Google and Nokia Both Goof Up and Leak Info

While strategic leaks are part of every company’s strategy for enticing and exciting customers, sometimes leaks can also occur because of mistakes. That seems to be the case with two notable companies in the information technology market. In what could be the worst leak that has ever been made by Google, it accidentally listed the heavily rumored Nexus 5 smartphone on its Android Google Play Store. From what it can be speculated by the images, the upcoming smartphone will show off a lot of changes that have been made after the launch of the previous editions. It has a completely different look as compared to its predecessors.

The LG Google Nexus 4 had a sparkly glass back, but the new edition i.e. Google Nexus 5 will have a rubberized back that has been seen in the Nexus tablets. While people are happy that the company has chosen to remove the scratch-prone back of the smartphone, the new rubberized option simply gives the smartphone a mundane look. The listing not only revealed the look of the smartphone, but also its price. The range of the phone will be around $349 and onwards. This means that this will be price of the 16GB variant of the smartphone. This is quite reasonable, considering the hype and specifications associated with the smartphone.

Needless to say, the new smartphone will boast the latest version of the Android OS, i.e. KitKat. Not only will this version make a debut on the device, but will also roll it out for older models of the Nexus smartphone range. A full HD 5 inch display is another specialty that will be associated with the upcoming smartphone. As for other features, the phone will boast memory variants of 16 and 32 GB, have 2Gb RAM and will also have a quad-core processor. However, Google doesn’t seem to wish to enter the camera wars between the smartphone companies as it is going to leave it at 8 megapixel.

Google quickly took off the phone after it had been listed. Nevertheless, now people know that the phone’s launch is not very far off. This seemed to be the week for oversights by major companies as a Chinese e-commerce website also listed Nokia’s upcoming phablet accidentally. The Nokia Lumia 1520 phablet was listed by error by Tmail, which is also an official retailer of Nokia. There have been lots of rumors about the 6 inch phablet and as part of the Lumia series, this device would be running on the Windows 8 platform.

There has been a lot of speculation about the device, but not much is known about the device. The Nokia Lumia 1520 phablet will have the biggest display for now and will be in direct competition with the large smartphones being sold in the market. It will also showcase a full HD display and its pixel resolution will be about 1920 x 1080 pixels. Its best feature will be the 20 MP camera as Nokia is very aggressive in advertising camera features.

Google Close to Settling Anti-Trust Case With Europe

It seems that Google might actually be three times lucky. Earlier this year, the tech giant was able to avoid serious anti-trust action in the United States and was also able to dodge a hefty blow from Europe in April. From the company’s standpoint, its third piece of good fortune came on Tuesday. The chief of European Union’s antitrust announced that he might have reached a deal he could agree to in his inquiry of the search practices of Google Inc. This deal would require the search engine giant to give competitor’s listings a higher visibility in the web search queries. Mr. Alumnia stated that by the next spring in the US, he intends to have the finalized deal after obtaining comments from competitors.

This European deal would go a lot ahead than the one the company struck with Federal Trade Commission this year in which it had to make only minor concessions. Moreover, this deal would help the company in avoiding a limit on its future activities due to a finding of wrongdoing and also deter a potential fine that would be worth $5 billion. This deal would finally happen after four years of negotiations. During this time, the business model of Google and its ways of generating money have changed considerably.

However, according to some experts, this would mean that Google would eventually end up as the winner of a protracted waiting game. They are of the opinion that the world would have moved on by the time a decision is finally made. The accusation was made in 2010 by rivals and they had stated that the company was squeezing out the competition with its search engine results. Google had suggested a package of concessions itself in April that included the offer of labeling its own services and thus making it simpler for people to opt for the services of rivals.

Nonetheless, the rivals had rejected this deal. Kent Walker, the general counsel of Google Inc. stated that they were told to make significant and additional changes as per the feedback of the European Commission regarding the proposal they had put forward. He said that solely for the purpose of making a settlement, the company had made the decision of accepting the deal that EU would put forward. This particular deal would enable competitors to take up extra space on the result pages of Google’s search engine and would allow them to display their respective logos.

