Google is making its desktop image search experience look a lot like its existing tablet experience. “Currently, viewing an image through Google Image Search is a multistep process,” Search Engine Land reports. “With the new system that’s coming out today, selecting an image after a search brings up the larger version in a central preview area,” which should make it easy to quickly skim through multiple images. 

Google is reportedly moving ahead with an experimental wireless network, which would encompass its Mountain View, Calif., headquarters. Say analysts, the move “could portend the creation of dense and superfast Google wireless networks in other locations that would allow people to connect to the Web using their mobile devices,” The Wall Street Journal’s Digits blog reports. The search giant is also planning an open wireless network around its New York City headquarters.

Twitter-owned video-sharing startup Vine is reportedly about ready to make its public debut. Web watchers say Vine has the potential to become the Instagram of video, but, at least according to AllThingsD, it won’t be positioned as a Twitter product. “One thing you don’t see on Vine is any kind of Twitter branding,” AllThingsD reports, citing sources who’ve seen the serving in testing. “This is a Twitter-owned video service, but for now, at least, it’s not ‘Twitter’s video service.’” 

Supporting its mobile strategy, online bazaar Etsy just acquired mobile photo app maker Mixel. “Mixel launched in November 2011 as a hyped collage creation app for the iPad, and later pivoted to be more of a simple photo manipulation tool for the iPhone,” AllThingsD reports. Etsy expects mobile traffic to surpass desktop traffic by the end of 2014. 

Though famed for limitations, tweets have evolved beyond their 140-character constraints to include multimedia and other power features. Buzzfeed is particularly excited about the new Twitter embeds, which it describes as “fully atomic bits of Twitter.” Indeed, “They can contain any media that fits into a Twitter Card -- which is how Twitter wants developers to build things into Twitter, rather than create external Twitter apps.”  

Microsoft this week officially debuted Windows Azure Media Services -- a platform-as-a-service cloud already recognized for helping some broadcasters stream their London Olympics coverage. “Microsoft is hoping to attract the next big on-demand video outfits -- Hulu or Netflix's successors -- with the service, in addition to enterprise customers, network operators, broadcasters, ISVs and system integrators,” ZDNet reports.

After attracting more than 1 billion page views on YouTube, Korean pop star Psy and his hit music video, Gangnam Style, has earned roughly $8 million in ad revenue from the video leader. So revealed Google during its fourth quarter earnings call on Tuesday. “What’s interesting … is that previous estimates believed that Psy had only made $7.9 million globally from the song including downloads on iTunes, streaming, and sales,” Slash Gear reports.  

Showing a stronger interest in job listings, Google has updated its company jobs board with support for Google+ profiles. With the changes, users can now see more relevant search results, star jobs they want to revisit at a later date, and receive curated email updates. “The changes … hints at a larger push from Google into job listings and applications,” The Next Web writes. 

Last year, French newspaper publishers proposed a “link tax” that would force Google to pay them for linking to their stories in Google News. The search giant entertained the idea, but to no avail. The latest negotiations broke down, this week, writes ZDNet, citing a report French newspaper Le Monde. 

Particularly since the arrival of Steve Ballmer, few corporate cultures have been criticized more than Microsoft. Now, a new book by an ex-exec takes direct aim at Ballmer and his hostile management style. “Ballmer is not the right leader for the world's largest software company, but holds his grip on it by systematically forcing out any rising manager who challenges his authority,” Reuters reports, citing the book.