Google's forays beyond the search box

The Internet giant has in recent years ventured further afield from its roots in online search and advertising, and is now a heavy hitter in industries such as mobile electronics and video-streaming.

The following are some of the newer businesses Google has ventured into or dabbled in past years.

Mobile software

Google's Android operating system, which evolved from a company-led initiative known as the Open Handset Alliance, is now the world's most popular smartphone software and is increasingly adopted for tablets as well.

Developed in-house by software engineer Andy Rubin, the software was designed to present an alternative to then-dominant systems such as Apple Inc's iOS and the Blackberry, and spearhead Google's drive into a then nascent field of mobile advertising.

Android allowed Samsung Electronics to leapfrog Apple in global market share, enabled new entrants such as Amazon.com Inc, and helped erode Blackberry's market position. It is now installed on an estimated three-quarters of the world's smartphones.

In 2012, Google also raised eyebrows by paying over $12 billion for Motorola Mobility - still its largest single acquisition - gaining an instant presence in the booming smartphone and tablet business.

Efforts to catapult Motorola back into the top ranks of mobile phone makers are continuing, but the Apple-Samsung stranglehold has been hard to break. The much-hyped, customizable "Moto X" launched last year has so far failed to win it significant market share.

Robots

In December, news emerged that Google had acquired Boston Dynamics, a privately held company best known for building futuristic robots, often co-developed or funded by the US military.

The purchase was the latest in a string of acquisitions by Google's secretive robotics division, now led by Rubin. The company has been tight-lipped about its plans in this field, though many media reports linked it to efforts to develop factory robots.

Glass and wearable computing

Google Glass, the "smart" eyeglasses developed by the company's famously secretive "X" labs, went on sale last year to select developers. The device, which projects a small screen in the corner of a wearer's eye, is expected to become a major catalyst for what many believe to be the next big trend in mobile, wearable computing devices.

Developers are now crafting apps to try and position themselves if the device, which can be voice- or motion-activated, proves popular with consumers. The company has not set a time frame for an eventual consumer launch.

Self-driving cars

Another brainchild of the "X" labs, Google began road-testing self-driven cars on Californian highways about two years ago.

Co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page conceived of the futuristic concept, driven in part by a desire to try and eliminate human error and consequently reduce the incidence of accidents on the road, while improving the efficiency of roadways and travel in general.

The concept spurred attention-grabbing headlines two years ago and automakers from General Motors Co to Toyota Motor Corp have since publicized their own intentions to research and develop an automatically propelled vehicle.

High-speed Internet service

Spurred by a desire to wield greater control of the Internet ecosystem, beyond just dominating search and advertising, the company has begun offering ultra-fast Internet service in several cities and free WiFi for chains like Starbucks.

Google says it is following through on a vision of universal Internet access, in hopes of improving living standards. To that end, it is experimenting with a system of using hot-air balloons to provide satellite Internet access in inhospitable or inaccessible regions of the world, including Africa.

Nest and the consumer business

The $3.2 billion acquisition of the 300-employee company started by Tony Faddell, the so-called godfather of the iPod, is expected to propel Google as a consumer brand deeper into the home. The company also acquires a team widely respected for its design and software engineering talent, potentially of benefit to Google's other forays into the consumer business, which run the gamut from YouTube to gmail and social network Google+.

Retail and commerce
The company offers an electronic payments and stored-value system called Google Wallet, which hasn't yet gained much traction with either retailers or consumers. It is also trying out same-day goods delivery in several cities, taking a page from the broader retail industry, which is now hoping it will galvanise sales.

The Internet giant has in recent years ventured further afield from its roots in online search and advertising, and is now a heavy hitter in industries such as mobile electronics and video-streaming.

The following are some of the newer businesses Google has ventured into or dabbled in past years.

Mobile software

Google's Android operating system, which evolved from a company-led initiative known as the Open Handset Alliance, is now the world's most popular smartphone software and is increasingly adopted for tablets as well.

Developed in-house by software engineer Andy Rubin, the software was designed to present an alternative to then-dominant systems such as Apple Inc's iOS and the Blackberry, and spearhead Google's drive into a then nascent field of mobile advertising.

Android allowed Samsung Electronics to leapfrog Apple in global market share, enabled new entrants such as Amazon.com Inc, and helped erode Blackberry's market position. It is now installed on an estimated three-quarters of the world's smartphones.

