Google bought ITA Software, one of the Web's key providers of airline travel software, for $700 million in July, in a move that Google said would allow it to improve the way consumers find flight and fare information online.

The Justice department's probe is at an early stage, the Journal reported, citing people familiar with the department's review.

Antitrust authorities are focusing on whether rivals would continue to have access to ITA's data and whether Google would unfairly steer Web searchers to its own travel services, the newspaper said.

Government lawyers are asking executives in the online travel industry if Google could unfairly disadvantage potential new rivals by cutting off their access to ITA's software, the paper said, citing people familiar with the questioning.

Google had said earlier that the ITA Software deal should not raise antitrust concerns because it does not compete with ITA, the Journal said.

Google and the Department of Justice could not immediately be reached for comment by Reuters outside regular U.S. business hours.

(Reporting by Sakthi Prasad in Bangalore; Editing by Dhara Ranasinghe)

Source: Justice departm...

BaseApp is a lightweight utility that sits in your menu bar and monitors the activity from your Basecamp account or accounts. You're alerted of updates or changes to your Basecamp, and accessing the new changes are just a click away.

Created by Made by Elephant (of Maxvoltar fame) and Linebreak (the people that gave us CloudApp), BaseApp was designed to combat the problem of too-frequent Basebamp notification e-mails.

As a collaboration and project management tool, Basecamp can be configured to send users an e-mail any time a message is sent, a project is updated, a file is uploaded or changes are made to a to-do list or project. This is a really terrific feature, but if you are working with lots of other people, especially when a project is undergoing frequent changes, those e-mails can quickly overtake your inbox.

Creating a filter for Basecamp e-mails defeats the purpose of being alerted of changes and new messages, thus BaseApp was born. Instead of receiving e-mail notifications, you get notified on your Mac OS X desktop.

The app runs in the background, checking for changes on your various Basecamp accounts at intervals of every minute, every five minutes, every fifteen minutes or every half hour.

If a new change is made, the menu bar will change color and you can choose to have a Growl notification and/or an audible alert show you what has been changed.

If you don't want to be bothered with sounds or Growl alerts, simply clicking on the BaseApp icon will show you any unread changes to your various projects. Selecting the item will take you directly to it in your web browser. You can also use BaseApp as a quick link to your various Basecamp project dashboards.

The app is beautifully simple by design, but we wouldn't mind having a few other features. For instance, the ability to auto-upload a file to Basecamp (a la CloudApp's shortcuts) like you can with Freshlog would be really great.

At €7 (about $9 U.S.), BaseApp is a well designed and useful application for the frequent Basecamp user. You can try the app free for 14 days to see if it meets your needs.

Do you use any desktop tools with your 37Signals accounts? Let us know about them in the comments.

Source: BaseApp Brings ...

Oracle said in a statement Monday that Hurd will also serve as a member of the board of directors. He will report to CEO Larry Ellison.

In the statement, Ellison praised Hurd's tenure at HP and said no other executive had more relevant experience.

Hurd resigned from HP a month ago in the wake of a sexual harassment investigation. Ellison was vocal in coming to Hurd's defense at the time.

Oracle simultaneously announced that Charles Phillips has resigned his position as president and board member. Phillips worked for Oracle for more than seven years.

Source: Oracle names ex...

Former HP CEO Mark Hurd is leaving News Corp's board.

It's official. As some had been expecting, Oracle announced Monday evening that it has hired former Hewlett-Packard CEO Mark Hurd to be its new company co-president as well as a member of its board of directors.

Hurd will report directly to Oracle CEO Larry Ellison and alongside existing co-president Safra Catz. Charles Phillips, who had been serving as co-president with Catz, has resigned and given up his seat on the board, according to a separate announcement from Oracle Monday night.

The news is an interesting turn in what has been a rocky month or so for Hurd, who had been regarded as one of Silicon Valley's most successful executives. He was widely credited with steering HP back to steady growth and profitability following the tumult during the previous stewardship of Carly Fiorina, who he succeeded as chief executive.

But in August, Hurd resigned suddenly after the board of directors concluded that he had violated the company's code of business conduct in connection with his relationship with a former marketing contractor who worked with HP.

Ellison, at the time, voiced his public displeasure with the HP board's decision to ask for his friend's resignation, saying it had 'made the worst personnel decision since the idiots on the Apple board fired Steve Jobs many years ago.'

