A week after Google started redirecting Chinese search users to its Hong Kong site in order to avoid having to censor results, many search queries from within China are getting the Great Firewall treatment. The move was widely expected by most, and with Google's mobile services also getting a partial block in China, it's clear the government isn't a fan of Google's shenanigans when it comes to deciding what its citizens can access.
According to CNET.com, Google is planning to bundle its Chrome browser and/or operating system with Adobe Systems'
Flash in a deeper partnership. The announcement, which is expected to come today, is an interesting wrinkle ahead of the launch of Apple's iPad, which famously doesn't include Flash.
Google said Monday that it has stopped censoring its search services - Search, News and Images - on Google.cn, its site in China, and that users are now being redirected to Google.com.hk, its Hong Kong site, where it is “offering uncensored search in simplified Chinese, specifically designed for users in mainland China and delivered via our servers in Hong Kong.”
Google, Intel, and Sony are working on a set-top box running Google's Android software called Google TV, according to a report from The New York Times. They are also collaborating on televisions with technology from the three companies, with Google software serving as the interface on the devices.
Google is bringing the app store concept to business cloud computing, giving software developers a storefront for Google Apps customers. The Google Apps Marketplace will allow Google Apps users to purchase third-party applications to run atop the Google Apps suite.
Google has acquired a company that allows Microsoft Office users to edit their documents collaboratively on the Web. The acquisition of DocVerse will undoubtedly allow users who are married to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint to edit their documents through Google's services.
Google announced its latest acquisition on Monday, the online image editing service Picnik. In Google's own words, Picnik was "one of the first sites to bring photo editing to the cloud."
The Telegraph reported that European regulators have sent a letter to Google asking the company to explain how it ranks search results and advertising after complaints from European businesses such as Foundem, a price comparison site, and Ciao, another price comparison site owned by Microsoft.
Google has announced that it plans to discontinue active development of Gears, a browser plug-in that enables Web features like local storage and geolocation services. The search giant says that emerging Web standards offer increasingly viable alternatives to the specific capabilities that are provided by Gears.
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