Yahoo Japan Corp., has gained quarterly profit of 20 percent as it signed up more users to its auction site and fascinated more stores on its online mall.



Net income rose to 15.2 billion yen ($125 million) in the quarter ended December 31 against 12.7 billion yen a year earlier. Its predicted profit range was 13.7 to 15.2 billion yen. The result compared with a standard forecast of 15.4 billion yen from four analyst polled by Reuters Estimates.

Terry Semel, CEO Yahoo, presented his company's Q4 2006 results to Wall Street yesterday. Semel's principal message: Yahoo is on path to offer increased shareholder value in 2007 and beyond.

Semel began with Yahoo objectives announced at the Q3 earnings call:

• To improve search monetization.
• To widen our lead in graphical advertising.
• To seize the opportunity in emerging areas such as social media, video and mobile.

The future opening for Yahoo and the industry as a whole is more than ever. The Internet is developing at a fast pace, projected with some 800 million more users predicted to come online by 2010 and online advertising expected to grow to $55 billion by the same year.

The latest version of Google Groups offers your group its own easy-to-build home on the web for sharing and maintaining information, with advanced tools for creating customized web pages, which help's your group with own unique look and feel. You may run a forum for IT lovers, sharing the latest reviews from your book or wine club, posting practice plans and team information for your soccer league or planning a neighborhood barbecue; Google Groups offers you a colorful, central place to collect photos, documents, links, messages, and much more over time.

For those people who like active discussion, Google Group continues to offer a variety of options to keep up with a conversation. From the Google Group space on the web, you can post, read and reply to the posted message.

Google is now on the way to prepare some close-up aerial shots of the fair city on Google Maps - The shots would be taken from low flying plane; Google has secured permission to leap down as low as 600 meters (approximately 1,970 feet).

This is the first time Google is trying to do anything on this scale, according to the SMA's report: Lars Rasmussen, lead of engineering for Google Australia and one of the head engineers for Google Maps. She further says that the images would add a few more zoom levels to the local Google maps and will give three or four times more detailed than currently accessible Australian terrain on Google Maps.

BBC interested in promoting its programming via YouTube and Google Video; it is just a deal same as the one with major US broadcaster, including CBS, where content is supported on the video sharing sites by way of branded channels.

BBC further considers showing adverts to non-UK visitors in a bid to raise more revenue, to some people an improbable move, which could raise as much as £105 million per year for the corporation. However, BBC needs to face the opposition from Ofcom, who says making content accessible online could have negative impact on the broadcaster's internet-focused competitors.

Google Inc, the search giant announced last week that it would expand testing of its much-probable video advertising system by working with two major music labels to implant video ads on web sites, which make's money running them.

Google said it will further distribute advertising beside videos from Sony BMG Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group over its AdSense online ad system to Web site publishers in coming four-week test now underway.

Reuters is poised to announce a partnership with Yahoo!, which would give the news provider's rumor-hungry customers millions of possible new contacts through instant messaging. It is used globally by more than 90,000 brokers and city analysts to trade tip-odds, scandal and strategies, Reuters Messaging would be restored this week as the London based news group teams up its game against Bloomberg.

Reuters by now has contract with AOL and Microsoft's MSN Messenger but it sees the tie-up with Yahoo! as a coup. It means users of the Reuters messaging system could chat with an expected 70 million subscribers to the Yahoo! version. Reuters David Gurle leads the messaging development group, says it is fundamental to the FTSE 100 group's wider business goals.

Microsoft, Google, Yahoo and Vodafone are in talks with human rights and press freedom groups to assemble an Internet code of conduct to protect free speech and privacy of today's Web users.

The participating group announced that they aim to produce a code by the end of this year that would respond to trends such as the increased jailing of Internet journalists, monitoring of legitimate online activity, and censorship.

Talk is being led by the Washington based Center for Democracy and Technology and San Francisco's non-profit Business for Social Responsibility. They are trying to craft a code to hold companies answerable if they cooperate with governments to repress free speech or violate human rights.

