Google Inc. announced that it has added a storage disaster-recovery feature that's growing in demand synchronous data replication to its Google Apps lineup, which includes Google Docs, Gmail, Google Sites, Calendar and several others. The company has been using replication for Gmail for a few years, but that it is has now extended the feature to all of its online tools and services. Digital file replication is a method in which data files are copied and filed in one or more locations apart from the central data center as a backup and disaster-recovery mechanism. Data replication is the process of copying a portion of a database from one environment to another and keeping the subsequent copies of the data in sync with the original source. Changes made to the original source are propagated to the copies of the data in other environments. Files stored in Google Docs or in Gmail files are broken up into digital pieces and stored on random servers in Google data centers around the world. When the time comes to gather the file back up for download or online viewing, the pieces are quickly reassembled for the user's session. The company reported that Google Apps and its backup and disaster-recovery systems, which now include the replication feature can replace a lot of the functionality that a conventional data center SAN [storage area network] brings to an enterprise, and for a lot less up-front cost. Google Apps customers don't need to worry about any of this, for the data they create and store within Google Apps. They get best-in-class disaster recovery for free, no matter their size.

Google Inc. announced a new feature called Gesture Search, which allows users to search through files on their Google Android smartphones by tracing a letter like 'A' or 'H' on their screen. The application, which theoretically learns from the users search history to improve overall search quality, is available for devices running Android 2.0 or higher, which limits the number of Android-equipped smartphones that have access to it. Google has been expanding the number of applications available for its smartphone operating system in a bid to increase its market share in the mobile space. The company is unveiling Gesture Search, which allows users to search through their Google Android smartphones via tracing a letter on the screen. The application represents yet another variant on mobile search, which has become a more active field of endeavor for companies such as Google, Microsoft and Apple as smartphones proliferate among both businesses and consumers. Gesture Search, announced March 3, can only be used on devices running Android 2.0 or higher, which restricts the number of devices that have access to it. The companys own branded phone, the Nexus One, relies on Android 2.1, and similarly versioned devices from HTC and other manufacturers are expected to enter the ecosystem throughout 2010. The bricklike Motorola Droid will also reportedly be upgraded to Android 2.1 at some point in the near future. The company has been expanding the number of applications available for Android, including Google Earth, which lets users see satellite and 3D views of terrain virtually anywhere on the planet. Similar to Gesture Search, Google Earth is available for devices running Android 2.1 and can be downloaded from Android Market. Users will also be able to utilize the smartphone operating systems voice-recognition abilities within Earth for Android to search for locations.

European regulators confirmed they are investigating allegations of anticompetitive behavior against Google Inc., charges made by three European Web sites that say the Internet search giant was unfairly steering traffic away from them. And Google, which pre-empted any announcement from regulators by announcing the European probe on a company, served notice that it would vigorously defend its search practices as being fair to competitors. European Commission's new competition commissioner, Joaqun Almunia, said regulators are looking into complaints from the three sites: Foundem, a British retail price comparison site; ejustice.fr, a French legal search engine; and Ciao from Bing, a Microsoft-owned shopping site that operates in Europe.