Websites will also be able to decide what part will be showing up in the result page of web search. As per Mr. Alumnia, the competitors of Google will now be allowed to have a look at the proposals decided by the commission. Around 80% of the European search market is dominated by Google. The EU regulators have been investigating the business practices of Google since 2010 because a dozen companies had filed a complaint against it. This includes notable names such as that of Microsoft and Foundem, the price comparison site.

New Offer Made by Google in European Antitrust Case

Google is often referred to as the internet giant because this American multinational is indeed dominating the World Wide Web. The company kicked off with its renowned core web search engine and has managed to insinuate itself in other key markets as well. Perhaps, that’s why the company is entangled in various scandals and privacy issues. The company is embroiled in an anti-trust case with the European Union that has been going on for the past three years. Last week, the company made a second attempt to settle this case, but details of the offer were not revealed by either side.

The rivals of the company are continuing to call the search engine giant to cede more control of its advertising business and Internet search. Confirmation of the latest offer of Google Inc. was provided in Italy on Sunday by the competition commissioner of the European Union, Joaquin Almunia. Since the case was in its early stages that kicked off formally in 2010, Mr. Alumnia has been working to make a settlement with the company. The case was filed based on the claims that the American technology giant has abused the dominant position it holds in the advertising and Internet search field.

It was said that the company was favoring its own products and services in the search engine results that are displayed. In numerous European markets, 90% of the searches are powered by Google while in the United States, this share of searches is somewhere near 70%. Referring to the offer, Mr. Alumnia said that they will undertake discussions with Google after they have done their analysis and determined that the new proposals will be able to eliminate the concerns. The competitors of the company are mounting pressure on Mr. Alumnia as they are attempting to prolong the entanglement of Google in Europe and wish to toughen the terms of the settlement that will eventually take place. 

In July, Mr. Alumnia had been making a preliminary settlement with the search giant, but had been forced to reject it because industry groups had stated that the settlement wouldn’t loosen Google’s hold in Europe, but would instead strengthen it. The proposal had been part of the first offer Google had made for settlement. In this deal, the company wouldn’t have had to change its formula or algorithm that influences the search results. However, it would have been the first time that Google would have made a legal agreement to change its search engine results.

A spokesman of Google in Europe said that the new settlement will address the concerns of the company and said that they would continue to work with the commission to settle the issues. Over the weekend, Mr. Alumnia stated that the best way of regulating the fast-paced technology sector was to make a swiftly negotiated agreement with Google. But, he also added that formal charges could also be issued against the search engine giant if a deal will not materialize. In Europe, Google will be facing a serious challenge as long as the case is open.

Chinese Xiaomi Poaches Google Executive

One of the most renowned companies of the world today is Google Inc. Known primarily for its web search engine; the company has diversified greatly and is a major player in several markets. Its Android operating system currently forms the backbone of the smartphone market as more than 70% smartphones that are sold today are based on it. The company continues to expand and diversify and is currently working on its epic Google Glass, a venture that it’s making in wearable technology. The company is positively thriving. Therefore, it might come as a surprise for many that one of Google’s top executives, Hugo Barra is actually leaving the company.

He is giving up his position in Google to join the up-and-coming Chinese tech firm Xiaomi. Mr. Barra has been part of the company since 2008 and was the vice president of the product management department for the mobile platform Android. The departure was confirmed by the company officially and they wished him well in the future. A spokesman of the company said that his presence would indeed be missed, but the company was happy that he had chosen to stay within the ecosystem of the Android OS.

Hugo Barra discussed his departure from the company at the social network Google+. He stated that he was going to start a new chapter in his life after having been a part of Google for the past five and a half years, three of which he had devoted to the Android OS. He also mentioned that he was taking up the position of Vice President of Xiaomi Global and would be joining its team to help the company in expanding its splendid product portfolio globally. Xiaomi is based in Beijing, China and is known for making different consumer electronics including smartphones.