Google has recently announced another major US college library to join its controversial project to put the world's books online. More than one million written books at University of Texas library in Austin would be converted to digital format and added to Google Books Library Project.

The university's collection has rare books and manuscripts from early Latin American history, said Google.

The Google Book Search project was started during 2004 with a hope of scanning every literary work into digital format and making them accessible online. Google has partnerships with the New York Public Library and few other major universities such as Harvard, Oxford, Complutense of Madrid and the University of California to add more collections to its virtual book shelves.

Beijing - To promote freedom of expression and privacy rights, Google Inc., Microsoft Corp., and two other companies are planning to develop a code of conduct with a coalition of nongovernmental organization.

The two organizations with Yahoo Inc. and Vodafone Group announced that the new guidelines are the result of talks with Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) and the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School. The involved party stated that they will be developing a framework, which would hold signatories accountable for their actions in the areas of freedom of expression and privacy rights.

The participating groups in development of the guidelines include: Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School; Business for Social Responsibility; Electronic Frontier Foundation; Human Rights Watch; along with Reporters without Borders.

By way of quick expansion of its computing ability, Google is now opening a $600 million data center in Lenoir, N.C. State officials stated that this new server farm can create up to 210 jobs.

Further both search giants Google and Microsoft received kind subsidies from state and home governments. The city officials in Lenoir also agreed to waive 100% of Google's business property taxes and 80% of its real estate taxes for coming three decades. Google is also getting a state grant that may be worth as much as $4.8 million.

GENEVA - UNHCR corporate partner Microsoft has recently launched an initiative to support an Internet-based campaign aimed at raising funds and to promote sports and education for millions of refugee children across the globe.

"Click for Cause" would support UNHCR's global ninemillion.org campaign that was launched last World Refugee Day on June 20 with assistance from Microsoft, Nike and other corporate partners of the refugee agency.

The start of 2007 must see MSN taking back some of the spotlight from Windows Live.

First up is MSN goes with the new MSN Mobile service. Similar to its Windows Live counterpart, MSN also offers users a homepage for the mobile device, with both Windows Live Mail and Search integration where it differs although unlike the mobile Live.com. MSN to go do not carry all the customization options such as gadgets and feeds, instead focusing on providing MSN content such as news, sports and movie times.

The new MSN mobile homepage has the recent launch of the Soapbox mobile page, supporting the belief, which mobile is one of the areas where Microsoft's online efforts are equal to, if not better than, its rivals.

MSN now premiers a new online series in which two pop culture group debate the right and wrongs of today's happening topics and ask for viewers' votes on why their respective arguments are correct.

The Big Debate, MSN Originals' the interactive comedy produced by LA indie Reveilli, allows the viewers to explore themselves in the popular matters of debate by reading and posting comments. Reveille and Microsoft partnership announced in May last year is now in result, they are on the way to develop "the next generation" of entertainment programming online.

Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) provides a glance of its future online advertising this week at its third annual Demo Fest, a two-day gathering on Microsoft's Redmond, Wash., campus. This event would spotlight breakthrough digital advertising tools by Microsoft (R) adCenter Labs (http://adlab.msn.com/), the originality engine for the Microsoft adCenter platform. The tools showcased at Demo Fest would come from a portfolio of nearly 60 technologies at different stages of improvement and represent Microsoft adCenter Labs' seven new focus areas: keyword and content technologies, ad selection and relevance, audience cleverness, social networking, video, platforms, and devices.

