Google Music includes more than 13 million songs and can be accessed through the Android Market, Google’s online marketplace for smartphone applications and videos.  Google’s Android operating system is currently the number one smartphone operating system in the world.

Google has signed deals with three major music companies: Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and EMI and has also signed deals with independent label group Merlin and Beggar’s Banquet label group, based in London.  Warner Music has not allowed Google to add their music to the lineup of offerings for the service, so consumers will not be able to access music from artists like Led Zeppelin and Prince whose music is distributed by Warner Music.

Songs that are purchased on Google Music can be shared with friends using the Google+ social network, giving each user “free, full play” access to the songs purchased by their friends.  Google’s director of content partnerships for Android, Zahavah Levine, said, “Recommendations from friends are the single most important way that people discover music and we think that this feature has the potential to really transform purchasing behavior.”

The service is expected to place Google in direct competition with Apple, Amazon, and Facebook, who have all integrated music into their core mobile and online products to varying degrees.  Some analysts have said that selling online music will not increase Google’s revenue by any significant amount but the move allows Google to be in the market to ensure that Android-based mobile offerings can match what is available from competitors.

Google Music Launched At Event In Hollywood (NASDAQ: GOOG) is a post from: Localized USA: Your Local News Source

Google was accused of illegally collecting information from 3.6 million routers in the Netherlands between March 2008 and May 2010 while the company was compiling its Street View mapping service.  According to the agreement announced by Google and the Dutch Data Protection Authority, Wi-Fi router owners that add “_nomap” to the end of the router’s name will not have their information included in Google’s database.

Chairman of the Dutch Data Protection Authority Jacob Kohnstamm called the agreement a positive step for consumer privacy.  He said, “We all hope that with enforcement actions like these, the bigger firms will use privacy by design from the start so we don’t need to go into enforcement mode.”

The company has said that it was using the data obtained from the routers to assist in logging the position of cellphones that run on Google’s Android operating system.  The data collected by the database in question helps Google pinpoint the location of mobile devices within range of the routers, giving the company accuracy with mapping and weather services and allowing the company to adapt advertising to show relevant ads from nearby businesses.

Analysts in the United States do not expect many people to remove their Wi-Fi router information from Google’s database.  Chenxi Wang, an analyst at Forrester Research, said, “I think the Wi-Fi network operator would be more than happy to have it plotted.  It doesn’t hurt them in any way.”

Google’s ability to offer location based services could be limited if a large number of Wi-Fi router owners decide to opt out of the database.  Without the use of the information from those routers, the company would have to depend on information from cell phone towers and GPS satellites to determine the location of the mobile device, which will use more battery power and be less accurate.

Wi-Fi Owners Allowed To Opt Out Of Google’s Database (NASDAQ: GOOG) is a post from: Localized USA: Your Local News Source

YouTube has positioned itself as a hub for professionally produced, made-for-the-Web material as well as the leader in amateur video, with torrents of amateur content posted daily.  Robert Kyncl, YouTube’s global head of content partnerships, wrote in a blog post, “Today, the Web is bringing us entertainment from an even wider range of talented producers, and many of the defining channels of the next generation are being born, and watched, on YouTube.”  Rishi Chandra, the director of product management for Google TV, added, “We’re looking for the next generation of MTVs, HBOs, just like cable.”

YouTube wants to create an alternative to cable television on the Internet and has offered cash advances to prospective producers of the content.  YouTube purchased camera equipment and editing software for top producers as a way to improve the quantity of TV-quality content on the site.  The channels increase the amount of shows that viewers can view on TV sets, laptops, and tablet computers.

Mario Quieroz, head of Google TV, said, “We’re not going from three to 300 channels but to millions of channels.  The Web is essentially infinite content.”  He also stated that YouTube is not trying to compete with cable, saying, “Like when the cable channels came to TV, we don’t believe the Web is going to replace linear TV.  This is designed to be complementary to cable TV.”

