Google Said to Be Possible Target of Antitrust Probe After ITA Acquisition

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is considering a broad antitrust investigation into Google Inc. (GOOG)’s dominance of the Internet-search industry, two people familiar with the matter said.

Before proceeding with any probe, the FTC is awaiting a decision by the Justice Department on whether it will challenge Google’s planned acquisition of ITA Software Inc. as a threat to competition in the travel-information search business, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter is still confidential.

An FTC investigation of Google, the world’s most popular search engine, “could be on par” with the scope of the Justice Department’s probe of Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) a decade ago, said Keith Hylton, an antitrust law professor at Boston University School of Law. Google “could fight the FTC, but that’s going to cost a lot of money and time.”

The FTC and Justice Department share responsibility for oversight of antitrust enforcement, and the outcome of the ITA deal may determine whether the two agencies will vie for control of a broader probe of Google, the people said. The two agencies sometimes negotiate which will handle major antitrust investigations, with the decision turning on their respective expertise.

The Justice Department may soon announce its decision on Google’s purchase of ITA, said the people familiar with the matter.

Commissioner’s Support

FTC Commissioner Thomas Rosch said in an interview last month he supported a probe of the dominant players in the Internet-search industry, without specifying which companies. Rosch, one of two Republicans on the five-member commission, is the only commissioner to say publicly that such an investigation is in order.

The people familiar with the matter said any investigation of the search industry should concentrate on Mountain View, California-based Google, owner of the world’s most popular search engine.

If consumers don’t like what the company is doing, they can switch to another search engine, said Adam Kovacevich, a Google spokesman.

“Since competition is one click away on the Internet, we work hard to put our users’ interests first and give them the best, most relevant answers to their queries,” he said in an e-mail. “We built Google for users, not websites.”

Google fell $18.59, or 3.2 percent, to $569.09 in Nasdaq Stock Market trading in New York.

Texas and Europe

Cecelia Prewett, a spokeswoman at the FTC, and Gina Talamona, a Justice Department spokeswoman, declined to comment.

Google is facing growing scrutiny from regulators as it bolsters its search business. Officials in Texas and the European Commission have started investigations into Google’s search dominance, while Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine is considering such a probe.

The EU probe is examining whether Google discriminated against other services in search results and stopped websites from accepting rival ads. A complaint from Microsoft last month may expand the investigation to online video and mobile phones.

The state of Wisconsin is weighing an examination of Google’s bid to buy Cambridge, Massachusetts-based ITA, which provides data for airline ticket fares to online travel sites, according to a person familiar with the matter.

‘Long Overdue’

Lawmakers including Senator Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, and Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, have urged the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on antitrust to hold a hearing on Google’s dominance of Internet businesses.

Herb Kohl, the Wisconsin Democrat who heads the panel, has said he’s examining Google.

“An investigation is long overdue,” said Gary Reback, an antitrust lawyer with Carr & Ferrell LLP in Menlo Park, California, who represents companies that have complained about Google to regulators here and in Europe. “Every day there are companies who are being hurt by Google’s anticompetitive behavior and we still have arm-wrestling going on in Washington,” he said in an interview yesterday.

It isn’t known whether the Justice Department or the FTC would handle such an investigation because both agencies could claim experience in reviewing Google’s businesses, said Robert Lande, a law professor at the University of Baltimore.

AdMob Purchase

The FTC gained knowledge of Google’s inner workings during its review of the company’s $750 million purchase of AdMob Inc., a mobile ad service. The agency approved that acquisition last year.

In 2007, the agency approved Google’s acquisition of DoubleClick Inc., an online advertising company.

The FTC has been bolstering its expertise in technology and the internet. Chairman Jonathan Leibowitz appointed Edward Felten, a Princeton professor known for cracking the music industry’s digital-copyright protection code, as the agency’s chief technologist in November.

Columbia Law School professor Timothy Wu, the author of “Master Switch,” a book about the consolidation of information industries, was appointed senior adviser in February to study consumer protection and competition issues that affect the Internet and mobile markets. Wu coined the term ‘net neutrality,’ which advocates no restrictions on content, sites, platforms or kinds of equipment.

Allegations of Deception

It’s possible the FTC, which handles consumer-protection issues, could begin a probe examining allegations of deception by Google, expanding it into a broader antitrust investigation, Lande said.

On March 30, Google agreed to settle FTC claims that it used deceptive tactics and violated its own privacy policies when it introduced the Buzz social-networking service last year.

Last month, Rosch said if the FTC opens an investigation into the search industry and decides to bring a case, it could rely on powers it used to reach a settlement with Intel Corp. (INTC) last year.

In the Intel case, the FTC invoked Section 5 of the law that established the agency in 1914 to challenge “unfair or deceptive” practices, going beyond what is specifically banned by other federal antitrust statutes.