This is actually developed by growing team of more than 120 Microsoft adCenter Labs researchers and engineers, technologies displayed are all planned to assist in providing the best advertising experiences for users, advertisers and developers. They include the following:

• Keyword Service Platform. The platform offers a set of web service APIs related to keyword technologies, with keyword recommendation, forecasting, categorization and monetization, enabling developers to build brilliant applications for online advertising and beyond.
• Commercial Intent Detection. Advanced keyword analysis to differentiate consumers who are looking to create an online buying from those who are searching for information about products or performing other tasks.
• Large display feedback. Vision based technology makes interactive public displays to measure the size of the audience, as well as track audience gestures and guess demographics.
• Social video sharing. This next-generation video sharing key features a synchronized "commenting" technology. The introduction of novel in-video, synchronized comments facilitates a new level of communication between users, opening up the video as a way for collaboration.
• Content classification: By precisely analyzing and matching the Web pages incorporated in search results, Microsoft adCenter Labs expertise helps increase the probability which the ads displayed during Web searches are relevant to consumers.

MUMBAI: Now Yahoo Instant Messages would appear on Reliance India Mobiles, as Anil Ambani and Yahoo India has recently finalized an agreement to offer these facilities across the country. The company would make the official announcement sometime in coming week. This is Yahoo's first Wireless Village compliant implementation in Asia. This is been developed by ACL Wireless for Reliance and Yahoo.

In an attempt to plot its long time fans and attract new viewers, Yahoo! TV (http://tv.yahoo.com) would stream an extended foretaste of the first act of a key episode of The CW's hit series Smallville the day prior to broadcast. Further a special photo gallery would accompany particular quotes from the stars of the series. The stream launched on 17th Jan, 2007, the "Justice" episode airs at The CW on 18th Jan, (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET).

Google's popular viral video site YouTube competing with internet entity Yahoo! and extends its profile as a video content provider. Yahoo! Studios have teamed up with Gotham Group, a management firm, which represents animation and family entertainment talent and text content, to create and distribute original animated work on web. The productions would be made available across the Yahoo! Media Group properties, with Yahoo! Entertainment and Yahoo! TV.

Yahoo Inc. has teamed up with Film Your Issue (FYI) as the only online sponsor of the "Issue Film" contest, especially designed to engage youth. Beginning Jan 17, people aged between 16 to 25 in America and globally are invited to create: 30-60 videos, which focuses on contemporary issues. These videos would be hosted by Jumpcut.

As the only online partner of this initiative, Yahoo! would host the video entries, offering a voting platform, promote the film competition across the Yahoo! network and also offer online video editing and publishing tools through its recently acquired Jumpcut video platform.

State and local tax breaks attracts Google Inc, computer hub to the foothills of North Carolina to develop a search engine company. If Google brings 210 employees operation to Caldwell County, would come up the $100 million by next three decades. About $96 million of the total tax will be from state tax incentives.

The Mountain View, Calif., company's proposed investment is approximately of half the tax base of the city. City and county governments further have also agreed to relinquish property and real estate taxes for 30 years if it moves to Caldwell County.

The New York Times and CNN reported last week that Google has signed on to help 19 universities and laboratories with a determined telescope project in Chile. The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope would have a 27.5 foot diameter and has the ability to produce 200 terabytes worth of images each week.

Google would be helping the scientists organizing data. Will Google make the images public via "Google Solar System?" As the company has online service of maps of Mars and the moon. The telescope project should be completed by 2013.

Google AdSense had recently updated their plan policies, while most of them were simple to clarify and make changes to the policies. They also made a major change to publishers who use ad networks or in-house ads with ad units, which resemble AdSense ad units, or those who do ad rotation with AdSense and another network for ad such as Yahoo Publisher Network.

The most important change was made to the Competitive Ads & Services section of the program policies. Now, running anything in an ad unit which resembles the AdSense ad unit appearing anywhere on the same site is against the terms.

Blythewood has an exit off Interstate 77, but Internet giant Google would make the town a bigger stop on the information superhighway.

A massive data management center is being offered for 466 acres south of the growing Northeast Richland town.

Public records filed newly on Friday link the project with Google, though the company and most government officials won't comment.

The proposed $200 million to $800 million data center that would be built in two stages has the capacity to employ as many as 600 people.

The complex would also include eight 10acre warehouses chock full of computer servers according to the recent proposal filed with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The corps should approve the plan, presented by Arum Composites as it calls for filling in 14 acres of creeks and streams.

