Bigmouthmedia search engine news: asia

Yahoo! accelerates plans to establish office in Philippines

Fri, 02 May 2008 12:00:00 GMT

Search engine provider Yahoo! has sped up its plans to construct an office in the Philippines, Inquirer.net reports.

In an interview with the news provider, a Yahoo! executive revealed that the company's initiative to establish a base in the country - which was first disclosed earlier this year - has been accelerated.

Jojo Anonuevo, general manager of the Philippine operations of Yahoo!, stated: "We're laser-focused here in south-east Asia. What we're doing here will add value."

He went on to say: "The digital marketing industry is poised for growth in the Philippines. If we spend more effort, we can accelerate our traffic."

According to figures cited by Mr Anonuevo, the Philippines has in the region of 22 million internet users, with growth rates recorded at around 30 per cent a year.

The executive added that Yahoo!, which is headquartered in the US, is working on improving the experiences of its Filipino users.

He stated that this process involves deploying caching technology to improve the network traffic coming from local users.

Yahoo! is said to be looking for personnel to fill sales, marketing and technical positions for its office in the Philippines.

Meanwhile, another search engine provider recently making the news over plans to expand its services in Asia was AOL.

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Google announces new Image Search details

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:00:00 GMT

Internet giant Google has announced that its new image search algorithm will make finding images simpler.

During a web conference in Beijing, the search engine provider unveiled a new tool which is designed as a means of ranking images in order of importance.

According to the Times, image search has presented a problem for technology firms because search engines are not yet capable of deciphering objects within pictures that would be instantly recognisable to humans.

However, Google believes that it has devised a more effective approach to the problem.

The tool used in Google Image Search works by recognising a particular visual theme or pattern in a series of images.

Its relative importance is then analysed on the basis of how similar it is to other images which also contain the theme.

The example cited by the Times involves the golden arches associated with McDonalds.

According to the publication, Google Image Search would draw up a set of links between images containing the familiar golden arches and rate those which showed the "typical yellow M" the most highly.

Commenting on the new offering, Google researcher Shumeet Balujaz stated: "By treating images as web documents and their similarities as probabilistic visual hyperlinks, we estimate the likelihood of images [being] visited by a user traversing through these visual hyperlinks."

A team of 150 Google employees has been working on the creation of the scoring system for the relevance of images.

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AOL opens Taiwanese portal

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 12:00:00 GMT

Internet services company AOL has announced the launch of a dedicated web portal serving Taiwan.

The new site, which has been designed specifically to address the requirements of users in the country, combines a range of features, such as free email and instant messaging, with localised content in Chinese.

Commenting on the new offering, Maneesh Dhir, executive vice president of AOL International, stated: "People in Taiwan are among the world's most sophisticated internet users.

"Our goal is to deliver an experience that leverages the depth of our product and content offerings, tailored to the individual interests of online users in Taiwan."

Meanwhile, Norman Koo, AOL's vice president and general manager for Greater China, added that the launch of the new portal is "just the beginning" of the company's ongoing efforts to meet the needs of web users in Taiwan.

The site, which has been launched in beta, takes the total of country-specific AOL portals to 18, with Taiwan representing the first nation in East Asia to be offered the service.

Among the features of the site are web and image searches powered by Google and enhanced by AOL for the specific nature of the Chinese language.

Recently, it was revealed that AOL had acquired contextual tools provider Sphere Source. According to the firm, the move was part of its attempts to provide consumers with relevant content on the web.

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China bans YouTube and Google News

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 12:00:00 GMT

In an attempt to block coverage of a series of demonstrations and riots in Tibet, the Chinese government has banned access to YouTube and Google News, it has been revealed.

Google and its video-sharing site have been targeted in an attempt to stop the spread of video footage and reports, which have been widely publicised across much of the world.

According to CRN magazine, a video entitled Protest in Lhasa is typical of the kind of footage the Chinese government is trying to block.

