SearchEngineUpdate with Vanessa Zamora - 07-02-2008 Part II
Abstract: 1. Google On Organizing The World’s Online Images, 2. Ask.com Shifts To Start Using Microsoft Virtual Earth, 3. Microsoft To Sell "Equipt" Subscription Package Of Products
Vanessa Zamora
Video Content Producer, SearchEngineWorld
9:26 pm on July 2, 2008 (utc 0)
Transcript
Wednesday July 2, 2008
Google On Organizing The World’s Online Images
Aligned with Google’s mission to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful, is Google’s plan to organize the growing number of images on the Web. In doing so, Google is trying new technologies to build on the foundation its laid with its Google Image Search service. One such technology is facial recognition that will enable search beyond pictures meta data, titles and text surrounding the image, making it possible for Google to identify a person online based on a picture. Accompanying Google’s current photo and image service Picasa, is Panaramio which is centered around geotagging photos or noting the location the photo was taken and attaching it to a picture. That, along with the advent of GPS on camera equipped mobile devices, could mean the opportunity for Google in its quest is promising.
Ask.com Shifts To Start Using Microsoft Virtual Earth
Ask.com upon ending use of its own Web mapping platform, has decided to integrate Microsoft Virtual Earth into Ask Maps, Ask City business search, Smart Answers Web search, movie search, and its Bird’s Eye service in the United States. Portal sites including Superpages.com, Whitepages.com, and now Ask choose to let Microsoft make the investments in infrastructure, imagery and photography acquisition, and updates in order to focus on other areas.
Microsoft To Sell "Equipt" Subscription Package Of Products
Starting July 15th, consumers can purchase a subscription for Microsoft Office, Microsoft’s Live OneCare computer security software, and other services at over 700 Circuit City stores and other retailers for $70 a year. The Microsoft package, called “Equipt” includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote, plus OneCare and a handful of existing free Windows Live applications. Under the subscription model, upgrading to a new version is included in the annual cost. The package of products is meant to appeal to the conscious spender who would otherwise pass on productivity software.
