Google Retains Right to Control Search Results

After spending more than a year investigating allegations that Google favored its own products when producing search results, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has decided against imposing any serious punishment on the search giant.
In response, Google is both celebrating the decision and also using the FTC report for its own benefit.
The FTC decision is in line with earlier reports that suggested government officials simply didn't have much proof of any wrongdoing by Google.
In what appears to be an agreed-upon outcome, Google has promised that for the next five years it will make it easier for advertisers to compare prices and performance on Google's AdWords system with rival online ad networks.
It will also refrain from using third-party product listings and reviews on its own pages without permission.

Search Rankings Bias Doesn't Break Rules

The FTC has also concluded there is no firm evidence to suggest that Google abused its market dominance by favoring its own websites when determining the order of search results.
In effect, the FTC has decided that Google has the right to list results any way it sees fit, even if that way is biased. The FTC apparently reasons that if users don't consider the results useful or accurate, they can easily switch to another search tool, such as Microsoft's Bing.
According to the FTC, while Google's ranking policies may harm rival companies, they can "be plausibly justified as innovations that improved Google's product and the experience of its users."
Google's legal chief David Drummond has already made what many think is a cheeky reference to that line, noting that the company starts the new year "excited about our ability to innovate for the benefit of users everywhere."

Government Concludes Consumers Unharmed

James Miller, a former FTC chief, argues that the search rankings issue was never likely to result in a ruling against Google. He notes that antitrust laws are designed to protect consumers and not rival companies.
Miller also says that those pressing for Google's punishment "couldn't overcome the simple fact that consumers use Google's services more because they think the services are the best."
Google hasn't won every battle, however. A parallel FTC investigation has led to Google being forced to share some of its smartphone patents.
The FTC concluded in this case that because the patents relate to industry standard technologies, Google must license them to rivals on "fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms."

Acer's new 7-inch tablet features little to get excited about

Acer today announced its new 7-inch tablet, the Iconia B1-A71. While the tablet will launch with a starting price of less than $150, the price is the tablet's most intriguing detail.

The tablet will ship with Android 4.1, houses a dual-core 1.2GHz processor, and a 7-inch, 1,024x600 screen. It also features 512MB of RAM, 8GB of storage and supports Bluetooth 4.0.
There's also a micro SD card slot, micro USB port and a 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera.
There's no word yet on whether the tablet is actually coming to the U.S., but if that changes we'll let you know.

Windows RT hacked to run unsigned desktop apps

Microsoft's Windows RT can apparently run unsigned desktops app with a little bit of hacking.
In a blog posted yesterday, a hacker dubbed clrokr described how he was able to change a value in the Windows RT kernel to bypass certain restrictions set up by Microsoft. The blog details how clrokr tracked down the right value to open up the types of apps that RT can run. And it includes his code for other enterprising hackers.
The specific value can't be permanently altered on devices enabled with Secure Boot, but it can be changed in memory. As a result, the value would have to be tweaked each time a PC boots up.
Savvy programmers might be able to duplicate clrokr's steps and code to hack their own devices. However, your average RT tablet owner would be in the dark.
Desktop applications designed for x86-based PCs would also have to be recompiled to run on RT devices with ARM processors. So RT users wouldn't be able to run their existing desktop apps out of the box.
In his quest to tweak RT, clrokr did discover that the RT version of Windows 8 isn't all that different from the full version.

Windows RT is a clean port of Windows 8. They are the same thing and [Microsoft] enforces Code Integrity to artificially separate these platforms. It does not stop pirates from modifying store apps (and their license checks) because store apps are the only things that can actually run unsigned. The fact that this method works on Windows 8 as well shows how similar the systems are.

CNET contacted Microsoft for comment and will update they story if we receive any information.