Google is not alone in being banned in the country. Other media outlets including broadcasts of CNN and BBC World have also been restricted. YouTube has received the most press, however.

Commenting on the issue, CNET News.com states: "The site, which allows individuals to communicate with mass audiences, has become a symbol of free speech to many and governments that forbid it are immediately branded around the world as repressive."

The ban has been reported across the world, with coverage appearing in Russian, Turkish, Irish, US and Canadian newspapers, as well as in other countries.

China is not unaccustomed to such internet blocks. In January, its government tried to impose a rule under which only state-run firms could post videos to the web.

The measure was slackened, however, following criticisms concerning freedom of speech.

Additionally, Google's internet search site was blocked in the country briefly during 2002.

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China 'surpasses US in internet user numbers'

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 12:00:00 GMT

The number of internet users in China has overtaken that of the US, according to new research.

Figures produced by Beijing-based research firm BDA indicate that the Asian country is now the world's most powerful online nation.

By the end of last year, China reported its number of internet users at 210 million, which was just six million fewer than the US total of 216 million.

Now, however, China is said to have leapfrogged over its Western counterpart, with the number of web surfers in the country reportedly increasing by around 200,000 each day.

"Based on these sources and the assumption that these markets have continued to grow in 2008 to date at the same rates that they grew in 2007, we can conclude that China has by now comfortably surpassed the US as the world's largest internet population," stated BDA analyst Bin Liu.

BDA chairman Duncan Clark added that the web population in China is being driven by a buoyant economy, significant investments in broadband infrastructure and a strong demand among consumers for online applications.

According to the Economic Times of India, the US had until now held the mantle of the top country in terms of internet users ever since the inception of the web. China, meanwhile, moved into second place in 2002, before overtaking the US in this recent development.

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Hasty Microsoft-Yahoo! tech integration 'would be reckless'

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 12:00:00 GMT

There would be few benefits in Microsoft rushing to integrate its technology platform with that of Yahoo!'s if its takeover bid is successful, it has been claimed.

Speaking to the Financial Times, Ray Ozzie, chief software architect at Microsoft, said that there are several barriers in the way of speedily merging the two firms' operations in this way, citing Yahoo!'s wide range of technologies and its corporate culture.

"Technology companies, if they dive in and just smash things together for smashing them together's sake, it's reckless," he remarked.

The comments came after Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer said at the MIX conference last week that the firm would talk to Yahoo! after a final deal about the possible integration of the two companies' services.

"It won't make sense to have two search services, two advertising services, two mail services, and we'll have to sort some of that through," he explained, adding: "Some of that technology undoubtedly will come from the Microsoft side, some will undoubtedly come from the Yahoo! side."

Meanwhile, Yu Sasamoto, the head of Microsoft's online division in Japan, recently claimed that if the company's bid to buy Yahoo! fails, the firm will still attempt to expand by making a significant investment in its online operations, Dow Jones reports.

He added that the bid is in itself an indicator of the great importance that Microsoft places on its online activities and hinted that a major announcement regarding investment in the Japanese online division will be made in the next six months.

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Yahoo! sued again over actions in China

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:00:00 GMT

Search engine provider Yahoo! is being sued again over its alleged actions in China.

A group of Chinese activists have launched a new lawsuit against the firm, claiming they were harmed as a result of Yahoo!'s cooperation with the country's government.

The case is the second faced by Yahoo! concerning its operations in China. Last year, two journalists from the country sued the company after alleging it gave Beijing authorities their internet records.

During the trial, Tom Lantos, chairman of the house of foreign affairs committee, confronted the firm, saying: "While technologically and financially you are giants, morally you are pygmies. This testimony has been an appallingly disappointing performance."

The new case, which was filed in California, alleges that Yahoo! "willingly provided Chinese officials with access to private email records and other identifying information about the plaintiffs", which led to the arrest in 2003 of activist Li Zhi.

Plaintiff Zheng Cunzhu, who is currently residing in the US, says that he lost his property in China because he was too afraid to return to the country following the arrest of Mr Zhi.