In 2012, Google also raised eyebrows by paying over $12 billion for Motorola Mobility - still its largest single acquisition - gaining an instant presence in the booming smartphone and tablet business.

Efforts to catapult Motorola back into the top ranks of mobile phone makers are continuing, but the Apple-Samsung stranglehold has been hard to break. The much-hyped, customizable "Moto X" launched last year has so far failed to win it significant market share.

Robots

In December, news emerged that Google had acquired Boston Dynamics, a privately held company best known for building futuristic robots, often co-developed or funded by the US military.

The purchase was the latest in a string of acquisitions by Google's secretive robotics division, now led by Rubin. The company has been tight-lipped about its plans in this field, though many media reports linked it to efforts to develop factory robots.

Glass and wearable computing

Google Glass, the "smart" eyeglasses developed by the company's famously secretive "X" labs, went on sale last year to select developers. The device, which projects a small screen in the corner of a wearer's eye, is expected to become a major catalyst for what many believe to be the next big trend in mobile, wearable computing devices.

Developers are now crafting apps to try and position themselves if the device, which can be voice- or motion-activated, proves popular with consumers. The company has not set a time frame for an eventual consumer launch.

Self-driving cars

Another brainchild of the "X" labs, Google began road-testing self-driven cars on Californian highways about two years ago.

Co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page conceived of the futuristic concept, driven in part by a desire to try and eliminate human error and consequently reduce the incidence of accidents on the road, while improving the efficiency of roadways and travel in general.

The concept spurred attention-grabbing headlines two years ago and automakers from General Motors Co to Toyota Motor Corp have since publicized their own intentions to research and develop an automatically propelled vehicle.

High-speed Internet service

Spurred by a desire to wield greater control of the Internet ecosystem, beyond just dominating search and advertising, the company has begun offering ultra-fast Internet service in several cities and free WiFi for chains like Starbucks.

Google says it is following through on a vision of universal Internet access, in hopes of improving living standards. To that end, it is experimenting with a system of using hot-air balloons to provide satellite Internet access in inhospitable or inaccessible regions of the world, including Africa.

Nest and the consumer business

The $3.2 billion acquisition of the 300-employee company started by Tony Faddell, the so-called godfather of the iPod, is expected to propel Google as a consumer brand deeper into the home. The company also acquires a team widely respected for its design and software engineering talent, potentially of benefit to Google's other forays into the consumer business, which run the gamut from YouTube to gmail and social network Google+.

Retail and commerce
The company offers an electronic payments and stored-value system called Google Wallet, which hasn't yet gained much traction with either retailers or consumers. It is also trying out same-day goods delivery in several cities, taking a page from the broader retail industry, which is now hoping it will galvanise sales.

Ronaldo wins World Player of the Year for second time

Cristiano Ronaldo was overcome with emotion after being voted the world's best player for 2013 on Monday, ending his great rival Lionel Messi's dominance of the award.

Although he failed to win any major titles with Real Madrid last season, Ronaldo was rewarded for his immense goal-scoring prowess as he swept aside Messi, winner for the last four years, and Frenchman Franck Ribery.

"Thank you to everyone, my team mates, the national team and my family, to everyone here," the Portugal and Real Madrid forward said, choking with emotion after accepting the trophy.

"I can't speak," added Ronaldo, runner-up for three of the last four years, before breaking down.

Jupp Heynckes, now retired, was named coach of the year for the first time after leading Bayern Munich to an unprecedented Bundesliga, Cup and Champions League treble, a fitting end to a 48-year career as player and coach.

The Afghanistan Football Federation and fiery Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic were among other award winners.

Afghanistan was given the Fair Play award after staging its first home game for 10 years, a friendly against Pakistan.

Ibrahimovic won the Ferenc Puskas award for the best goal of the year, although his stunning overhead kick from near the touchline in a friendly against England was scored in 2012 and missed the deadline for last year's ceremony.

SURPRISINGLY MILD
The volatile Swede, who in November said that he did not need the Ballon d'Or to know he was the best, was surprisingly mild in his acceptance speech, limiting himself to thanking the audience and wishing good luck to the contenders.

The ceremony, hosted by former Netherlands international Ruud Gullit and Brazilian presenter Fernanda Lima, took nearly 90 minutes, interrupted by banal interludes featuring personalities from 2014 World Cup hosts Brazil.

Brazil forward Neymar, among those to be hauled on stage, was clearly embarrassed when asked to say who he would like his team to meet in the World Cup final.

