The Onion: Google 'whisper ads' detect keywords in phone calls (video)
By Thomas Ricker 
posted May 18th 2010 3:53AM
posted May 18th 2010 3:53AM
P.S. The Yahoo dig at the end is classic.
posted May 18th 2010 3:53AM
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Onion video is brilliant. The throw-away lines at the end are always classic.
I just found another reason to never ever use a Google phone (not that I would in the first place as I don't make to need to make data collecting on me easier for google - yepp, I DON'T use Chrome, and I DON'T use googlemail for my emails except as a hardly used public email address that can be binned anytime)
But it does make one wonder - why do advertisements need to buried everywhere.
If you want a good product buy it and pay for it - done.
On that note... my phone doesn't have any network branding either...
@DetlevCM
Really!
@DetlevCM uhmm, you know the onnion thing was a joke, right?
Put your tin foil hat away, not needed while using an android phone... at least not for a couple more years.
@tmarks11
Was it? I wouldn't know...
And in case - what is true is that google tries to serve you ads wherever they can be most conveniently paced.
And what's this "onion" thing that everybody talks about - it can't be the vegetable, can it?
@DetlevCM How is that different from Engadget, NBC, ABC, CNN, NYT, Times Magazine, SI, Yahoo, Bing, and every other add revenue supported company?
If they don't have effective add placement, then they don't earn money. Which means they have to shut down their server farms, and we are back to the days of basic altavista search engines. No cached pages.
@tmarks11
If ads weren't annoying and placed everywhere they wouldn't be a problem.
In fact, if I couldn't use an Advertisement Blocker I'd possibly stop using a fair bit of the internet... not regular checks on the news... possibly fewer forums.
Ads are everywhere and that's the problem - and Google, is just fuelling this trend - let's place ads everywhere...
I'd never send an email via a web-based interface for example - because it ads an advertisement to the bottom - an insult to customers if it's your internet supplier too... (Tiscali in the UK for example... you pay for internet access and if you use the web form they add an advertisement to your email...)
If I were to see a few ads - that aren't annoying I wouldn't mind - its when they start placing them everywhere.
If you read a newspaper you can just ignore ads - same goes for billboards - if they are on a webpage in most cases they are flashing, moving etc. - just annoying.
And cached pages - not that they are that important.
@DetlevCM "If ads weren't annoying and placed everywhere they wouldn't be a problem." That's an issue whoever makes the webpage created. Not all webpages have that issue. And what's the point of advertisements if nobody sees them? They have to be in places that will get views, but won't take away from the site's content.
"Ads are everywhere and that's the problem - and Google, is just fuelling this trend - let's place ads everywhere..."
Google is actually one of the better sites on the internet. All their ads are in sidebars except for one or two listings on top of the search page which is always in a pink-ish box and has "Sponsored Link".
"I'd never send an email via a web-based interface for example - because it ads an advertisement to the bottom - an insult to customers if it's your internet supplier too... (Tiscali in the UK for example... you pay for internet access and if you use the web form they add an advertisement to your email...)"
That's when its time to find another provider. I wouldn't recommend business user use free webmail, but that has more to do with the fact that generally speaking features are removed. FWIW, Gmail doesn't attach ads to the bottom of the message.
"If I were to see a few ads - that aren't annoying I wouldn't mind - its when they start placing them everywhere.
If you read a newspaper you can just ignore ads - same goes for billboards - if they are on a webpage in most cases they are flashing, moving etc. - just annoying."
Understandable. I'm the same way. But that's why there are addons like scriptblock and adblock. Install em, run em, and forget about it. If its a site that I feel handles ads responsibly, then I'll leave adblock disabled. But if the site is trying to monetize so heavily that the ads prevent me from focusing or accessing content, then I'll block.
"And cached pages - not that they are that important."
That's your opinion. There are many times where I found cached pages invaluable.
@BigJayDogg3 The adds I really hate are the animated ones that are designed to drift over the top of whatever article you are reading and obscure the text. I think pcmag.com had a lot of those for awhile.
You have to click to remove them... and who knows what "clicking to remove" will cause to happen.
Sidebar and banner adds? Easy to ignore; I have no complaints about those.
@tmarks11
I wholeheartedly agree. And for me, that's why for those sites I either don't frequent them anymore, or I just make adblock turn off for those sites. I have no problem giving a site their money, its just when they go crazy putting ads in places they don't belong.
@BigJayDogg3
the worst are audial ads! especially when i can't find the ad to close it. it's much easier to ignore something on screen than coming out of your speakers.
@DetlevCM Dude... seriously?
OK, so check this out:
GMail: http://imagebin.ca/view/0PMH2K.html
-- See the advertisement? It's that itsy-bitsy bit of text just above the mail list.
Hotmail: http://imagebin.ca/view/LXXcux.html
-- That advertisement takes up half the room the message itself does on my netbook! Talk about shoving adverts in my face.
@hannah
Congrats! You've won!
Congrats! You've won!
Congrats! You've won!
Congrats! You've won!
Congrats! You've won!
love it :D im glad i subbed them on youtube :D
This had me cracking up at work... wow!
The Apple Wheel was hysterical, a must view.
Not a story.
In-call ads (10 seconds every minute IIRC) were introduced in France a few years ago on mobile phones... but disappeared quickly :)
they NAILED yahoo at the end. classic.
BREAKING News?
maybe a story but not breaking news, you guys just like to muddy up the waters for other companies on during their event weeks.
Terrifying, yet hilarious!
For what it's worth, Sonny's BBQ really is damn good!
HA HA....that was awesome.....the yPhone (whyPhone?), using google technology 3-4 years....lol
This would be funny if it weren't so damn scary. I just smashed by Nexus One with a rock.
It's a good thing people are using their phones for calling less and less then isn't it?
http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/14/cellphones-purportedly-used-more-now-for-data-gossip-girl-blast/
Dang it, Flash. I'll get to the desktop later.
Would you actually, maybe put up with some whisper ads to get a free Google smartphone? Vote on http://www.phonemarketinginsider.com, or by calling toll free (877) 663 - 4605.