Former Google team members are now concentrating on empowering businesses to manage how weather affects their bottom line. WeatherBill offers an online service that allows companies to purchase coverage, which pays for adverse weather condition without any claims hassle. WeatherBill further offers free tools to assist businesses understand how weather impacts their financial performance.

Microsoft Corp. and Clear Channel Radio recently announced at the 2007 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that they have carried out a joint agreement to build a countrywide data delivery service using HD Radio technology, offering personalized and localized content to a variety of HD Radio receivers. This plan would be branded MSN Direct HD, an extension of Microsoft's existing MSN Direct service that currently transmits a variety of information including traffic, weather, movie times, sports, as well as stocks to Smart Watches, weather stations, Global Positioning System navigation devices and small home appliances.

The expansion of MSN Direct to HD Radio is again apart of Microsoft's Smart Personal Objects Technology (SPOT) initiative. The companies would initiate opportunities for consumer electronics companies and automotive manufacturers to offer MSN Direct content in HD digital radio format on their devices by 2008.

Yahoo had recently announced the winners of Yahoo! Tech "Last Gadget Standing" contest, hosted by Robin Raskin at Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The winners are the Data Drive Thru Tornado that was chosen by the audience during the live SuperSession event and the HP TouchSmart PC was chosen as the online winner at tech.yahoo.com. Yahoo! Tech brought consumers the most excellent information on gadgets and "Last Gadget Standing" gave those consumers a chance to pick their favorite gadget from CES.

"Last Gadget Standing" is not just about the techies telling us what hot next is. It's about the real 'deciders', the consumers, voting on what's going to appear as our next gadget idol," stated by Patrick Houston, general manager, Yahoo! Tech

Yahoo is putting more of its emphasis on social media and user generated content in its local search product.

Social features came back again during September 2006, when it added "collections" of user generated lists, such as "The Bay Area for Kids," a collection Miller created while exploring outings with his family. Last month, Yahoo added another user generated content featured to Local, Consumer Submit. That feature allows the users to add and edit a business listing, updating contact information, store hours, or identifying businesses that are no longer open.

Yahoo views these features as "social utilities", which attach the always present offline gossip that friends and neighbors use to find a contractor, pick a restaurant, or choose a mechanic.

LONDON - The National Library of Catalonia with five affiliated libraries have agreed to participate in Google Inc.'s bid to scan book collections of the world's great libraries, the third in Europe to join the project.

The two organizations said in a statement that they will soon be digitizing hundreds and thousands of public domain works, counting collections by Catalonian writers such as Ramon Llull, Angel Guimera and Jacint Verdaguer in addition to Cervantes and Gongora. Google, the world's most used search engine, is also accomplishing a pilot project with the U.S. Library of Congress.

Google has recently released an upgraded version of its pro-level 3D sketching software. Through SketchUp Pro 6 one can create models from photos, add watermarks and 3D text and even set display styles. It further has a series of tools for creating presentations from sketched scenes known to be LayOut, which is available in beta.

SketchUp also calculates the camera position, builds the 3D scene and then applies parts of the photograph as textures to the models. Multiple photographs from different angles could be combined to make multiple sides of objects.

This upgrade has the new Styles palette that hosts collections of display settings including Watermarks and Sketchy Effects. These could be saved and shared with other users as well.

Next Tier Concepts, Inc. (NT Concepts) recently announced that it has joined the Google Enterprise Professional Program, enabling them to expand the power of both Google Enterprise Search and Google Enterprise Earth to their many viable and government customers.

The Google Enterprise Professional Program includes developers, consultants, and independent software vendors, which offers value added services for Google Enterprise products. NT Concept project teams would now be integrating Google Enterprise solutions into corporate and further government information architectures. As one of the few partners certified for both Earth and Search, NT Concepts could deliver those technologies autonomously or as an integrated solution.

