Google on Wednesday unveiled new open-source software for TVs and cars, accelerating its competition against Apple into a higher gear. With its new announcements, Google (GOOGL) has begun “laying a foundation” for Android software to be used for all Internet-enabled devices, said Sundar Pichai, a Google (GOOG) senior vice president. “We are beginning to think about all of our platforms beyond mobile,” Pichai said. Google stock
A prominent Google (GOOGL) critic says the company’s acquisition of webcam maker Dropcam is part of a nefarious plot by the search giant to expand its spying on consumers from online into the physical world. In a blog post late Tuesday, Scott Cleland, president of research consulting firm Precursor, said Google’s $555 million purchase of Dropcam “fits into Google’s plans for a new ubiquitous physical surveillance network that will complement and leverage its existing virtual surveillance network.” Cleland, author of the 2011 book “Search & Destroy: Why You Can’t Trust Google Inc.,” has been sounding the alarm on Google for years to anyone who’ll listen. His latest blog post is part 25 in a series on “Google spying.” He doesn’t buy into the company’s “Don’t be evil” corporate mantra. Google subsidiary Nest, which makes smart thermostats and smoke detectors, announced on Friday that it is buying Dropcam, which sells…
Google’s invite-only test of a Web domain-registration service spurred an analyst on Tuesday to downgrade rival service Web.com to neutral. Web.com (WWWW) stock slumped more than 20% in midday trading in the stock market today, near a seven-month low of 27.50, while Google (GOOGL)stock was up 1.3%. Google (GOOG) Domains is an invite-only test where users can buy domain names, create branded email addresses and host Web content on Google’s servers.