Media has made a big deal of this since Google first announced the changes about consolidating its policies to just one. Some people have also been voicing out their opinions about it on Twitter.

Alma Whitten, Google’s Director of Privacy, Product and Engineering wrote in a blog post. “As you use our products one thing will be clear: it’s the same Google experience that you’re used to, with the same controls, and because we’re making these changes, over time we’ll be able to improve our products in ways that help our users get the most from the web.”

She also pointed out three “important points to bear in mind” about the policy:

1. Our Privacy Policy is now much easier to understand.

2. Our Privacy Policy will enable us to build a better, more intuitive user experience across Google for signed-in users.

3. Our privacy controls aren’t changing.

Google Director of Public Policy, Pablo Chavez, discussed five things that “aren’t changing” in a blog post written at the beginning of 2012 about the changes:

1. We’re still keeping your private information private — we’re not changing the visibility of any information you have stored with Google.

2. We’re still allowing you to do searches, watch videos on YouTube, get driving directions on Google Maps, and perform other tasks without signing into a Google Account.

3. We’re still offering you choice and control through privacy tools like Google Dashboard and Ads Preferences Manager that help you understand and manage your data.

4. We still won’t sell your personal information to advertisers.

5. We’re still offering data liberation if you’d prefer to close your Google Account and take your data elsewhere.

The changes in the policy has come to the attention of privacy watchdogs. EPIC, one such watchdog group has complained to the FTC, but the FTC decided they had no legal standing in the matter, but they did file an appeal. Still, FTC chairman Jon Leibowitz called the new policy “brutal.

If you are outraged by Google’s decision, you can either start using other services or take all the precautions Google has enabled you with to control how Google shares your data. Personally, I generally see no problems about Google’s changes in its privacy policy for most users, unless, of course, you are into some embarrassing or illegal act online.

Globe’s Tattoo @ Home broadband offers are “the most superior in the market”, comes with freebies that are bundled with the broadband service and can be customized. The Tattoo @ Home TVC which features Danica Magpantay has been airing since early this week. If you haven’t seen it yet here it is below.

Visit Globe.com.ph for more information about Globe Telecom’s Tattoo@Home broadband packages!

Top U.S. Internet/Web Brands in 2011

1. Google
2. Facebook
3. Yahoo
4. MSN/WindowsLive/Bing
5. YouTube
6. Microsoft
7. AOL Media Network
8. Wikipedia
9. Apple
10. Ask

In the same article released by Nielsen, the Top U.S. social networks and blogs of 2011 were:

1. Facebook
2. Blogger
3. Twitter
4. WordPress
5. MySpace
6. LinkedIn
7. Tumblr
8. Google+
9. Yahoo Pulse
10. Six Apart TypePad

If you are an into online marketing like me, these information are vital because they can give you a big idea where to invest your money, online marketing and other efforts in. These top ten U.S. brands, social networks and blogs of 2011 will surely be a great resource in whatever online endeavor you have.

The Samsung Galaxy Y Duos carry the following specifications and features:

*a 3.14-inch QVGA (243 x 320) touchscreen
*HSDPA modem
*3-megapixel camera
*microSD storage (expandable up to 32GB)
*an 832MHz processor that runs TouchWiz flavored Gingerbread

The Samsung Galaxy Y Pro Duos‘ only difference is its smaller 2.6-inch LQVGA TFT screen, which makes space for the physical keyboard on its body. The two Samsung Galaxy Y dual-SIM models will be available from January in Europe, Russia, Latin America, Asia, Africa and China. while pricing has not been set yet, the specifications and features suggest it won’t be high.

If you want to know how to get rid of the Facebook Ticker in the right-hand column of the Facebook page then here are two ways to do that:

1) How to remove the Facebook ticker in Google Chrome

In Google Chrome, the way to get rid of the ticker is to install the Hide Facebook SideBar Ticker extension and the ticker will vanish.

2) How to remove the Facebook ticker in Mozilla Firefox

If you are using Firefox, you will need to install a user script. To do so, you need to first install the Greasemonkey add-on in Firefox. After doing that you need to install this user script (click the ‘Source Code” tab). When prompted, restart Firefox and the ticker will be gone along with the entire right column of Facebook, event invitations, ads, sponsored stories, friends’ photos, and so on.

