Google

This week Google's Project Glass team released a video demonstrating just how good the augmented reality specs are at what Google does best, search.

Much of the hype around Glass has centered on its ability to capture a true first-person perspective (we've already seen the first marriage proposal through Glass), but the 20 sample searches in the embedded vid below showcase the power of what's essentially Google Now at its best, integrated into the new hardware.

We've heard plenty of rhetoric from Sergey Brin and others at Google about using Glass as a means of getting the device out of the way; providing a more seamless experience that allows a user to search without having to translate a query into a series of swipes and taps. The video shows off some of the most realistic uses for a Glass search, such as accessing flight information while driving, checking last night's sports scores, and even the requisite pictures of cats in pajamas.… Read more

Google is expected to sell more mobile ads this year than the rest of its competitors combined for the second straight year, according to a new forecast.

The Web giant will generate $8.8 billion in revenue from mobile advertising this year after paying commissions to its ad partners, a 92 percent increase over the previous year, according to a forecast released Thursday by research firm eMarketer.

Mobile ad sales are expected to hit nearly $16 billion this year, meaning Google will have a 56 percent share. Google sold $4.6 billion in mobile ads in 2012, capturing 52 percent … Read more

Google's controversial Chrome Frame, a secure Internet Explorer plug-in that fought to bring the modern Web to legacy versions of Internet Explorer, will soon be going the way of Reader, Wave, and other Google projects not deemed worthy of a future.

Chrome engineer Robert Shield wrote in a blog post on Thursday that Chrome Frame had outlived its usefulness. Basically, it wasn't being used. Google said that its lack of appeal was because the use of browsers that support modern Web site technology has advanced far enough beyond where it was in 2009, when Chrome Frame launched.

Gary … Read more

Of the virtues of travel, Mark Twain once wrote, "The gentle reader will never, never know what a consummate ass he can become until he goes abroad."

Google updated Maps on Thursday with 1,001 places previously not in Street View, from the wildlife of Singapore to the interiors of the concert halls of Canada to, yes, tours of the Mark Twain House and Mark Twain Museum in Hartford, Conn.

The company did not release the full list of new locations, but pointed out highlights that could appeal to hikers, people planning their next vacation, or mere "… Read more

The big news today for Google+ is that the service is getting some notable improvements to its notifications system, the biggest of which is syncing across all devices. With this improvement, when you read or dismiss a notification on one device, the same action will be reflected across all of your devices, so you won't be bothered with repeat clicks and swipes.

Other updates include a new bell icon for notifications and an updated notifications tray, which separates new items from previously read items. According to Google's Vic Gundotra, the notifications improvements will be rolling out gradually starting … Read more

Google should be investigated by the U.K. tax authority HM Revenue and Customes over its tax affairs, according to a parliamentary watchdog.

The search giant came under heavy criticism from the U.K. Public Accounts Committee today for only paying $16 million in tax to HMRC on turnover of $18 billion between 2006 and 2011.

Google achieved this by basing its operations for Europe, the Middle East and Africa in Ireland, which has a corporation tax rate of 12.5 percent, less than half the 28 percent rate in the U.K. It then reduced its Irish tax liabilities … Read more

Apple blew it big-time last year with the botched launch of its own Maps. At its Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, the company tried to show that it knows which direction to take Apple Maps.

We won't how know how well it works until the fall. But Google -- the leader in online maps -- isn't waiting around.

Google's purchase of Waze -- a deal that Google confirms Tuesday but won't elaborate on -- will, if nothing else, keep a rival from snapping up the hot Israeli startup.

Google reportedly spent more than a literal ton of cash … Read more

Less than three weeks before Google Reader shuts down, a top alternative called Feedly has begun switching the foundation of its RSS-reading service off Google's technology and onto its own servers.

Feedly released a new iOS app Tuesday that is "Now powered by the Feedly cloud," according to the app description. "Let's all wish a happy retirement to Google Reader."

Feedly got its start as a new interface to Google Reader, a service that lets people subscribe to Web site updates using the RSS and Atom technologies. But in March Google announced it's axing Google Reader on July 1, … Read more

Roger Corman, one of the all-time great makers of B-movies, is bringing his collection to YouTube.

Corman, maker of 400 films that span horror; sci-fi; action and adventure; comedy; and other genres, is launching "Corman's Drive-In," a new subscription channel where fans can watch films like "The Crybaby Killer" and "Little Shop of Horrors," two of Jack Nicholson's first movies. The channel launches on June 13.

Subscriptions to "Corman's Drive-In" will cost $4 a month, and come with unlimited access to 30 films at a time. Other films from … Read more