Who's afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? Or, in this case, the brightly colored company with the anything-but-evil ethos taking over every aspect of the web. Google is the 800-pound gorilla of the Internet game, and the tech industry is running scared. Traditional media companies (think Viacom) are suing 'em and new media companies (think Yahoo!) are trying to just keep up. And with Google's technology edge, even the once-invincible Microsoft can't seem to get a leg up. No one seems to know yet whether Google is friend or foe—or perhaps, as one pundit called them—a “frenemy.”http://www.newser.com/2008 - Newseren-usNewser Feed GeneratorThu, 28 Aug 2008 7:35:24 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/35745/google-cuts-back-on-its-food-perks.html?refid=rss_all_defaultLife at the Googleplex just got a little less delicious. Google is cutting back on its famously generous food benefits, taking free dinners and free snacks off the menu, Valleywag reports. It’s a surprising change, since Google has milked its cafeteria for publicity, and recently told shareholders to expect more perks for employees, not fewer.http://www.newser.com/story/35745/google-cuts-back-on-its-food-perks.html?refid=rss_all_defaultMon, 25 Aug 2008 11:26:33 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/35540/verizon-google-near-deal-on-mobile-search.html?refid=rss_all_defaultVerizon and Google are nearing a deal that would make Google the default search tool on Verizon mobile devices, the Wall Street Journal reports, giving a boost to the under-monetized $244-million mobile search business while setting a precedent for mobile ad revenue sharing. The deal, expected to close within weeks, will simplify mobile search for users while ending a standoff between carriers and Internet heavyweights.http://www.newser.com/story/35540/verizon-google-near-deal-on-mobile-search.html?refid=rss_all_defaultFri, 22 Aug 2008 7:47:37 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/34967/googles-smartphone-slated-for-this-fall.html?refid=rss_all_defaultGoogle’s long-rumored Android-powered smartphone could have customers surfing the Web and chatting by as early as October, the New York Times reports. The gadget, the product of a partnership between T-Mobile and HTC, is expected to challenge Apple’s iPhone and other smartphones that offer PC-like functions as well as voice service.http://www.newser.com/story/34967/googles-smartphone-slated-for-this-fall.html?refid=rss_all_defaultFri, 15 Aug 2008 7:40:17 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/34322/google-geek-proposes-via-street-view.html?refid=rss_all_defaultIt was bound to happen: A Google software engineer has used the company's new Street View feature to propose. The self-described geek held up a "Marry Me, Leslie!" sign as the roving cameras covered his Silicon Valley neighborhood, the San Jose Mercury News reports. When the photos went online, he launched a website with his girlfriend's email address, and strangers helped him plead his case. The wedding's in May.http://www.newser.com/story/34322/google-geek-proposes-via-street-view.html?refid=rss_all_defaultWed, 06 Aug 2008 15:27:42 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/33466/author-shares-a-bit-of-knol-on-google.html?refid=rss_all_defaultNow that Google has launched its "Knol" option to Wikipedia that allows people to pen articles on topics, CNET writer Elinor Mills takes a stab at being one of the site's experts. Google's offering has a key difference to Wikipedia: the writer of a Knol entry has near total control over his or her article.http://www.newser.com/story/33466/author-shares-a-bit-of-knol-on-google.html?refid=rss_all_defaultSun, 27 Jul 2008 5:03:39 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/33418/internet-hits-1-trillion-sites.html?refid=rss_all_defaultThe internet now hosts a staggering 1 trillion unique web sites, according to Google researchers. The million million sites—over 150 for everybody on the planet—are growing by billions of pages a day, PC World reports. Google doesn't index all those pages, but plots them on  a complex graph. A theoretical human researcher trying to check a different internet site each second would finish up around the year 3696.http://www.newser.com/story/33418/internet-hits-1-trillion-sites.html?refid=rss_all_defaultSat, 26 Jul 2008 1:46:17 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/33299/after-yahoo-microsoft-amps-up-search-effort.html?refid=rss_all_defaultCEO Steve Ballmer is spinning Microsoft’s failure to acquire Yahoo expertly, telling analysts today that, unburdened by the search giant, the company can be more frisky and adaptable in its fight with nemesis Google, the Wall Street Journal reports. Actions might speak louder than words, though: Microsoft announced yesterday it would give the leader of its online efforts the boot, and restructure.http://www.newser.com/story/33299/after-yahoo-microsoft-amps-up-search-effort.html?refid=rss_all_defaultThu, 24 Jul 2008 15:38:42 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/33215/google-unveils-wikipedia-rival.html?refid=rss_all_defaultCould Wikipedia's assassin be lurking behind a Knol? Google opened up its online encyclopedia with articles—or "units of knowledge" Google calls "Knols"—to the public today, featuring major differences from its well-established rival. The  pieces are written by experts and their names are highlighted, in marked contrast to the anonymous writers of Wikipedia, CNET reports. Google writers, if they choose to, will get a cut of advertising revenue.http://www.newser.com/story/33215/google-unveils-wikipedia-rival.html?refid=rss_all_defaultThu, 24 Jul 2008 0:52:06 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/33185/googles-walking-map-gives-true-step-by-step-directions.html?refid=rss_all_defaultGoogle unveiled a new feature to its Maps site yesterday, Wired reports: walking directions. Users can now plot true step-by-step directions, taking into account one-way streets and a growing database of pedestrian pathways. The walking option will appear for distances less than 6.2 miles.http://www.newser.com/story/33185/googles-walking-map-gives-true-step-by-step-directions.html?refid=rss_all_defaultWed, 23 Jul 2008 13:37:02 CDT