Alphabet
Latest
DoT and Alphabet plan to battle gridlock
Department of Transportation secretary Anthony Foxx and Alphabet's Sidewalk Labs announced a transportation platform today called Flow. The system will grab data from in-the-street sensors, WiFi-enabled Kiosks and anonymized information from Google-owned apps Maps and Waze to help inform cities about traffic. It will be rolled out to the winner of the Smart City Challenge for no cost.
Alphabet is looking to sell off Boston Dynamics
Google's parent company, Alphabet Inc, has decided to put its robotics division, Boston Dynamics, up for sale, according to a report from Bloomberg News. Per a pair of anonymous Google employees familiar with the matter, Alphabet executives are apparently no longer willing to invest in a division that does not have an immediate revenue stream.
Alphabet's Eric Schmidt to lead military innovation board
Alphabet executive chairman Eric Schmidt will soon head up an advisory board for the US military. Defense Secretary Ash Carter revealed today that Schmidt had agreed to lead the Pentagon's new Defense Innovation Advisory Board. The group is tasked with leveraging the innovation of Silicon Valley to the US military by bridging the divide between the government and the tech industry. Secretary Carter announced the board during the RSA cybersecurity conference that's taking place in San Francisco this week, where he also plans to meet with the Schmidt.
Boston Dynamics presents the 'next generation' Atlas robot
Over the years we've watched in awe as Boston Dynamics has refined the design of its humanoid Atlas robot, and this new version is impressing us once again. Last year the Alphabet-owned group showed off a battery-powered version of the robot, and now the "next generation" model remains wireless, but is smaller. Matching my size at 5 feet 9 inches and about 180 pounds, it compares to a predecessor that was six feet tall and weighed 330 pounds a couple of years ago.
Alphabet earnings shows just how much Google's 'other bets' are losing
The newly-minted Alphabet (made up of Google proper and the variety of ventures that make up the "Other Bets" the company is involved in) has just released its first full quarter of financial data under its new structure. At a high level, Alphabet continued the growth that Google has seen over the last year or so -- the company is reporting $21.3 billion of revenue with profits of 4.9 billion. That marks an 18 percent yearly increase in revenue and a 5 percent increase in net income, both decent gains for the company. As has been the case for a number of quarters lately, the gains came on the strength of a growing mobile search business as well as YouTube and the company's "programatic advertising" business.
Google will pay the UK $185 million in back taxes
Like other tech giants, Google has been accused of using legal loopholes to avoid paying many of the taxes it owes... and it's now tackling some of those claims head-on. Its parent company Alphabet has reached a deal with the UK to pay £130 million (about $185 million) in back taxes going as far as 2005. The settlement reflects a new, more direct approach that bases its payout on revenue from UK-based advertisers. In short, its taxes will reflect the actual size of its UK business -- logical, isn't it?
NYT: Alphabet's reorganized 'X' division now includes robots
Last year Google shipped off some of its wilder projects for administration under new parent company Alphabet, which included its efforts with robots and the lab formerly known as Google X. A New York Times report says that the latter, now just known as the X research division, is in control of the disparate robotics projects acquired by Andy Rubin. To help manage the team, a former Nokia exec (with some interesting ideas about how Android can beat iPhone) named Hans Peter Brøndmo also joined up this month.
Google's creepy plan to kill the password
In the grab bag of Google/Alphabet's big projects for 2016 is Project Abacus. It's basically the company's plot to kill the password in cold blood, by replacing it with smartphone user authentication via an uncrackable collection of biometric readings. Abacus would lock or unlock devices and apps based on a cumulative "trust score" -- as your phone continually monitors and recognizes your location patterns, voice and speech patterns, how you walk and type, and your face (among other things). Like many things Google, it sounds miraculous. Your phone will just know it's you. And infosec pundits who believe we're stuck in password-hell Groundhog Day because "regular" people won't do security if it's inconvenient, will rejoice.
Google reportedly plans to spin off its self-driving car business
Google's self-driving car technology might not remain Google-branded for much longer. Bloomberg sources claim that Google plans to turn its autonomous car business into a separate outfit under its parent company Alphabet's wing. Reportedly, Google hopes that the division will become a ride-for-hire business, a bit like Uber minus the driver. Since self-driving cars aren't street legal outside of testing, the vehicles might initially be limited to driving around colleges, large office campuses and other "confined" places where walking can sometimes be a hassle.
YouTube plans to add movies and TV shows to subscription service
When YouTube took the wraps off its Red subscription service, the video website confirmed that it's developing a number of original shows. Now, a new report by the The Wall Street Journal says you can also expect to see movies and TV series among Red's offerings. The Alphabet Inc. property has reportedly begun meeting with Hollywood studios and production companies in an effort to secure streaming rights. YouTube's execs, including former MTV programming chief Susanne Daniels and former Netflix content executive Kelly Merryman, haven't been snapping just up any old show you can watch everywhere else, though. They've apparently been looking for content that can be seen exclusively on Red, or those that can be streamed on Red at the same time they're shown on TV or in the theatres.
Russia orders Google to loosen its Android policies by November 18th
Russia is convinced that Google's policies on pre-installed Android apps are anti-competitive, and it's now drawing a line in the sand. The country's regulators have ordered Google to remove restrictions on bundled third-party apps by November 18th if it wants to avoid stiff fines, which could include up to 15 percent of its Russian revenue from last year. That means allowing device makers to load directly competitive apps and search widgets, even if it means bumping Google's own software to lesser positions on your home screen.
