Google is so far ahead of its competitors that stories about whether anyone can unseat its top spot are beginning to look obsolete. Google controls roughly 51 percent of searches, which now include both News Corp.'s MySpace and Time Warner's AOL. Still, competitors like Yahoo, MSN and IAC/InterActive's Ask.com are hoping to come up with something so new and essential that users will be forced to change their search habits. They're hoping that Google continues to shift its focus from Web search to other Web-based applications and services. Doug Leeds, Ask.com's vice president of product management, thinks that's a competitive …

Video game advertising integrations are becoming much more robust. For example, anyone who purchases Electronic Arts' basketball game NBA Live '07 for Microsoft's Xbox 360 or Sony's PlayStation 3 will be able to unlock a host of sweet items and game features in the game from Adidas. As part of its sponsorship, there are more than 100 Adidas-specific elements hidden in the game that can be unlocked using simple codes, available through retail, online and real-world events. Gamers will be able to unlock five NBA players: Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs, Tracy McGrady of the Houston Rockets, Kevin …

It's been a rough year for eBay CEO Meg Whitman. Wall Street is killing her company's stock. Google has become an even more complicated partner, providing the auctioneer with click-to-call technology, while directly competing with it in payment services and product listings. Yahoo has become a better partner, now showing display ads on its Web sites, and using PayPal as the preferred payment service on Yahoo's sites. Whitman is staying positive. On the Internet, she notes: "The landscape changes quarterly." Which means that ironing out the company's strategy is a mission-critical task. So how's she doing on that front? …

Jeffrey Citron, chairman of Vonage, the voice over IP provider that is famous for its disastrous initial public offering earlier this year, defended the Internet phone company's ill-fated IPO and dismissed claims that competition from cable and phone companies will cut into its business. "We (cable companies and Vonage) can both grow nicely at the same time," said Citron. Vonage is one of the original voice over IP providers; it uses a regular phone and an adapter to send calls over a broadband connection. It has about 2 million lines. Since it went public at $17 a share, Vonage's stock …

Google is now teaching people how to read, unveiling a literacy Web site Wednesday that pulls together books, video, mapping and blogging services to provide educators with multimedia resources. The online giant launched the new reading site yesterday at the Frankfurt Book Fair, the world's largest gathering of publishing executives. "We hope this site will serve as a bridge to even greater communication and access to important information about literacy problems--and solutions," said Nikesh Arora, vice president of Google's European operations. More than 1 billion people over the age of 15 are considered illiterate worldwide, according to UNESCO. Google …

Google's second major announcement of the day is that it's making it easier to add hundreds of miniature programs to independent Web sites, which means that users no longer have to go to Google.com to download its programs. "Instead of making people come to Google, now Google can be found everywhere," said Forrester Research analyst Charlene Li of the push to make its programs widely available throughout the Web. Google competitors like Apple and Yahoo also make these mini-applets or "gadgets" available to users who have installed special software on their computers. Google Gadgets, which have been available on Google.com …

Yahoo today is set to begin showing keyword-based ads on mobile phones in the U.S. and the U.K. The Web giant is testing the ad program on its mobile Web service, which allows users to perform keyword searches on most mobile phones and hand-held devices. The testing starts with a select group of 100 advertisers. Pricing is the same as Web search, using an online auction that charges only for ads that are clicked. The company said that ad rates appear to be comparable to Web search, but may prove to be even more lucrative than PC Web search over …

If you believe Bob Wright, NBC Universal's Chairman and CEO, the media industry is under attack and needs help from government and political leaders to stymie the rampant problem of Internet piracy. Last week, Wright gave a speech before the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in which he equated the economic threat of Web piracy to the threat terrorism poses to national security. "Five years ago, we learned, tragically, that our physical security is under attack," he said during the chamber's symposium on counterfeiting and piracy. "Today, I want to suggest that the second pillar, our economic security, is also …

For the moment, online video sites aren't too concerned with copyright infringement. Right now, most are trying to figure out their ad models. Many, like Yahoo Video, MTV Overdrive, AOL and MSN Video, run pre-roll ads. Others, like YouTube and Google Video, don't. End users, obviously, don't like the ads--which can be upwards of 10 to 20 seconds long, so publishers that sell pre-rolls run the risk of losing users, one of the reasons many cite for YouTube's enduring popularity. YouTube does sell banner ads, and it also offers advertisers the right to upload their commercials for optional viewing. Google, …

Newsweek suggests that pity may have had something to do with the now-famous deal Warner Music Group struck with YouTube. For over a year, the Internet upstart and others like it have basically given Web users free access to songs and music videos from Warner artists such as Madonna and Green Day. But instead of waging war against YouTube, as rival Universal Music Group has threatened, Warner decided to play nice. Alex Zubillaga, a Warner digital strategy executive, felt something like sympathy during a recent trip to YouTube's headquarters in San Mateo, Calif. YouTube's 60 employees share 10 landlines and …