The use of Section 5 and FTC’s ability to handle its cases through its own administrative processes rather than necessarily going to court, as the Justice Department must, would make it easier for the FTC to pursue Google, said Herbert Hovenkamp, a professor at the University of Iowa College of Law.

Business Practices

The Justice Department also has experience in scrutinizing Google’s business practices.

Since July, the Justice Department has been reviewing Google’s planned acquisition of Cambridge, Massachusetts-based ITA.


As part of that review, the department may decide to impose restrictions on Google, approve the deal outright or challenge it in court, Lande said. The department also could decide to file a broader antitrust case, making an FTC probe unnecessary, although Lande said that was “very unlikely.”

The department in November 2008 threatened to sue Google over its planned alliance with Yahoo! Inc. Google scrapped an agreement to place ads on Yahoo.

“When Microsoft was really dominating the market, Google was complaining there was a violation of the antitrust law,” said Christopher Tang, a professor of business administration at the University of California at Los Angeles. “And now Google is becoming more dominant in the search space, and people are concerned Google is entering too many market places.”

Source: Bloomberg

Class Up Your iPhone with This Super-Modern Desk Dock

There's something about a landline that just connotes class, austerity, and power. Maybe I've been watching too much Mad Men. But for the same reasons we love the Moshi Moshi, the KEE Desk Phone Dock has us drooling a bit.

It might look superfluous—and maybe it is—but the Phone Dock puts an unlikely emphasis on your iPhone: talking! Weird, right? I often forget it's possible. But if you're an avid chatter, the dock is equal parts utility and nifty sci-fi prop: it'll charge your phone, while at the same time giving you something sturdy to place calls with. And, of course, look pretty damn cool on your desk.

Although we'd lusted after the dock's concept renders last year—which is among the largest vaporware red flags out there—KEE is taking orders now—although $150 is steep for an essentially handsomer way of doing something you can already do. But can you do it and look like a character from 2001: A Space Odyssey? [KEE via CNET]

SO

Source: Gizmodo

Seagate Chalks Up Thinnest External Hard Drive Yet

Okay, so the previous record-holder in the world's thinnest hard drive category was only 1mm fatter, but still! Records! The Seagate GoFlex Slim portable hard drive—first debuted at CES this January but today a real live shipping USB 3.0, 7200RPM storage accessory—measures up at just 9mm thick. That's 320GB of bonus space in a drive that's about as thick as a #2 pencil. Available today for $100 here: [Seagate]

SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif. - April 5, 2011 - Seagate (NASDAQ:STX) today announced the availability of its new GoFlex® Slim portable hard drive — a svelte, 9mm, 2.5-inch external drive designed for the latest trend of portable, thin, stylish laptops and netbooks. Initially showcased at the 2011 International Consumer Electronics show in January of this year, the new GoFlex Slim performance drive is now available on www.seagate.com, in-store and at select online retailers. A 320GB version of the GoFlex Slim drive can be purchased for a manufacturer's suggested retail price of £79,99.

At an ultra-sleek 9mm-38 percent leaner than the current GoFlex ultra-portable drives-the new GoFlex Slim drive is roughly the width of a pencil. Sliding effortlessly into a pocket, purse or messenger bag, the GoFlex Slim portable drive enables transport, access and enjoyment of personal digital content from anywhere, making it the perfect complement to today's mobile lifestyle. Equipped with a 7200RPM drive and a USB3.0 interface to accelerate transfer speeds up to 10x faster than USB2.0, this attractive super-slim drive delivers quick access to large, multi-media files such as HD movies and video games. The faster drive speed takes full advantage of the included plug-and-play USB 3.0 interface, while still maintaining compatibility with USB 2.0 ports. The GoFlex Slim portable drive also allows for use between Windows and Mac® computers, interchangeably, without formatting or performance loss. Additionally, the drive's included premium backup software provides automatic and continuous backups and encrypts files and folders.
"The continued growth of personal digital media stores, our increasingly mobile lifestyles and the continued proliferation of mobile devices are driving the demand for slimmer, more portable storage solutions," said Patrick Connolly, vice president and general manager of Retail at Seagate. "Netbooks and slim laptops are great for consuming media, but are limited when it comes to creating and storing high-definition films and photos. With the benefit of using Seagate's Momentus® Thin drive, the 9mm GoFlex® Slim ultra-portable hard drive breaks through these boundaries-delivering a beautiful, ultra-slim, lightweight storage solution to complement existing mobile computing devices so they can enjoy even more of the content they love, anywhere they want."
"Consumers have a desire to have digital content available at their fingertips. However, in some cases, personal libraries of digital content are exceeding the storage capacity available in notebook PCs," said John Rydning, IDC's research director for hard disk drives. "USB attached HDD storage that is capacious, affordable, lightweight, and in a slim form factor will be appealing to many of these consumers."

