Matthew Hicks

Google Inc. is continuing to expand its Internet aspiration, this time by adding the title “domain-name registrar” to its list of roles. Google on Friday officially became a registrar after completing a contract with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, the nonprofit body that oversees the Domain Name System, ICANN officials confirmed. ICANNs […]

After a year of promises and rising expectations, Microsoft Corp. appears ready to jump headlong into the search-engine market. But dont expect the entry of Microsofts MSN division into Web search to immediately shift the balance of power in the search industry, say search-engine analysts. While the search results MSN has previewed so far are […]

Polycom Inc. is expanding its line of conferencing products with a focus on supporting a key voice-over-IP standard. The Pleasanton, Calif., videoconference vendor this week announced its first conferencing phone that supports SIP (Session Initiation Protocol), a communications standard used in VOIP, and a new videoconferencing system for smaller conference rooms. The new conference phone, […]

Google Inc. on Thursday launched a program that gives developers greater access to its search-based advertising system. Google, of Mountain View, Calif., introduced a beta of an API (Application Programming Interface) for its AdWords program. AdWords is Googles pay-per-click advertising program where advertisers bid on the keywords that trigger the displaying of sponsored links in […]

Web search is cutting the computer cord as the major engines increasingly introduce new ways of retrieving search results through mobile phones and devices. Yahoo Inc. expanded its mobile search offerings Thursday with a local search feature for sending business-listing information to mobile phones. Meanwhile, Ask Jeeves Inc. has confirmed that it plans to offer […]

Sponsored links may be a mainstay alongside search results and on Web pages, but the advertising format is increasingly appearing in new places and taking on new forms. Faced with advertisers who want to place more ads and publishers who seek more revenue, sponsored-link providers such as Google Inc. and Kanoodle.com Inc. are trying out […]

Google Inc. appears ready to provide greater access to its search-based advertising technology to advertisers and search-engine marketers. Google plans to launch an API for its AdWords programs, a move that would give advertisers more control in managing their ads and allow vendors of bid-management tools to integrate with Googles system, according to search-engine marketers. […]

Google Inc. stepped into video search on Tuesday but with an initial focus on indexing the content of broadcast and satellite television. The Mountain View, Calif., search company launched a test of video search through the Google Labs site, where it highlights new tools. The service draws results through an index of programming information and […]

Google Inc. has hired the lead engineer behind the Mozilla Firefox Web browser, who is splitting his time between the search company and the open-source project. Ben Goodger, who helped shepherd the Firefox 1.0 release that has dug into Microsoft Corp.s browser dominance, joined Google as a full-time employee earlier this month. While Goodger is […]

Yahoo Inc. is opening its video search service to a wider audience and expanding its sources of multimedia content. Late on Monday, Yahoo will make the video search engine that it began testing last month available from its home page and from the main Yahoo Search site, a Yahoo spokesman said. Video will join other […]

WebEx Communications Inc, best-known for its online meeting service, is moving more aggressively into online services for the small business and consumer markets. Its first target will be remote access for Windows PCs. On Monday, the San Jose, Calif., company will announce a service called MyWebExPC that lets users access a remote computers desktop through […]

Microsoft Corp. on Thursday is announcing a new service for MSN Hotmail users wanting to use Outlook to access and manage messages, contacts and calendar items. Called Microsoft Office Outlook Live, the service is Microsofts first subscription offering for an Office application, the company said. For an annual subscription, users can download a special version […]