Google Maps is currently free, and, for the vast majority of us will always stay that way. However, Google have today announced that heavy users of their mapping service will face a premium charge in the near future.

So what constitutes heavy usage?

In Google's books, that's around 25,000 hits or more per day. In other words, this is a charge that's most likely to hit the pockets of very large businesses rather than casual users; the likes of popular shops, hotels or visitor attractions that host a Google Maps link on their websites.

It's a move that Google believe will affect no more than 0.35% of all users, and should stay relatively affordable for those who are affected, with suggested pricing coming in at around $4 for every 1,000 views.

"We understand that the introduction of these limits may be concerning," said Thor Mitchell, product manager of the Maps API at Google.

"However, with the continued growth in adoption of the Maps API, we need to secure its long-term future by ensuring that even when used by the highest-volume for-profit sites, the service remains viable."

Google are said to beclose to launching a native Gmail app for iOS devices including the iPad and iPhone.

Currently, Gmail users on Apple devices must use the webmail client through the Safari browser, or download web-app shortcuts or shoddy third-party offerings.

The rumoured Google-made iOS edition would be far more fully featured, and include push notifications, Priority Inbox filtering, starring and folders.

Google are in fact thought to be so far down the line that the app has been submitted to Apple for approval, though it's not impossible that Apple may yet deny them a place on the App store.

"Google is on the verge of launching their native Gmail app, multiple sources tell me. In fact, I believe it has already been submitted to Apple for review. If it gets approved, it should be out soon. And I think it's going to be approved," writes MG Seigler over on his blog parislemon.

It's been a long time coming, and could mark the begnning of an iOS onslaught for Google if the approval process proves a success. Surely a Google+ and Google Docs app wouldn't go amiss either, hey big G?

Via: Mac Rumours

Over $500 million has been spent on acquisitions so far at Google HQ, and the year isn't even over. 57 companies have been brought onboard already in 2011, beating its former record of 48 deals in a year, reached last year.

This year's shopping spree includes restaurant review publisher Zagat, which at $151 million cost far more than the previous estimate of $65-125 million. The real figure was revealed when the Mountain View company submitted a regulatory filing. At $114 million, online discount service Daily Deals was the second-largest acquisition.

Still, Google has spent "just" $1.8 billion in total this year, meaning it may not beat 2008's $3.2 billion.

Motorola Mobility, bought for $12.5 billion in August, is an exception to this, but the deal may not go through this year as it's still being cleared by competition authorities. But Google has mostly been buying small start-ups, looking to get its hand on interesting technologies or talented engineers.

[via HuffPost]

Google have opened the doors to their Android digital movie rental store for UK users today.

After the service having been available in the US for some time, British film buffs can now borrow any of 1,000 flicks from the Google store, with prices beginning at £2.49. It's a reasonable collection of flicks too, including recent decents like Hanna and cult classics like Reservoir Dogs.

Rentals are available for 30 days, but have to be watched within 48 hours after the first time you push play.

The Android rental store runs alongside the Google-owned YouTube rental store, though it is not yet known how many titles are shared across both platforms.

It's the latest in a string of UK media launches for Google, following hotly on the heels of Google Books. Google are also said to be launching the Google Music digital download store in the coming weeks too.

Click here to give the service a look.

Via: Daily Telegraph

Google have revealed the successor to the Gingerbread and Honeycomb builds of their Android OS. Android 4.0 (AKA Ice Cream Sandwich), was billed as the version of the search giant's operating system that would bridge the gap between tablet and smartphone interfaces.

Revealed last night at a Hong Kong press conference alongside the Samsung Galaxy Nexus (the first handset to feature the OS) we take a look at the new features headed to Android devices near you very, very soon. Can it, as Google hope, "enchant you, simplifiy your life and make you awesome" ?

New Typeface

The first big bit of news to come out of the conference was that Android 4.0 will be using a brand new typeface called Roboto. This may not sound like groundbreaking stuff, and tech-wise it isn't, but when you consider just how much reading you're likely to do on your phone, a legible, comfortable font can make all the difference. And anything that references this just has to be amazing.

Virtual Buttons

Ice Cream Sandwich will now offer a host of context sensitive buttons too. Depending on the app you're in, you'll be able to access other related parts of the phone, like contacts or the dialler, just by hitting a small button that will appear on screen.

Multi-Tasking and Notifications

Two areas that get a big overhaul are multi-tasking and notifications. In terms of multi-tasking, it's now much easier to spot the apps you've been using most recently, and it's just as easy to free up some precious mobile memory by closing the unwanted apps with a flick of a finger. The same goes for notifications; you don't even have to open a notification to flick away and close an individual one.