According to IDC, tablets, mini-laptops and netbooks are largely seen as secondary PC devices and are primarily used for information "grazing," or as vehicles of content consumption. Additionally, tablets, mini-notebooks and netbooks have very limited on-board storage requiring them to have access to additional storage, whether it is local attached, networked or from the cloud1. The GoFlex Slim and GoFlex Slim for Mac drives enable people to easily sync files between their computer and the drive, so that they can easily store, transport and enjoy hundreds of DVD-quality movies, hours of digital video, and multiple-thousands of photos or digital music while on-the-go.


Source: Gizmodo

Linux Claims Victory Over Microsoft

In Linux's Eyes, their 20 years war against Microsoft has come to an end, and they're the victor. Foundation Executive Director Jim Zemlin thinks that they've handily surpassed Microsoft in every product category...except one:

"I think we just don't care that much [about Microsoft] anymore,' Zemlin said. 'They used to be our big rival, but now it's kind of like kicking a puppy."

Source: Gizmodo

Toshiba’s 14-Inch USB Monitor Only Costs $200

All things considered, $200 for a 14-inch, Display Link-powered monitor isn't too shabby. Especially when it spits out a 1366x768 resolution and only requires a USB cable to function. You can buy it now directly from Toshiba. [Toshiba]

Source: Gizmodo

How Big Weapons Hit Tiny Targets from Incredible Distances

Rachel Swaby — So, let's say our armed forces had to lend a hand in a conflict without deploying troops on the ground (*cough* *cough* Libya *cough*). How would they do that? Simple: GPS. Oh, and Lasers. And mechanized ordnance that is better at navigating than any meatbag with a map.
In a tense conflict like Libya, where nobody—including the American public—wants US troops stomping around, it might seem like military options are limited. They are: to a gang of super-smart, incredibly accurate missiles and bombs launched from the ocean and sky. In some cases, a missile's solo journey can originate from a submerged submarine hundreds of miles from its target. Which raises the question: Wait, how can it hit a target the size of a shipping container from, like, another country?

It all starts with a plan. Before, say, a $607,000 Tomahawk land attack missile ever leaves the launch tube, it's programmed with a set of instructions—called a pre-mission plan—that tells it where to *ahem* land. The guide includes the latitude and longitude of the target as well as the coordinates for up to 15 other alternate endings. (Choose your own adventure, anyone?) Also loaded are stored images of the flight path, which come in handy later.

Getting from point A (say, a sub) to point B (say, a bunker) requires an intricate set of negotiations that the Tomahawk handles on the fly. After our 20-foot-long projectile protagonist pops out of the ocean, it levels low to the water in order to dodge enemy radar. Moving at up to 550mph, the missile is guided by a GPS system similar to the ones 747s use, and a system called Terrain Contour Matching. TERCOM takes note of the immediate landscape, but it's not about sight seeing. The Tomahawk instead compares real time data from its altimeter and radar with satellite imagery from a stored database to make sure it's precisely on course. It's kind of like looking at Google Street View while you walk through a neighborhood. If the missile finds that it has zigged off its route or desired altitude, it aligns itself with the right topography to get back on track.

But things change rapidly in conflict, so the 3,330 Tomahawk Block IV has built-in ability to react to situations like a last-minute change in targeting. In these cases, GPS location data gets updated via a two-way satellite link, and the missile takes an alternate route to another end point. Haven't determined the new target yet? "The missile can go into a loitering mode," explains a super secret Navy official whose name we can't use. "It's not as dramatic as a hover, but it will fly loops in the air, and it will await further tasking."

Remember that stored image of the route to the enemy destination included in the pre-mission plan? Well, if there aren't any changes mid-flight, the missile compares the picture of the route with what's on the ground. "It adjusts based on what it sees," says the Navy official. When everything matches up: Boom. No more shipping container.

Destruction doesn't only come from the sea, either. Other super accurate systems, like certain Guided Bomb Units (GBU) carried on F15E Strike Eagle planes, use lasers and fins for guidance. Before ever leaving the ground, the bombs are programmed to look for a certain laser signature—the same laser signature that the plane is programmed to "paint" on its enemies. See, the bombs are ravenous for these beam-illuminated spots, but their attraction needs to be very, very specific. The Air Force doesn't want Jet #1's bomb hitting Jet #2's target (or, like, a grocery store) by accident.

F15Es have what's called a targeting pod that allows Weapons Systems Officers to look for targets using infrared and electro-optical imaging. You've seen this set up on TV; it's the screen with the crosshairs on it. Once they find the correct spot, the targeting pod computes the coordinates. Then, the jet's computer calculates where the pilot needs to fly and when the bomb needs to drop.