Feel free to share this post if you want to let others know how to remove the Facebook Ticker at Facebook’s right column.

In the chart above, Android users spend 56 minutes in an average day surfing the Web and using Android apps. 66.67% of that amount of time is spent using mobile apps while 33.33% is spent using mobile Web sites.

(Credit for data: Nielsen)

Some of the games for Google+ are Bejeweled Blitz from Popcap, Zynga’s poker and the popular Angry Birds from Rovio. Vic Gundotra, Google’ s senior vice president of engineering , mentioned in their announcement that the feature is being opened up to the Google+ community “gradually” and that Google+ users would be getting the games “soon .” Vic Gundotra, Google’ s senior vice president of engineering , mentioned in their announcement that the feature is being opened up to the Google+ community “gradually” and that Google+ users would be getting the games “soon .”

With Google’s social network users reaching 25 million based on a report by ComScore the rollout of games for Google+ could further increase the company’s growth rate which is much bigger than Facebook’s and Twitter’s since Google+ was launched.

Twitter said last week that it was in its final stages of its rollout. It was September of 2010 when Twitter announced its new design which highlights two viewing panes which allow users to view another user’s tweets, or videos, pictures or a website shared. The intent of Twitter was to make their homepage faster and richer for its users by striking agreements with companies like YouTube, TwitPic and many others. Enjoy the “New Twitter”!

Offered by Smart-subsidiary Smart Broadband, Inc. (SBI), the Rocket dongle “is the mobile broadband solution for subscribers whose usage and lifestyle require ultra-fast, strike-anywhere connectivity,” said Danilo Mojica, head of Smart’s Wireless Consumer Division.

The Rocket promises to deliver speeds of up to 12Mbps and runs on Smart’s HSPA+ network – the expansion of which to cover key areas in Metro Manila and more key cities in the Visayas and Mindanao was recently reported by the telco leader.

The Smart Bro Rocket will be available at PHP3,995 at selected Smart Stores nationwide starting August 8, 2011. The entry-level Starter Kit, which delivers speeds of up to 2Mbps while running on Smart’s nationwide 3G network, was recently launched by Smart at P995. The Power Plug-It, which sports a fresh and more user-friendly interface and can reach speeds of up to 3.6Mbps, is available at P1,245.

The wireless operator’s device-driven strategy for its Smart Bro portfolio complements its massive network modernization effort, which has reportedly resulted to “the fastest speeds observed among all mobile broadband service providers,” according to the results of the benchmark test conducted recently by NESIC Philippines, Inc.

“What this means to all Smart Bro subscribers everywhere in the country is, quite simply, the best surfing experience possible,” ended Mojica.

Regular browsing costs P10 for every 30 minutes, and load for the Rocket is available from Smart’s nationwide network of over a million e-load sellers. The prepaid Smart Bro Rocket kit comes with an hour of free surfing.

Alcatel introduced three new very affordable smartphones using the Android OS called the Blaze series. The new phones are pre-loaded with Android apps and has good feel as they all have a metal-finished body.

The Alcatel onetouch Blaze Duo 890D is the most affordable among the three and is equipped with Android 2.1 Eclair, A-GPS, 2.0 megapixel camera, has an expandable memory and comes with a free 2GB memory card. This dual sim smartphone is available in steel grey, orange and fuschia for the introductory price of PHP 4,999 instead of PHP 6,299.

Next in line is the Alcatel onetouch Blaze 906. Available in colors orange and grey at PHP 6,399 until the end of August instead of its regular price of PHP 7,999, this smartphone is 3G and HSPA capable, also has a 2.0 megapixel camera, equipped with a micro SD slot that is expandable up to 32GB and runs on Android 2.2 Froyo.

The most high end among the three is the Alcatel onetouch Blaze 990. It also runs on Android 2.2 Froyo, 3G and HSPA capable, wi-fi ready, pre loaded with Google Chrome, has a capacitive touch screen and has an expandable memory. All these for only PHP 9,999, down from PHP 14,999 and comes in spicy red, bluish black and aubergine.

The Alcatel onetouch Blaze smartphones are available in most SM cyberzones and major telecom stores.