Facial Recognition

This feature got the geek in Tech Digest glowing with excitement. Forget crusty old lock screens, Ice Cream Sandwich is taking the facial recognition route. By simply holding your phone in front of your face, Ice Cream Sandwich can recognise who's trying to access its innards, and who to lock out. It's not a new concept (plenty of laptops offer similar security procedures) but Google promise to have nailed its accuracy.

Better Camera

While it's a shame that the first Ice Cream Sandwich handset, the Galaxy Nexus, only manages to squeeze in a 5MP camera, at least the UI around it will be much improved. Google have worked alongside Samsung to give new Android devices a much more intuitive snapping interface, that allows for picture-stitching panorama shots and Instagram-style filters to be applied.

The Galaxy Nexus in particular will also boast 1080p video recording and zero-shutter lag, making it a capable snapper, even if its resolution can't quite match the likes of the iPhone 4S.

People App

Plenty of companies have tried the "one-app-to-rule-all-social-networks" approach (our particular favourite being the FriendStream feature of HTC's Sense UI). Now Google are introducing the People App to do a similar thing, bringing social network feeds like Twitter and Facebook amongst others all into one single, easily browseable space.

Web Browser

Not massive amounts of news here, but the ability to have 16 tabs open simultaneously is a welcome one, as is the news that copy and paste functionality is improved, data logging notifications are more obvious, and screenshots are easier to take now by holding down the power and volume buttons together.

New NFC features

Google are investing heavily in NFC tech, seeing it as a major part of the future of mobile technology. We've already seen their plans for the Google Wallet NFC payment system, and now they're adding an NFC-based app called Android Bump into the mix. It allows two NFC-enabled, Android Ice Cream Sandwich devices to share all manner of information (contacts, website favourites, maps and the ability to open competitive games) just by merely touching the two gadgets together.

So there you have it, the latest build of Android. It's looking pretty feature-rich, and there's certainly plenty of sci-fi wizardry packed in to raise a geeky smile, especially that facial recognition stuff. But with the first phone set to feature the OS seemingly certain to have a whopping price tag, it may be worth waiting for the next line of cheaper Android superphones before investing in a new blower with the Android update.

If ever you need a clue as to what's coming next from the guys at Google, take a look at their lawn decorations. If there's a big, new, dessert-shaped statue sitting there, you're probably only a few days away from a big launch too.

In this case, it's the launch of the Ice Cream Sandwich OS, with a giant dairy-based Android monolith now sitting outside Google HQ.

The OS, which looks to bridge the gap between Google's smartphone and tablet operating systems, is now set for an October 19th Hong Kong launch (10AM local time, 3AM UK GMT time).

The launch was initially due earlier this week, but Google and hardware partner Samsung decided to postpone the launch as a mark of respect for the late Apple boss Steve Jobs.

Samsung are expected to launch the Samsung Nexus Prime (or Samsung Galaxy Nexus as it may otherwise be known) at the event, with rumoured specs suggesting a 4.7-inch Super-AMOLED and dual-core 1.5GHz processor on board.

Hit the video above to check out Google's teaser for their new mobile OS.

Google have inadvertently confirmed (and swiftly puled) the launch date for the latest build of Android, 4.0 or otherwise known as Ice Cream Sandwich.

The October 11th release date was revealed via a placeholder page on Google's YouTube channel before quickly being removed by the administrators. If a rare livestream on the Google YoutTube page wasn't cause for suspicion enough, the placeholder page was titled "Android ICS Launch".

The 11th October release date seems to be pretty solid now, what with it coniciding with Samsung's Unpacked event on the same day. Here Samsung are expected to reveal the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, or Nexus Prime; the first handset to ship with Google's latest mobile OS build.

Ice Cream Sandwich will be Google's first mobile operating system that will work seamlessly and efficiently across both smartphones and tablet devices. Google are claiming it to be their "most ambitious release to date".

Via: Tech Crunch

Google Books has finally gone live in the UK after being available Stateside for some months.

Moving into the digital book space currently dominated by Amazon, British customers will also have access to an Android app through which they can browse the sotre and purcahse titles.

"Readers in the UK now have access to the world's largest ebooks collection, with hundreds of thousands of ebooks for sale - from major UK publishers like Hachette, Random House and Penguin - as well as more than two million public domain ebooks for free," reads the Google statement.

A new version of the Android Market has also gone live, accomodating the newly-added books section.