The company is excited at the prospect of having Mr. Barra on their team. The company first released its handset in 2011 and has enjoyed a lot of growth since then. Because of the two lucrative investment rounds, the company is now worth a total of $10 billion. However, it has also been accused by critics for taking ideas from Western competitors and lacking in creativity and innovation. Mr. Barra’s departure occurred amidst the news of the split of Sergey Brin, Google’s co-founder and his wife. Mr. Brin is said to be ‘living apart’. It was rumored that he had been involved with a female employee of the company and the same employee had been involved with Mr. Barra previously.

However, a source had stated that the departure of the top executive was completely unrelated to this issue because Mr. Barra had been discussing his move to the Chinese company for a while. Mr. Brin, on the other hand, was married in 2007 to Anne Wojcicki and has two children with her. He got together with Larry Page and found the influential company. According to a spokesman, Mr. Brin and his wife are still together and haven’t separated legally as yet. They still remain friends and partners.

Google Attempts To Retain Mobile Maps Lead by Buying Waze

A renowned American multinational corporation, Google Inc. has become dominant in the world of the internet and provides a multitude of products and services. Its search engine was the major income-earner for the company, but it has expanded due to rapid growth and has become immensely successful today. One of the numerous services it offers includes that of maps and navigation. These services have become crucial for technology companies as more and more consumers are adopting mobile devices and smartphones. Google is the largest provider of these services nowadays and has succeeded where others like Apple have failed.

In order to continue its domination in the mapping and navigation area, Google Inc. purchased Israeli mapping startup called Waze for a price of over $1 billion, according to an inside source. The primary purpose of buying Waze is to safeguard the lead possessed by Google Inc. in one of the most important aspects of smartphone utilization. On Tuesday, the company announced in a blog post that it had managed to close the deal. It did not clarify how much it had paid, but did say that it would use the startup for improving its own mapping service.

Satellite signals of the smartphones of users are used by Waze for the purpose of generating traffic and mapping data. This data is shared with the users and it provides real time information about traffic in this manner. Google Inc. revealed that for now, the product development team of Waze will remain in Israel and will continue their operations separately. It further said that this startup will be helpful in enhancing the mapping application of the US company, but at the same time, it will also reap benefits because it will be integrated with the search capabilities of Google.

This acquisition made by Google Inc. marks the largest acquisition to be made of an internet company this year, especially when technology deals are heating up considerably. Last month, it was Yahoo Inc. that purchased the popular blogging service called Tumblr for a cost of around $1.1 billion. A separate blog post was made by Noam Bardin, the chief executive of Waze said that they had decided to avoid the typical route for startups that involved an initial public offering because their aim was to focus on the product to be offered. He said that an IPO shifted attention towards bankers, lawyers and Wall Street.

Waze deemed Google to be its right partner and therefore made this decision. Maps are ranked amongst the five most-used applications available on smartphones and tablet computers. According to analysts, Google’s motivations to purchase Waze included a desire to keep the real time traffic information of Waze out of the hands of rival companies. According to some sources, the largest social network of the world, Facebook Inc. had been interested in purchasing Waze some time back. However, the disagreement about the team remaining in Israel or not, had caused the negotiations to come to an end. Nonetheless, Google seemed to have taken the right step. 

Eric Schmidt, Google’s Boss Under Fire Due To Comments

An American multinational corporation, Google Inc. offers people an array of internet related products and services. It is often regarded as the internet giant because it dominates the internet market and earns billions of dollar worth of profit consistently. However, the company’s tax paying habits have just come under observation and have sparked some negative response. It was discovered that despite earning around 2.6 billion pounds in UK, Google Inc. only pays tax of about 6 million pounds as it takes advantage of the loopholes in the tax laws. Eric Schmidt, boss of Google Inc. justified this action by stating that the company helps startups in the UK, so it’s okay to cut back on tax.

Mr. Schmidt suggested that their contribution to the British economy was more important as compared to their obligation of paying the fair share of tax. In reaction, senior MPs made a request to David Cameron and asked him to strip Schmidt of his role of government adviser because of his comments. Eric Schmidt, the executive chairman of Google, came under the fire of politicians from all three parties. Anomalies in international laws are used by Google for moving their profits into low-tax jurisdiction, even when activities in Britain generate them.

