Every April 1st, Google tries to outdo itself with a new array of April Fools' Day pranks, and this year was no different.

Users of Google quickly spotted a “Google Nose” link that appeared on April 1st that invited consumers to smell what they are seeing on the site, whether it is a campfire or a flower. Or, at least, it would let them “leverage new and existing technologies to offer the sharpest olfactory experience available.”Continue reading...

Apple value dips as Google soars.

Facebook sued over bungled IPO.

HSBC, now Europe's biggest bank, sheds personal loan assets.

Carmakers at Geneva Auto Show express fears on European recovery.

AARP ramps up YouTube marketing.

Ally Financial says U.S. is probing its retail-financing practices.

Amazon launches first TV effort, for fashion unit; leads mobile retail sales.

American Suzuki gets OK of bankruptcy plan by U.S. court.

Baileys slims down its bottle.

BBC Worldwide reportedly in talks to sell Lonely Planet stake.

Best Buy and Facebook focus on next-generation mobile marketing.

Boeing expects to move fast to get Dreamliner back into the air after FAA approval of fixes.Continue reading...

The editor of The Financial Times has announced big changes at the paper, reflecting how digital is continuing to transform even the most venerable and longstanding European-based news media titles.

An email by editor Lionel Barber to his staff announced that the news organization would cut 35 jobs, relegate print second to digital and hire 10 digital journalists as “old titles” like the FT continue to be “routinely disrupted by new entrants such as Google, LinkedIn and Twitter.” 

The strategy signals a “big cultural shift for the FT that is only likely to be achieved with further structural change,” Barber’s email continued. Journalists need to become “content editors rather than page editors," he said. "We must rethink how we publish our content, when and in what form, whether conventional news, blogs, video or social media.”Continue reading...

The buck has stopped – or on this case, the pound — as the first criminal charges have been filed in the phone hacking inquiry that has been rocking UK (and global) media circles. Rebekah Brooks, former CEO of Rupert Murdoch's News International, will face criminal charges over the phone hacking scandal.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) charges that Brooks, who was arrested in March and revealed last week she's so close to British Prime Minister David Cameron that they text each other, "conspired with her husband, Charles Brooks, and others to pervert the course of justice," by alleged attempts to conceal or remove evidence relevant to police investigation into the hacking and corruption scandals known as Operation Weeting launched in January 2011 at the News of the World and the Sun tabloids.

It’s a stunning reversal for one of Britain’s most powerful woman, a Murdoch confidante, and additional oversight of all his newspapers in the U.S. as well — not to mention the latest black eye for News Corp.'s corporate reputation.Continue reading...

As he battles to restore his media conglomerate's reputation as the British hacking inquiry continues, News Corp. head Rupert Murdoch found himself in more hot water this week.

On the second day of the UK media ethics inquiry chaired by Lord Justice Brian Leveson about the Australian-born mogul’s intertwined political influence and business interests, Murdoch stepped into it by describing British Prime Minister David Cameron's late son Ivan as "retarded." In fact, Ivan Cameron was afflicted with cerebral palsy and epilepsy and died at age six in 2009.Continue reading...

Spotify, the free music sharing service that has gone viral over Facebook, just launched an embeddable Play Button so that any Spotify music can live on any website.

"Today we’re giving every blogger and web editor the ability to light up the internet with music. Adding a personalized soundtrack to your website or blog has never been this easy,” wrote chief product officer Gustav Söderström. “You want to give your fans access to any song, album or playlist of your choosing and in its entirety, while ensuring people stay glued to your site. The Spotify Play Button does all of this for free, while making sure artists get paid for every play."

In a strategy similar to what they did on Facebook, moving from mobile to stereo to social, jockeying for position as "the operating system for music" on all digital platforms, Spotify has now pushed its client web-ubiquitous.

“In many ways, the Spotify Play Button is akin to Facebook’s 'Like' button. It’s a way of integrating service across the greater web, while also offering users additional value," writes Mashable's Christina Warren. "This all brings Spotify one step closer to becoming the online hub for music.” Continue reading...

For Harry Potter fans, King's Cross is where one boards the train for Hogwarts at "Platform 9 3⁄4."

For The Guardian's new media mavens, it's the setting for King’s Cross, London – Streetstories, an immersive app featuring an audio guide about the historic area which automatically activates sounds, music and stories relevant to your GPS location.

The free mobile app, available for iPhone and Android devices, launches with ten stories, while Streetstories Extra (available on iOS) has more than 70 stories and two hours of audio material downloadable via Wi-Fi.Continue reading...

Six journalists, including Rebekah Brooks, the flame-haired former chief of News International, and her husband Charlie have been arrested in the ongoing investigation of the phone-hacking scandal that rocked the UK when Brooks was arrested for the first time last July.

The new arrests in that same investigation opened those wounds anew, even while Brooks and her husband have reportedly been released on bail.Continue reading...