In order to read on an Android handset, you'll need a device running version 2.1 or higher.

Not impressed with the iPhone 4S? We'd suggest you consider holding out for the Nexus Prime (AKA the Samsung Galaxy Nexus), the next pure Google phone and the first to feature their latest Android offering, Ice Cream Sandwich.

While official details are scant, we can now add these leaked specs to the rumour mill, courtesy of one of BGR's "trusted sources":

-4.65-inch Super AMOLED HD display

- WiFi a/b/g/n, NFC and possible LTE / HSPA band support

So enough to turn the smartphone tide in Android's favour? Even if that stills-camera spec is a bit of a let down, this will still be one handset to watch.

Via: BGR

Google Earth has had its billionth download. The popular mapping and world reference app was co-built with the company Keyhole, which Google bought in 2004. It' taken six years to reach the milestone.

"Today, we've reached our own one billion mark: Google Earth has been downloaded more than one billion times since it was first introducedin 2005," blogged Brian McClendon, VP of Engineering at Google Earth and Maps.

"That's more than one billion downloads of the Google Earth desktop client, mobile apps and the Google Earth plug-in - all enabling you to explore the world in seconds, from Earth to Mars to the ocean floor.

"We're proud of our one billion milestone, but we're even more amazed at the way people have used Google Earth to explore the world," added McClendon.

Google are celebrating the landmark with the www.OneWorldManyStories.com page, where everyone from teachers to archaeologists are sharing their experiences working with the service.

The 2,400 years old Dead Sea Scrolls are being brought into the digital age by Google, who've announced that the ancient texts are the latest they've managed to digitise and make available to all readers via the web.

The scrolls contain the oldest known and preserved Biblical writings, and can now be accessed through the library collection arm of The Israel Musuem.

The texts are reproduced online through super-high res 1,200 megapixel stitched images, which can be fully text-searched. Images of the scrolls will now be appearing in relevant Google search engine results too.

The Dead Sea Scrolls join a host of 17th and 18th century texts from the British Library that Google have also digitised, as well as Darwin's own hand-annotated personal library.

For more info on the digitisation process, click here.

The Google+ social network is now open to all netizens. Launching roughly three months ago on an invite-only basis, Google's Facebook rival managed to attract 25 million users in a very short space of time.

To mark the fact that all members of the public will now have access to the network, Google have invited the Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am to take part in a live "Hangout On Air", Google's new public broadcasting feature on the site. will.i.am's appearance will take place later today on September 21st.

As well as the new Hangout on Air feature, Google will be rolling out a slew of new tweaks for the network as it goes truly public. Android users running version 2.3 or above now get a mobile Hangout option, with Hangouts now having the option to include sketches, screenshots and Google Docs, as well as naming the Hangout to specifiy its purpose. iOS compatibility for iPhone and iPad users is also promised for the near future.

Google Wallet (the mobile NFC payment system by the search giants) may be set to launch today, September 19th, according to a leaked memo.

The system, which allows users to top up an NFC-enabled smartphone with pre-pay (PayPass) credit and pay for items by swiping across a compatible in-store reader, is a partnership with Mastercard that was first revealed back in May.

The September 19th date coincides with the NFC World Congress, a summit with 2,500 NFC luminaries in attendance, including John Lambert from MasterCard Europe.

With Google lining up the launch latest version of Android version, as well as the rumoured Nexus Prime handset, the timing for the Wallet launch seems perfect. We'll have more news as this story develops.

Via: Tech Crunch

When it comes to tech, industrial espionage takes a backseat to courtroom patent wrangles. Google claim their Android OS has been the target of a "hostile, organized campaign" from Apple and Microsoft, who are using their sizeable patent library to block Android growth at every turn.

As a defensive move, Google have now bought 1,023 patents from IBM in order to protect the OS against legal action.

Google have spent all summer making patent acquisitions. The buyout of Motorola's mobile hardware arm also included some 17,000 patents as part of the $12.5 billion deal, while Google have also previously acquired 1,030 patents from IBM in the past.

Neither company have been keen to reveal the specific monetary details of the deal, nor the nature of the patents traded.

Via: Bloomberg

Google is expected to launch its Google TV service in the UK today, with Eric Schmidt set outline his Goggle Box plans for us Brits at the Edinburgh Television Festival.

Though the service got off to a rocky start in the States, Google TV is expected to get a re-vamped launch in the UK, thanks to the search giant's acqusition of media server software specialists SageTV and Motorola, who as well as their well documented mobile services also have a hand in IPTV infrastructure and set-top box manufacturing.

