Google strikes deal with FTC to end antitrust probe

LOS ANGELES — Google reached a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission to make voluntary changes to its search practices to put an end to a 19-month antitrust probe, the FTC announced Thursday.

Google also has settled an investigation into its handling of mobile technology patents that it acquired when it bought Motorola Mobility.

The settlement brings to a close one of the FTC's most closely watched investigations. Google still faces antitrust investigations by European regulators and some U.S. state attorneys general. Google is expected to offer concessions to resolve the European Union probe later this month.

Google agreed to give marketers more control over their ads. It also agreed to limit its use of snippets or reviews and other content from rivals, a practice that it had already moved away from.

It also resolved a separate antitrust case involving Google's use of patents to attempt to keep competitors from using mobile technology.

“The changes Google has agreed to make will ensure that consumers continue to reap the benefits of competition in the online marketplace and in the market for innovative wireless devices they enjoy,” said FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz. “This was an incredibly thorough and careful investigation by the commission, and the outcome is a strong and enforceable set of agreements.”

But competitors don't see it that way. That the Internet search giant is emerging largely unscathed from the antitrust probe frustrated competitors, including software giant Microsoft, which had its own years-long battle with antitrust regulators in the late 1990s and 2000s just as Google began its rise to dominance in online search.

Microsoft, which runs the Bing search engine, has accused Google of abusing that dominance, harming consumers and competitors. It has railed against the FTC for doing nothing to rein in Google's growing monopoly on the Web.

Google handles about two-thirds of all U.S. Web searches, according to research firm ComScore Inc. It handles more than 80 percent in much of Europe. The software giant has mounted campaigns to condemn Google's business practices. Smaller competitors have also complained that Google search results unfairly promote links to its own business listings, Google+ social network and other online services.

Google has maintained that it has done nothing wrong.

“The evidence the FTC uncovered through this intensive investigation prompted us to require significant changes in Google's business practices. However, regarding the specific allegations that the company biased its search results to hurt competition, the evidence collected to date did not justify legal action by the Commission,” Beth Wilkinson, outside counsel to the FTC, said in a written statement. “Undoubtedly, Google took aggressive actions to gain advantage over rival search providers. However, the FTC's mission is to protect competition, and not individual competitors. The evidence did not demonstrate that Google's actions in this area stifled competition in violation of U.S. law.”

“The conclusion is clear: Google's services are good for users and good for competition,” David Drummond, Google's senior vice president and chief legal officer, said in a blog post.

The settlement with the FTC and the search giant was nearly done before the Christmas holiday, but concern that the deal was too weak from rivals and state attorneys general delayed a vote from the commission.

David Balto, a former policy director of the FTC's bureau of competition, who also has done some paid work for Google, said the decision was a “win-win” for consumers.

“Consumers benefit because Google will not be hobbled by unnecessary regulation or denied the opportunity to try to win consumer loyalty through aggressive competition,” Balto said. “The FTC's mission is protect consumers and as today's statement makes clear, there is no consumer harm.”

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Naked man arrested after choking family dog

A barking dog woke a homeowner out of his early morning sleep Wednesday. When he grabbed his gun and went to check, he found a naked man choking the family pet.

When the victim tried to intercede, the culprit quickly turned around and began biting the man, according to Miami Police.

Fearing for his life, the victim shot the man, while family members called police.

The culprit continued to fight with officers who arrived on the scene.

The subject finally was taken into custody and transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center to be treated for a gunshot wound.

The victim was treated for his injuries.

Police charged the man, who refused to give his name, with burglary with an assault, resisting arrest with violence, lewd and lascivious behavior and animal cruelty.

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Jennie Garth Talks Excruciating Pain of Peter Facinelli divorce

It's been nine months since Jennie Garth separated from Twilight star Peter Facinelli after 11 years of marriage, and in a new interview with Health magazine, Jennie reveals that she went through "excruciating pain" from the split, calling certain moments "immobilizing."

"When I'm in excruciating pain, like with what I've been through with my breakup and that grief and loss that's just immobilizing, it helps to remember that it only lasts for 13 to 15 minutes, max. And then it's over," she says about dealing with the split. "Your mind is ready to go to something else. You might come back to it, but it helps to just know that that pain is not going to last forever."

