It looks like Google CEO Larry Page really is putting more wood behind fewer arrows. Google has discontinued Knol, the company’s attempt to recreate Wikipedia in its own ad-supported image, adding to a long list of product funerals the company has held in 2011. According to Information Week, the number tops three dozen if you count not only full-fledged products but features, acquisitions, initiatives, and APIs. READ MORE
Ebay has acquired New York based startup Hunch for about $80 million, reports Uncrunched. The Hunch recommendation technology will be used by Ebay to revamp its own e-commerce recommendatio READ MORE
Even though only a few of my Facebook friends have joined me on Google+, I keep hoping the social network will take off since I enjoy using it and appreciate its interface. So I was happy to read the news that the latest traffic report from research firm Experian Hitwise says Google+ traffic is up. In fact, the week ending November 12 was the social network’s third best week of traffic in the U.S. since launching this summer. READ MORE
Google has acquired Apture, a start-up that brings instantaneous search to content on the web. Apture developed Apture Highlights, a browser extension that aims to plug what it calls the “search leak,” which occurs when a user is reading content, wants more information about a keyword or phrase and then opens another browser tab to search for the information on Google, Bing or Yahoo. For content publishers this isn’t ideal—it means the user has disengaged and left the page. Apture Highlights enables you to highlight any word or phrase on a page and instantly bring up in a window search results from more than 60 sources including YouTube, Twitter, Wikipedia, Google and more for extra context around content. READ MORE
When Google+ first launched, it was notorious for policing and banning brand pages. After famously shutting down William Shatner’s page, the company has since made it simple for brands to set up pages. But that’s also made it easier for random folks to set up fake pages. READ MORE
The crowded advertising technology space may be about to shake out some losers, reports Reuters. READ MORE
In spite of the many companies rumored to be interested in buying Yahoo, no deal is moving forward. The reasons, according to Reuters, are the company’s lack of strategy and a restrictive confidentiality agreement. READ MORE
Google will be making changes to both Gmail and its Reader news and Web aggregation tool. A leaked YouTube video shows off the new Gmail interface, which is designed to be cleaner, simpler, and more intuitive. One of the biggest changes is that the Gmail window will automatically adapt to whatever size the user chooses. READ MORE
One of the biggest barriers for Google+ adoption for many folks was Google’s insistence on real names rather than pseudonyms. For some, it’s a matter of privacy. For others, it was how they are recognized online, their brand. Well, Google will now allow pseudonyms. READ MORE
Google has just released a host of mobile apps designed to help consumers in their search for businesses and products. These new products will take consumers from search to locations—both real and virtual. READ MORE