When the range is right, the pilot hits the "pickle button" (for serious—that's what it's called) and the laser guided bomb is dropped from something like 20,000 feet. From here, the on-bomb computer plays a game of find the laser. Bombs are equipped with a glassed-over seeker that kind of looks like an eye. When the seeker locates the laser-illuminated target below, the computer tells the bomb how to move its fins to navigate the free fall. "We can hit anything: buildings, cars, holes in the ground—really there's no limitation," says Major Ryan Ismirle, who flew F15Es in Afghanistan. "I've never seen one—especially in combat-that hasn't hit its target."

source: gizmodo

Mark E. Zuckerberg

Updated: Jan. 3, 2011

Mark Zuckerberg is the co-founder and chief executive of Facebook, the world's largest social network with nearly 500 million users around the world.

The start-up, born in a Harvard dorm room in 2004, has become an essential personal and business networking tool in much of the wired world.

As Facebook has matured, so has Mr. Zuckerberg, who was born May 14, 1984. He has traded his disheveled, unassuming image for an ever-present tie while visiting media outfits like "The Oprah Winfrey Show." And he says Facebook's most important metrics are not its membership but the percentage of the wired world that uses the site and the amount of information -- photographs, news articles and status updates -- zipping across its servers.

A new movie about the tumultuous origins of Facebook, "The Social Network," opened in October 2010. Facebook strenuously, and Mr. Zuckerberg more quietly, asserted that the portrayal of the company's founding is fiction. And Mr. Zuckerberg disputed the characterization of him in the film, though in a New Yorker magazine profile, he acknowledged having indulged in a bit of sophomoric arrogance.

Shortly before the film's opening, the real-life Mr. Zuckerberg made headlines by donating $100 million to improve the long-troubled public schools of Newark, N.J.

In 2009, Mr. Zuckerberg's stake in Facebook, which is not publicly traded, was valued at $2 billion, making him the world's youngest billionaire. The next year, when Facebook was valued at $23 billion, Forbes put his share at $6.9 billion. An investment by Goldman Sachs in January 2011 set the value of the company at $50 billion, putting Mr. Zuckerberg in a league with the founders of Google, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who are reportedly worth $15 billion apiece.

Mr. Zuckerberg grew up in Westchester County, N.Y., dropped out of Harvard to build the company and now lives in California. During its rise, he fended off numerous offers to sell Facebook, and in late 2010 discouraged speculation that it might go public anytime soon.

FACEBOOK'S ASCENT

Facebook's rise has been marked by several controversies. Three other Harvard students maintain that they came up with the original idea and that Mr. Zuckerberg, whom they had hired to write code for the site, stole the idea to create Facebook. Facebook has denied the allegations. A long-running lawsuit is pending

Another Harvard classmate, Aaron Greenspan, claims that he created the underlying architecture for both companies, but has declined to enter the legal battle.

In 2005, MTV Networks considered buying Facebook for seventy-five million dollars. Yahoo! and Microsoft soon offered much more. Mr. Zuckerberg turned them all down. Terry Semel, the former C.E.O. of Yahoo!, who sought to buy Facebook for a billion dollars in 2006, said, “I’d never met anyone—forget his age, twenty-two then or twenty-six now—I’d never met anyone who would walk away from a billion dollars. But he said, ‘It’s not about the price. This is my baby, and I want to keep running it, I want to keep growing it.’ I couldn’t believe it.”

PRIVACY ISSUES

Mr. Zuckerberg has pushed Facebook users to share more information about themselves. But Facebook users have pushed back, increasingly lobbing vociferous complaints that some new features or settings are privacy violations. The back and forth between Facebook and its users over privacy is gaining importance as the company's growth continues unabated. Facebook's policies, more than those of any other company, are helping to define standards for privacy in the Internet age.

Bowing to pressure over privacy concerns, Mr. Zuckerberg in May 2010 unveiled a set of controls that he said would help people understand what they were sharing online, and with whom.

Facebook's biggest mistake, Mr. Zuckerman said, was failing to notice that as Facebook added new features and its privacy controls grew increasingly complicated, those controls became efectively unusable for many people.

He said the crisis was challenging, but not as stressful as fending off billion-dollar acquisition offers from the likes of Yahoo and Viacom when he was 22.

In February 2009, when Facebook updated its terms, it deleted a provision that said users could remove their content at any time, at which time the license would expire. Further, it added new language that said Facebook would retain users' content and licenses after an account was terminated. After a wave of protests from its users, Facebook said that it would withdraw changes to its terms of service.

In one of the latest episodes in a string of frustrations about Facebook, users discovered in May 2010 that a glitch gave them access to supposedly private information in the accounts of their Facebook friends, like chat conversations. Although Facebook moved quickly to close the security hole, the breach heightened a feeling among many users that it was becoming hard to trust the service to protect their personal information.

Source: NYTimes