Stories by Heather Havenstein

Google called off Yahoo deal as DOJ closed in

Google called off its proposed search advertising deal with Yahoo just three hours before the US Department of Justice was to file an antitrust complaint on November 5 aimed at blocking it, according to the lawyer that the government hired to pursue the case.

Sun rolls out its JavaFX Rich Internet Application tool

Sun Microsystems Thursday rolled out the first version of its JavaFX runtime and tools, which support the development of Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) that can run on desktops, in browsers, in mobile devices and on televisions. Sun said that JavaFX 1.0 is aimed at providing a unified development and deployment model for developers and Web designers to build RIAs with audio, video, rich text, advanced graphics, animation and Web services.

Prototype unveiled for storing OpenID credentials

MySpace, Flock and Vidoop Tuesday unveiled a jointly developed a prototype tool that will let users store their OpenID credentials in the Flock social Web browser. Mozilla-based Flock allows users to monitor what is happening on their favorite social networks as they surf the Web.

Google rolls out Gmail gadget for Google Desktop for Windows

Google has unveiled a new gadget that allows Google Desktop for Windows users to check their Gmail accounts without having to leave leaving the vendor's desktop search application.

Obama continues Google-enabled gov't push on transition site

Like his campaign apparatus, President Elect Barack Obama's transition team is embracing what some have called a Google-enabled government by loosening copyright licensing on its Change.gov Web site and by launching a feature that allows citizens to contribute to policy discussions.

LinkedIn overhauls its search platform

The LinkedIn business social network this week rolled out an overhauled search platform that it says will let users more easily find who they are looking for on the site.

Report: Google to 'significantly' cut contractor use

Google Monday acknowledged plans to "significantly" reduce the number of contractors it uses, according to a report on the Web site of the Wall Street Journal. The report noted that the company has no plans to cut its permanent workforce.

Some question Google's 'rookie mistakes' with SearchWiki

Google's new search customization tool, SearchWiki, has quickly generated criticism for its lack of an opt-out options and perceived privacy threats.

Many Millennials unaware of or ignoring corporate IT rules

More than half of the working Millennials polled for an Accenture study said that were either unaware of their company's IT policies or are not willing to follow them.

Google shutters its Lively virtual world

Just a few months after launching Lively, Google Wednesday said it will shut down the browser-based three-dimensional world by the end of the year to focus on the core Google business.

Online searchers often led away from corporate sites

Companies like Wal-Mart, Exxon Mobil and the makers of Motrin have all learned the hard way that online assaults from external users on Web 2.0 sites like Facebook and Twitter can damage their brands.

Analysts: New Yahoo CEO must shed assets for better focus

Whoever takes embattled Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang's place will need to pare the former Web sweetheart's services to effectively compete in a market where it is under siege from Google and multiple social media players for online advertising, analysts say.

Motrin maker feels pain from social media backlash

The maker of pain reliever Motrin is now feeling the pain of a social media backlash to its recently released online ad that riled a large group of bloggers and Twitter users.

Military gets own social network after YouTube is blocked

The US military Tuesday launched TroopTube, a new site to upload and share videos, more than a year after the US Department of Defense banned YouTube from military networks for being a bandwidth hog.

NASA's Mars Lander tweets and blogs about its death

"Take care of that beautiful blue marble out there in space, our home planet. I'll be keeping an eye from here."