YouTube has recruited digital studios like Electus and Vice and established brands like the Wall Street Journal, Thomson Reuters, and WWE to create content for the channels.  The programming will be received from various media companies, including big television production companies like FremantleMedia and small start-ups like Maker Studios.  Production companies associated with celebrities like Madonna, Rainn Wilson, and Shaquille O’Neal and online video outlets like Demand Media and the TED Conferences are also on the list of participants.

Google Unit YouTube Plans To Create Original Content For Viewers (NASDAQ: GOOG) is a post from: Localized USA: Your Local News Source

The original video series will be produced by Disney and distributed on a co-branded channel on Disney.com and YouTube.  Amateur video culled from the torrent uploaded to YouTube will also be included on the channel.

James A. Pitaro, co-president of Disney Interactive, said, “It’s imperative to go where our audience is.”  He also state that the goal is to “bring Disney’s legacy of storytelling to a new generation of families and Disney enthusiasts on the platforms they prefer.”

Mr. Pitaro, part of a new leadership team at the division, is under pressure to create Web videos that can be monetized quickly.  Disney Interactive has lost over $300 million in the last four quarters and Disney.com’s traffic has been dropping at an alarming rate.  Unique visitors to the website totaled 12.7 million in September, down from 17.9 million in June.

YouTube is hoping to compete with cable television for ad dollars by adding more professional videos to the website.  Robert Kyncl, YouTube’s global head for content partnerships, commented, “It’s an acknowledgment that we want to work with the best brands and, yes, we expect this partnership to attract new advertisers.”

YouTube walks a careful line when it comes to attracting children to become viewers on the website.  There is no age requirement to access the website but individuals are supposed to be at least 13 years old to register an account.  The content created with Disney is seen as good way to get kid-friendly content on the website as the company is currently locked in a legal battle with Viacom, which owns Nickelodeon and keeps its videos off YouTube.

This partnership follows an announcement made by YouTube in October that the company planned to create dozens of channels featuring comedians, sports stars, musicians, and other entertainers.  Cash advances are being offered to prospective producers, according to people knowledgeable of the plan but not authorized to speak publicly.  The investments signify Google’s belief that the Internet is the third phase of the television business, after network TV and cable TV, and its dedication to being a leader in the industry.

Media Deal Between Disney And Google’s YouTube Unit In The Works (NYSE: DIS) (NASDAQ: GOOG) is a post from: Localized USA: Your Local News Source

The deal comes at a time when sales of PCs are slowing and smartphones and tablets running Google’s Android software are under attack from Apple, a strong leader in the smartphone and tablet market.  The first devices featuring Android software and the chips created by the Google-Intel partnership are scheduled to be released in the first half of 2012.  The details of the deal were announced by Intel executives at the company’s annual developer conference in San Francisco.

The alliance between Google and Intel allows Intel to take advantage of a partnership with one of the largest players in the mobile technology industry and may jump start the efforts of Intel to break into the mobile phone market.  Google is obtaining a partner with a proven record in the microprocessor industry and a long history of excellence in technological innovation.  Google’s Android software is one of the most popular smartphone software programs available and easily competes with operating systems designed by Apple, Microsoft, and Research In Motion.

Intel has had difficulty getting smartphone manufacturers to use microprocessor chips made by the company.  Most manufacturers of smartphones utilize microprocessor chips from Texas Instruments and Samsung because the chips are considered to be more power efficient than the ones made by Intel.  During a chat with reporters, Paul Otellini, Intel Chief Executive, commented, “The smartphone business is not established in terms of the ultimate shake-out of who’s going to win and who is going to lose.  You saw what happened in terms of how fast Android took share from Apple.  So good products on good platforms can really still make a big difference in this industry.”

