Google

Earlier this month, Mike Cassidy, a project director at Google’s high-risk research division X, woke before dawn in the Northwest Brazilian state of Piauí. It was already warm and humid. He drove for an hour to a clearing in a rural area and helped his team launch several high-altitude balloons with a payload of Internet Continue Reading →

Getting directions on the road from Google Maps and other smartphone apps is a popular alternative to the expensive navigation aids included in some cars. The apps are also a gray area when it comes to laws banning the use of cellphones or texting while driving. The Transportation Department wants to enter the argument. The Continue Reading →

Google is planning to launch a new health service called Google Fit to collect and aggregate data from popular fitness trackers and health-related apps, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the company’s plans. It will launch the service at the Google I/O conference for developers, being held on June 25 and 26. Such a Continue Reading →

Google announced a suite of tools on Thursday morning for business owners, offering them a one-stop shop to update their business information, add photos, read reviews and, of course, use Google+. The service, called “Google My Business,” seems to be aimed at those who have yet to figure out how to “get on Google” so Continue Reading →

Microsoft constantly reminds us that Google scans email in order to sell ads. Now it’s adapting its policies to specifically state that it won’t engage in the same practices as its rival. Well, not all of them. In an effort to be more transparent and build trust, the company has updated its service agreement and Continue Reading →

In another setback for Google Glass wearers, a chain of movie theaters is banning the high-tech specs. Tim League, the CEO of Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas, tweeted the announcement on Monday (below). Glass owners cannot wear the device inside Alamo auditoriums once the movie lights have dimmed, he explained. In response to questions from other Twitter Continue Reading →

Google on Tuesday confirmed that it has purchased Skybox Imaging, the satellite startup that we reported it was close to acquiring last month. The price is somewhat lower than we had heard it would be: $500 million rather than close to the $1 billion our sources had told us. Once the deal closes, Skybox’s employees Continue Reading →

A couple of months ago, we posted one of our early Google Search/Now rumors, and it was something of a long range rumor compared to others. While things like parking reminders, proper timer management, and bill pay reminders have already seen their public release, the ability to set contact-based reminders (“remind me when I’m with Continue Reading →

Larry Page is moving fast to build his search giant’s street cred in the rapidly growing music streaming business. Page’s Google is in talks to acquire the 6-year-old Songza, a Long Island City-based music curation and streaming service with 5.5 million active users, two sources told The Post. Music curation — how a subscribers’ songs Continue Reading →

Yahoo earlier this year announced plans to phase out Google- and Facebook-based sign-in from its services. The feature was initially removed from a sports service and now it is Flickr’s turn, after Yahoo emailed users of the photo site with notice that Google and Facebook IDs will no longer be accepted there after June 30. Continue Reading →