Related: Jennie Garth -- Divorce Was 'Shocking'

And Jennie has since moved on, admitting that she's stepped back into the dating game.

"I'm learning to date again," the Beverly Hills, 90210 star says. "Looks aren't important to me anymore. I like positive energy."

Garth also reveals to the magazine how she shed a whopping 30 pounds from her five-foot-five frame in 2012, after years of fad dieting that backfired.

Video: Jennie Garth on Her Dramatic Slim Down

"My biggest regret is putting my body through fad diets: Atkins, cleanses, the hCG diet. I lost like 18 pounds, but it came right back," she shares. "The worst was fasting with colonics for three or four days. It was the most horrifying experience ever!"

Among her health tips? Weigh yourself every morning and build up self-confidence.

"I put Post-it notes with quotes or reminders of my awesomeness on my mirror. My favorite is: 'You are enough.' So often we walk around and feel inferior -- not smart enough or thin enough. It means that I'm enough exactly the way I am."

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Cops shoot man outside Brooklyn Technical High School

Police shot and seriously wounded a man today just outside Brooklyn Technical High School in Fort Greene, according to authorities.

The gunfire broke out just before 3:22 p.m. across the street from the school near or inside the brownstone at 48 Fort Greene Place, between Lafayette and DeKalb avenues, authorities said.

Emergency services workers are taking the shot man to Kings County Hospital.

An officer involved in the shooting was transported to Methodist Hospital, which is standard procedure for cops who shoot someone.

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Portion of Macy’s Flagler Street property sold

In a deal that could have implications for the future of Downtown Miami’s anchor retail tenant, a New York real estate investment firm paid $15.5 million to acquire about 60 percent of the property that now houses Macy’s Flagler Street store.

The acquisition by Aetna Realty Group includes the 48,000-square-feet of land that was first leased to R.W. Burdine back in 1917 for the Burdines store. The property was currently owned by 23 heirs of Richard and Harriet Ashby, who signed the initial 99-year lease with Burdine.

The sale was motivated by the impending expiration of that lease in 2016, said Lewis R. Cohen, a shareholder at GrayRobinson, who represented the Ashby family in the transaction that closed on New Year’s Eve.

Over the years, Macy’s has grown the downtown store well beyond the Ashby portion. Aetna has also made a commitment to purchase the remaining portion of the building that is currently owned by Macys, Cohen said. But that deal hasn’t closed yet.

“That deal is a sure thing,” Cohen said. “They could not have closed with us without having an agreement with Macy’s completely nailed down.”

Macy’s spokesman Jim Sluzewski said this transaction doesn’t impact Macy’s lease and he declined to comment on any other pending transaction regarding the property the retailer owns in Downtown Miami.

“It’s business as usual,” said Sluzewski, who would not discuss Macy’s long-term plans for Downtown Miami beyond the expiration of its lease.

But Cohen said Macy’s is in the process of finalizing a short-term deal with the new owners.

“They intend to stay for at least the foreseeable future,” Cohen said. “For a minimum of five years they’ll be there and possibly longer.”

Macy’s long-term future on Flagler Street has been in doubt since 2007, when then Macy’s Florida chairman took city leaders to task for the deplorable conditions downtown and threatened that the retailer might leave.

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South Florida starts the year on the right foot

Eating healthier. Quitting smoking. Saving money. Common New Year’s resolutions, all.

But none may be more popular than the decision to hit the gym and finally get into shape.

Tuesday morning, Dana Todd and her mother Donna Dardeen were two of the 130 people who got up early to attend a 90-minute Zumba class at the YMCA in their Pembroke Pines neighborhood.

Todd had already lost 25 pounds since she started dieting in September. But the new year inspired her to add exercise to her routine.

“I’ve been lazy, but no more,” said Todd, 31, who hopes to lose another 50 pounds. “Now is the time to do it.”

The decision to get into shape is logical, particularly after the overeating and indulgence of the holiday season.

“I ate too much and I need to exercise,” said Maria Rose Heggins Fallon, who is competing with her husband to see who will be the first to lose the weight they gained from a holiday cruise. “I am going to beat him. I want to lose 10 pounds in one month so I will be serious.”