Google Announces Development Partnership With Intel (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: INTC) is a post from: Localized USA: Your Local News Source

Zagat was formed more than 30 years ago by Tim and Nina Zagat to compile restaurant ratings from consumers into burgundy colored guidebooks and a paid subscription website.  The reviews found on Zagat have helped millions of users decide where they should go to spend their time and their money.  How Google will integrate Zagat into the company continues to be a mystery, but the Zagats will remain on board with the business.

The deal made by Google will give the company a stronger foothold in the local online advertising market, a lucrative market estimated to generate around $140 billion per year.  Around 20% of the searches made on Google are for things that are located close to the searcher, according to information released by Google.  The percentage increased when applied to searches initiated using a mobile phone.  Marissa Mayer, Google’s vice president for local, maps and location services, stated, “All of these are users wondering where they should go, where they should spend their time, so to be able to offer accurate information is important, and that’s why we’ve been getting focused on reviews,”

Google says that the company will continue to publish the Zagat guidebooks for the foreseeable future and the online Zagat reviews will be used to supplement the reviews on Google’s Places.  The Zagat unit will be expanded in nearly all departments, including contractors, fact checkers, and sales staff.  The deal with Google may allow Zagat to expand as an online business and prove to be a bigger prize than expected.

Google Purchases Zagat For Undisclosed Amount (NASDAQ: GOOG) is a post from: Localized USA: Your Local News Source

With over 20 million users who signed up within the first 21 days, Google+ got off to a pretty good start and they have declared to keep the platform clean of spammers and scammers. Google is cracking down on pseudonyms and anonymous or fake profiles of celebrities as well as the average Joe, by deleting profiles first and asking questions later.

While this has been a controversial issue that scandalized many and caused shock waves amongst the social networking community, Google is sticking by its stand on deleting profiles that do not have real, verified names and singular, real faces behind them.

“We’re starting to roll out verification badges on profiles so you can be sure the person you’re adding to a circle is who they claim to be,” streamed Google’s Wen-Ai Yu via Google+. “For now, we’re focused on verifying public figures, celebrities, and people who have been added to a large number of Circles, but we’re working on expanding this to more folks.”

Along with taking a potshot at their main competitor, Facebook, Wen-Ai Yu also said “This is what Facebook is missing. No wonder they have so many user, when there are thousands of fake celebrity profiles. I’m looking forward, for everyone to verify. I always like to know that the person I talk to is really that person.”

This means that bloggers, advertisers, marketing companies etc who were looking forward towards using Google+ for marketing campaigns and garnering publicity, have had their ambitions canned, because Google+ is determines to keep them out.

Information Source: ibtimes.com

Image Source: Increaserss.com

Google+ Takes Profile Verification A Step Further is a post from: Localized USA: Your Local News Source

Google has just settled a very high-profile dispute with the United States Department of Justice. The crime? Google displayed advertisements from online Canadian pharmacies that were in violation of United States Federal law. The cost? Google has agreed to pay a $500 million fine.

According to the Justice Dept, this settlement is one of the largest that has ever happened in the United States. The $500 million covers all of the revenue that Google received from the rogue Canadian pharmacies as they advertised through Google AdWords (those advertisements on the right side of Google search). The huge sum of money also covers the revenue that those pharmacies made from selling to customers in the United States.

Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole said “This settlement ensures that Google will reform its improper advertising practices with regard to these pharmacies while paying one of the largest financial forfeiture penalties in history.” He explained that the Department of Justice will hold accountable all companies who violate Federal laws in their bid for profits. Cole said that Google’s actions had put at risk the health and safety of American consumers.

A spokesman for Google has remarked that Canadian pharmacies have been banned from their advertising network for some time. He also mentioned that hindsight had taught the company that they should not have allowed the ads in the first place. Besides the $500 million fine, Google has also agreed to several “reporting” measures that will help insure to the Justice Dept that any such conduct does not continue.

Google Pays $500 Million Fine – Largest In US History? is a post from: Localized USA: Your Local News Source