Google developing software to aid newspapers

Search engine giant Google is developing a technology that will help newspapers in charging money from online readers.

In a proposal to the Newspaper Association of America, Google said it is working on a software that would help newspapers to charge money from 'micro-payment', a payment vehicle which would be available both to Google and non-Google properties within the next year.

"While we believe that advertising will likely remain the same source of revenue for most news content, a paid model can serve as an importance source of additional revenue. In addition, a successful paid content model can enhance advertising opportunities, rather than replace them," the company said.

It said in a statement that it will mitigate the risk of non-payment by assigning credit limits based on past purchasing behaviour and having credit card instruments on file for those with higher credit limits and using proprietary risk engines to track abuse or fraud.

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Google's Battle in Business Software

The search giant is bent on taking on Microsoft, but its Google Apps' slow progress shows just how difficult that can be

With Google's (GOOG) announcement that it's creating an operating system to compete with Microsoft's (MSFT) Windows, the search giant and CEO Eric E. Schmidt look increasingly determined to undermine Microsoft's core software businesses. But Google's struggles on another front suggest the company may have a hard time gaining much traction against Microsoft.

Two years ago, when Google plunged into business software, it cited General Electric (GE) as one of its marquee customers. GE had begun using Google applications for tasks typically handled by Microsoft Office, which includes word processing and spreadsheet software. Now GE is rethinking the relationship. While still using Google Apps for some employees, it's testing similar products from a company called Zoho and considering the online versions of Microsoft's Office. "We look at it as a race" for GE's business, says Greg Simpson, chief technology officer at GE.

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Software Company Sues Google For Trademark Infringement

Rosetta Stone, maker of the popular foreign language software, filed a federal trademark suit against Google in Virginia today, alleging that one of the Web giant’s major advertising programs allows companies to confuse consumers.

The suit, filed by Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher partner Terence Ross at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, is just latest to target Google for its AdWords program, which lets companies buy advertisements that run alongside its search engine results. The ads are triggered by certain keywords, and show up as “sponsored links.”

According to the complaint, since 2004, Google has let companies attach their ads to trademarked keywords they do not own. So a search for Rosetta Stone might bring up the company’s official Web site, as well several paid advertisements for its competitors. Google also allows companies to use those trademarked terms in the headlines of their ads.

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Google's Macro Software Threat

A couple micro-tweaks suggest that Google is becoming a macro-threat to Microsoft's business software division.

The Internet giant announced Wednesday a new feature called "Google Apps Script" that allows users to customize online software with programmed functionality. Based on Javascript, a popular scripting language, the feature--known to Excel users as "macros"--will allow users to create, analyze and make changes to online spreadsheets.

Eventually, says Google, the technology will span across its online document suite. For now, however, the company is focusing on spreadsheets and inviting a handful of developers to help it work out the kinks.

The introduction of Google Apps Script is the second of two major steps this year toward making Google Spreadsheets a more serious competitor for serious business folk. Meanwhile, Microsoft ( MSFT - news - people ) is frustrating loyal business and financial users, a sector in which "speaking Excel" is an occupational prerequisite, with the take-it-or-leave-it software strategy for its newer operating systems.

With it's Office 2003 software suite, Microsoft won the hearts and minds of businesses at a time when most companies were transitioning to digital productivity tools. But in its latest--and only--offering for Vista, Office 2007, Microsoft tweaked the flow and feeling of the software's user interface, presumably to make the software easier for casual users.

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