On The Official Android Blog, Google has announced that the Google Play Music app is now integrated with Songza, acquired by Google a few months ago. This post announces that “If you’re a Google Play Music subscriber, next time you open the app you’ll be prompted to play music for a time of day, mood or activity. Choose an activity to get options for several music stations to make whatever you’re doing even better.” This new version of the app has a new User Interface, as well. In the late Spring, Google announced it was starting to build all of its products with a consistent... [...]

A new article in SearchEngineLand reports on the new release of Google Penguin. In this article, Barry Schwartz goes through the history of the Penguin enhancements to Google’s search algorithm, This is the sixth in the series that began April 24, 2012. This update has been eagerly awaited by sites that were harmed by the update just over a year ago. As Schwartz notes, “The publishers have been anxious because of the way Penguin works. If you’re hit by it, even if you make changes, you have to wait until the next release to see if your changes have done what Google wanted.” Schwartz... [...]

In an article on the Engadget website, Daniel Cooper reports that “Google has applied to the FCC for permission to begin wireless spectrum tests in the San Francisco area. According to Reuters, the company’s looking into a rarely-used millimeter wave frequency that is capable of transmitting large amounts of data, but only if the receiving equipment is in the line-of-sight.” Quoting Reuters, Cooper goes on to say “that this project could be used to build out a wireless broadband network that’s much cheaper than fiber.” While mentioning the cost-effectiveness... [...]

For a brief moment, Google began taking pre-orders for the new Nexus phone before it had received approval from the FCC to sell the phone. Apparently due to a communication mix-up, the incident was a mild embarrassment for Google. It shut down the ordering process and said it wouldn’t sell the hone until the FCC approved (this approval is a legal requirement for the sale.) Fortunately, approval has now been received as of 19 October, and the formal sales will commence on the day originally planned in early November, or shortly after it. This is just another example of the many hurdles product... [...]

Pete Pachal says, “Google wants to change email for the better. To do it, it’s launching a new email app, separate from Gmail, called Inbox. Announced via blog post, Inbox builds upon Gmail’s relatively successful tabs, which introduced new buckets for Social updates and Promotions. The app features Bundles, which will group together similar kinds of messages, so things like bank statements and receipts are grouped together. Bundles will be user-customizable as well. There’s also Highlights, which puts important emails front and center — photos from friends, flight itineraries... [...]

Jim Yu says, “Panda “4.1″ – another iteration of Google’s algorithm aimed at low-quality web content — hit on September 25, and some brands saw upward of a 90 percent loss in their organic search footprint, according to initial research conducted at BrightEdge. In this post, we’ll go over the latest Panda iteration, and what it could mean for your website’s content strategy based on findings on which sites were impacted positively and negatively. How Is Panda 4.1 Different Than Before? Although Google closely guards its algorithmic secrets, here’s what we know about Panda... [...]

Graham Charlton says, “Over the weekend Google released its latest Penguin update, the first in more than a year.  This follows a recent update to Panda, which took aim at thin content and aggregator sites. I asked Stephen Kenwright, head of search at Branded3, about the aims and impact of this latest update”. Penguin 3.0: what’s it all about? ‘Econsultancy’ Blog  [...]

Matt McGee says, “Against what seems like an almost constant string of accusations that it’s not doing enough to prevent online piracy, Google today touted recent progress on that front today with an updated version of its How Google Fights Piracy document and new anti-piracy efforts in its search results. The 26-page document, first published in 2013, outlines Google’s five anti-piracy principles: Create more and better legitimate alternatives (to piracy). Follow the money. “The most effective way to combat (online pirates) is to cut off their money supply,” the document says,... [...]

Selena Larson says, “Google’s Gmail 5.0 app will finally provide Android users with one email management application that streamlines all their different accounts. According to a video obtained by Android Police, the Gmail app expected with Google’s Android Lollipop mobile operating system will let users read and answer email from non-Gmail accounts such as Yahoo and Outlook. It doesn’t say whether it will manage other accounts as well. If the Gmail app will manage a variety of outside email accounts, the new app could finally give Android users an obvious alternative to bouncing... [...]

Liz Gannes says, “Google missed expectations for the September quarter despite a slowdown in the decline of online ad rates. The search giant reported adjusted profit of $6.35 per share. The Street was looking for $6.54. The Mountain View, Calif.-based company had $16.52 billion in sales for $13.17 billion in net income. It basically looks like Google spent a lot of money this quarter — categories like operating expenses, data center and hardware costs and stock-based compensation were all up. The company now has 55,030 employees, up nearly 3,000 since three months ago”. Google Misses... [...]