Aside from the usual self-improvement vows, some people strolling down Lincoln Road on Miami Beach Sunday morning had more original resolutions in mind.

Sol Genet, 37, of Miami Beach says he has resolved “to boycott all forms of voting until Congress gets their act together. Until then, I’m sitting politics out.”

Aviva Raucher, 24, who was visiting from Connecticut, says she has vowed to “do one good deed a day, every day.” Her first? Leaving an extra fat tip at the restaurant where she had brunch.

Rodrigo Najar, 43, from Brazil, was in the middle of a jaunt through Florida, from Orlando to Key West, with his wife and two teenaged kids. “We usually take three trips a year, but I want to make it five this year and see more of the world with my family.”

The most philosophical resolution of the day, though, came from Julie Glasgow, 50, of Miami. “I’m going to treat every day as if it were January 1. You can start fresh every morning. Why wait until the beginning of the year to change and improve your life?”

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Four Android productivity apps you should use in 2013

Happy New Year! Like most folks, I am working on some resolutions for 2013. One resolution I have is to be more productive. One way I am going to do this is by using my Android phone better. Now there are apps that I have, but really have not used to their fullest. As I work on this resolution, I might discover even better apps. For now I will focus on these impressive apps that can make anyone more productive.

I use Hootsuite on the computer, but rarely find myself engaging with it on my smartphone. With Hootsuite, you can manage Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Foursquare accounts. The free version allows for up to five accounts and one member of your team to access the account. There is a pro version with a monthly fee, in which you can have more accounts and team members and helpful analytics tools.

The design of the app is very good. If you sync the web version to mobile, you will have everything automatically downloaded to the phone. When viewing content, you swipe left or right to change columns or streams. If you are in the middle of a stream, simply tap the top menu bar to automatically return to the top. The app allows for multiple profiles and scheduled tweets. My goal is to keep up with my feeds and tweets in real-time rather than waiting until I get to a computer.

Another web service that I started to use, but find myself not using it to the fullest. Producteev is a web-based task management service. With Producteev you can work as an individual or in a team by setting up workspaces and then organize tasks by labels. For each task you can assign a priority, due date, and share with team members, if you have any. Overall, this is a great service, since I like making lists, even though I rarely remember having made them.

The Producteev app is available for all platforms. The app has a very clean interface and is easy to find tasks. Probably the best way to keep up with tasks is to use the different widget for the home screen. Seeing the widgets will help keep those key tasks in the forefront of your mind. The app will work offline and syncs in the background.

I read blogs every single day, especially those related to new apps, Android, or mobile news. The only way I can do that is via my Google Reader. I find myself trying to catch up each day on the computer (just like with Twitter activity) when I would be better off reading a little bit over time during the day. NewsRob is a Google Reader that I have had for years. The interface is very clean and easy to use. The developer created a bunch of customizations options, which really make this reader stand out.

With NewsRob you can set up a notification of new articles, how you synchronize with Google and when, how many articles to keep in your cache, and more. If you set up folders within Google Reader, NewsRob will download the folders, too. This enables you to read the posts by blog or folder. The app provides a very clean blogpost display optimized for smaller screens. With each post you can zoom in or out, mark a post read or unread, view in the browser, and share the link to email or services such as Evernote. There is a free version of the app.

The last task I need to work on to be more productive is to keep up with the calendar. I find myself checking on the computer, after the fact, finding out that I am either late or forgot about a meeting or appointment. Using Google calendar is a good place to start, but I have not found the standard calendar app on my Droid was all that helpful.

Business Calendar is a very capable calendar app that has a ton of features. The app lets you view your calendar in a number of different views, and has search and favorite-calendar features, to name a few. The option of viewing different calendars, color coding and being able to easily add, delete, and edit events is helpful. The ability to use widgets for reminders is important. The pro version has over 10 different sizes and allows for the import or export of calendar files in the iCalendar format. Business Calendar also has a free version.

So my top goal or resolution for 2013 is to be more productive. I think using these apps more will help me accomplish that goal. Are there any apps you have but not using to their fullest? What resolutions do you have for 2013?