Tackling this practice of companies has been made a priority by Chancellor George Osborne. Nonetheless, Eric Schmidt defended the practice of his company during an interview with the BBC. He was of the opinion that the company made a very valuable contribution to the UK economy, which was worth more than the tax paid to the Exchequer. He said that Google used advertising networks for powering startups that are worth billions of pounds and was the key factor that led to the expansion of electronic commerce in Britain. He also discussed the company’s employees in Britain.

Mr. Schmidt said that the people employed in Britain are citizens of UK and are paying their taxes as well as making a contribution to the overall GDP of the country. In regard to their tax paying policy, Schmidt said that they paid taxes as per the law and they would comply if there were changes made with the law. MPs condemned the comments made by him as according to them, most of the investment in the broadband internet infrastructure, which had boosted the growth of Google had been provided by the taxpayers.

The chairman of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Margaret Hodge, stated that the government should consider the decision of keeping Mr. Schmidt on its Business Advisory Group, especially if Google did not change its tax position. The PAC was responsible for investigating the tax practices of the numerous multinational companies. Mr. Schmidt’s position was also questioned by a government source, which said that Google wasn’t making that big an investment in the UK economy. He said that they only appear important from the outside, but they are making insubstantial investment in Britain as it’s shown from a closer look. Stronger international laws have to be developed to ensure that global companies pay their tax.

Apple’s Loss is Now Google’s Gain!

The names of Google and Apple are well-recognized in the technology world. Both companies are American multinational corporations that have become extremely successful over the years and are said to be one of the most valuable companies of the world. Apple Inc. is famous for its products like the iPad tablet computer, iPod music player and the iPhone smartphone. Google, on the other hand, offers internet related services like search engine, cloud computing and advertising that contribute to its accomplishments. These companies have also become rivals as Google Inc. is the owner of the Android operating system, which is used in smartphones, and is eating away at Apple’s market share.

Moreover, the Nexus tablet of Google Inc. is targeting the iPad of Apple Inc. Nonetheless, in this competition, Apple remained one step ahead of the internet giant. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. The role of superstar in the tech world has been usurped by Google Inc. because of a stunning rally in its share price while the iPhone maker is left floundering. In recent weeks, Google Inc. has managed to achieve its all-time high and it has a share price of $831.52. So far, this year, the company’s stock has risen by 13%. What’s more is that this is a tenfold rise from its initial offering price of $84 in 2004.

Part of the success of Google is due to its Android OS, which has become popular at the expense of Apple Inc. Even though Google Inc. offers Android free to mobile makers, it enables the company to offer its products and services to wider range of users. An analyst of Gartner said that the negatively surrounding Apple Inc. was in fact, impacting Google in a positive way. Last year, Apple Inc. had traded as high as $700, but has slumped to $431 this year, which is a 35% reduction.

The analyst said that Google Inc. had a lot going for it currently and was luring customers into its ecosystem quite easily. Some analysts are also of the opinion that Apple Inc. might just be beaten by Google Inc. to a symbolic level of $1000 per share. The share price of $1000 has been set for Google by analysts at Jeffries as they are of the belief that the company will benefit from a wide range of services. This will vary from the traditional web search ads and refers to mobile ads and online shopping.

The analysts assert that the internet giant holds the largest market share in the most prominent and growing markets, due to which it can achieve a lot more. The company is the leading advertising platform and retains the position of being the top search engine. 70% of the smartphone market is held by the Android OS of Google. What’s even more interesting to note is that around 50% of the company’s revenue is generated from outside of the US. Hence, the company can take advantage of accelerated revenues in Africa, Africa and other markets outside the United States.

Apple-Google Valuation Gap Widest on Ads Since 2005!

Google Inc. is an American multinational corporation, which has become extremely dominant on the internet. It offers a multitude of internet related services, but it rose to popularity because of its search engine. Apple Inc., on the other hand, is the American giant, which is well-known for its consumer electronics, particularly the iPhone smartphone. It is the second largest information technology company of the world. However, the prospects of Google Inc. haven’t looked so promising since before the iPhone had been launched. The shares of Google Inc. are now being traded at a 25 times profit and achieved a record high yesterday.

