Despite little success selling smartphones, Google is reportedly ready to sell co-branded tablets directly to consumers through an online store. “Google, undaunted by a short-lived attempt to market and sell smartphones on its own, [is on] a quest to capture market share from Apple Inc.'s iPad,” reports The Wall Street Journal. Put another way, “Google's so freaked out about the iPad and lousy Android sales that it's opening an online tablet store, Business Insider writes. “Unlike Apple, which controls its ecosystem, Google leaves nearly everything to partners, which can lead to a disjointed or fragmented user experience that can …

Ready or not for an Apple TV, the market might have to wait longer than expected for the supposedly transformative device. According to Asian research group CLSA, the big release won’t occur until 2013. “We continue to view Apple TV hardware as a 2013 event,” reads the research brief first reported by Business Insider. Either way, “most clients agree that a TV is coming,” writes BI. “The critical question becomes how the video providers fit into the equation and how Apple's offering would/could differ from current TVs beyond iOS/icloud.” “At this moment, the Apple television is technically …

Last summer, Google left marketers scratching their heads after reporting that nixing paid search ads (from a balanced paid and organic search marketing strategy) would result in an 89% drop in clicks. “What happens if your brand is the top organic result for the keyword?” Search Engine Land wondered. “Surely the results would be different than if your organic result was on the second page?” Admits David Chan, Google’s lead researcher for the study: “When we released the first paper, we had a lot of questions coming back, asking more more [sic] details around incrementality [sic] and under what …

So consumers can devote their computers entirely to tax business, Microsoft’s XBox Live is finally adding Comcast’s video-on-demand service, HBO Go, and MLB.tv. “Both Comcast and HBO were among the first new content partners when Microsoft announced changes to its Xbox Live user interface and new content deals,” recalls GigaOm. “But they’re some of the last partners to come online as Microsoft has staggered updates of its various content partners’ software over the last several months.” “It’s big news is my household because we own Xbox,” writes Forbes contributor Michael Humphrey. “If you own Boxee, or Apple TV, you’re …

Doing its best Eliot Ness impression, Microsoft is raiding malware operations around the country. With the help of US Marshals, Microsoft on Friday busted outfits in Scranton, Pennsylvania and Lombard, Illinois, seizing servers believed to be running botnets used for identity theft. “The sweep was part of a civil suit brought by Microsoft in its increasingly aggressive campaign to take the lead in combating such crimes, rather than waiting for law enforcement agencies to act,” according to The New York Times. “The company’s targets were equipment used to control the botnets, which criminals, known as bot-herders, use for ill …

Google is reportedly considering selling movies online, yet few Web watchers think Amazon or Apple’s iTunes will lose sleep over the prospect. “Managers at Google Play are considering a plan to sell films,” CNet reports, citing sources. “Google Play, formerly known as Android Market, only rents movies now, but the company has shown an interest in giving owners of Android handhelds the option to buy.”  “Given that rentals aren't going great for Google, not that they're going great for anyone else, sales are probably going to fare even worse,” suggests Softpedia. Writes The Verge: “Despite Google's incredible success …

Recently, Zynga’s hottest game, Words With Friends, has been overshadowed by Draw Something. It’s no surprise then -- to jaded Web watchers -- that the gaming giant has plopped down a reported $200 million for the maker of the mobile app, OMGPOP. “Rest easy: Zynga once again owns the top game on Facebook,” AllThingsD jokes. “But in making the acquisition, Zynga may have inadvertently set the expectation that if it doesn’t create the No. 1 game on Facebook -- it will acquire it.” “This is not the first time that Zynga has gone out and purchased the developer of a …

The Web was destined to upend most industries, but its impact on stand-up comedy wasn’t seriously considered -- until now. That’s thanks to a handful of influential comedians, like Louis C. K. and, more recently, Aziz Ansari, who are pioneering a straight-to-the-Web strategy. Without the help (burden?) of big production studies or cable networks, these guys are producing comedy specials on their own, posting them online, and selling them directly through their personal Web sites. “By eliminating the editorial control of broadcasters and the perceived taint of corporate endorsements,” The New York Times writes, this new approach “is already having …

Purportedly ready to reshape the mobile landscape, reports suggest that Microsoft will debut Windows 8 by October. “The Redmond, Washington-based company … aims to take back sales lost to the iPad and reinvigorate the sluggish PC market,” reports Bloomberg. Critically, “the initial rollout will include devices running Intel Corp. and ARM Holdings Plc chips, making good on Microsoft’s promise to support both standards.” “Putting Windows 8 on sale in October would allow Microsoft to take advantage of the busy holiday season,” writes VentureBeat. “Presumably, that could give retailers selling Windows 8 devices a nice marketing boost. That’s a …

Drowning in cash, Apple has decided to pay a quarterly stock dividend, and buy back $10 billion in company shares. “The world's most valuable publicly traded company has finally found something to do with all that cash,” quips MercuryNews.com. With about $100 billion on the books, Apple “said it …