A new section in the ongoing Google versus Oracle saga is progressing, this time with the last cited accusing the previous of “directly copying” Java code for use in the Android OS. Oracle is asserting that major chunks of the code that makes up Android is, for need of a better period, exact duplicate and pasted from the code utilised by Oracle, including class libraries, names, definitions, parameters and even documentation.


Google has not made a prescribed public answer to the newest charges, but in the past has suspect Oracle of being dishonest. The foundations of Android’s submissions are based on Java, and the speed increases profited in type 2.2 of the OS arrive from a custom engine called Dalvik. If Oracle wins their case entirely, major Android telephones could be compelled off the market.

It is likely, however, that if Oracle were to completely win their case, they would agree to some kind of from Google, which would probably be a substantial figure. This one is far from over people, so keep your dials tuned to TalkAndroid for the latest in the Google versus Oracle fiasco.

It is probable, however, that if Oracle were to absolutely win their case, they would agree to some kind of settlement from Google, which would likely be a pretty considerable figure. This one is far from over people, so hold your dials tuned to HighTechNews for the newest in the Google versus Oracle fiasco.

After a Summer spent in “Lockdown”, Facebook apparently got quite a bit of work done. They’ve already had a number of events just in the past few weeks. And now they’re having another one.
An email invitation sent to journalists and bloggers that says "Please join us for an event by invitation only." But blogs have been driven by speculation, a great being that Facebook will announce an e-mail service, its response to Google's Gmail.

This is partly because the invitation is reminiscent of the old school, red, white and blue envelopes "Airmail."
If true, it could cause problems for Google Inc. and other providers of email services. Facebook and Google and compete through the eyes of surfers and advertising revenue derived.

The event comes a day before Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks at Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco.

In a press release, Google has announced to dedicate 5 million dollars for innovation in journalism...  


 Google starts by saying that journalism is fundamental to a democracy. Due to online press augmentation, the Internet monster had decided to play its function in technology side by experimenting with new ways to present information on the Internet by providing tools like Google Maps and Youtube Direct.

Beyond these technological tasks, Google believes that it is also vital to encourage innovation in the basics of journalism. That's why the firm decided to spend 5 million dollars to non-profit organization working to develop new approaches to journalism in the era of the digital age.

2 million are allocated to the John S and James L. Knight while the remaining 3 million will be invested abroad in journalism projects. Google hopes that this money will lead to new approaches to journalism on the Internet. That's an interesting initiative on the part of a company whose function Google News is highly criticized by the online press...

South Africa's stadium 3D via Google Earth

Google yesterday announced that it has launched Street View in South Africa,  allowing all Internet users to view street level images and 3D models of  South Africa's stadium via Google Earth.
Seven of South Africa’s football stadiums for the 2010 World Cup,  including Soccer City in Johannesburg and Moses Mabhida in Durban are  now accessible to discover from pitch-level in 360 qualifications, both interior  and exterior and it is rather an experience to take a good look at these truly unbelievable venues.

These detailed pictures were assembled over the last couple of months by Google, with pictures of around 27 South African cities and towns including Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Durban available, assisting visitors get to know the local area or navigate their way to their hotel.

Google's "Street View" service has come in for criticism recently after the California Company said the vehicles  used  to take the  images  had  furthermore  mistakenly  accumulated   personal   facts and  numbers   from unsecured wireless Internet connections.

Google apologized for the privacy break and said it had stopped assembling any more Wi-Fi network data.

This means that South Africa's tourists can see street level photographs  of the areas they will be traveling in, as well as the stadiums where  the World Cup of  2010 will come to life.

Julie Taylor, Communications Manager for Google South Africa, told MyBroadband, "This is a first for Africa, and a really stimulating development for South Africans, who can now discover their homeland in new ways, whether a new local neighborhoods in the city or a scenic coastal route  they've never seen.

“But it's furthermore going to be a huge bonus for the tourism commerce, particularly with all the worldwide tourists reaching in South Africa. Tourists will be able to take a look at sights and stadiums before they get there, while the rest of the world can enjoy the view from their cell phones or PCs."

Internet users can get access to Google's 3D tour of the World Cup pictures at  Google maps.

A couple of cool new changes on Google Image Search make searching for images on your iPhone better than it was.

Google recently changed the look of their homepage and search results and I'm sure all of you must have noticed that by now. But it's not just the desktop that the changes have been made on but on the mobile as well. While searching for some important images on Google Image Search on my iPhone, I noticed this rather interesting new change which I though I must share with you. I'm sure sooner or later you'll stumble upon it yourselves but in case you haven't yet, well, you saw it here first!


As you can see, the thumbnails for search results are now closely packed with hardly any gap between them giving them a tiled look. If you scroll down you'll see larger forward and backward buttons with the page numbers in between so you can jump directly. But what you won't notice immediately is that you can actually swipe horizontally on the grid of icons to move between the search pages.This means you don't necessarily have to scroll down and use the forward backward buttons and you can move around as if you are in some gallery application on your phone. The next page of the search results is automatically loaded so when you scroll to it the image thumbnails are ready.

When you click on one of these images, they now open full screen. On top you can see buttons to go back to the search results or view the image in full size. Below is the name and URL of the site the image is from and its resolution and size. You can click on it to go to the original site. The top and bottom bar disappear from view after some time, so the image is in full focus. In this view the images are pixelated as they are basically stretched from their thumbnail view. Just like in the search results you can swipe on the images to move to the next or previous one. Since they are just thumbnails they take no time at all to load and it feels like you are browsing images saved on your phone.

These are minor changes but they really do make a difference to the way you search. I  must say I really liked this new changes and Google has done a pretty good job on it. I would like to know what you think of this new feature though. Do leave us a comment below.

 
Today Jeff Bertolucci has written, on PC World blog, a review about Google's Wi-Fi and individual privacy rights where he claims that it seems, after Google revealed Friday that its Street View cars, in addition to snapping photos of the world's roadways, have also been collecting sensitive personal information from unencrypted wireless networks.


It was no secret that Google's cars had already been collecting publicly broadcast SSID information (Wi-Fi network names) and MAC addresses (unique numbers for devices like Wi-Fi routers). But this techie data, which is used for location-based services such as Google Maps, didn't include any "payload data," or personal information sent over the network.


Or so "Big Brother" Google claimed on April 27. But yesterday the search behemoth 'fussed up to a security gaffe of Orwellian proportions. Due to a piece of code written in 2006 by an engineer for an experimental Wi-Fi project, Google had in fact been collecting those private bits after all:


"But it's now clear that we have been mistakenly collecting samples of payload data from open (i.e. non-password-protected) WiFi networks, even though we never used that data in any Google products," wrote Alan Eustace, Google senior VP, engineering & research.


Google was smart to open up about the spying incident. An attempted cover-up would have proven disastrous, particularly when numerous consumer and government agencies worldwide have criticized the search company's seemingly insatiable appetite for personal information, a quest that critics say infringes on individual privacy rights.


There's little doubt the Wi-Fi spying incident won't fade away quietly. In fact, the Electronic Frontiers Association (EFA) and Australia Privacy Foundation (APF) have joined forces to question potential security mishaps by Google's Street View, according to a report by Computerworld Australia.


The latest Street View controversy is sweet fodder for conspiracy theorists. As someone said to him responding to the news: "Imagine, Google driving around in vans, taking pictures of  EVERYTHING, and gobbling up Wi-Fi signals like some new-age techno CIA." .


If nothing else, Google's security gaffe should serve as a wake-up call to clueless folk who've yet to encrypt their home Wi-Fi networks. Do you get it now? Anybody may be snooping on you.