In a statement Monday, Ellison said this of his new underling: 'Mark did a brilliant job at HP and I expect he'll do even better at Oracle. There is no executive in the IT world with more relevant experience than Mark.'

More to come...

Source: Oracle hires fo...

At last count, 1989 people participated in the Mashable poll. Thirty-three of them believed Adult Services shouldn't be censored because prostitution is illegal; 22 percent opposed censorship because they believed existing policies at the service were sufficient in dealing with prostitution; and 16 percent voted no "for another reason."

Of those supporting censorship, 19 percent felt it should be done because Craigslist is indirectly profiteering from prostitution. The service charges $10 for an ad in the section and $5 for a renewal. This year, it's estimated Craigslist will earn $44 million from the section, or a third of all its revenues. Another 10 percent endorsed censorship "for other reasons."

The Post poll garnered 2089 respondents. Thirty-six percent of them agreed with the decision to block off the section because the ads were inappropriate. Another 12 percent "sort of" supported the decision because they felt the company should have taken better steps to police the ads.

The brass at Craigslist have been mum on the shutdown since they stopped taking advertising for the section and replaced its links on landing pages throughout the United States with the word "censored" in white type on a black background. That graphic treatment makes the word very prominent on the relatively drab pages. It has also led to speculation that there's more behind the shutdown than a unilateral capitulation to the forces of morality.

Some quarters have argued that the shutdown is a high stakes public relations ploy by Craigslist to win support for reopening the section, which is alive and well under its old nomenclature "Erotic Services" on the company's sites outside the United States. Last year, in an action designed to blunt pressure to stop taking adult-oriented ads from a number of Attorneys General, Craigslist shuttered its Erotics Services category in the United States and replaced it with an Adults Services one.

It's easy to see why such a ploy would be very risky. While the shutdown will raise an expected hue and cry from the civil libertarian set, it will also associate Craigslist in the mind of many in the public who get their news only through headlines as an ally of sex peddlers, prostitutes and traffickers of women and children.

Whatever Craigslist's motives for blocking access to Adult Services, the move may be more sizzle to steak because there are signs that the ads are moving into other areas of the network. On Sunday, ads alluding to cash exchanges for sexual services and seeking massage clients could be found in the Casual Encounters section of the service's websites, according to ABC News.

Source: Polls Show Neti...

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Former Hewlett-Packard chief executive Mark Hurd, who resigned last month following a sex scandal, has joined US software giant Oracle as its new co-president, The New York Times said Monday.

Hurd joined Oracle as president and as a director, the Times report said.

"Mark did a brilliant job at HP and I expect he'll do even better at Oracle," Oracle CEO Larry Ellison said, according to the report.

"There is no executive in the IT world with more relevant experience than Mark."

Ellison, who founded the company in 1970, Larry Ellison, remains in the top post and is the company's largest shareholder.

Hurd, 53, resigned last month after former marketing contractor Jodie Fisher accused him of sexual harassment, amid claims he hid the affair through filing false company expense reports.

Oracle, a business software giant that rivals HP's market share in that field, is almost as profitable as HP, earning 6.1 billion dollars in the last fiscal year compared to HP's 7.7 billion dollars in the same time period.

Source: Former HP boss ...

Top Spenders

Other companies that made up the top 10 include:

• Apollo Group - You know them as The University of Phoenix and they spent $6.67 million in June 2010
• Expedia - $5.95 million
• Amazon - $5.85 million
• eBay - $4.25 million
• Hotels.com - $3.30 million
• JC Penney - $2.46 million -- we'll admit, this one surprises us
• Living Social - $2.29 million
• ADT Security - $2.19 million

Why Brands Buy Google Ads

It's also interesting to note some of the brands that aren't on the list. The documents obtained by Ad Age indicate that companies like GM, Disney and BMW spent less than $500,000 on Google ads in June. Even Apple spent just less than $1 million on Google ads, despite its high-profile launch of the iPhone 4.

However, we also think it is possible that some big brands are spending money on search, but not directly with Google. For instance, although Ad Age cites Walt Disney as one of the companies that spent less than $500,000 on Google ads in June, the movie studio released Toy Story 3 that month, a film supported by a massive ad campaign. The film has gone on to gross more than $1 billion worldwide, making it one of the most successful animated films of all-time. It seems odd that Disney would spend only $500,000 on search terms for its big summer release.

