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Why Airbnb Neighborhoods could make traveling easier for all

When heading to a city like London on a budget, a service like Airbnb can be a godsend: with dozens and dozens of available apartments to choose from, a traveler can easily find a place to stay that's much less expensive than a hotel, and which offers privacy, a sense of home, and maybe most important of all, a kitchen.

Last year, I went to London on business and decided the visit was long enough to merit getting a place through Airbnb. But I hadn't been to the English capital since I was a teenager and had no … Read more

Google launches search app for Windows RT

Windows RT users now have a Google search app to call their own.

Yesterday the search giant unveiled a Google Search app optimized for Windows RT tablets. The company had already launched a search app for Windows on October 23, but that version lacked support for Windows RT devices.

Available in the Windows Store, the RT edition of Google Search mimics its Windows 8 counterpart. And since it's exclusive to RT tablets, the emphasis is on touch-screen gestures.

You can search by tapping and typing in the search field or by using your voice. You can run an image … Read more

Google Map Maker goes hyper-local with Activity Stream

Google's Map Maker goes local by amplifying its service with information on neighborhood hot spots, cafes, gyms, and more. The Web giant announced today that it's doing this with a new Map Maker feature called Activity Stream.

Google Map Maker is a crowd-sourced mapping Web app that lets users create and customize maps on Google by adding locations and details on roads, businesses, landmarks, and other spots. It launched in 2008 and is available in most countries throughout the world. It's an important addition to Google's mapping services because it makes maps far more detailed.

In … Read more

Google hit with $208K fine over alleged defamation

Google has lost a defamation lawsuit in Australia.

An Australian court today ordered Google to pay 200,000 Australian dollars ($208,760) to Milorad Trkulja for showing search results that might have caused users to link him to mobsters. The AFP was first to report on the judgment.

Trkulja, an entertainment promoter, was shot in the back in 2004. After that shooting, Google search results related to his name referenced organized crime. Trkulja's attorney requested the links be removed from Google's search in 2009, saying that they were "grossly defamatory."

In court, a jury agreed with … Read more

Google makes more money from ads than print media combined

Google makes more money from advertising than all U.S. print publications combined, according to a new study from German statistics company Statista.

The company found Google generated $20.8 billion in ad revenue in the first six months of 2012, while the whole U.S. print media industry -- newspapers and magazines -- made only $19.2 billion.

Statista did note, however, that the comparison is "obviously unfair" and shouldn't be judged scientifically. Google operates globally, while the company only looked at print media in the U.S.

Still, it's a pretty interesting indication of … Read more

Yahoo tests new Windows 8-like home page

Yahoo may be drawing some inspiration from Microsoft in its latest home page redesign.

The Internet search and media company is testing out a new version of its home page that uses larger tiles similar to Microsoft's Windows 8, according to AllThingsD.

The redesign seems better suited for touch-screen devices, a smart move with the increasing proliferation of tablets and other touch-friendly "hybrid" devices coming from the launch of Windows 8, alongside iPads and smartphones with increasingly larger displays.

The approach uses large photos stacked at the top of the page, similar to both Windows 8's … Read more

Priceline names its own price for Kayak: $1.8 billion

Wonder if Priceline Negotiator William Shatner helped broker this deal.

Priceline today says it has agreed to buy rival Kayak for about $1.8 billion, bolstering its online travel shopping presence.

The deal, valuing Kayak at $40 a share, includes $1.3 billion in stock and $500 million in cash and is a 29 percent premium to Kayak's closing price today. The highest the stock has traded in the past year is $37.

The acquisition, subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals, should close by the end of the first quarter. Kayak will operate independently from the rest of Priceline, … Read more

Google's U.K. search share dips below 90 percent

Google has dipped in the U.K. search engine market share beneath the 90 percent mark for the first time in five years, losing a modest 1.7 percentage points in the past year in the face of competitors.

According to Experian Hitwise statistics, Google now holds 89.3 percent of all U.K. Internet searches but faces competition from its rival search engines and portals. All of Google's main rivals -- Microsoft's Bing, Yahoo, and Ask -- have each increased a bit year over year.

Bing now carries nearly 5 percent of all search traffic, up from … Read more

Mozilla gets lucky, settles IRS audit for $1.5M

A nearly four-year tax audit of the Mozilla Foundation is finally over. And it looks like the foundation got off easy by handing over just $1.5 million to the U.S. government.

Mozilla Foundation Chair Mitchell Baker announced in a blog post today that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) closed its audit and agreed to settle with the company.

"I'm happy to note that we've settled the issues raised and the IRS recently closed the audit," she wrote. "We entered into a settlement, under which the Mozilla Foundation paid the IRS US $1.5 … Read more