Google has launched Google Plus pages to allow big brands to use the Google+ networking to reach out to their customers. Many experts view this as the company’s first big step towards challenging Facebook’s domination of the social network space. So far, Google+ has been only about networking among individuals. Remember how Google vehemently shut down attempts by corporations to use Google Plus for creating corporate accounts. Now on a blog post dated November 7 on its official blog, googleblog.blogspot.com, it has welcomed companies setting up their own Google Plus pages. What is more, Google has said the recommendations and user interactions through Google Plus Pages would reflect on their search results soon. Now that looks like an offer no big corporation online can afford to shy away from. It would be interesting to see how Facebook reacts. Most important, would be how much the brands gain from either platform. Mark Zuckerberg, it appears, has taken note of the growing threat from Google and even took a pot shot at it. In a recent interview, he said the company was aggressive and even building “their own little version of Facebook”.
Nook takes on Kindle
Where the Kindle ventured, Nook had to too. Just weeks after Amazon’s Kindle went from being an e-reader to Kindle Fire, a tablet PC featuring an Android platform, Barnes and Nobles, the closest competitor on e-reader space, has unveiled its tablet PC. The company has not revealed the exact specs yet on the 7-inch-device but initial reports online suggest that it could be a little lighter than Nook Colour, its most successful e-reader device. Enthusiastic hackers had already ported Android OS on to Nook Colour, and this was only expected. Especially after Kindle Fire. This holiday season, maybe you can send a short wish-list to relatives likely to visit you from the U.S.
Gingerbread over Froyo
Now here is a piece of news that could potentially annoy some smartphone users. According to Google’s latest statistics regarding break-up of its mobile platform Android, the number of Gingerbread users (version 2.3) has officially overtaken the Froyo users (version 2.2). This is potentially annoying news for several smartphone users because unfortunately many vendors have not offered the Gingerbread update even for smartphones launched as recently as last year.