A new Google TV developers kit suggests that Google are set to attempt a second push into the living room, with greater support for apps and third party developer software.

Google TV acts as a web connected set-top box, allowing you to surf the web and access online VOD content from the comfort of your armchair. However, with many current TV's offering "Smart" web connected portals, the clunky offering from Google was met with a lukewarm reception.

Google TV could be up and running in the UK within six months, analysts have suggested.

Motorola and Google execs may be toasting each other's health following this week's big buy-out, but Nokia CEO Stephen Elop believes it could be damaging for the Android OS as a whole.

He's suggested that by making Motorola a manufacturing bed-fellow of Google's, other Android handset manufacturers like HTC, LG and Samsung may soon be given the cold shoulder.

"If I happened to be someone who was an Android manufacturer or an operator or anyone with a stake in that environment, I would be picking up my phone and calling certain executives at Google to say 'I see signs of danger ahead.'"

Not passing up the chance to plug his firm's partnership with Microsoft, Elop noted too that Windows Phone 7 is now even more vital as a smartphone platform option to Android and iOS.

"The very first reaction I had was to realise the importance of the third ecosystem and the importance of the partnership that we announced on February 11. It is more clear than ever before."

Elop's scaremongering may well be just an effort to plug Nokia's own forthcoming Windows Phone 7 handsets, but perhaps his concerns aren't totally without reason. Check our post, "Google buy Motorola Mobility: How fighting the patent war could damage Android" for more on the subject.

Via: Reuters

In a move that's surely set to aid Amazon's revenue gathered from those browsing the Google search engine for low product prices, it appears that the two web giants have teamed up to give Amazon product pages more prominence in the Google search engines results.

Rather than standard Amazon affiliate links, some new form of Amazon partner llinks ar enow appearing in Google searches.

The screenshot below, posted at Blogstorm, shows the new look-links:

Pricing info and product listings can be accessed straight from Google, alongside star ratings, it now seems.

It'll be interesting to see how this pans out for other online e-tailers. Google is (or should that be was?) a great way of quickly browsing multiple product prices at once. If Amazon are now the leading retailer in Google's results it may become a little tougher to hunt out a bargain. Unless Amazon are the cheapest sellers of literally everything online.

Via: BlogStorm

Google, in something of a shock move, revealed today that they had bought Motorola Mobility, manufacturer Motorola's mobile arm, for a reported $12.5 billion.

For years Google have been rumoured to be entering the hardware manufacturing game, testing the water by out-sourcing the manufacture of products like the Nexus smartphones and Chromebook computers to hardware giants like Samsung. With Motorola now Google's new best friend, they're in a position to make waves as big in the hardware market as they do in terms of web and software.

But just as the move is important in terms of new hardware opportunities for Google, it's also a defensive move against rivals Microsoft and Apple in terms of patents.

All these factors could have some major repercussions not only for the many manufacturers that currently produce Android devices, but the Android eco-system as a whole.

On the face of things, it shouldn't affect Google's Android partners, with Larry Page (co-founder and CEO of Google) assuring all parties that Google will remain open for all to use:

"Android will remain open. We will run Motorola as a separate business. Many hardware partners have contributed to Android's success and we look forward to continuing to work with all of them to deliver outstanding user experiences," he said.

Certainly, the top dogs of the major Android manufacturers sang the praises of the deal:

"We welcome the news of today's acquisition, which demonstrates that Google is deeply committed to defending Android, its partners, and the entire ecosystem," said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC.

JK Shin, CEO of Samsung Mobile, shared similar feelings: "We welcome today's news, which demonstrates Google's deep commitment to defending Android, its partners, and the ecosystem."

"We welcome Google's commitment to defending Android and its partners," said Jong-Seok Park President & CEO of LG Electronics.

"I welcome Google's commitment to defending Android and its partners," added Bert Nordberg President & CEO of Sony Ericsson.

Indeed the move puts potentially 21,300 patents (Motorola's 14,600 current patents and a further 6,700 pending) out of reach of Apple and Microsoft. Google have in the past stated that Microsoft and Apple were undertaking a "hostile, organized campaign against Android" by continuously buying up patents; the acquisition of Motorola goes some way towards defending Google's OS interests in this regard.

But secretly we'd imagine the likes of LG, HTC, Sony Ericsson and Samsung will be infuriated with the news. Just as the patents acquired protect Android, they can also be used against the other Android phone manufacturers, increasing royalty rates and pushing them towards other operating system options.