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Taylor Swift Harry Styles New Years Eve Kiss

Taylor Swift and Harry Styles had equally amazing 2012's, and they kissed good-bye to the preceding 365 days together in Times Square last night.

After singing on ABC's New Year's Rocking Eve, Swift and Styles braved the crowds to watch the ball drop. And to the hordes of fans who'd gathered to count down to midnight, "Haylor's" ensuing smooch ended up being more captivating than all the twinkling lights in the sky.

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World's largest Ferris wheel to go forward in Superstorm Sandy devestated SI

While New York City grapples with rebuilding after Superstorm Sandy, developers are pressing ahead with plans to build the world's largest Ferris wheel on the shoreline of storm-torn Staten Island.

Sandy's flooding spurred some changes to the nearly $500 million project, which includes an outlet mall and hotel. But developers haven't slowed it or scaled it back.

Supporters say Staten Island needs the boost now more than ever.

Some residents have asked whether it makes sense to push ahead with a tourist attraction, set partly in a flood zone, before officials take a comprehensive look at how to build smarter after Sandy.

REUTERS

An artist rendering of the giant ferris wheel planned for Staten Island.

Wheel developer Richard Marin says the project stands to provide a one-of-a-kind boon that Staten Island "would have no other way of getting right now."

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Housing, jobs key to lifting S&P toward record

NEW YORK --
With it appearing that Washington lawmakers are working their way past the “fiscal cliff,” many analysts say that the outlook for stocks in 2013 is good, as a recovering housing market and an improving jobs outlook helps the economy maintain a slow, but steady recovery.

Reasonable returns in 2013 would send the S&P 500 toward, and possibly past, its record close of 1,565 reached in October 2007.

A mid-year rally in 2012 pushed stocks to their highest in more than four years. Both the Standard & Poor’s 500 and the Dow Jones industrial average posted strong gains in 2012. Those advances came despite uncertainty about the outcome of the presidential election and bouts of turmoil from Europe, where policy makers finally appear to be getting a grip on the region’s debt crisis.

“As you remove little bits of uncertainty, investors can then once again return to focusing on the fundamentals,” says Joseph Tanious, a global market strategist at J.P. Morgan Funds. “Corporate America is actually doing quite well.”

Although earnings growth of S&P 500 listed companies dipped as low as 0.8 percent in the summer, analysts are predicting that it will rebound to average 9.5 percent for 2013, according to data from S&P Capital IQ. Companies have also been hoarding cash. The amount of cash and cash-equivalents being held by companies listed in the S&P 500 climbed to an all-time high $1 trillion at the end of September, 65 percent more than five years ago, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices.

Assuming a budget deal is reached in a reasonable amount of time, investors will be more comfortable owning stocks in 2013, allowing valuations to rise, says Tanious.

Stocks in the S&P 500 index are currently trading on a price-to-earnings multiple of about 13.5, compared with the average of 17.9 since 1988, according to S&P Capital IQ data. The ratio rises when investors are willing to pay more for a stock’s future earnings potential.

The stock market will also likely face less drag from the European debt crisis this year, said Steven Bulko, the chief investment officer at Lombard Odier Investment Managers. While policy makers in Europe have yet to come up with a comprehensive solution to the region’s woes, they appear to have a better handle on the region’s problems than they have for quite some time.

Stocks fell in the second quarter of 2012 as investors fretted that the euro region’s government debt crisis was about to engulf Spain and possibly Italy, increasing the chances of a dramatic slowdown in global economic growth.

“There is still some heavy lifting that needs to be done in Europe,” said Bulko. Now, though, “we are dealing with much more manageable risk than we have had in the past few years.”

Next year may also see an increase in mergers and acquisitions as companies seeks to make use of the cash on their balance sheets, says Jarred Kessler, global head of equities at broker Cantor Fitzgerald.

While the number of M&A deals has gradually crept higher in the past four years, the dollar value of the deals remains well short of the total reached five years ago. U.S. targeted acquisitions totaled $964 billion through Dec. 27, according to data tracking firm Dealogic. That’s slightly down from last year’s total of $1 trillion and about 40 percent lower than in 2007, when deals worth $1.6 trillion were struck.

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