Google glasses ban; a sonic-powered vibrator; and other top stories of the month

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Here’s a look back at the top stories of the month on GeekWire. Thanks for tuning in everyone, and for being a part of the GeekWire community. Happy Easter, and hope to see everyone April 11th at the GeekWire Meetup and Radio Show. No Google Glasses allowed, declares Seattle dive bar (58 comments, 552 Tweets)… Read More…

The opportunity to redefine the feed reader experience

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I’ve used Google Reader almost everyday since 2008. I’m bummed it’s going away. And, clearly, I’m not alone. Millions of people are using Google Reader — evidence that there is still demand for a great utility to consume content in one location. It may not make sense for Google, but clearly there is a real… Read More…

Welcome to the local delivery business, Google — and good luck with that

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People in the Seattle region have a front-row seat for one of Amazon’s longstanding experiments — the Amazon Fresh grocery ordering and delivery business. Those trucks that roll through our neighborhoods in the early morning are part of a costly physical infrastructure, reflecting the tough economics that have so far kept Amazon from expanding the… Read More…

Wal-Mart may reward in-store shoppers for delivering packages to online customers

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Could the Wal-Mart shopper become the next-generation UPS guy or gal? The giant retailer, looking to compete more aggressively with Amazon.com in online retail, is considering a plan in which in-store shoppers could pick up online orders and then deliver them to the nearby homes of those customers who purchased online. The concept, first reported… Read More…

No Google Glasses? What West Virginia and a Seattle dive bar have in common

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The 5 Point made a stir earlier this month when the Seattle dive bar declared that patrons would not be permitted to wear Google Glass, the yet-to-be released high-tech eye glasses that allow wearers to record activities and send text messages on the go. Now, West Virginia is considering a ban of its own kind of… Read More…

Google adds new trail maps; Stevens Pass, Snoqualmie, Crystal Mountain included

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For all those still trying to squeeze in as much slope shredding as possible, Google Maps just added more than 100 ski resorts to its database. Now you can see all the greens, blues and blacks at four Washington ski resorts: Snoqualmie, Stevens Pass, Crystal Mountain and Mission Ridge. Oregon’s Mt. Hood Meadows and Timberline are also… Read More…

Microsoft’s Windows Phone getting faster speech input

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One of the difficult parts about shifting from iPhone to Windows Phone has been giving up the (near) real-time speech recognition that Google has been offering as part of its native iOS search app. The feature was impressive enough to make the updated Google app for iPhone and iPad our App of the Week last… Read More…

Google Keep note-taking service puts focus on Android

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Google went public with its rumored Google Keep note-taking service this afternoon, creating new competition for Evernote, Microsoft OneNote and other note-taking apps. Google Keep is available on the web (as part of Google Drive) but this is clearly an Android-first experience, tailored for Google’s mobile operating system. The free Android app is available here. No… Read More…

Microsoft, Expedia, others file complaint over Google’s domain name ‘land grab’

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Fairsearch.org, a lobbying group whose backers include Microsoft, Expedia, TripAdvisor and Nokia, has filed objections over Google’s attempts to take control of genric top-level domains such as .search, .fly, .map and more than 100 other extensions. Calling it a domain name “land grab,” Farisearch argues in its complaint to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and… Read More…

‘Google Keep’ note-taking tool means new competition for Evernote, Microsoft

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Microsoft has made its OneNote note-taking application a key part of its larger cloud strategy for Microsoft Office, attempting to challenge Evernote as a way for users to sync to-do lists and notes across devices. Now it looks like Google is headed in this direction, as well (again). Some sleuthing by Google+ user IE100 has… Read More…