search engine

Donald Trump was concerned this week that Google suppresses conservative news media in search results. He did so in two Tweets, one of which asked whether this practice was legal. Inside the United States, the FCC effectively ended Net Neutrality in December of 2017. Net Neutrality is not the same as Search Neutrality, and neither the FCC nor the FTC (nor any other government entity) has the legal power to tell Google that it needs to show "fair and balanced" search results - at least where politics are concerned.

Continue Reading

This week Google's Podcast app was revealed in detail, from audio search to indexing. As it turns out, Google already released their Podcast App in the form of an update to their already-in-play Google Search app. Getting to this Podcast interface is not entirely intuitive - but for a good reason. Google doesn't just want to run over your face with their Podcasting abilities, not when you might want to be searching for other Podcasting apps. That's not what Google is all about.

Continue Reading

Google is making it easier for movie lovers to pick the right flick for date night. Mobile users can now easily compare movies that are currently in theaters using Google Search, at least if they're in the US or India and using an Android device. The tool enables users to rapidly compare things like showtimes, theater locations, viewer ratings, and more without toggling between tabs.

Continue Reading

The appetite for news on mobile is increasing, and Google wants to make chewing through it more like Snapchat and less like a chore. The company has revealed its latest project, AMP Stories, taking news content and packaging it into a visual-first format that promises more engagement from attention-short readers.

Continue Reading

Microsoft has taken the wraps off new artificial intelligence features for its search engine Bing, as well as Cortana and Office 365. The company unveiled the new abilities at an event in San Francisco today, explaining that AI has the ability to bring about the intelligent tools that consumers want. Whether it is asking for help or seeking answers, artificial intelligence -- and Microsoft's products that use it -- are here to help.

Continue Reading

What's three billion dollars between friends (and arch-rivals), right? Google will reportedly drop a cool $3bn into Apple's back pocket this year alone, one analyst firm has suggested, in return for being the default search engine on the iPhone, iPad, and other iOS hardware. Although unconfirmed by either company, it's an indication of just how valuable mobile users are, and how much importance Google places on its role there despite considerable mindshare.

Continue Reading

If you hate Facebook's autoplaying videos, just wait. Google has introduced the same feature into search results for some users, though it depends on the results you get. The feature has been confirmed by Google as a test, though the company didn't go into any details. It is limited to desktop at the moment, at least based on user feedback, and it is live in the UK and Canada as well as the US.

Continue Reading

This weekend Google began rolling out changes to its mobile search results UI. Instead of flat, sharp corners, each result in Google search has a softer, rounder edge. Instead of having nothing in the upper right-hand corner of each search result, this new layout includes four friendly little dots that correspond with the 4 colors of the Google Logo and newest Android OS startup.

Continue Reading

Both Microsoft and Google have agreed to demote piracy links in search results in the UK, it has been announced, in their latest efforts to help crack down on Internet piracy. This move, if it proceeds, will be a first of its kind, and will result in Google Search and Bing demoting websites in search results that give access to copyrighted content without the authority to do so. The first page will be entirely scrubbed of piracy links.

Continue Reading

Google has tweaked the way it presents recipes for food searches on its mobile search. Pull out your phone and search for any particular food item or multiple items using Google Mobile Search, and you'll see an array of recipe cards at the top of the results. Above those cards you'll find related search terms that, when tapped, will themselves pull up additional recipes, all of which can be scrolled through in their own dedicated section.

Continue Reading

It’s that time of year — a bunch of people are agonizing over which college to attend, and Google plays a large part in their research. To help expedite and flesh out that research process, Google has announced the addition of detailed college data cards in Search, presenting a bunch of information about the institution in one easy-to-read place. The data presented is gathered from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard, says Google.

Continue Reading

Chinese authorities have launched new regulations for the nation's search engines and the results they display to internet users. But as a country with some of the tightest controls over the internet, its use, and what information people have access to, China's new rules are actually beneficial for its citizens. Under the new rules, search engines are required to identify paid ads within search results, as well as verify advertisers.

Continue Reading