Recommended Reading: Microsoft's knack for predicting NFL games
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read. How Microsoft Got So Good at Predicting Who Will Win NFL Games by Tim Stenovec Tech Insider Have you been using Bing's sports predictions to make "friendly wagers" and set your fantasy lineups this football season? Microsoft's Bing Predicts team has been picking winners for NFL games, other sporting events, reality shows and elections for a while now. As it turns out, the small group of researchers employ machine learning to make the predictions and they've gotten better at it over time.
Alphabet replaces Google's 'Don't be evil' with 'Do the right thing'
Google has long used the phrase "Don't be evil" as a sort of company motto, including it in the founder's letter for its IPO in 2004, and at the top of its Code of Conduct. The Wall Street Journal noticed that as a part of today's restructuring, Alphabet has exchanged that for something slightly more specific. The corporate code of conduct now entreats employees to "do the right thing – follow the law, act honorably, and treat each other with respect." It is unknown at press time if that includes a required viewing of Spike Lee's 1989 film. For Google employees specifically, the "Don't be evil" phrasing is still in full effect, so it's hard to see anything specifically changing as a result. Of course, some have mocked the giant for how close it does or does not stick to that adage, including when Steve Jobs reportedly called it "bullshit" in 2010. Of course, as the search giant worms its way into our photos, cars and even bodies, maybe being a little more specific about its intentions is a good thing. [Image credit: Moviestore collection Ltd / Alamy]
Google is now Alphabet, the owner of Google
The paperwork is filed and it's official: Google has restructured itself into Alphabet. As of the close of business today shares of the old Google are now part of Alphabet, which counts Google as a subsidiary. On our end, this doesn't change much -- unless you're a big fan of Ingress or Pokemon -- but now Sergey Brin and Larry Page can chase innovations in seemingly unrelated areas. Sundar Pichai will keep running day-to-day operations at the new Google, except now with the title of CEO. Google now includes Android, Search, YouTube, Apps, Maps and Ads. Meanwhile, Alphabet can focus on Google Fiber (high speed internet), Calico and Life Sciences (health), Google Ventures and Google Capital (investments), Nest (home automation) and Google X (everything fun, like drone deliveries, self-driving cars and city-wide WiFi). [Image credit: Jeff Chiu/Associated Press]
Russia finds that Google is abusing its mobile dominance
Remember how Russian search firm Yandex claimed that Google was abusing its lead in mobile by making Android phone makers pre-install some Google apps, and precluding some third-party apps? Well, Russia agrees. The country's anti-monopoly regulator has determined that Google's app policy violates national competition law. The exact penalty won't be decided until sometime after September 28th, but Google will at least have to alter its approach to apps. It may also have to cough up as much as 15 percent of its Russian revenue from 2014.
Eric Schmidt: Apple Music's human curation is 'elitist'
Every now and again, executives from the world's largest tech companies like to throw some thinly-veiled shade in the direction of their rivals. Depending on who you ask, Eric Schmidt's editorial for BBC News can be taken as a stinging attack on Apple Music, which he calls "elitist" and out-dated. The Alphabet chief was writing about the benefits of artificial intelligence, specifically talking about how machine learning can benefit various projects including speech recognition and self-driving cars.
Google hires auto industry veteran to run self-driving car project
Google already has someone running the technical side of its self-driving car project, but what about making sure the spreadsheets and such match up? That's a job for a serious business type, which is why the firm has hired auto industry veteran John Krafcik to become CEO of its autonomous vehicles division. Krafcik comes with some pedigree, having previously worked at Ford and ran Hyundai's US car business for five years. Those with long memories will recall that Krafcik was responsible for replacing owners manuals with a tablet in the Hyundai Equus, before reversing that decision a year later.
Google Life Sciences is working on another diabetes-monitoring project
A few weeks ago, Google's Life Sciences division (which falls under Alphabet) announced plans to work with Dexcom on a miniature glucose tracker. The division that handles Mountain View's health-minded efforts is also teaming up with Sanofi, a pharmaceutical company that makes diabetes medication. The collaboration aims to find new ways to monitor and treat the medical condition that affects nearly 30 million people in the US alone. The partnership includes the development of a small device that continuously gathers stats and software that uses the collected info to find new courses of treatment. Life Sciences head Andrew Conrad says Sanofi's experience with insulin could help Google build a connected device that could provide dosage recommendation or automatically adjust medication levels based on a patient's blood sugar readings. "With Sanofi we can complete the picture of how diabetes unfolds and try to interrupt that development through a proactive and preventive approach," Conrad explained. This is the latest in the Life Sciences division's ongoing medical projects, and now that there's a renewed focus, we're likely to see more partnerships in the near future. [Image credit: Chris Goodney/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Recommended Reading: The Ashley Madison hack should scare you
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read. The Ashley Madison Hack Should Scare You, Too by Heather Havrilesky New York Magazine Reactions about cheaters getting what they deserve aside, the Ashley Madison hack and subsequent release of private info is reason for concern. The masses are flocking to the internet to sift through the details, digging for dirt on recognizable names. But what happens when another service housing sensitive, private info is hacked and the stolen goods are posted online for the world to view -- not necessarily one focused on adultery? "At the exact moment when citizens worldwide should be noticing that we're all living in glass houses, many of us are picking up stones instead," says New York Magazine's Heather Havrilesky.
Best of Public Access Vol.9: So What'cha, What'cha Want?
by08.13.2015
Google is Alphabet now, in one of the more confusing rebrandings since Netflix thought that Qwikster would be a good idea. This week, in addition to trying to think of clever headlines about the Alphabet announcement, we heard back from the Def Con hacker conference, and electropop band Yacht ensured no one would ever see their album artwork when they released it via fax machine only... because there is nothing artists hate more than you actually looking at their work.
