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april 2009 search engine news
What's New in Search - April 2009
Google Re-Launches GrandCentral Phone Service as Google Voice
In mid-March, Google launched Google Voice, an upgraded version of the GrandCentral phone service that it acquired in early 2007. Google Voice will only be available to current GrandCentral users initially, but opens to the general public in a few weeks. When users register for a Google Voice account, they get unique phone numbers which they can use to route their calls so that their home, work, and cell phones ring simultaneously to reach them wherever they may be. The new service can also transcribe voice mails and text them to you, make conference calls, search SMS text messages, customize greetings for friends and family, and let you listen in when someone is leaving a voice message and decide whether to pick up or not. Google Voice will only be available to U.S. users and will enable them to make free calls to other U.S. numbers. A nominal fee, payable via Google Checkout, will be charged for international calls.
Microsoft Tests New Search Engine Technology
Microsoft's workers are testing a new search engine called Kumo that could replace Live Search. While details on the features of the new search engine are scant, Satya Nadella, a Senior Vice President at Microsoft, says that the new engine will show "results organized in a way that saves you more time." Visit the Live Search Blog to see a screenshot of Kumo in action.
Google Tests Interest-Based Advertising
Google is currently performing a beta test on "interest-based" advertising on YouTube and Google's partner websites. According to Susan Wojcicki, Google's VP of Product Management, "interest-based advertising will associate categories of interest--say sports, gardening, cars, pets--with your browser, based on the types of sites you visit and the pages you view. We (Google) may then use those interest categories to show you more relevant text and display ads." This new practice will undoubtedly raise more privacy concerns as it will let Google track users even when they aren't on Google. To allay those privacy concerns, Google is offering a browser plug-in, which lets users save their preference to opt-out of its advertising cookie.
AOL Names Google VP Tim Armstrong as Its New CEO
Tim Armstrong, Google's Vice President of Americas and a member of its Operating Committee, has been named Chairman and CEO of AOL. At Google, Armstrong managed relationships with big-name advertisers and agencies. AOL's current Chairman and CEO Randy Falco and President and COO Ron Grant will step down following a brief transition period. Armstrong will start at AOL on April 7. Meanwhile, over at Google, Dennis Woodside, former VP of the U.K., Benelux, and Ireland, will take over Armstrong's former position as Vice President of Americas Operations.
AOL Adds Athletes to One Clicks Feature
AOL's One Clicks feature, whereby users entering certain search queries get specific information about that search at the top of AOL's search results, has added professional athletes. So, whether you are searching for LeBron James, Sidney Crosby, or Peyton Manning, you'll get statistics for each player just below the PPC ads at the top of the search results. One Clicks also delivers results for video games such as Super Mario Galaxy and Grand Theft Auto 4.
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