According to the data gathered by Bloomberg, the price-to-earnings ratio of Apple was only 10. Since June of 2005, this is the widest gap to occur between the two companies. This was two years before the competition between the two companies intensified. In comparison to Apple Inc., investors are willing to pay more for every dollar of the earnings of Google amidst the optimism that the company will get even more share of the total $37.3 billion, which is spent by companies for reaching their target web audience. Currently, 40% of the US online advertising market is being controlled by Google Inc.

Apart from that, another plus point for Google is its alliance with Samsung Electronics that aids it in gaining a greater share in mobile software. This is boosting the competitive threat on Apple and increasing pressure on the company. Shareholders are now waiting to see a big product launch from the iPhone maker. According to an analyst, Apple has had success only in terms of devices, but the company that has benefited from each growth of the internet i.e. social, local, video, display advertising or mobile and that is Google Inc. In the last 12 months, the share price of Google has increased by 35% and its share price was $838.60 yesterday, in New York.

In contrast, Apple Inc. has undergone a 21% decline in the past twelve months and its share price was $431.14. However, the market capitalization of Apple Inc. is still higher than that of Google Inc. The difference is about $100 billion. For now, Apple Inc. is the most valuable company of the world, while the second position belongs to Exxon Mobil Corp and Google retains the third. A lead has been extended in Web Search and smartphone market by the company, under the Larry Page, the Chief Executive Officer of Google Inc.

The internet giant commands 70% of the smartphone software market while it has 67% of the search engine market. In this manner, two big shifts are helping the Mountain View, California based company; the move towards digital advertising and the boom in smartphones and tablets. As opposed to it, Apple Inc. has to bear with slower growth in revenue due to accelerating mobile competition by Samsung and other companies that use Google’s Android operating system and narrowing margins. The company is working to introduce new products that can help it in expanding its revenue in different technology markets. 

Microsoft Goes After Google With Gmail!

As we all know, Microsoft is regarded as the largest software maker of the world for its revenues and is a dominant force in the PC market. On the other hand, there is Google Inc., which is also an American multinational offering numerous products and services. The company provides cloud computing services, search engine, software and advertising technologies. Microsoft and Google are competitors in some markets, but it’s Google that holds the upper hand mostly.

A few weeks earlier, Microsoft Corp launched a direct attack on Google Search. However, nothing came off it, but it seems that the computer giant is back on the war path with another portion of its campaign against Google. This time, the company has aimed at Gmail. In the latest accusation, Microsoft has brought forward a complete website as well as series of demonstration videos that show how email data is handled by Gmail. The first video is focused on the targeted ads that appear on Gmail and are based on the conversations people have in their emails.

At the end of the video, a comment of the former Chief Executive Officer of Google Eric Schmidt is delivered. The comment became infamous as it stated that Google does not cross the line of privacy, but borders on creepy. A matter-of-fact and light hearted approach is used in other videos where an office worker is explaining how email scanning of Gmail works to provide targeted ads. A closer look at the website outlines the differences between Gmail and Microsoft’s Outlook and stories about Google and privacy issues are also detailed.

A number of people might consider it hypocritical because Microsoft says on its website that personalized content might be displayed in advertising. However, on the website, Microsoft has stated that emails are only scanned for spam and security, similar to the way postal services scan letters. It stated that the company does not make use of the private content of emails, documents and communications for indulging in target advertising. The website also shows a survey which revealed that around 70% of users on Gmail are not aware that their content and private emails are read for the purpose of delivering targeted advertisements to them.

This issue about Gmail has been raised before. Nonetheless, on Google’s website, the internet giant asserted that it also scans Gmail messages for the purpose of filtering out spam and for other security related reasons like detection of viruses. Also, the same scanning technology is used for the purpose of delivering targeted advertisements to customers. Google mentioned that only technology is used and no human is going through emails. The procedure is fully automated. Experts say that the campaign by Microsoft is not fair. However, users of Gmail should keep these issues in mind if they have any privacy concerns.