Google has unveiled the so-called “half-page” 300×600 unit for AdSense, claiming that one of the top requests from publishers in the last year has been for larger ad sizes in AdSense accounts.To put it in perspective, see the above graphic. The half-page is that tawny-colored box in the center, offering as close to a full-screen takeover as a display ad can.
via Google Unveils Half-Page Unit For AdSense – MarketingVOX.
At a signing ceremony at the Google headquarters on Tuesday, California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law state legislation that officially makes the Golden State the second in the nation to legalize and regulate autonomous cars.
Google, of course, has already developed a fleet of a dozen cars (mostly modified Toyota Priuses) and has already logged over 300,000 miles of autonomous driving on state roads.
The new law obliges the California Department of Motor Vehicles to draft regulations for autonomous vehicles by January 1, 2015.
“These vehicles have the potential to avoid accidents—we can save lives, create jobs, and reduce congestion,” said Google co-founder Sergey Brin at the event. “I expect that self-driving cars will be far safer than human-driven cars.”
MORE: Robot cars now officially legal in California | Ars Technica.
Once a media darling Orkut has been steadily going downfall and following the MySpace way has seen the numbers of its daily visitors dwindle nearly 86% over the last year, suggesting that it the Google powered Social Network is all ready to be bought over or sold to the largest bidder. Either way this once confirms what “ most of us “ already know ..Google ‘s experiments in social media has been more than a disaster. After shutting down more than 10 social products over the last 4 years
MORE: Online Marketing Trends: The End of Orkut : Why Google will never succeed in Social Media.
Google‘s social network Google+ has more than 400 million members, Google’s Senior Vice President of Engineering Vic Gundotra has announced.
Gundotra posted the news on his Google+ profile today, adding that Google+ also has 100 million monthly active users — if you count in the mobile app.
“This week we also hit an important milestone–over 400,000,000 people have upgraded to Google+. It was only a year ago that we opened public sign-up, and we couldn’t have imagined that so many people would join in just 12 months,” wrote Gundotra.
MORE: Google+ Has 400 Million Members.
Google won’t be able to compete with the attention lavished on Apple for the launch of the sixth-generation iPhone, but it did announce the notable milestone late tonight of half a billion device activations.
“Today is a big day for Android… 500 million devices activated globally, and over 1.3 million added every single day,” said Hugo Bara, Android’s director of product management, in a Google+ post. It’s not clear how many devices are replacing older ones, though.
Barra said in June at the Google I/O show that 400 million Android devices had been activated and that the rate was 1 million per day.
MORE: Google: 500 million Android devices activated | Mobile – CNET News.
The bulk of the companies here at the Republican National Convention are traditional media firms with dedicated spaces for their reporters to crank out stories about the big event. Then there are Twitter and Facebook. The two social media outfits are sharing a space upstairs and around the corner from a much larger area rented out by Bloomberg.
And why not? More and more, when people look for political information or post politics-related content, they do it on both platforms. The company names are synonymous with social media, and that’s partially why Twitter and Facebook decided to bunk together here at the RNC.
“We’re both here with the same mission. Our goals here are the same – to facilitate open engagement,” said Adam Sharp, who heads up Government, News, and Social Innovation at Twitter. “Obviously our companies have ways in which we compete, but it’s not a zero sum game,” continued Sharp.
Meanwhile Google – one of the only other “non-media” firms here (if it can still be called that) – has taken over a massive space on the main floor of the Tampa Convention Center, complete with primary colored walls, interactive experiences, and a coffee bar dishing out free cappuccinos for the caffeine-quaffing journalists embedded nearby.
MORE: Twitter and Facebook Get Cozy at Republican Convention | ClickZ.
It’s no surprise that freelancers tend to rely on cloud-based apps, which allow flexibility in storing and grabbing files on the go. Among the top 25 apps on the list include Dropbox, Google Analytics, Gmail, Evernote and Hootsuite.
Meanwhile, some emerging favorites include expense report app Expensify, to-do list app Remember the Milk and Jing, which captures and shares anything you see on a computer screen as an image or short video.
For a full look at which tools are top of mind among freelancers, check out the list below.
MORE: The Most Popular Freelancer Apps for Work-Life Balance [INFOGRAPHIC].
Google has added the ability for users to select their own URL addresses on the Google+ social networking service.
The company said that it would initially be rolling out the personalized URL option for verified accounts, limiting the service to large brands and celebrities in its initial phase. The company said that it plans to add the option to more users in time.
The new scheme will allow users to not only personalize their URLs, but also dramatically shorten the address for accounts. The new scheme will display the user’s name and a ‘+’ sign directly behind the Google.com domain.
For example, David Beckham has registered the +DavidBeckham address, changing the football star’s URL to google.com/+DavidBeckham.
MORE: Google+ Adds Custom URLs for Brands | ClickZ.
Gmail users will soon be able to use the same video chat technology that Google uses for its Google+ social network. Earlier today the company began rolling out the newer Google+ Hangouts functionality to Gmail, which has had video chat for the last three years.
This is mostly an under-the-hood announcement of an effort that’s slated for completion within the next few weeks. The biggest difference is that unlike the service’s previous video chat, which was based on peer-to-peer technology, the upgraded service will offer improved reliability and also let users connect with people using Google+, according to the company.
MORE: Gmail gets video Hangout | Internet & Media – CNET News.
Google on Thursday detailed its high-speed Internet network called Google Fiber, which runs 100 times faster than today’s average broadband connection.
The search engine giant is bringing the ultra-high speeds first to Kansas City, Kan. and Kansas City, Mo. In addition to offering two paid packages, Google is also rolling out a virtually free service for at least the first seven years. (Note: You still have to pay a $300 installation fee).
“No more buffering. No more loading. No more waiting,” the company notes on its blog. “Imagine: instantaneous sharing; truly global education; medical appointments with 3D imaging; even new industries that we haven’t even dreamed of, powered by a gig.”
To get things started, the company divided Kansas City into small communities called “fiberhoods.” Each fiberhood needs a high majority of their residents to pre-register to get the service. Those communities with a high pre-registration percentage will be among the first to get Google Fiber. Households in those communities can register for the service throughout the next six weeks.
Households in fiberhoods that qualify will be able to select from various subscription packages. Internet will cost $70 a month, while Internet along with television will cost about $120. The free Internet service (with the $300 installation fee) is also available for $25 a month for 12 months.
MORE: Meet Google Fiber, the New Lightning-Fast Internet Network.