"We don't care, we will meet anybody. There are so many other great teams there, as long as we are in the final I don't mind," he said timidly.Voting was in the hands of the 209 national team coaches and captains, plus 173 selected journalists, and Fifa was at pains to point out that the process was transparent, especially after the original deadline was extended by two weeks due to a poor turnout.

Fifa spokesman Walter De Gregorio said the deadline extension, from November 15 to November 29, had not affected the outcome which was independently audited by accounting firm Price WaterhouseCoopers (PWC).

"The ranking of the final three at the end of November is exactly the same as the ranking in mid-November," De Gregorio told reporters. "The only difference is that we had more votes."

The poll for both player and coach of the year leaned heavily towards Europe.

Ivory Coast and Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure was the only African player to make either of the original shortlists of 23 players and 10 coaches and there were no representatives from Asia or Concacaf.

Brazil's Luiz Felipe Scolari was the only South American coach to be considered. Stephen Keshi, who won the African Nations Cup with Nigeria, and Safet Susic, who led Bosnia to their first World Cup, were among those to be overlooked.

Pakistan honours teenage bomb hero with bravery award

Pakistani army personnel salute after placing flowers on the grave of student Aitzaz Hassan in Hangu district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Saturday.

A Pakistani teenager who sacrificed his life to stop a suicide bomber, saving the lives of hundreds of students, has been handed the country’s highest award for bravery.
Aitzaz Hassan, 15, a student in Hangu district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has become a national hero after tackling the bomber who came to attack his school on Monday, with hundreds of students inside.
Hassan died in hospital after the bomber blew himself up at the school gates. No one else was wounded or killed in the incident.
The office of Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif said it had advised the president, Mamnoon Hussain, ‘to approve the conferment of Sitara-e-Shujjat (star of bravery) to Shaheed (martyred) Aitzaz Hassan.

Del Potro overpowers Tomic in Sydney final

Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina holds up the winners trophy after defeating Australia's Bernard Tomic in the men's singles final at the APIA Sydney International Tennis Tournament here Saturday.

Juan Martin del Potro bludgeoned Bernard Tomic with his powerful forehand to win a lopsided Sydney International final Saturday.

The Argentine world number five took just 53 minutes to master the Australian defending champion 6-3, 6-1.

It was del Potro's 18th career title and he became the first Argentine to win in Sydney since David Nalbandian in 2009.

It was the ideal lead in to Monday's Australian Open for del Potro, who plays a qualifier in the first round and is seeded to face world number one Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals.

"Finals are never easy, but I was surprised at my level of play tonight. I think I played great," del Potro said.

"My forehand was perfect. I made a lot of winners, many aces, good slices."

The big Argentine served eight aces and broke Tomic's serve four times for a comprehensive win.

"To start the year in this way it's very positive looking forward for the rest of the season. I need to keep working in the same conditions and the same way.

"Now it's the hardest tournament for us, and I will see if I can go further than last year (third round) in Melbourne.

Microsoft, Nokia pin hopes on new Lumia

Nokia and Microsoft Corp will take the wraps off the struggling European company's most powerful smartphone on Wednesday, in what may be their last major shot at winning back a market lost to Apple, Samsung and Google.

Nokia and Microsoft Corp will take the wraps off the struggling European company's most powerful smartphone on Wednesday, in what may be their last major shot at winning back a market lost to Apple, Samsung and Google.

The world's largest software maker and the Finnish company that once dominated the cellphone market will showcase the device in New York on Wednesday morning and demo it for industry insiders about the same time in Helsinki.

Microsoft and Nokia hope the new Lumia will become a potent weapon in an escalating global mobile industry war.

Google's Motorola Mobility intends to show off its latest smartphone on Wednesday, Amazon.com Inc will unwrap new Kindle Fire tablets the day after, and Apple is expected to unveil the latest version of its seminal iPhone on September 12. Samsung Electronics says it will sell its own Windows phone as early as next month.

The Lumia 920 and smaller Lumia 820 will run on the latest Windows Phone operating software, which Microsoft hopes will rival Apple's iOS and Google's Android to become a third mobile platform. If the new phones do not appeal to consumers, it could spell the end for loss-making Nokia and deal a serious blow to Microsoft's attempts to regain its footing in the market.

Leaked pictures of the two models show a similar look to Nokia's previous Windows phones, but analysts say these alone will not be enough to turn the corner.

"There have to be more devices, and their features have to stand out more. There has to be a 'wow' device," said Hannu Rauhala, analyst at Pohjola Bank, who cut his recommendation on Nokia's shares to "reduce" on Tuesday.