What seems more likely, however, is that Disney purchased advertising through companies like Fandango or MovieTickets.com and those companies have their own arrangements with Google. In other words, when it comes to evaluating search spending, don't count out the potential middle men.

This also makes sense when taking a big-picture approach to Google's own revenue. The top 10 brands only accounted for 5% of U.S. revenues for the month.

Google is a big target for advertisers because of its strength in search and because of its ubiquity across devices. We do wonder if ad buys will shift to other outlets, like say, Facebook, as users spend more and more time on those networks.

Source: Leaked Google D...

BOSTON – Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank's retort was an Internet sensation.

Questioned at a town hall last year about the 'Nazi policy' of health care reform, Frank told the speaker who made the comment that talking to her was 'like arguing with a dining room table.' Fast forward to this year, the questioner, Rachel Brown, is challenging the 15-term Democrat's re-election bid.

Brown said her exchange with Frank inspired her to run against him in the Democratic primary in the state's 4th Congressional District.

'I didn't realize at the time that if you had a better idea, you should take their seat,' said 29-year-old Brown, a devotee of economist Lyndon LaRouche.

Frank, not surprisingly, has an alternate - and sharp-tongued - view.

'I regard her as an example of the price you pay for free speech,' Frank said. 'I don't think she is very rational.'

Frank, the liberal that conservatives love to hate, will face Brown in the Sept. 14 primary.

Frank is considered the favorite in the district, which stretches from the well-heeled Boston suburbs of Newton, Wellesley and Dover to the working-class communities of Fall River and New Bedford.

Frank has used his powerful perch as chairman of the House Financial Services Committee to craft an ambitious overhaul of the nation's financial system that was signed earlier this year, which he says will help prevent future financial crises.

Brown has zeroed in on Frank's role in the overhaul, saying she wants to see the end of government bailouts. Brown's platform also includes other, more novel ideas, including the human colonization of Mars.

'I think we need a program in the economy based not on only surviving for the moment, but a policy increasing physical production and allowing new discoveries to be made, with the new frontier being Mars,' Brown said.

Some Massachusetts voters, including Democrats, say they are ready to see a fresh face in Frank's seat.

'Barney was supportive of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac when he should have been policing the housing industry,' said John Patrick, 46, a Democrat from Milton.

But Chuck Laurette, 36, of Fitchburg, said he believes Barney is no longer the extreme liberal he once was.

'He seems to be taking some more centrist viewpoints, which I like to see,' he said.

On the Republican side, two businessmen are battling for their party's nomination and the chance to knock off one of the country's most prominent Democrats.

Republican Sean Bielat, a 35-year-old Marine and businessman from Brookline, will face off against Earl Sholley, a 62-year-old businessman from Norfolk, as the GOP chooses a challenger to Frank.

Bielat, who has worked for the military technology firm iRobot Corp., said he decided to challenge Frank because of the 'overspending and overreach of government.' He said Frank has angered many people in the district by treating them disrespectfully and spending his time outside the district, including a recent appearance on Jay Leno's show.

'I think there a lot of people who might have liked Barney in the past, but they are upset with his representation, upset with his arrogance of power,' he said.

Sholley, who has lost several previous races for state and federal office, says he believes in limited government and counts tea party members among his supporters.

'There is an incredible amount of anger out there against incumbents,' Sholley said. 'I'm going to be a political hurricane and defeat Barney Frank.'

Source: Rep. Frank face...

The Nike+ GPS App for iPhone will pull in data from the device's accelerometer and GPS to give runners an effective, accurate and useful tool for getting in shape and staying motivated. So far, it's available in English only and sells for $1.99.

Although fitness apps abound in the App Store, few carry the street cred or instant name recognition of Nike.

The app will allow runners to visually map and track every run, indoor and outdoor, 'free range' or treadmill. Nike says the app even works when a GPS signal is unavailable. Mapped routes show a breakdown of the runner's pace at various points during the run, as well. You can track your distance, time and number of calories burned.

One interesting aspect of the app is the “Challenge Me” feature. It helps runners challenge themselves to run greater distances, longer times or quicker paces than their previous runs. Aside from giving challenges, the app also provides in-run, on-demand motivational messages from pro athletes and celebrities.

