Google

Google Inc. unveiled a new way for consumers to purchase an Android mobile phone, a web store hosted by Google. The company is also launching the first phone offered through this new model, called the Nexus One, which combines the latest in hardware from HTC Corporation with the newest Android software.

Google understandably wants users to have a streamlined experience when using its search engine. While users spending more time on the site means potentially more money from the ads it serves, providing a seamless search experience will make them return a second time proving to be more financially wise in the long run.

Google is launching several new features for the mobile version of its website geared towards requiring users to input less typing, cutting down on the time needed to do a search on mobile phones and making the site easier to use. One feature that the search engine just introduced is a sync option that synchronizes the search history on your desktop with the one on your mobile phone. Local search also got a revamp in the new version.

Google is already a player in the enterprise sector but it is still rather small compared to established companies like Microsoft. One aspect where it's doing better than average is, not surprisingly, in the enterprise search market. It's been steadily gaining customers, now at around 25,000, and many of them use its custom hardware offering, the Google Search Appliance (GSA). Now the company is launching two new tools, a Side-by-Side search comparison and new connectors for the GSA.

On2 Technologies, Inc. and Google Inc. jointly announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Google will acquire On2, a leading developer of video compression technology. Under the terms of the agreement, each outstanding share of On2 common stock will be converted into $0.60 worth of Google class A common stock in a stock-for-stock transaction. The transaction is valued at approximately $106.5 million.