Business Week is reporting that Apple and Microsoft have been in talks over the past few weeks about brining Microsoft’s search engine, Bing, to the iPhone as the default search engine. The position is currently held by Google, but through recent events between Apple and Google, Apple might be pushing away from Google. Google is also the default search engine on Apple’s desktop version of Safari.

Also, recent reports show that Apple is planning to remove the Google Maps application from the iPhone OS. It is unlikely that Apple would leave out a map application in OS 4.0, possibly substituting it with Bing Maps or their own map application made by Placebase, a company that Apple bought not too long ago.

According to http://www.seroundtable.com/archives/021477.html, some of Google’s data centers have begun using the new, “Caffeine” indexing system.

At this time, it seems only some of Google’s data centers have made the transition and here is a list of the current ones:

• 209.85.225.103
• 74.125.95.132
• 66.102.7.18
• 64.233.163.19
• 74.125.19.106
• 66.102.7.104

Caffeine is the name given to Google’s next generation search index and algorithm. The aim of the new system is to improve the speed, accuracy, index size, and overall result relevancy of Google. Caffeine also puts a strong emphasis on real-time indexing. Back in August, Google released a public preview of the new engine.

The latest word from Google was that Caffeine would launch sometime after the holidays, so it seems to make sense that it is going live now.

Engadget managed to get their hands on the specs and release details for Google’s upcoming Nexus One smartphone. According to their source, the phone will be available January 5th via invite only. It seems that Google will be doing the inviting, but it’s unclear as to how it will work. T-Mobile will get to sell the phone at some point, but no time table is known.

Here are some important specs:

• Android 2.1
• 3.7-inch WVGA AMOLED screen
• Memory: 512MB ROM, 512MB RAM
• 4 GB MicroSD card (expandable to 32GB)
• 5-megapixel camera with autofocus, 2X digital zoom, LED flash
• UMTS 1/4/8 (2100/AWS/900)
• HSDPA 7.5Mbps, HSUPA 2Mbps up to 5.76Mbps
• GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
• WiFi (802.11 a,b,g,n), Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, A2DP stereo Bluetooth
• AGPS, compass, accelerometor
• Weight: 130g with battery
• Dimensions: 119mm x 59.8mm x 11.5mm
• Teflon-coated back cover
• 3.5mm headset jack
• Second microphone for active noise cancellation
• Proximity sensor, light sensor
• 1400 mAH battery

Here are the full specs:

Google has announced their own URL Shortener. The web address is goo.gl.

Goo.gl is a service that takes long URLs and squeezes them into fewer characters to make a link that is easier to share, tweet, or email to friends. The core goals of this service are:

• Stability – ensuring that the service has very good uptime
• Security – protecting users from malware and phishing pages
• Speed – fast resolution of short URLs

Google URL Shortener is currently available for Google products and not for broader consumer use.

Google announced a new service that it will be giving to popular businesses around the country, a service to be called “Google Favorite Places”.

Google has mailed customized window stickers to businesses across the U.S. that are frequently searched for on Google or in Google Maps. Each sticker has a QR barcode that can be scanned by a cell phone reader. When scanned, the code provides a link to Google’s entry for the local business which contains general information, reviews, coupons, and other information. Favorite Places also has a website were you can check out what Google classifies as a “favorite” in your area.

Link to Google Blog Post: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/explore-whole-new-way-to-window-shop.html

TechCrunch reports that Google has begun testing a new Android device with their employees. The new device is said not to be just another Android-based phone, but the official Google Phone that has been rumored for some time. From TechCrunch:

Google is building their own branded phone that they’ll sell directly and through retailers. They were long planning to have the phone be available by the holidays, but it has now slipped to early 2010. The phone will be produced by a major phone manufacturer but will only have Google branding (Microsoft did the same thing with their first Zunes, which were built by Toshiba).

There won’t be any negotiation or compromise over the phone’s design of features – Google is dictating every last piece of it. No splintering of the Android OS that makes some applications unusable. Like the iPhone for Apple, this phone will be Google’s pure vision of what a phone should be.

This new phone is said to be a no-compromises version of an Android phone and has been reported to include these details/features:

- Sold as an unlocked GSM phone, so in the U.S. T-Mobile and possibly AT&T
- Android 2.1
- Uses Snapdragon chip and is “really, really fast”
- High resolution OLED screen
- Thinner than iPhone
- Two mics, one on the back to reduce background noise
- “Weirdly” large camera
- Touchscreen keyboard
- Voice to text for dictation

The Google Phone is said to be due for release in January 2010. The Snapdragon chip appears to be based on the same generation of ARM processor as the iPhone 3GS, though could be running at a higher clock speed. Apple, of course, is rumored to be working on their next generation iPhone, though it is not expected for release until mid-year.

We all have been waiting for the web browser Google Chrome, ever since those ungracious PC pigs got their hands on it we have wanted it.  Now Google has realsed a beta for the public mac users, there has been some developer betas realsed, but those versions lacked Flash and other key components of a web browser.

Read the full story

The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple and Google are becoming more competitive than we had suspected. According to their sources, Google was also in serious negotiations with Lala Media for possible acquisition right before Apple won the bid. Meanwhile, we had previously reported that Apple was in serious talks with Admob immediately prior to Google’s acquisition of that company.

The twin pursuit of the start-ups reveal that the two tech titans have further plans to move deeper into each other’s business: Apple wanted to get into advertising, while Google sought a music service.

Only time will tell whether these two companies will become enemies or not

SunSpider JavaScript Benchmarks of Mac Browsers
(Shorter bars represent faster performance)
One of the most known features of Google’s Chrome browser has been its speed in loading and rendering pages. In investigating that aspect of the browser, Computerworld has found that, while Chrome performs extremely well in the SunSpider JavaScript benchmarking test, it only comes in a close second to Apple’s Safari browser.

According to tests run by Computerworld, the Chrome beta, which Google launched yesterday, is the second fastest of four Mac browsers tested. Chrome renders JavaScript 10 times faster than Opera 10.10 and almost twice as fast as Firefox 3.6 Beta 4, the most recently-released Mac version of Mozilla’s open-source browser.

But Chrome can’t match Safari 4.0.4’s speed: Apple’s browser is approximately 12% faster than Google’s beta.

As predicted, Google has finally released an official beta version of its Chrome browser for Mac. The initial beta version, termed Build 4.0.249.30, requires Mac OS X Leopard or Snow Leopard, and is only compatible with Intel-based Macs. In addition to the Mac release, Chrome for Linux has also been made a beta.

Chrome for Mac and Linux will have continuos work done on them, with builds released weekly (presumed). As the “BETA” title states, the web-browser has it a new mark in it’s life, the Beta Channel. Chrome for Mac and Linux will remain on this “Channel” until it is though to be stable enough and promoted once again to the “Stable Channel”.