Google's voice search engine had the capability to process more than 50 languages and dialects, but previously users had to change their settings to switch languages. A one-time change to the settings on the phone allowed users to switch back and forth easily. The Google app will automatically detect the language being spoken. The user can select up to five languages.

Microsoft has signed a deal with Opera allowing the Norwegian software maker to build its browser for Nokia phones. It means Opera Mini becomes the default browser for Microsoft's feature phone and the Asha phones product lines. As part of the agreement, Microsoft will encourage people who use the current browser for these phones, Xpress, to upgrade to the latest Opera Mini browser. Factory-new devices will have Opera Mini pre-installed.

Microsoft has announced another update for Bing Maps that introduces streetside views highlighting 64 new cities and 3D maps to 29 new cities. Users also will find high-resolution aerial imagery in more than 150 countries on every continent in the world. A variety of data sources make it possible, such as aircraft-mounted UltraCam Osprey cameras streaming satellite imagery from Digital Globe.

ABI Research estimates the Internet of Things (IoT) will push global connected devices up to more than 16 billion this year, up from 13 billion in 2013. The number of devices is estimated to more than double by 2020, reaching about 40.9 billion.

Google now processes an average of one million removal requests daily, per TorrentFreak. The increase represents what the media site calls an upward trend, with copyright holders reporting more and more allegedly infringing search results. Some copyrighted material is the result of mistakes or abuse, 

Think Google would have figured out search by now? On the contrary, determined to protect its gold egg, the tech giant continues to develop its search business at a rapid pace. In fact, the company that search built made “more than 890 improvements to Google Search last year alone,” Amit Singhal, head of search, notes in a new Google+ post. “The 890 ‘improvements’ Amit is talking about is search specific, but goes well beyond algorithms,” according to Search Engine Land. “It includes user interface changes, auto-complete, Google Now and much more.” 

Opera Mediaworks announced the launch of Innovation Lab. The subsidiary of Opera Software estimates it serves 64 billion impressions reaching 700 million global consumers monthly. The Innovation Lab aims to create new products and solutions, leveraging technical innovation to help marketers reach the next generation of mobile consumers. Orr Orenstein will lead the team.

Amit Singhal, Google senior vice president and software engineer, outlines in a Google+ post what he believes are the 10 biggest Google search milestones since 2004, the year Google went public. Those milestones include autocomplete, translations, directions and traffic, universal search, mobile and new screens, voice search, knowledge graph, info just for you, and answers before asking.

Sergey Brin and Larry Page took the Ice Bucket Challenge in aid of ALS after receiving a challenge from Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, who also challenged Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Page said he and Brin would also donate to help Strike Out ALS. Others like Marin Software founder Chris Lien also took the challenge and made a donation.

Robert Miller explains a new feature that Google calls Enhanced ECommerce, which allows Universal Analytics users to dig deeper into their e-commerce data. He believes it's a good tool to attribute revenue to marketing campaigns and provide directional indicators that help optimize campaigns, bids, keywords, and more. He runs through five features that range from product impressions to shopping behavior analysis.