Google to expand Inbox to select Google Apps customers in March

Google will soon roll out invites for their Inbox email app to some Google Apps customers. First launched in October 2014, Inbox is Google's new take on email management. The roll out begins in March, with Google choosing a select few companies for the early adopter program at first, wanting to work with each business closely.

From Google:

To start, we plan to work very closely with the early adopter companies, so not everyone that applies will be accepted right away, but the program will continue to expand over the coming months.

To sign up, a Google Apps administrator must apply for entry into the early adopter program at inboxforwork@google.com.

Source: Google for Work blog

Google Helpouts is shutting down because not enough people were using it

Google's Helpouts service is shutting down on April 20. The move comes nearly a year-and-a-half after Helpouts launched, aiming to bring together experts and people needing, well, help via Google Hangouts.

The reason for the shut down is no surprise: it simply wasn't being used enough, as Google notes:

The Helpouts community includes some engaged and loyal contributors, but unfortunately, it hasn't grown at the pace we had expected. Sadly, we've made the tough decision to shut down the product.

So on April 20, 2015, Google Helpouts will go dark, though users that want an archive of their Helpouts activity will be able to download one via Google Takeout until November, when even the Helpouts archives will be scrubbed from the internet. In the meantime, though Helpouts is still online and active, Google's actively discouraging new listings and won't accept any new help providers.

Source: Google Helpouts

Twitter confirms deal with Google to show tweets in search results

We reported last night that Google and Twitter had reportedly struck a deal to show tweets in search results, and now it looks to be official. Twitter CEO Dick Costolo made the announcement today during the company's Q4 2014 earnings call.

From TechCrunch:

The Google search deal will essentially be used for "onboarding," Costolo said. If a "logged out" user sees a Tweet in a Google search and then clicks on it, that person will be delivered to a special "logged out" page, which will likely not only give them an option to sign up, but also deliver them an ad or two.

While details, such as a potential launch date, are light, the deal could eventually be quite the boon for Twitter as it looks for new ways to monetize its platform. Tweets in Google searches could potentially open the social network up to tons of new users and, in-turn, ad revenue.

Source: TechCrunch

Mattel and Google are announcing… something… on Feb. 13

So on Feb. 13 in New York City, Mattel and Google are holding a joint "exclusive announcement and product debut" for… something. We honestly don't know what, and there's only so much we can divine from the classic View-Master styling of the invitation. Is it a Google Glass for kids? Google's child-friendly take on Microsoft Hololens? Ingress even more IRL? A not-cardboard version of Google Cardboard?

Google has for some time been working to be more child-friendly, from yesterday's acquisition of Launchpad Toys app developers to rumors of kid versions of services like Chrome and YouTube. But a joint announcement with Mattel? That's something solid, something concrete, something really unknown.

The tag line "view what's possible" tells us not much at all. Either way, in a little over a week, we'll know something.

Source: 9to5Google

Google Play drives growth in 'other revenues' section of Google business to $1.95 billion

Google released its Q4 2014 earnings today, showing strong numbers all around, but on the earnings call we also got word on the strength of Google Play. Google CFO Patrick Pichette said today on the call that Google's "other revenues" segment grew by 19 percent year-over-year (6 percent quarter-over-quarter) to $1.95 billion, driven primarily by growth in Play Store sales.

"Other revenues" doesn't sound too important, but it actually makes up a full 11 percent of Google's revenues as of Q4, which is nothing to sneeze at. The growth came despite critical shortages of the Nexus 6, which Google confirmed earlier in the call.

The Play Store isn't going to become a substantial portion of Google's revenues any time soon, but it's clearly heading in the right direction.

Google teams up with auto manufacturers for self-driving cars

Google has announced today that it will be partnering with several major car manufacturers, including Ford, Toyota, and Volkswagen, to speed up production of its self-driving cars.

According to Reuters:

"We'd be remiss not to talk to ... the biggest auto manufacturers. They've got a lot to offer," Chris Urmson, director of Google's self-driving car project, said in an interview before speaking at an industry conference.

Those manufacturers, he said, include General Motors Co, Ford Motor Co, Toyota Motor Corp, Daimler AG and Volkswagen AG

Urmson also told Reuters that he expects the first consumer-ready fruits of Google's efforts to be available by 2020.

This news comes roughly a month after Google unveiled the first "complete" prototype of its autonomous car concept, which it plans to begin testing on the streets sometime this year. However, by partnering with traditional car manufacturers, the future could be here for the rest of us sooner than we think.

Source: Reuters