Matthew Hicks

SAN DIEGO—Technology soothsayers can put their predictions to the test as part of a research project merging search-query data with a virtual, online marketplace. Yahoo Inc. unveiled a project called the Tech Buzz Game during a research labs presentation Tuesday at the OReilly Emerging Technology Conference here. Players who sign up can buy and sell […]

Syndication feeds continue to gain more mainstream support as major online services experiment with ways to integrate RSS into their offerings. Microsoft Corp.s MSN division has started an early test of a Web-based RSS (Really Simple Syndication) aggregator, while Yahoo Inc. has expanded into mobile access to the news feeds gathered on its My Yahoo […]

SAN DIEGO—Amazon.coms search startup, A9.com, is embracing the concept of vertical search by broadly opening its search site to specialized search engines. During a presentation Tuesday at the OReilly Emerging Technology Conference here, Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos introduced a new feature for A9.com that lets other search engines syndicate their search services to the site. […]

Google Inc. has added customization features to its popular news search site by letting users choose categories and track keywords. The Mountain View, Calif., company released the feature Thursday as a way for users to rearrange the presentation of news categories and to create their own sections. Users can select among nine languages, 22 localized […]

By acquiring Groove Networks, Microsoft will gain the ability to move beyond its server-centric collaboration offerings and earn more credibility in the remote collaboration space, market analysts said this week. But the Redmond, Wash., software maker also will face challenges in integrating Groove Networks Inc.s technology. Grooves focus on using peer-to-peer communications for workgroup collaboration, […]

The Mozilla Foundation late on Thursday reversed course by announcing that it is no longer planning to develop major updates to its original application suite. Instead, the open-source project will focus its efforts on its stand-alone Firefox Web browser and Thunderbird e-mail client, the foundation said in a “transition plan” posted to its Web site. […]

Google has taken the unusual step of removing some of its own Web pages from its Web index after reports that the pages used a search-optimization method frowned upon by the search engine. Search-engine watchers this week widely noted the appearance of so-called “cloaking” on a set of user support pages on Googles AdWords advertising […]

MSN plans to enhance the video and audio capabilities in its instant messaging service this spring so that users can speak with their contacts over the Internet. The Internet division of Microsoft Corp. Wednesday extended a partnership with Logitech International SA for the video and audio capabilities in MSN Messenger. The companies announced the new […]

Having released a full version of its desktop search application, Google Inc. next wants to hone the softwares enterprise features. The Mountain View, Calif., company is working on an enterprise version of the application, officials confirmed to eWEEK.com. Google is providing few details about its features, but the enterprise edition will include the ability for […]

SAN FRANCISCO—Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates trumpeted Offices role in integrating communications as he unveiled further plans for the companys “Istanbul” client and other real-time communications products during a launch event here on Tuesday. Microsoft brought its combined instant-messaging and telephony client under the Office umbrella, renaming it Office Communicator 2005 and announcing plans to release […]

Google Inc. is taking its desktop search application out of beta on Monday with a release that supports more file formats and opens access to third-party developers. Google Desktop Search 1.0 moves beyond the beta versions Microsoft focus by introducing support for applications from the Mozilla Foundation and America Online Inc.s Netscape Communications. While the […]

NEW YORK—As search-based advertising grows, so too does the concern over fraudulent clicks running up advertisers bills and shifting the rankings of paid search listings. Measuring the extent of so-called “click fraud” has proven difficult, but the anecdotal evidence presented this week during a panel discussion at the Search Engine Strategies 2005 Conference & Expo […]