And of course the app carries the now-obligatory social sharing features. Through integration with NikePlus.com, runners can save each run to their online profiles and share the run through the site, Twitter and Facebook.

We have no word so far on when to expect Android, BlackBerry or other apps, but Nike says the app will work for iPod touch (second, third and fourth generations), iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4. The company makes no promises about how the app will function on an iPad; then again, if you're running with your iPad, you might need less motivation to run faster and more motivation to give the tech gadgets a rest.

Here's a video sent to us by Nike showing some of the ins and outs of the app:

What do you think of Nike's app so far? Is this something you'd use for your running routine, or will you stick to the free apps already available?

Source: Nike Unveils Ne...

Without a definitive answer, Craigslist's abrupt move has left others to fill in the blanks about the shutdown. Some say it's a protest meant to draw attention to the site's first amendment rights. Others wonder if it isn't a strategic ploy to appease advocacy groups and law enforcement. It is also possible Craigslist simply doesn't have the wherewithal to face off against a potential 17 state attorneys general in court.

Strategic Ploy?

Craigslist's adult services shutdown might be a ploy to draw "attention to its fight with state attorneys general over sex ads and to issues of free speech on the Internet," according to The New York Times. If that's the case, Connecticut State Attorney General, Richard Blumenthal told the Times he won't be taken in by it. "If this announcement is a stunt or a ploy...they would be in a sense be thumbing their nose at the public interest," Blumenthal told the Times.

The fact that Craigslist has put a censored banner where the site's adult services section used to be certainly suggests Craigslist was interested in drawing attention to the issue. There are also many reports that Craigslist earns about one-third of the site's revenue from adult services listings. The implication being that it needs to draw attention to this fight just to survive financially.

Craigslist's earnings numbers are based on estimates from groups such as the classified advertising consultancy Advanced Interactive Media Group. AIMG says adult services will be about 30 percent of Craigslist's estimated $122 million in revenue for 2010.

First Amendment Rights

Craigslist's decision to put up the censored banner may also be more about defending its free speech rights than anything else. The difference between a calculated ploy and a principled stand for free speech may seem slight, but it's an important distinction.

Craigslist isn't only a business: it is also an advocacy group and charitable organization. Through the Craigslist Charitable Fund the site gives money to a variety of causes focusing on issues of peace and disarmament; U.S. military veterans affairs; human trafficking and child exploitation; social justice and civil liberties; journalism and new media; and many other areas. You can find a complete list here.

Craigslist may believe its adult services fight is about resisting government pressure to control speech online rather than a purely strategic business ploy. The site would certainly have an argument to make in regard to free speech since the law protects Websites from responsibility for content generated by its users.

Craigslist may also be the subject of unfair scrutiny, since--as Gawker thoroughly exposes (no pun intended)--Craigslist is not the only online source to find kinky massages, escorts and specialty spas.

Caving to potential lawsuits

Despite its popularity, Craigslist is, by design, a small operation with limited financial resources. Founder Craig Newmark always refused to sell the site to a larger corporation, and made a point of making Craigslist as available as possible to users. In an interview with PC World in 2004 Newmark said Craigslist is "about being primarily a community service and not--let's say--a profit center." But that desire to focus on community instead of profits may also mean the site would be hard pressed to pay for potential legal battles against 17 different state attorneys general in court.

Craigslist Erotic Services: A Tawdry History

Friday's adult services shutdown comes after years of criticism from law enforcement officials, advocacy groups and accusations of profiting off of illegal activity such as prostitution and human trafficking. In 2009, the site changed the name of the section from erotic services to adult services after pressure from law enforcement officials.

As part of the name change, Craigslist put more stringent editing rules in place for adult services advertisers. Every ad in the adult services section requires approval by "an attorney licensed to practice law in the US," advertisers have to supply a working phone number and pay a $10 fee with a credit card. The site also says that it will, under subpoena, supply information about erotic services advertisers to law enforcement officials.

Craigslist originally conceived of the erotic services section as a way to contain sexually explicit posts in one area of the site instead of having them strewn across ads for furniture, jobs and real estate. Erotic services was changed to adult services shortly after Boston University student Phillip Markoff who was accused of kidnapping and assaulting one woman and murdering another after finding them through Craigslist's erotic services section. Markoff committed suicide in prison in August before his trial began.

Connect with Ian on Twitter (@ianpaul).

Source: What's Behi...