I didn’t touch a computer once in four days of Thanksgiving-inspired gluttony. But the news doesn’t stop when you’re on holiday. Here’s a quick wrap-up of Google News from the last few days.
- Google Settles with Belgian Publishers
Agreement with photogs and journalists allows Google to make “extensive use of their content.” - Google Video Sued in France
“The World According to Bush” has been viewed over 50,000 times. - Blog Results More Frequent in Google Search
I imagine this is what Google was thinking (beyond advertising) when they bought Blogger back in 2002. Integrating blog results into the main search is a nod to blogs’ increasing authroty and reliability. But it’s also a way for Google to surface more ads. - Google Book Search Catches Victorian Plagiarists
“To his surprise, he got more back than just Howlett: The search also revealed a suspiciously similar passage in Sabine Baring-Gould’s 1892 book Strange Survivals. A lot of suspiciously similar passages.” - Google Shares Climb Above $500
Some analysts predict $600 - Google Offers Checkout Incentives
Through Tuesday, December 26, Google Checkout users will receive $10 off purchases of $30 or more, or $20 off purchases of $50 or more, depending on the merchant. - More Conjecture About a Google Operating System
Emre Sokullu says the OS will manifest as either a web-based desktop, a full-featured Linux distro, or a lightweight Linux distro and/or BIOS - Analysis of the Google-Microsoft Competitive Landscape
The Vista release will put pressure on Google’s product lines in 2007, and Google will attack on several office-related fronts. - Google Earth Improves Height Mesh