The growth of Android itself could be harmed as a result. Those outside of Google's new deal will likely get the cold-shoulder when it comes to exclusives. The Google/ Motorola partnership will almost certainly mean that Motorola get first dibs on any new Android updates, just as they did with the inclusion of Honeycomb in their Xoom tablet.

Though Motorola will continue to exist as a separate brand, what's to stop Google a few years down the line completely merging the Motorola brand with Android? It would make the hardware and the OS synonymous with each other and eventual create a closed trinity of hardware (phones and tablets), software (apps) and operating system (Android), akin to that currently employed lucratively by Apple to reap great financial rewards. The Android brand, in no small part thanks to the myriad hardware manufacturers that have worked with it, is now recognisable enough to no longer need the big-name tech brands to endorse it in order for it to sell.

When it comes to innovation, Android will be worse off for having Motorola presumably become the key Android manufacturer. The open nature of the platform had lead to great strides being made in the platform's UI; you just need to look at the excellent work done by HTC with their Sense UI to see the potential of Android.

Motorola's Android addition? MotoBlur. If MotoBlur is indicative of what's to come from a Google/Motorola partnership, Phandroids should be very worried indeed. LG, Samsung, HTC and Sony Ericsson will feel eventually feel the pressure; don't be too surprised to see further Windows Phone 7 offerings from these manufacturers, and maybe even wild-card handsets using something like MeeGo too.

And what of the Google-branded hardware expected to materialise following the deal? The last time a software giant bought up a mobile manufacturer, it was Microsoft's acquisition of Danger, makers of the SideKick. The fruits of their labour? The ill-fated Kin, a device so poorly executed it needed, well, executing.

As an Android lover, here's hoping Google don't make similar mistakes. Though the world wasn't ready for it, the Xoom showed that Motorola could produce excellent Android-based hardware. There's potential for some great devices to be born from the partnership, but equally the potential for the eco-system as a whole to suffer.

"Don't be evil" is Google's mantra. Let's hope they stick by it.

Here's a story we weren't expecting to see today; Google have splashed out a massive $12.5 billion to buy Motorola Mobility, the smartphone and tablet arm of Motorola.

Looking to "supercharge" Android, Google now has the means to push its own branded devices through the Motorola Mobility acquisition, no longer relying on the likes of Samsung and HTC to build their Nexus products.

"We expect that this combination will enable us to break new ground for the Android ecosystem," said Andy Rubin, senior vice-president of mobile at Google.

Motorola will continue as its own brand, with Google stating that the buyout will boost their patent postition in the face of continued scrutiny and pressure from rivals Microsoft and Apple.

"We recently explained how companies including Microsoft and Apple are banding together in anti-competitive patent attacks on Android," said Larry Page, co-founder and CEO of Google.

"The U.S. Department of Justice had to intervene in the results of one recent patent auction to 'protect competition and innovation in the open source software community' and it is currently looking into the results of the Nortel auction.

"Our acquisition of Motorola will increase competition by strengthening Google's patent portfolio, which will enable us to better protect Android from anti-competitive threats from Microsoft, Apple and other companies."

Android will remain open to other companies looking to use the operating system too, Page assured:

"Android will remain open. We will run Motorola as a separate business. Many hardware partners have contributed to Android's success and we look forward to continuing to work with all of them to deliver outstanding user experiences."

Though the buyout is still awaiting US regulatory approval, both parties expect the deal to be finalised by early 2012.

Via: FT

With violence and looting breaking out sporadically across the UK last night during prolonged bouts of rioting, it was at times incredibly difficult to keep track of which areas had been targeted and how badly they had suffered, if at all.

News reporters were dropping snippets of information from all over the country, while trying to keep a track of Twitter hashtags and sifting the truth from the hearsay was near impossible. There was one point when a twitpic of army tanks ammassing at the Central London Bank location got Twitter into a frenzy, only to be debunked as an image shot from the Egyptian protests earlier in the year.

However, a map highlighting all the confirmed trouble hotspots, based on Google mapping technology, has been built.

James Cridland, a consultant, writer and public speaker who "concentrates on the effect that new platforms and technology are having on the radio business," put together the map, only using verified information.

"I realised that, in order for this map to be useful, every entry needed to be verified, and verifiable for others too," said Cridland on his blog.

"For every report, I searched Google News, Twitter, and major news sites to try and establish some sort of verification. My criteria was that something had to be reported by an established news organisation (BBC, Sky, local newspapers) or by multiple people on Twitter in different ways."

It's a frightening glimpse at a country inflamed and in flames. Click here to view it.