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Google Street View cleared of privacy charges in UK

Google has been cleared of privacy breach charges in the UK after its Street View cars were accused of surreptitiously collecting personal data on Britain’s streets. The Information Commissioner Office (ICO) ruled that Google had not gathered “significant” personal details from unsecured Wi-Fi networks, but did say that Google was “wrong” to collect such information in the first place. In a statement, the ICO explained: “On the basis of the samples we saw, we are satisfied so far that it is unlikely that Google will have captured significant amounts of personal data. “There is also no evidence - as yet - that the data captured by Google has caused or could cause any individual detriment.” Google has apologised for gathering the data from Wi-Fi networks, which were accessed in order to boost its location-based services. According to the BBC, Google has said its Street View cars will no longer access open networks

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Google Street View cleared of privacy charges in UK

office

Windows 7 mobile phone platform earns reserved approval from reviewers

Reviews have been streaming in of tech titan Microsoft’s new mobile phone operating system Windows 7, and the general consensus seems to be a guarded optimism concerning the latest offering from the smartphone platform underdogs. Microsoft, once a ubiquitous force in the technology sector, has seen its products put to the chase in recent years, with upstarts Google and Apple carving out bigger pieces of the tech pie, even losing ground to companies or platforms like Mozilla and Linux. As for their jab into the smartphone operating system melee - where Google and Apple have been duking it out with the Android and iPhone platforms - Engadget recently reported a positive experience with the Windows 7 software, provided on a prototype Samsung device. “We were extremely surprised and impressed by the software’s touch responsiveness and speed. In fact, this is probably the most accurate and nuanced touch response this side of iOS4,” the review read. ZDNet also had a ‘preview’ version of the software, describing the OS as a sort of minimalism-for-smart phones approach.

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Windows 7 mobile phone platform earns reserved approval from reviewers

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Government spending freeze: There’s (not) an app for that

The British Government has announced a freeze on advertising and marketing expenditure, including funds spent on developing iPhone apps, after the BBC revealed the developments costs of the smartphone applications and backlash from certain groups. “The government recently announced a freeze on all marketing and advertising spend for this year and this includes iPhone applications,” the Cabinet Office announced in a prepared statement. The announcement came as the BBC discovered that several applications for the industry-leading iPhone cost the UK taxpayers between

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New is old as Martha Lane Fox resumes role as UK digital champion

Just one year ago, the struggling Labour leader and UK Prime Minister appointed her as the government’s Digital Inclusion Champion. Flash forward 12 months and Martha Lane Fox must be having déjà vu, as the same offer has landed at her feet - albeit from Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron. Ms Lane Fox had worked through the last troubled vestiges of Labour to promote internet use among the UK populace. According to figures, some 10 million people in the British Isles still live a life free of things such as email, social networking and online shopping. “Getting online can help people save money, find a job, access services in a way that works for them, and make connections with each other and with their community,” Cameron said during the announcement

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New is old as Martha Lane Fox resumes role as UK digital champion

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Are You Putting Enough Emphasis On Your Website Content?

Search Engine Optimization is a science which is perpetually in flux. With each new day come fresh announcements which claim to revolutionize not just the industry but also the internet at large. Alongside these announcements are an almost limitless stream of blogs and articles written by self-labeled ‘SEO Experts’ which purport to provide guidance as to the definitive strategy to put your website at the top of search results. Opinions differ greatly as to the importance of various on-page factors, the worth of links from directories and all manner of other factors, whether minor or major. The one thing which is consistent throughout all of these competing claims and assertions is that they should not be the basis of a complete overhaul of your existing SEO strategy. Not only is Search Engine Optimization a highly competitive arena but also one in which nothing can be known for sure: in fact there are so many variables that it is nigh on impossible to ascertain for sure why a website is or isn’t ranking as well as it apparently should. Rather than claim that I have it from an informed source that Google’s search algorithm contains a specific command or that I can obtain your website as many back links as there are stars in the sky: I purely wish to share one idea, and it is by no means a new or original concept, just something which I fear many people have neglected in order to pursue quick fixes or forum derived trends. That one idea is that you spend some time on your website content. By this I don’t mean contact an overseas organization who will string together reams of text for next to nothing, nor am I referring to the practice of syndicating the work of others blindly

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Are You Putting Enough Emphasis On Your Website Content?

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An Informal Look at Writing Online Content

I get many questions about my job as a copywriter and SEO practitioner, and for the most part they follow a similar theme- ‘what do you do?’ and ‘could I do it?’ In an attempt to address these questions once and for all and possibly also give an insight into the life of an internet marketer I’ve put together an article: this article. A large portion of my day is spent writing. From articles to press releases, website content to blogs: countless hours are spent staring at a blank page, frantically scrambling for inspiration or that perfectly sculpted sentence. The phrase ‘writer’s block’ is an often derided cliche, but there is no denying that sometimes you just can’t quite work out exactly what you’re trying to say, or even more infuriatingly, the best way to say it. Some will go for a walk to clear their mind, others to their cigarette packet or porcelain throne in an attempt to find clarity. In the realm of content writing and SEO based copywriting in general there is a very simple reason why these personal catalysts are turned to with persistent regularity: it can be boring. There, I said it and to emphasise my conviction will say it again: Writing For Seo Purposes Can Be Boring.

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An Informal Look at Writing Online Content

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Apple market share beats Microsoft

Apple’s market share has beaten that of rival Microsoft for the first time in more than 20 years, according to Nasdaq share values at the close of business on Wednesday. Times Online reports that Apple’s shares approached $222 billion (

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Microsoft Office 2010 challenges Google Docs

Launching today for business customers, Microsoft Office 2010 is tackling Google head-on with a free online applications suite that analysts are viewing as a direct response to Google Docs . Office Web Apps features free versions of popular programs such as Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint that users can access and edit through a web browser , allowing them to more easily share files over the internet. BBC News reports that the Silicon Valley company has even partnered with Facebook to offer its free online suite to users of the social networking site, in a bid to extend its dominance of the office software market further. “There’s no question - Microsoft is responding to Google’s threat,” said Gartner analyst Whit Andrews. “Until Google emerged with a credible suite of networked applications, Microsoft was not compelled to do anything.” Google’s ‘threat’ in the office software market may not be too significant however; since its launch in 2006, Google Docs has grown in popularity thanks to its ever-expanding range of tools and features, but the company still only holds four per cent of the market - compared to Microsoft’s mammoth 94 per cent.

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Microsoft Office 2010 challenges Google Docs

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Google Apps Marketplace launched

Google has announced the official opening of its Google Apps Marketplace, where users can discover and install third-party applications that “deeply integrate” with Google Apps.

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Google Apps Marketplace launched