Various statistics were hurled at reporters by Google CTO Michael Jones on Tuesday at an industry conference. The most eye-opening was the revelation that Google Earth has drawn more installations than Microsoft's Windows XP. "That attracts attention," Jones said, adding that the program has drawn praised from French President Jacques Chirac and U.S. President George Bush. Never mind the contention that Google Earth is a potentially useful tool for terrorists, too. Global political implications aside, all this goes to show that Google Earth is popular--arguably the search giant's most successful product since its search engine. Jones says that Google …

Are you tired of the glut of bad online video out there? Michael Caruso, the former editor of Men's Journal, believes he has the answer: He'll find the good stuff for you. His new project, called The Daily Tube, plans to send its editorial staff out to online video sites across the Web to bring back a list of the day's best videos for its users, organized by category. The categories include humor, celebrity, music, political, sports and Web-based celebrities. Users sign up for a free, daily email containing the videos. Who, exactly, is the audience …

The Mobile virtual network operating business, in which mobile phone service operators sell content subscription packages by licensing spectrum from a big mobile network like Verizon, is a tough business. First came the demise of Mobile ESPN, which offered real-time sports scores and highlights, and now, Amp'd Mobile, an "edgy" upstart MVNO with content deals catering to wealthy teens and 20somethings, has filed for bankruptcy, citing--get this--the unwillingness of subscribers to pay. Either the kids either aren't paying or they're using bad credit cards, which has contributed to "a liquidity crisis," according to the company's filing. Of its 175,000 …

Ask.com on Tuesday completely revamped its search interface--a bold move combining a new platform, a new search technology and a new nationwide marketing push. Ask, fourth in the increasingly one player search market, is doing what only a fourth place player can do -- it is betting on a new interface. The boldest thing about the new Ask3D is its decision to abandon the ages-old 10 blue links approach in favor of a more robust, navigational approach to results combining visual, textual, and design elements. It's like the search interface moving from the 10-year-old "DOS phase" to the …

Joost, the Web-based TV and video service, is in the news nearly as often as regulars Google and News Corp.'s MySpace. If it hasn't raised additional funds, the peer-to-peer TV platform has mostlikely added another major media partner or recruited a big-name exec. Today it's the latter: Joost named Mike Volpi, formerly of Cisco Systems, as CEO. "I wanted to get on the ground floor of something unique," Volpi said. "I come from the infrastructure side, but I hate to pigeonhole myself." Volpi said he came to Joost because he likes the team, the market opportunity and the …

Major ad industry associations like the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) and the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4 As) expressed their concern over the recent spate of mergers and acquisitions in the industry--most notably the Google acquisition of DoubleClick, which it questioned in a joint letter to the Federal Trade Commission. ANA President Bob Liodice said it's impossible right now to understand the effect of any of these deals on the industry. "The whole thing is moving very, very quickly," he said of the latest series of acquisitions, which include Google-Click, Right Media by Yahoo aQuantive by Microsoft, …

As expected, Google has joined forces with Salesforce.com in launching a new Web site that allows Salesforce to resell Google's AdWords through the company's core customer relationship management software. Called Salesforce Group Edition, the companies will jointly market the new product, which records sales leads generated through ads placed on Google.com and the company's AdSense network. When users click on the Salesforce client's ads, they're requested to fill out a form recording their name, which is then transmitted to a company's sales team as a potential sales lead. Salesforce Group Edition targets small to mid-size businesses and costs $1,200 …

Massively multiplayer online role-playing games, in which users assume the role of avatars, or personas they create, are slowly creeping into the mainstream--especially among kids. The adult-oriented virtual worlds of Warcraft and Second Life may get lots of attention, but--thankfully for advertisers--the most popular social media outlets are decidedly PG in nature, like Stardoll, Doppleganger, and Gaia Online, frequented by youngsters across the Web. At Stardoll, tweens can create their own online "MeDoll" identities using a template that lets users choose everything from a doll's skin tone to its eyebrow and nose shape, in addition to the fashionable …

Widgets are on the verge of changing advertising as we know it. A spate of recent announcements by companies like Google and Facebook indicate that both see a big future in the development of third-party content for their Web sites. Widgets are mini pieces of software developed for Web sites, and in some cases, the desktop. They offer access to Web-based content and information without requiring that users visit a specific site. What's so great about that? An embedded YouTube video on a social network program is the simplest form of a widget. For content makers, it adds …

The trials, tribulations and progress of the 2008 presidential hopefuls are being documented on the Web. As a result, younger voters are becoming more involved in the political process--for which politicians should be commended. They understand that engaging and empowering them through the Web is the way to go. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Illinois) was the early leader in that regard, but now, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-New York) seems to have overtaken him, according to Tech President, a blog about candidates' Internet exposure. Still a polarizing figure, Sen. Clinton offered to let fans (and detractors) vote on her campaign song. …