Meanwhile, Guo Quan alleges he lost his business when his name and the name of his firm were blocked by Yahoo! search results. The group is seeking an unspecified amount in punitive damages.

Yahoo! was not immediately available to comment on the case.

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Google to help create trans-Pacific cable

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 12:00:00 GMT

Google is joining a consortium of six firms formed with the intention of building a new trans-Pacific under-sea fibre optic cable to boost internet capacity between the US and Asia.

Entitled Unity, the group of companies also includes telecommunications firms Bharti Airtel and SingTel, as well as fibre optic cable network operator Pacnet.

Once the construction of the cable is complete, the businesses involved plan to allow ownership and management of individual fibre pairs.

The cable is set to run between Chikura - off the coast of Tokyo - and the western coast of the US at Los Angeles.

Its construction, meanwhile, is predicted to cost $300 million and will begin immediately, with the estimated time of completion set for the first quarter of 2010.

The cable is expected to increase trans-Pacific capacity by approximately 20 per cent and could add as much as 7.68 terabytes per second of bandwidth across the ocean.

According to Alan Mauldin, research director with TeleGeograph, the move is the first time an internet company has invested in this type of technology, Mercury News reports.

He stated: "It shows that companies like Google are not just websites you go to."

The project is not Google's first move into telecommunications infrastructure. The search engine provider is currently involved in the ongoing auction for wireless spectrum in the US, a process being overseen by the Federal Communications Commission.

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Google to announce deal with Chinese music download site

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 12:00:00 GMT

Internet giant Google is expected to announce a deal with Chinese music download website Top100.cn, according to reports.

Such a deal would see the search engine provider enter the Chinese online music market for the first time.

Under the terms of an agreement, Google would allow users to listen to and download licensed music files for free. Meanwhile, revenue would be generated through online advertisements on the music search pages.

Owned by Orca Digital, Top100.cn is a recent entrant to the Chinese online music market and, according to company figures, stores over one million music tracks.

It has entered into licensing agreements with a number of major music labels, including EMI, China Record and Sony BMG.

Speaking to Search Newz, music consultant and writer Ed Peto said: "If Google's free music service in China eventually matches Baidu for clarity of results and efficiency of process then this will be a game-changer, not just in China, but globally."

On a more cautionary note, however, he added that Top100.cn is "far from being a proven operator in China".

According to statistics produced by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, over 99 per cent of music files distributed in China are pirated, Reuters reports.

Indeed, the news agency goes on to state that, last week, Sony BMG Music Entertainment (Hong Kong), Universal Music and Warner Music Hong Kong launched legal proceedings against Chinese search engine Baidu, alleging that it violated copyright over music downloads.

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Google 'considering Chinese music downloads'

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 12:00:00 GMT

Google is planning to enter into an agreement with a web music firm to offer free downloads in China, according to reports.

Sources close to the matter told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that the search engine giant is looking to provide tracks from three major record labels - Universal, EMI and Sony BMG Music Entertainment - in addition to many more smaller firms.

It is believed that the deal, which could see a service launched in a matter of weeks, could be an attempt by Google to fight back against the increasing dominance of Baidu.com in the Chinese search market.

According to the WSJ, Baidu.com's success in the country is partly down to its provision of search facilities for free - but unlicensed - music downloads, which accounts for some seven per cent of its internet traffic.

However, it is these unauthorised mp3s that have drawn the ire of record labels, with Universal, Sony BMG and Warner Music this week filing court orders against the Chinese search engine for violating their copyright by offering access to music downloads without their permission.

"In principle, search engines provide search for people to access music more efficiently. In a broader way, that's a good thing," Catherine Leung, general manager of Universal Music China, told the WSJ.

"It's the links and encouraging people to download illegal content that's a bad thing."

Commenting on the music labels' decision to take action against Baidu.com, John Kennedy of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry said that Chinese web firms "have a unique opportunity to ... engage in responsible partnership with music companies".

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