Google’s week in review: Google TV, Pac-Man, Android and more acquisitions

Where to start? Google aired new initiatives left and right at its Google I/O developer conference, such as Google TV and the Android 2.2 OS, but also made plenty of other headlines good and bad.

Let’s be charitable and start with the good, since it outweighed the bad.

Android on a roll

Google continued to ride the Android wave by previewing Android 2.2 OS,  which boasts enterprise-oriented features including integration with Microsoft Exchange. The software, which had gone by the code name Froyo, will also be faster and support Flash, Google said.

Meanwhile, Gartner issued new research that shows the surge in Android phone adoption isn’t just confined to the United States. According to Gartner’s latest data on the global smartphone market, sales of Android phones have grown more than nine-fold in the past year, rising from 575,000 units in the first quarter of 2009 to 5.2 million units in the first quarter of 2010. Android-based phones have similarly seen their share of the smartphone market rise sharply, going from 1.6% of the market in the first quarter of 2009 to 9.6% of the market in the first quarter of 2010.

Google’s boob tube

Google used its I/O developer event to unveil Google TV, described as a better way to watch TV and surf the Web. The company’s partners on the project include Intel, Sony and Logitech, which are building Google TV as an open platform. Smart TVs based on the technology could show up as soon as this fall.

Google honors Pac-Man

Google got all sorts of buzz on Friday when it incorporated an interactive Pac-Man game as the Google Doodle atop its search box to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the popular video game. Network World sister site GamePro wrote that “Namco’s big yellow guy turns 30 today and Google celebrates by turning their logo into a playable game of Pac-Man for the day. This “doodle” (the official name for Google’s holiday makeovers) has 255 levels plus a 256th-level kill screen, just like the original arcade game.”

An “Insert Coin” button next to the Google Search button triggered the game.

Google’s spending spree continues

Google this week got the Federal Trade Commission’s OK on its planned $750 million AdMob acquisition,  as the regulatory outfit determined the deal would not harm competition in mobile advertising.Separately, Google continued its record acquisitions pace for 2010  by announcing the purchase of Simplify Media, a company that will pit Google vs. Apple and its iTunes offering in streaming music. Google said the technology will essentially provide a music store for the Android market.

article by Bob Brown
itnews.com

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