Clint Boulton

Google July 20 trotted out improvements to its Google Image Search, which now indexes more than 10 billion images, and launched a new ad format called Image Search Ads. Though Google claims to take inspiration for its changes from users, some of the alterations recall the work Microsoft has done with Bing’s image search. Like […]

Google’s venture capital arm invested $4.5 million of the $5.75 million in funding Trada banked July 21 as part of its plan to expand its business overseas. Trada offers a crowdsourced paid search marketplace for those who want to spend $5,000 to $50,000 per month in advertising online. Paid search experts help the advertiser come […]

Just days after I reported Verizon Wireless’ pledge to deliver the Motorola Droid X by July 23 after discovering that the Android 2.1 device was selling like hot cakes, the carrier is now listing Aug. 3 as the next shipment date. Verizon began selling the multimedia-intensive Droid X July 15 for $199 with a $100 […]

Foursquare is looking to ink data deals with Google, Yahoo and Microsoft Bing in the search market, according to the company’s CEO. Foursquare CEO Dennis Crowley told the Telegraph July 19 that his location-based services startup, which lets users earn badges by checking into bars and restaurants via an application on their mobile phones, is […]

Concerns about privacy, user interface changes and advertising spurred Facebook users to claim that they aren’t happy with the Website, according to the 2010 American Customer Satisfaction Index E-Business Report. Despite having 500 million users, Facebook scored 64 on ACSI’s satisfaction scale of 100, ranking it lower than IRS e-filers, said ForeSee Results, which partnered […]

Google on July 20 said it will purchase 114 megawatts of clean energy from a wind farm in Iowa at a predetermined rate for 20 years. The company on July 30 will begin buying clean energy from NextEra Energy Resources in Iowa. The deal, detailed here, is the first of its kind for the Google […]

Apple said its iPhone, iPad and Mac computers collect location information, but do so anonymously in batches and encrypt it before sending the data over a WiFi connection from the devices to Apple’s servers every 12 hours. The normally super-secretive company shed light on its data collection practices for location-based services in a July 12 […]

With Google set to put its Google TV horse in the race for wedding TV and Internet content this fall, the company has lent its support to the idea of a universal adapter for TVs and related components. Google July 13 filed a letter of support with the Federal Communications Commission for AllVid, an IP […]

Can you imagine the reaction Google’s leadership had behind closed doors to the New York Times’ editorial that suggested the company let the government take a peek under its hood? It really is a “when hell freezes over proposition.” The venerable Times suggested, among other things, Google let the government check to see whether the […]

Motorola’s Droid X has sold out across the country, according to anecdotal evidence collected by a financial analyst about the latest Android 2.1-based smartphone. On July 15, Verizon began selling the Droid X-which features a 4.3-inch screen, 720p video capture and HDMI output for displaying video on big screens-in its outlets and at Best Buy. […]

Facebook is expected to tout that it has topped 500 million users this week, more than five months after it crossed the 400 million mark in February. The company will celebrate topping the lofty half-billion mark by trotting out a new marketing play called Facebook Stories, according to AllThingsDigital. Stories will feature real-life stories about […]

Google CFO Patrick Pichette said the Android operating system is not material in answer to a financial analyst’s question about how the company sees its investment in the platform paying dividends. “Android is not material to the company,” Pichette said on the second quarter earnings call July 16, noting that Google had no hand in […]