Editor’s Note: Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO)
Google Blocks Microsoft’s YouTube Windows Phone App Again (Forbes)
Earlier this week, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) released its new YouTube application for Windows Phone after it was disabled in May by YouTube for failing to display ads. Though the new app displays ads, the app was blocked again today by Google – apparently, because the app violates YouTube’s terms of service, even though the two companies collaborated on the app. In a statement, Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) said: “We’re committed to providing users and creators with a great and consistent YouTube experience across devices, and we’ve been working with Microsoft to build a fully featured YouTube for Windows Phone app, based on HTML5. Unfortunately, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has not made the browser upgrades necessary to enable a fully-featured YouTube experience, and has instead re-released a YouTube app that violates our Terms of Service.
Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) said Thursday it will by default encrypt data warehoused in its Cloud Storage service. The server-side encryption is now active for all new data written to Cloud Storage, and older data will be encrypted in the coming months, wrote Dave Barth, a Google product manager, in a blog post. “If you require encryption for your data, this functionality frees you from the hassle and risk of managing your own encryption and decryption keys,” Barth wrote. “We manage the cryptographic keys on your behalf using the same hardened key management systems that Google uses for our own encrypted data, including strict key access controls and auditing.”
Google’s I-Day doodle faux pas outrages tweeple (Times of India)
Yellow is not saffron — thundered armies of outraged tweeple — as Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s Doodle celebrating India’s Independence Day struck the wrong colour on Thursday. Google, which celebrates global events with a signature doodle, created one on August 15 with paisley ribbons in the colours of the Indian tricolour. Except for a small problem — they used yellow instead of saffron generating howl of online protests. Anusha Rao tweeted “Today’s google doodle sucks! C’mon #google, you could do a lot with India’s independence day and YOU KNOW IT!”
Thai villagers hold Google Street View worker hostage after accusing him of being a government spy (Daily Mail)
Villagers in Thailand held a Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) Street View worker after suspecting he was a government spy. About 20 residents in the remote Sa-eab village in Phrae province blocked the marked Google car on Tuesday after becoming convinced the worker was surveying for an unwanted dam project. The Google worker, named as Deeprom Phongphon, was only believed after swearing in a Buddhist temple that he did not work for the government. The car aroused suspicion as it toured the streets of the rural village with its large camera attached to the roof.
Google Capital joins Yahoo, Microsoft in race to buy Tikona stake (Economic Times)
Google Capital, owned by internet search engine Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG), is in race to buy a stake in Mumbai-based broadband service provider Tikona Digital Networks (TDN), joining rivals Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO) and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), which have also evinced interest in the five-year old company that is seeking capital to roll out the fourth-generation or 4G network across five states. The US-based fund, which invests in late-stage companies, had done a technical and financial due diligence on TDN last month, two persons with direct knowledge of the matter told ET. “They wanted to understand how they can benefit by investing in 4G,” said one of the persons, who did not wish to be named.