Google voted as Britain's most popular brand. And while that achievement is inspiring enough its own right; Google achieved it while spending remarkably little money on advertising.

Google's on quite a roll in these fame contests; the company was then lately designated America's "Most Popular Brand" of 2006, and Fortune magazine named it the number one place to work.

Google voted as Britain's most popular brand. And while that achievement is inspiring enough its own right; Google achieved it while spending remarkably little money on advertising.

Google's on quite a roll in these fame contests; the company was then lately designated America's "Most Popular Brand" of 2006, and Fortune magazine named it the number one place to work.

Samsung and Google Inc. recently announced a worldwide cooperation to enable mobile phone users globally with quick and easy access to Google products and services directly from their Samsung mobile phones. This would enable Samsung users to search information, find location and manage their e-mails on move.

Samsungs has wide variety and technology in phones. Now, the combination of Google applications and Samsung's advanced mobile devices dedicate themselves to offer a hassle - free mobile Internet experience for consumer's world wide. Beginning in early 2007, select ed Samsung phones would be provided with a range of Google products and services aimed to provide more dynamic user experience.

Google Earth version 4 has now been enhanced with even more-realistic looking 3D models of terrain and buildings.

On other hand, Microsoft is now adding a Virtual Earth better aerial and satellite images of United States from GlobeXplorer LLC. The deal further improvises by having Microsoft's Live Search Maps by Virtual Earth.

The interesting part is Google Earth and Virtual Earth both are desktop applications offering download at no charge. Both have search features for finding and mapping locations, and accessing driving instructions. The service also lets users cover information about locations, saving maps, and option to e-mail others.

Google Earth was just a start, now Google is planning to assist scientists and general public to explore and map the universe. This week the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) project announced, which Google has joined with the team of 19 universities and national laboratories. This LSST would be the world's largest astronomical survey project.

Scheduled to come online by 2013, LSST would completely survey the night sky every three days from a mountaintop in northern Peru. The telescope's three billion-pixel imager, the biggest digital camera ever built would create huge quantities of data. Experts say about 30,000 gigabytes worth of images would be captured every night.

Google; the internet search giant is "The Best" company to work for in America, according to Fortune magazine’s annual list released this Monday.

Google based in Mountain View, California, now ranks No. 1 largely because of the services offered to employees, such as laundry, dry cleaning and more automotive services, a swimming spa, on-site massage, gourmet meals and free on-site doctors, Fortune stated.

The list was collected for Fortune by the Great Place to Work Institute in San Francisco, using review responses from more than 105,000 employees from 446 companies.

SAN FRANCISCO - Internet icon Google Inc. and Yahoo Inc. are growing their efforts to become more reachable on mobile phones, this will be a new huge battleground for these longtime rivals.

Spending on mobile ads is expected to rise for nearly $1.5 billion in this year and more than double in size by the year 2010. Both Google and Yahoo would now feature some of their products on mobile phones produced by Samsung Electronics under deals announced at the nation's biggest gadget-fest.

OLATHE, Kan., /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN) had recently announced the nuvi 680 and the StreetPilot c580, the first-ever personal navigation devices, which incorporate real-time traffic reports, gas prices, weather conditions, and as well movie times from Microsoft's MSN Direct network. The devices were announced in combination with the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and would be on display at the Garmin booth (#36212) and the Microsoft booth (#7144).

The nuvi 680 and StreetPilot c580 got current traffic incident and flow information for major cities across the United States, it is time-saving information that drivers would find valuable even when they know how to find their destination.

Yahoo is planning to launch The Intern, a game tied to NBC's sixth season of the Donald Trump-starring series The Apprentice, which would offer fans of the show the opportunity to compete for a chance to spend time with the reality show's winning contestants.

The winner of The Intern contest would eventually spend two weeks shadowing the winner of this season's Apprentice as he or she goes to work for the Trump Organization.

