Blogs
Farewell, Google Watch
By Clint Boulton | Posted: 2012-03-08
This is my final post on Google Watch. Today, I've moved on to the next leg of my career at the Wall Street Journal, where I'll be writing content for CIO Journal.
So Google will move from the center of my coverage galaxy to somewhere on the periphery.
Google Play Geared to Boost Google's Digital Content Services
By Clint Boulton | Posted: 2012-03-07
The Google-watching world has been abuzz since yesterday about Google Play.
No, it's not a new streaming music service from the search giant, though you'd be forgiven for thinking so.
Actually, the irony is that the moniker is indicative of how Google is trying to rationalize some
Google Assistant, Majel Rumor Par for the Course
By Clint Boulton | Posted: 2012-03-06
Far be it for me to throw cold water on the prospect of exciting new software from Google, but the Google-is-building-a-Siri-rival meme is wearing thin on me. I noted last year how the smart speech-recognition service would be called Majel. Now TechCrunch says that name has changed to,
Chrome Enables Browsing for U.S. State Department
By Clint Boulton | Posted: 2012-03-05
Google's Chrome browser adoption can be counted in the 200-plus million download range, but it helps to have big organizations embrace the browser. This is super challenging at a time Microsoft Internet Explorer remains the de facto browser for the Windows PCs that orgs and businesses buy.
Why Google's Display Ad March Could Grind to a Halt
By Clint Boulton | Posted: 2012-03-02
"Do Not Track" presents some interesting obstacles for Internet giants that rely on Web advertising, with Google poised to be significantly impacted in the display ad market. A quick refresher: Do Not Track will allow Internet users to add a Do Not Track header from browsers such as
Android Smartphone Costs Dropping Big Time, Says Schmidt
By Clint Boulton | Posted: 2012-03-01
Much of Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt's keynote discussion at Mobile World Congress Feb. 28 concerned very forward-looking, sci-fi-type stuff. Sample: People will deploy
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Google+ a Ghost Town of User Engagement?
By Clint Boulton | Posted: 2012-02-29
Google CEO Larry Page said during his last earnings conference call that Google+ has more than 90 million users. He declined to reveal the user engagement of those users. Now comScore reveals that Google+ users only spend an average of three minutes there a month, compared with 405
Google, Evil and the Binary Curse
By Clint Boulton | Posted: 2012-02-28
The whole "Is Google Evil?" meme has grown to be a ridiculous, farcical debate, prone to solemn punditry by some of the most authoritative voices in high tech.
I've defended Google countless times here, but I've never subscribed to the notion that Google is good, much less evil. No
Apple Chomps Into Google's Jelly Belly With App Search
By Clint Boulton | Posted: 2012-02-27
Apple is finally doing search, or at least search for applications, somewhat completing a debate ignited nearly two years ago by analysts and pundits. Last week, Apple acquired Chomp, whose application helps users of iOS and Android devices find an app they'd like.
It's an application search app,
Google Picking Ad Sales Guy to Lead Motorola (Maybe)
By Clint Boulton | Posted: 2012-02-24
No one is raving about the job Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha has done in the last couple years.
The last couple of quarters have been iffy as Motorola missed expectations both times. But Jha did preside over some of my favorite phones, such as the Motorola Droid
Google's Fiber Plan Taking Shape as Cable TV Power Play
By Clint Boulton | Posted: 2012-02-23
Google's Fiber ambitions for high-speed Internet access are slowly but surely coming together in the form of paid TV programming, and it's something we should have seen coming.
Remember when we first learned of Fiber two years ago this month, when wacky political wonks jumped in shark
Google Apps Attacked by Microsoft in "Googlelighting" Video
By Clint Boulton | Posted: 2012-02-22
For a company without major cloud computing collaboration clout, Microsoft has a good sense of humor regarding its competition with Google. Coming from the
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Google+ Share Box Comes to the Home Page
By Clint Boulton | Posted: 2012-02-21
Anyone else think this is just wrong? There will no doubt be some search traditionalists and Google lovers who will see this as sacrilege.
I see it as another shining example of how Google+ is coming to be synonymous with Google. Or is Google becoming synonymous
Google Cookiegate a Case of Competitive Politics, Not Privacy
By Clint Boulton | Posted: 2012-02-20
Every reporter under the sun painted Google's use of cookies to insert its Google+ functionality on Apple's Safari browser as an invasion of users' privacy. The rub is this: Google and a few other advertising companies have secretly tracked the Web-browsing habits of millions of people using Apple's
We'll Believe Android 5.0 Is Coming in Q2 When We See It
By Clint Boulton | Posted: 2012-02-17
Sometimes you read reports and just shake your head. That was the case for this DigiTimes report that said Google is rushing Android 5.0, or "Jelly Bean," to market in the second quarter. The reason? "Adoption of Android 4.0 has fallen short of original expectations, and Microsoft
