Bard: Google launches ChatGPT rival

Bard is built on Google's existing large language model Lamda, which one engineer described as being so human-like in its responses that he believed it was sentient.

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-64546299

Google+ shutting down for consumers

Siting several privacy issues with the Google+ APIs, a blog post by Google announced the shutting down of Google+ for consumers in the coming 10 months.

Google officially ends forced Google+ integration on YouTube

Google said it will no longer require Google+ accounts to use any of its products, and it will continue to strip Google+ integration out of all of its products. The YouTube blog announced that "in the coming weeks," comments will no longer require Google+; as of today, comments made on YouTube won't show up on Google+, and vice-versa.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/07/google-officially-ends-forced-google-integration-first-up-youtube/

Google Reader Shutdown a Sobering Reminder That 'Our' Technology Isn't Ours

Alex Kantrowitz at Forbes writes: The death of Google Reader reveals a problem with the modern Internet that many of us likely have in the back of our heads but are afraid to let surface: We are all participants in a user driven Internet, but we are still just the users, nothing more. No matter how much work we put in to optimize our online presences, our tools, and our experiences, we are still at the mercy of big companies controlling the platforms we operate on.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexkantrowitz/2013/03/13/google-reader-shutdown-a-sobering-reminder-that-our-technology-isnt-ours/

Google Reader to be shutdown

Google, in its latest blog post on its newest round or services cleanup, announced its plans to retire Google Reader on July 1, 2013.

Google Reader, launched on October 7, 2005, is an RSS/Atom feed aggregator service that runs on the cloud without the need to download and install a client software on the desktop.

Google shuts down Google Directory

Google has shut down the human curated web directory named Google Directory last week, on July 20th.

The web directory - which was hosted at http://directory.google.com - was organized into 16 broad categories and further subcategories, and was based on DMOZ, an open-source project also known as the Open Directory Project (ODP).

During the early days of the World Wide Web, web directories were a preferred way to discover and find content on the web but with the advent of crawler-based search engines, the relevance of web directories have diminished. Below is a screenshot (for remembrance) as the page was on July 17, 2011 - also archived here.

The rival project Yahoo! Directory is, however, still up and running at http://dir.yahoo.com/.

Update 2014-12-31: Yahoo! has also shut down its web directory which I have logged here.

Visualizing Search Volume Patterns at Google's Insights for Search

Google has some cool new visualization tools up at Insights for Search. It lets you compare search volume patterns across specific regions, categories, time frames and properties.

This chart shows the interest trends for the Firefox web browser over a time period. [view directly at Google Insights for Search]

How it works? In their own words, "Google Insights for Search analyzes a portion of worldwide Google web searches from all Google domains to compute how many searches have been done for the terms you've entered, relative to the total number of searches done on Google over time. You can choose to see data for select Google properties, including Web search, Images, Product search, and News search.

This one compares the changing trends for the Firefox and Internet Explorer web browsers. [view directly at Google Insights for Search]

People from a wide range of professions and interests would find applications for this type of analytical data. Whether you are a CEO, marketing professional, author or a blogger, market research pays - for it tells you what people in various population segments are looking for.

The chart below shows popular searches related to Firefox that people make. [view directly at Google Insights for Search]

Hit the links provided to view the charts directly at Google Insights where you can build your own customized version and also get the code for embedding them in your website, or get a link to share.

Google Shutting Down Google Video

Google is shutting down its premium video service, leaving users who purchased or rented content unable to access their videos in the future. They won't receive refunds but are offered a $5 credit on Google Checkout, expiring in 60 days. The move comes after Google's acquisition of YouTube on October 9, 2006, making Google Video less relevant. Analysts criticize the decision, as users lose access to content they bought despite functioning players. Google originally launched this video hosting service on January 25, 2005. The BBC reports it here.

Google buying FeedBurner for $100 million

In this context, it is essential to recognize that the aggregation of personal preferences and browsing history of ordinary users is consolidating within the databases of a single company. This aggregation enables the correlation and analysis of vast amounts of private information. While this information is already scattered across the internet, the concern arises from its gradual centralization under the control of a single private entity. The potential consequences for our personal and private data in relation to our browsing experiences are a matter of concern.

One notable outcome of this centralization is the potential for the company to offer more integrated, personalized, and localized services to its users. This aspect is particularly intriguing in the current landscape of internet search dominated by companies like Google.

Wired writes Google To Drop $100 Million On Feedburner here. BetaNews reports Google to Acquire Feedburner for $100 Million here.

Can Google and Linux Topple Microsoft?

The Federal Aviation Administration's CIO, David Bowen, is considering replacing Microsoft Windows and Office with Linux and Google Apps Premium for cost and compatibility reasons. Google Apps offers collaborative tools, but not all functionalities of Microsoft Office. Concerns exist over data security with third-party servers. Microsoft argues that costs are not solely dependent on software and addresses compatibility issues. The FAA has not made a final decision yet. Here is an article from Route-Fifty.

Google Surpasses Microsoft as the World's Most Valuable Brands

Google has surpassed Microsoft as the world's top-ranked brand, with General Electric, Coca-Cola, and others following. Factors like corporate responsibility and expansion into emerging markets contributed to brand recognition. China Mobile topped the list for non-U.S. brands. The rankings were based on financial data and interviews with a million consumers. Google's rise highlights its word-of-mouth promotion approach, while Microsoft slid despite a massive marketing campaign for Windows Vista. Apple and Starbucks saw significant improvements, while Intel, Home Depot, and Dell declined in the brand rankings. A Reuters article is available here.

Google pays $3.1bn for DoubleClick

Google acquired DoubleClick, a pioneer in online advertising, for $3.1 billion in cash, making Google a major player in online display advertising. Despite DoubleClick's revenues being estimated at $300m-$400m, the high price reflects intense competition in the online advertising market. Google aims to cross-sell DoubleClick's services to its existing search advertising customers. The deal allows Google to expand its advertising market as its core search advertising business slows down. The integration of search and display advertising is a significant benefit of the acquisition. DoubleClick's private equity owners profit handsomely from the sale. Here is an article from the Financial Times.

Google Launches Gmail

Google announced the preview release of Gmail, a free webmail service with a massive storage capacity of 1 gigabyte per user. The idea came from a user who complained about existing email services' limitations. Gmail allows users to search all their emails easily and offers efficient organization without the need for filing or deleting messages. The preview version is being tested by a select group of users. The service would be available at http://gmail.google.com. Here is the press release from Google.