The stakes are high for both Nokia and Microsoft.

The Finnish handset maker has logged more than 3 billion euros ($3.8 billion) in operating losses in the past 18 months, forcing it to cut 10,000 jobs and pursue asset sales.

Its share of the global smartphone market has plunged to less than 10 percent from 50 percent during its heyday, before the iPhone was launched in 2007.

Windows phones have only captured 3.7 percent of the global smartphone market, according to Strategy Analytics. Android phones have 68 percent, while Apple has 17 percent.

For Microsoft, successful Lumia sales could convince more handset makers and carriers to support its Windows Phone 8 software, which promises faster performance and a customizable start screen.

Last week Samsung became the first to announce a smartphone running Windows Phone 8, at the IFA trade show in Berlin. But it was not able to provide the model to visitors at the show.

Ecosystem warriors

Apple's first iPhone revolutionized the mobile industry, popularizing the model of a third-party developer "ecosystem," today considered pivotal to the success of any operating system.

Part of the reason for the limited success of Windows phones is that they support only 100,000 or so apps, compared with about 500,000 or more for Android or iPhones.

There is also the interconnection between apps and content, typified by Apple's iTunes and iCloud, which share content across devices, that acts as a powerful disincentive to switch between vendors.

"Much has been made of Windows Phone emerging as 'the third ecosystem' in mobile. This is a huge task in itself, but Apple's and Google's entrenched positions where consumers have already invested heavily in apps and content makes switching platforms less attractive," said Ben Wood from mobile sector research firm CCS Insight.

The new phone software is similar to the Windows 8 desktop and tablet software to be released on October 26, making it easier for developers to write apps for both, and Microsoft hopes this will boost the platform's popularity.

But the Windows operating system is by no means universally popular in the PC market, so consumers will not necessarily come to the mobile phone equivalent with unalloyed goodwill.

"Consumer perceptions of the Windows brand have been shaped by PC usage. Although Windows 8 will help, there is still plenty of work required to overcome historical prejudices in the transition to mobile," said Wood.

The new Lumias could, however, benefit from the continuing decline in Research In Motion Ltd's BlackBerry, and also from a recent legal blow to the Android operating system.

A California jury decided last month that some of Samsung's hot-selling Android smartphones copied features of the iPhone, which may result in import bans and drive handset makers to put more resources into making Windows-based phones.

But for Nokia and Microsoft to exploit that window of opportunity, it must first find favor with consumers, who so far have shown little enthusiasm for smartphones with Windows software.

($1 = 0.7947 euros) 

Former Israeli PM Sharon dead: Army Radio

Ariel Sharon

Ariel Sharon, the former Israeli general and prime minister who was in a coma for eight years after he had a stroke at the height of his power, died on Saturday aged 85, Israeli Army Radio said, quoting a relative of his family.
The hospital where Sharon was being treated called a media conference for about 0800 ET.

Toure wins African Footballer of Year for third time

Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure landed his third successive African Footballer of the Year award on Thursday to cap a memorable week.

The Manchester City player edged out Nigeria's John Obi Mikel and fellow Ivorian Didier Drogba to make it a hat-trick of wins, emulating Abedi Pele and Samuel Eto'o.

Just 24 hours after storming halfway down the pitch to score a goal in City's 6-0 demolition of West Ham United in the first leg of the League Cup semi-final, a teary-eyed Toure was the toast of African football as he picked up the award at a gala ceremony in Lagos.

"I'm very proud and happy to be the winner today," Toure, dressed in traditional Nigerian robes, told the audience.

"I congratulate my brother Obi Mikel who deserved it as well. It's an unbelievable award for all those who helped me through my career a lot and those who supported me for a long time."

The Ivorian came top of a poll voted by Africa's national team coaches, who had Mikel second and Drogba third.

Toure's success came at the end of a bleak 12-month period for individual achievement by African footballers. Toure's official citation praised him for his role in helping the Ivorians to qualify for the World Cup in Brazil but the choice is more likely for his consistency at club level in England and the dominant role he plays at Manchester City.

Chelsea's Mikel was on the shortlist after helping Nigeria to the African Nations Cup title in February.

Toure joins an elite club following his hat-trick of wins.

Ghanaian Abedi Pele won three in a row between 1991-93 while Cameroonian Eto'o took the award from 2003-05.

Eto'o, who plays up front for Chelsea, also won it in 2010.