One advantage Apple users have had over their Google brethren is the ability to stock up on iTunes currency in the form of gift cards, which make great stocking stuffers and birthday gifts for anyone wielding an iOS device. At long last, it looks as though Google has finally gotten on the ball with gift cards of its own, redeemable in the Google Play store (formerly known as Android Market).
Time is running out if you're a fan of Adobe's Flash Player plugin for Android and haven't yet downloaded it. On August 15 (tomorrow), Adobe will yank its plugin from Google Play as a readily available download, and only devices that already have Flash Player installed will see any future updates. The move is intended to avoid any compatibility conflicts with Google's Jelly Bean build (Android 4.1).
Google has agreed to pay $22.5 million to settle charges with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alleging the sultan of search placed tracking cookies on computers running Apple's Safari browser that effectively bypassed the browser's built-in privacy measures. It's the largest fine ever handed out by the FTC, and one the government organization hopes will serve as a deterrent to other companies who might look to profit at the expense of privacy.
With all due respect to Symbian, BlackBerry, Windows Phone, and any other mobile platform not named Android or iOS, you're all just a bunch of also-rans in what's becoming "unquestionably a two-horse race," according to data and analysis by International Data Corporation (IDC). Android and iOS set a new combined smartphone OS record in the second quarter of 2012, with the two platforms feasting on an 85 percent share of the market, leaving just 15 percent in scraps for all others to fight over.
Apple and Google are both reportedly interested in Kodak's digital patents, but the amount each one is willing to pay is far below what the cash strapped company thinks they could be worth. By Kodak's estimation, the patents up for auction could bring in as much as $2.6 billion, which would go a long way towards settling the company's financial woes and bankruptcy proceedings. Early bids, however, haven't even topped $250 million.
Having already conquered search, Google seems to have set its sights on doing everything in its power to promote its Google+ network. There's no need to feign surprise, then, that Google its giving is Gmail video chat service a makeover with Google+ Hangouts. The alteration upgrades Gmail's peer-to-peer based video chat feature with "more modern video calling technology" that promises to improve reliability and enhance video quality, as well as allow Gmail users to connect with people using Google+.
Google put itself in political hot water by 
Google just unveiled the pricing plans for the super-fast Google Fiber gigabit Internet service it's rolling out in the Kansas Cities in both Missouri and Kansas, and wow, subscribers get a lot for a little. Basic fiber-based gigabit Internet only costs $70; gigabit Internet plus TV (with a full channel lineup) costs $120 per month; and there's even an option to receive totally free Internet for at least 7 years.
Ah, irony. Google really wants the Nexus 7 tablet to sell well, so it's gone ahead and created a commercial showing off a bunch of the nifty things the tiny little Wi-Fi tablet can do. The goal of advertising is to raise awareness and drive sales, of course, but if anybody sees the ad and ventures over to the Google Play store to pick up a Nexus 7, they'll be greeted with a "Coming Soon" sign -- at least if they want the $250 16GB version.
The rise of the smartphone camera mixed with the ability to freely post video visible to anybody in the world has the power to shake nations, as we've seen around the globe in recent years. It also has a chilling side effect: dissenters are now easier than ever to identify and track down, as we saw vigilante groups doing following the London riots. Dictator haters have a little less to worry about now, as Google has added a free, easy-to-use face blurring tool to YouTube.
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