google

Google Health: Great idea, but scary as all get out

Google has launched its personal health portal, Google Health. It's a clear and straightforward hub where users can store their medical information, and look up information on conditions and medications relevant to them. See the video for the pitch from product manager Roni Zeiger, a physician who left his practice to run this project (although he still keeps his hand in, as it were, by doing urgent care medicine on weekends).

Google Health is an important initiative, if only because it shows users how completely broken medical record-keeping is right now. But this product comes with a warning label. … Read more

Senator targets YouTube, but law not on his side

Sen. Joe Lieberman wants YouTube and its rivals to delete any videos produced by al-Qaida, other Islamic terrorist groups, and any suspected sympathizers. But because there's no U.S. law requiring deletion--at least not yet--there's not much the onetime veep candidate can do except complain.

On Monday, the chairman of the U.S. Senate's Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee suggested in a letter to Google CEO Eric Schmidt that the company wasn't doing enough to remove videos that are violent or could be used by terrorist groups to enlist followers. "By taking action to … Read more

If you're Jerry Yang, play that Stanford card for all its worth

If Jerry Yang does lose his job as the result of a deal between Yahoo and Microsoft, the Stanford connection may prove its worth.

"Jerry is very talented and if he wants to work at Google we'd be very excited to have him, but I don't think that's going to happen," the BBC quoted Google co-founder (and fellow Stanford alum) Sergey Brin. He was responding to a question whether Google would ever consider employing Yang if Yahoo's chief executive lost his job.

Brin is huddling this week with the other two-thirds of Google's … Read more

Google execs stew over Microsoft response

Google's top brass are meeting Monday to figure out a response to how Microsoft's new overtures toward Yahoo affect Google's potential ad deal with Yahoo.

Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt, speaking to reporters at a Google Zeitgeist event in the U.K., said he's meeting with co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin on the matter, according to the Times Online. "After this press conference the three of us will meet and decide what our response is," Schmidt said.

Google and Yahoo have been discussing a partnership under which Google would supply some text ads … Read more

Microsoft's advertising pitch, by the notes

REDMOND, Wash.--On the eve of Microsoft's Advance 08 advertising conference, I thought I would offer up my take on three catch phrases that I expect will come up during the two-day affair.

1. "Search should be more than 10 blue links"

This is Microsoft's typical answer to why it thinks it can still catch Google in search. The truth of the matter is that search is already more than that. There's already product search, image search, blog search, news search, academic search, medical search, and a whole assortment of specialized search types. That said, … Read more

So now Eric Schmidt is an al-Qaida fellow traveler?

Senator Joe Lieberman earlier today publicized a letter he sent to Eric Schmidt demanding Google remove "content produced by Islamist terrorist organizations from YouTube."

The Connecticut Senator wants all videos mentioning or featuring these groups removed from YouTube--including videos featuring legal nonviolent or non-hate speech.

When I learned that Lieberman wanted Google to pull what he described as "terrorist content" from YouTube, my first thought was that his PR director obviously was incapacitated. But no, this was a team effort in scare-mongering.

Searches on YouTube return dozens of videos branded with an icon or logo identifying … Read more

A new wrinkle: Microsoft could take 'minority, passive stake' in Yahoo

With the Microhoo drama back in overdrive Monday, investors may be scrambling to figure out what buying a "minority, passive stake" means.

Reuters is quoting a source saying Microsoft is considering buying Yahoo's search business and taking a "minority, passive stake" in Yahoo once Yahoo has spun off its Asian assets. That's not a direct quote from the source, that's how the Reuters reporter described it.

This is a new wrinkle in the barrage of coverage for two reasons: It's likely the first time anyone has reported Microsoft would be interested in … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 727: Microsoft to Yahoo: Let's take it slow

Actual tech news today! For example, Microsoft is re-wooing Yahoo, Nintendo is stomping through the console market like Godzilla in Mario's Kart, the first public Firefox 3 candidate is now available, and Apple is trying to win direct downloads for the new iPhone. Oh, and if our caller from UPS is to be believed, those iPhones might be starting to arrive in stores right now! (Dear CBS: Send pie!) Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 727

Microsoft, Yahoo forced into each others’ arms http://www.news.com/8301-13860_3-9947185-56.html http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/technology/AP-Microsoft-Yahoo.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7407585.stm… Read more

Google Health beta test begins

Update 4:20 p.m.: I added some more detail and comment. Update 12:50 p.m. PDT: I added more detail.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--Google on Monday launched a beta test of its Google Health service to archive medical records and find medical services.

The site is a personal portal that can be used to upload, store, and view personal information, retrieve records from partners, investigate health matters, set alerts such as a reminder to take medication, and run applications that can, for example, keep track of how many miles a person has walked.

In some areas, Google's … Read more

Google adding display ads to image search

Update 5 p.m. PDT: I added some more details about text ads not working well in image search and about quotation search at Google News.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--Google is beginning an "experiment" that incorporates graphical ads with image search results.

"What we're announcing today is a new suite of image-related experiments. We're pairing images with images for the first time--display ads with image search," product management director R.J. Pittman said at a Google media event at company headquarters here.

Google got rich off of text ads that appear next to textual … Read more