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Google adds local safety alerts to search results

Alerts from police, firefighters, and other authorities should soon start popping up in your Google search results.

The new initiative comes courtesy of a team-up between Google and Nixle, a San Francisco-based startup.

Nixle allows people to sign up to receive crime alerts, missing person notifications, and other updates from local police and fire departments. The alerts are sent via e-mail or text message to a mobile phone.

Google has tapped Nixle as the first partner to work with the Google Crisis Response Team to expand those safety alerts beyond just e-mail and mobile phones. Local public safety agencies can … Read more

Google hit with $208K fine over alleged defamation

Google has lost a defamation lawsuit in Australia.

An Australian court today ordered Google to pay 200,000 Australian dollars ($208,760) to Milorad Trkulja for showing search results that might have caused users to link him to mobsters. The AFP was first to report on the judgment.

Trkulja, an entertainment promoter, was shot in the back in 2004. After that shooting, Google search results related to his name referenced organized crime. Trkulja's attorney requested the links be removed from Google's search in 2009, saying that they were "grossly defamatory."

In court, a jury agreed with … Read more

Bing's Election 2012 page can filter news by political bias

As election results roll in with Barack Obama taking Vermont and Mitt Romney winning Kentucky and West Virginia, Bing lets users tailor the political news they're getting.

In it's Election 2012 page, Microsoft's search engine has what you'd normally see, a map with color-coded states, numbers showing how many states each candidate has won, up-to-the-minute news, and results from the Senate and House races. But, there's one additional feature that's a bit more unusual -- a political bias slider.

In the upper right corner of the page, users can slide the bar to the … Read more

Google rolls out new search page look, moves navi bar

Google is rolling out a new search page layout that moves its navigational tools from the upper left of the page to the top of the page, the company announced today in a blog post.

Those included in the rollout so far will see a more streamlined search page. Removing the tools from the side doesn't give the results more real estate though. Curiously, some of the results don't have any advertisements displayed with them, but that may be a glitch from the testing as Google assures CNET the advertising placements remain the same.

A recent search for &… Read more

Google delivers 'disavow links' tool to help combat link spam

Google launched a new tool today that allows Webmasters to eliminate links to their site that they believe might be hurting its search rankings.

Announced at the Pubcon conference in Las Vegas today, the "disavow links" tool is designed to help sites that have already been warned by Google of manual spam actions based on "unnatural links." The tool is recommended as a last-resort solution to link spam -- disreputable or irrelevant links that may hurt a site's search engine results ranking.

"By removing the bad links directly, you're helping to prevent Google (… Read more

Block specific Web site results from Google searches in Chrome

When searching Google for something such as a specific product, it's likely you have come across a content farming Web site or 10. These sites are meant to draw you in to click on their ads or buy their products, which are usually unrelated to the topic or item you were searching for to begin with.

To combat this issue, Google created a Personal Blocklist extension for its Chrome Web browser. The idea behind the extension is to help users easily block content-farming Web sites easily, so they can find what they are actually looking for. Here'… Read more

Low Latency No. 31: Tweets straight from the judge's table

It seems die-hard Olympics fans hate the Internet now that results are posted instantaneously. The drama that prime-time coverage can usually deliver is somewhat dampened by the fact that a list of winners is readily available quicker than the time it takes to turn on a TV.

Even if you casually browse a site like Twitter, you're bound to accidentally uncover some breaking news from the Summer Games. Come to think of it, it's probably harder to shield yourself from the news than it is to find it out. … Read more

Follow the 2012 Olympic games on your iOS or Android phone

There are few events quite as exciting as the Olympics. With athletes from all over the world competing for their respective countries, it's easy to get excited as you root for your country to win. Obviously, I'll be rooting for my American compatriots, but seeing the drama of each event, no matter who the winner is, can be appreciated by anyone.

This year, the apps for tracking Olympic events are better than ever before, but still not quite perfect. Since NBC is covering the Olympics, it's the only app in this collection that will have live streams … Read more

CNET tablet battery life results

Editor's note:This list was originally posted on July 25 and is updated regularly.

Battery life testing is one of the last evaluations we subject tablets to at CNET Labs, but by no means is it the least valued. How long you can use your tablet is nearly as important as what it is you do while using it.

Our CNET labs testing standards ensure that all tablets, regardless of size, color, or operating system, are tested as close to equally as possible. Details on how we test tablets are included below the testing results chart. We've also … Read more

Google adds more semantic smarts to its search engine

Google seems to be eking out a major new tweak to its search results.

Reportedly spotted by several users, the search pages are now displaying semantic data nestled to the right of the regular results. Such information tries to tie in relevant facts related to the subject of your search rather than just providing links to external Web sites.

For example, run a search for "Howard Carter," the archaeologist who discovered the tomb of King Tut and is the focus of today's Google Doodle. In return, you'll see an entry on the right displaying key facts and a photoRead more