Google Talk

Larry Page Declares He Is Above the Fray

Liz Gannes in News on April 4 at 8:53 am PT

Though outside observers who know Google very well describe Larry Page, in his first year back as CEO, as singularly impatient, Page offered a sort of serenity in a rare interview.

Motorola’s Xoom Starts Tablet Wars With iPad

Walt Mossberg in Personal Technology on February 23, 2011 at 6:01 pm PT

Motorola is launching its Xoom tablet on Feb. 24, and it’s the first real competitor to Apple’s hit iPad, writes Walt. That is partly because it is the first iPad challenger to run Honeycomb, an elegant new version of Google’s Android operating system designed especially for tablets.

Liveblog: Google Adds Voice Calling to Gmail

John Paczkowski in News on August 25, 2010 at 9:27 am PT

Google announced today it was adding VoIP calling to Gmail for U.S. users. Desktop calls to any phone in the U.S. and Canada will be free at least until the end of the year, and international calls will be billed at rates as low as two cents a minute.

Palm Pixi Needs a Dusting of Speed

Katherine Boehret in The Mossberg Solution on November 17, 2009 at 4:52 pm PT

Palm offers the Pre’s webOS operating system in a tinier package: the Pixi.

Wait. "Gmail Beta" Isn’t a Registered Trademark?

John Paczkowski in News on July 7, 2009 at 9:24 am PT

Gmail is finally out of beta. Five years after it was launched, Google’s email service has gone gold and shed the beta label, having met whatever mysterious criteria the company uses to assess final-release software.

Wait. “Gmail Beta” Isn’t a Registered Trademark?

John Paczkowski in News on July 7, 2009 at 9:24 am PT

Gmail is finally out of beta. Five years after it was launched, Google’s email service has gone gold and shed the beta label, having met whatever mysterious criteria the company uses to assess final-release software.

IPod to Reach Out and Touch Someone

Katherine Boehret in The Mossberg Solution on April 28, 2009 at 6:02 pm PT

New phone applications have been added to Apple’s iPod Touch, but the features come with a few drawbacks.

The App Test: Rating Programs for Google’s G1

Katherine Boehret in The Mossberg Solution on October 21, 2008 at 4:30 pm PT

Today, people interested in seeing the first Google-branded consumer-hardware product will get to satisfy their curiosity as the company, joining with T-Mobile, unveils its $179 G1 handheld computer. This touch-screen device will compete with Apple’s iPhone, and it includes a key feature missing in the iPhone: a physical keyboard.

New BlackBerry Offers Versatility in Flip Form

Katherine Boehret in The Mossberg Solution on October 14, 2008 at 5:18 pm PT

Smartphones are masters of multitasking. They email, browse the Web, instant message, take pictures, run applications or play videos and music. So it’s easy to forget how uncomfortable they are to use as phones.