$3.38 Billion Bell-Astral Deal Includes Astral Advertising For Cross-Media Sync Mix
![]()
The Bell-Astral $3.38 billion dollar proposed merger dominated headlines last week and I was even asked to appear on CBC Radio. However, it's an extremely complicated deal- so complicated that the producers at CBC decided to speak with lawyers instead on whether or not the deal should be approved by the CRTC!
Regardless, the proposed merger also includes Astral Advertising which brings into question whether Bell Media would now be able to compete with part of Google's strategy in mobile advertising known as synchronized cross-media advertising.
read more
Google's digital storefront, the Android Market, is being re-branded. The store, which sells mobile apps in addition to online content such as music and books, will now be called the "Google Play Store."
Waterloo-based Research In Motion launched the BlackBerry PlayBook, known effectively as just "PlayBook,"
European Union Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding has stated that Google's new privacy policy is in breach of European law. Data protection agencies came to this conclusion after observing a severe lack of transparency on Google's part, among other "deeply concerning" issues.
As Google continues to shove its social network, Google+, down users' throats, the concept of engagement—a rather crucial component of a social community—seems totally lost on the seemingly socially inept company. While it boastfully claims nearly 100 million users worldwide, mostly drawn from those inadvertently signing up while using other Google products, Google+ remains a virtual ghost town.
It's a war of the tech titans. The "Don't Be Evil" Google, which has been taking a lot of flack during the past year for questionable activity—most recently 
The modern definition of "troll" is someone who dedicates themself to stirring up anger online. A pitiful existence, to be certain, but the immoral bravado that internet anonymity seems to give people has nonetheless fostered such a breed of human.
On January 24th, Google hosted their first ever