Yahoo Inc (NASDAQ: YHOO), had announced that Senior Vice President and Chief Data Officer, Dr. Usama Fayyad, is been selected as a 2006 Fellow of the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM). Fayyad was recognized for his extensive contributions to the fields of machine learning and data mining and for his significant scientific and commercial applications in the field of knowledge discovery in databases. Fayyad is also responsible for Yahoo's overall data strategy, with overseeing the Yahoo! Research Organization.

"Yahoo! Research is now focusing on hiring all the big researchers around the globe in the fields of search, machine learning, microeconomics, social media, and more," said Fayyad.

Miva give up partnership with yahoo and start a new relationship with Google as of January 27, 2007. This battle for publishing partnerships would play a major role in search industry this year and as well in expansion to international markets.

Yahoo further needs to announce a new international team in the very near future.

Yahoo and Dash Navigation had announced a partnership, which would combine Yahoo's local search technology with Dash's internet-connected automotive navigation system. Dash would provide location data that Yahoo could use to narrow the search results to business (through iMedia Connection and MarketingVox).

One would be able to conduct a local search and then navigate to the geographic location of the search results. The service would launch in California during spring, with a national rollout.

California's budget revenue slides up and down with constant change in capital gain and stock options, is now counting on big income tax filings from few tech executives to help balance its budget. For this wave, California could largely thank Google Inc.

Google cashing in more than 9 million shares valued at $3.7 billion in the year 2006, 16 Google insiders would owe the Golden State as much as $380 million in taxes. As Google's stock topped $500 in 2006, now continues to sell hundreds of shares each months, according to an analysis of insider transaction data provided to The Associated Press by research.

Google has recently announced new features for the Google Search Appliance that is planned to give enterprise customers the ability to customize search results of their individual corporate environments. It as well offers improved integration with Google services with additional content sources. It offers open source connectors for indexing content in SharePoint 2003 and SharePoint 2007.

Google uses computer algorithm to sort out job applications and rank the candidates using a score system from zero to 100. This sorting of application would be done using system that scans CVs and other personal information. Applicants are asked to fill wide reaching form, which provides details of their personality, likes and dislikes attitudes and previous behavior.

Previously Google recruited candidates with difficult math's problems to make sure that the applicants are up to the task. Further Google would extend the practice next month to include all new applications.

ANN ARBOR, Mich.- Ross School of Business MBA students Kaveesh Chawla, Joy Ghanekar, Irfan Presswala and Tanuka Roy, all from the class of '07 had won second place in a latest case contest sponsored by Yahoo! The contest was part of the Berkeley Digital Media Conference held at the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley in November.

Students were asked for recommendations on how to make Yahoo! as strong a brand name in television as it is in the online world. If Yahoo! did develop a television channel, what content should it use and how should that content be delivered and monetized?

Students were asked to recommend on how to make Yahoo! as strong as brand name in television as it is in the online world. And in case Yahoo! develops a television channel, what content need to be used and how that content should be delivered and monetized.

The team for their creativity, customer focus and a brilliant monetization strategy, Cammie Dunaway, Yahoo's chief marketing officer, offered a $5,000 award to the Ross School team.

The US Patent and Trademark Office have finally granted two patents to Google, one for methods and apparatus estimates similarity and another one for a digital mapping system. This patent number 7,158,962 was initially filed during 2001 and took five years to receive approval.

It will describe the method whereby a similarity engine creates compact representative of objects called 'Sketches'. These sketches that contain weighting could further be compared for similarities.

Google's Digital Mapping Systems patent explains different methods, systems and apparatus for implementing aspects of a digital mapping system'. It comprises the methods for using map tiles and grids in client-server environments.

Google Inc. and EarthLink Inc. have closed a deal, which will create wireless Internet network across San Francisco. The contract terms, was approved by Mountain View based Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) and Atlanta, Ga. based EarthLink (NASDAQ: ELNK) and should even get okay by San Francisco's board of supervisors.

This planned network will have a free high-speed Internet service network supported by many ads appearing on users screens. In addition, there will be even faster, commercial-free wireless service available for $20 a month.