open about what information has been shared – making it hard for anyone to know exactly what data has been collected about them. Yesterday though, many …

Google has announced via its blog, a new crackdown on website spammers that manipulate the back button in your browser, to send you to a page that looks convincingly like the search page you were just on, when in-fact, it's an ad filled mess. Well no more. To prevent this …

You'd be forgiven for not really taking this research about Apple and Google seriously, considering how many smartphones and other devices each company has sold in the last year, but apparently it is the case. According to YouGov BrandIndex, Americans really aren't as fond of both firms as they were …

Following a heads-up on the heads-off for Google Reader, the search giant has now consigned Reader to the dust pile of history. Was it worth having? Will anyone miss it?  Where will people go next? KitGuru gives it due consideration. Most companies follow a simple, predictable pattern. Early innovation leads …

We've mentioned it a few times in recent months, how the current gaming landscape is the most crowded it's ever been, hardware wise. You have the PC as strong as ever and the Xbox 360 and PS3 starting to wind down but still with a big install base and plenty …

Google has been the top dog when it comes to mapping software for quite a while now, which is why the Federal trade commission is looking to investigate the search giant after it bought up Israeli startup, Waze, the popular smartphone app that used inputs from users to offer live …

PRISM has become a shining example of encroaching government surveillance on western civilization and understandably, people are mad about it. However, a Google spokesperson has refuted claims that government agencies have direct access to its servers – it simply delivers the data by hand or FTP. This isn't necessary Google's …

Maurice Sendak, the author of abstract children's tale, Where The Wild Things Are, might have been dead for over a year now, but today is his birthday and it's worth celebrating and what better way to do that, than with a Google Doodle? Visiting Google's page at the time of …

In a move that shouldn't be a surprise at this point, several major movie studios have asked Google to remove Kim Dotcom's Mega site from its search engines, claiming that the file locker is hosting copyright protected content without permission. However, it's not individual file links that the studios want …

Google is looking to make your Google + page that bit better looking, by helping sift through all your awful photos to find the best ones. Using a new algorithm, the search giant is now able to highlight the “best” photos that you upload to make a collage of great …

Until now Google has offered 5GB of storage for its free services, like Google Drive and Google+ and 10GB on Gmail. Today though, it announced that over the next few weeks it'll be rolling out an update that changes it to 15GB across all three services. The reasoning behind this change is …

Google has hired a veteran of the videogame industry, Noah Falstein, to head up its Game Design division, presumably to work on a new Android title/platform/series – maybe even something that will run on Google Glass headwear. Falstein has been in games design since the 80s, becoming one of the …

Being the dominant search engine for over a decade has seen Google face-off against many commissions for potential anti-competitiveness practices. If you're on top, this is bound to happen. Now though Google has agreed with a regulator ruling, that suggested it was a little covert about links that sent people to …

Movie studios aren't keen on having people share their content illegally online, they've made a big point about this. However, now they're claiming that their takedown requests are actually infringing themselves, with several asking Google to remove them from the transparency reports. In an effort to name and shame companies …

Google has continued its recent trend of shutting down some of its services, with today's Blocked Sites following on from Google Reader earlier this month. However, the search giant is at least offering an alternative this time: the Personal Blocklist Chrome extension – though of course you'll need to be …

Go almost anywhere in the world and ask people what kind of building they want to work in – and Google's creations are discussed early on and with passion. The company prides itself on integrating humanity into one happy unit. KitGuru wonders how this will work in Israel. Opening a …

Google makes the bulk of its revenue from advertising, almost £30 billion a year in fact. However that foundation of income could be threatened, as Ebay has just produced a new study that claims the adverts people are paying for, have almost no effect on sales. “Results show that brand-keyword …