Bing began rolling out secure search results, similar to Google. Jennifer Slegg tells us that the encrypted search seems optional at this time. It could also influence Yahoo search results, since Bing also powers its queries. She explains that Bing could be making the change because of Yahoo's first-quarter deadline to switch to secure search on their properties.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office awarded Google nearly 2,000 patents last year, nearly double the amount in all previous years combined. The Financial Times estimates it put the technology company on top when it comes to building a stockpile of legal rights based on in-house research. The increase is partly the result of Google Glass and driverless car-related patents.

Could revenue results for tech companies smell a bit sweeter this year, compared with previous ones? John Shinal points to data from FactSet, which compiles Wall Street earnings estimates, suggesting that technology companies in the S&P 500 index are expected to earn 9.3% higher net income this year compared with last year.

Google will pay about $230 million, or 800 million shekels, in taxes on its acquisition of Waze's intellectual property rights, per Israel's Haaretz. It's the second-largest sum the state has ever received in tax revenue generated by a merger and acquisition. The news agency reports that the Economy Ministry's Office of the Chief Scientist will benefit from the deal because of a $1 million investment in Waze when it was founded.

A couple of features in Google AdWords known as review extensions and shared endorsements will change the way marketers think about product reviews in 2014. Amanda DiSilvestro provides tips for generating positive reviews. She also tells us what happens to those who are caught posting a fake review, and provides insights on how to identify them. Read the article here.

Want to make sure someone doesn't make the same mistake twice? A Dallas police chief decided that firing several officers wasn't enough, so he took to Twitter to "publicly shame them." David Brown explained in tweets why he terminated or demoted officers. The Dallas Police Department got more specific on Facebook, per The Washington Times.

Searchers concerned with Internet surveillance in 2013 led to DuckDuckGo processing 1 billion queries last year, although it pales in comparison to Google, which currently touts processing more than 1 trillion searches annually in 146 languages. DuckDuckGo aggregates data from engines doesn't store personal information such as IP addresses, preventing searches from being linked to individuals.

Amazon and Microsoft did the best during the holiday season within the tablet marketplace, while Apple was the only manufacturer to gain share among major smartphone competitors, per stats from Chitika Insights, a network serving ads for about 350,000 publishers. The company surveyed a sample of tens of millions of smartphone and tablet online ad impressions from the Chitika network. This study was drawn from a date range of December 20 to December 29, 2013, and includes only Web traffic generated within the U.S. and Canada.

Vuzix CEO Paul Travers says his company’s sunglasses will provide an augmented reality experience that resembles the one portrayed in Google's first promotional video of Glass, and will be less bulky and obtrusive than Google Glass, per Mike Orcutt. Vuzix makes wearable display technology for military and industrial applications. This summer the company is releasing a sleek version for consumers.

MarketingProfs has posted a "quick how-to guide" for search retargeting, advising marketers to choose their DSP carefully, determine keywords and review creative before heading to the real-time bidding (RTB) exchanges.