Google Teams Up With Dish, Facebook Preps For Location Feature & More

Google Teams With Dish Network To Test TV Search

Google on your living room television?  That’s what the search-giant is now testing with Dish Network in a surge to combine Internet content and your regular TV.

The new television programming search service runs on TV set-top boxes containing Google software and allows users to find shows on the satellite TV service, as well as video from web sites like Google’s YouTube.  (Could this be where paid subscriptions come in?)  It lets users personalize a lineup of shows and they could even have the option to search for the closest pizza delivery option and order from their TV, which will increase real-time purchasing.

So far, the test is only being run in households of company employees.  Viewers search by typing queries, using a keyboard instead of the remote.  Eventually the service will be connected to the TV advertising sector, allowing ads to be targeted to individual households based on search and viewing data.

Facebook Preps For Release Of Location-Based Feature

Facebook plans to unveil a new location-based feature for status updates in April, letting users share their current locations with their friends.  They also updated their privacy policy: “When you share your location with others or add a location to something you post, we treat that like any other content you post.”

The new location feature will have two aspects.  One will be a service offered directly by Facebook that will allow users to share their location information with friends; the other will be a set of software tools that outside developers can use to offer their own location-based services to Facebook users.

About half of their 400 million users already use Facebook Connect (tools for developers to allow users to sign in to existing networks), which is why the location-based feature has been in the works for the past year.  As usual, it comes with some scrutiny, however, sources say it is still an experiment and they are just keeping up with the rest of the pack.

Some Extra Tidbits

• According to comScore data from January 2010, online video viewership has increased 50% from a year ago.
• Google has added bike routes to Google Maps, making it “easier” to choose your trail and bike lane – however, take caution that some trails are quite rough, some roads run into ranches, and major highways aren’t the most bicycle-friendly!
• Google announced that it’s officially opening a Google Apps Marketplace, a store for online business software that works with Google’s products but is designed by outside developers.

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Sources:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704869304575109912574043580.html
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/09/facebook-will-allow-users-to-share-location/