Distorted photo of Michelle Obama removed from site

An altered photograph of Michelle Obama, which created an international controversy because it popped up as the first result on Google image searches, has been removed by the blog site that had posted it.

The blog, called "Hot Girls," this morning ran an apology in Chinese and in broken English.

The English version reads: "I am very sorry for this article, and that this is the program automatically issued a document from the article. Do not the subject of race and politics make the discussion too radical and sincere hope that the world is very peaceful."

The distorted photo had shown the first lady with monkey-like features. Google had declined to remove the site from its search indexing process, citing free-speech concerns.

-- David Colker

Google won't remove distorted Michelle Obama image from search engine

A crudely altered photograph of Michelle Obama, which often comes up as the first result on a Google image search of her name, will not be removed from the company's search process despite protests that the depiction is racist and repugnant.

"It's offensive to many people, but that alone is not a reason to remove it from our search index," Google spokesman Scott Rubin said. "We have, in general, a bias toward free speech."

The image, which depicts the first lady as having monkey-like features, is posted on a blog called "Hot Girls" without explanation. The blog post also contains several legitimate photographs of Michelle Obama. (The image is also posted on other sites that get high spots.) 

Although Google won't alter the search result process that places the offending image in top spots, the company placed a house advertisement above it with the headline, "Offensive Search Results." Clicking on the ad takes the user to a statement that says, "We assure you that the views expressed by such sites are not in any way endorsed by Google."

The statement apologizes "if you've had an upsetting experience using Google," but it states that a site is not removed from its process unless the content is illegal or violates the company's webmaster guidelines. Rubin said there was nothing in the guidelines that deals with this kind of imagery.

Google has posted similar statements in rare instances, most notably in 2004 when searches on "Jew" resulted in the top spot going to a virulently anti-Semitic site. Rubin said the statement is sometimes used in situations when there are "offensive search results on an innocuous query."

The "Hot Girls" blog has an additional Google connection: It was produced using Blogger, an online tool owned by the search company. And it resides on the Blogger platform, which provides online real estate for blogs and is also owned by Google.

Rubin said Blogger users have to adhere to the site's terms of service, but he was unaware of any language in that agreement that would affect the use of the Obama depiction.

A different website containing the same depiction was banned by Google several days ago, but only because the site was deemed to contain malware that could spread a virus or similar online malady. When a site is dropped from Google's index, the search engine will not present it as a result.

-- David Colker

A tech gadget guide that tells you how to buy

Does it really matter that the LCD TV has a contrast ratio of 40,000:1 or that the digital camera has a 12-megapixel resolution?

David Colker gets to the bottom of these befuddling questions ahead of the holiday shopping season. He offers an in-depth gadget guide that doesn't make suggestions about what to buy but about how to buy.

--Peter Pae

Google gives first demonstration of its Chrome operating system

Google posted a video to explain its new operating system, Chrome OS, due out next year. Credit: YouTube.

Google's new Chrome OS operating system, which is designed to bypass computer hard drives and work totally by way of the Internet, got its first public preview today. 

The system, due out about a year from now, could eventually pose the first real competition for Microsoft's and Apple's consumer operating systems since the earliest days of home computers. Chrome's main difference is that applications and other materials that now exist on hard drive will instead live online.

It will be available, at least at first, only for the small netbook computers that use solid-state drives.

One of the main advantages of the operating system, as extolled by Google product manager Sundar Pichai, is speed. The entire online system popped up on the screen of a demonstration computer less than 10 seconds after rebooting.

Pichai compared it to hitting the "on" button of a TV. "You turn it on, and you should be on the Web," he said in a press conference webcast from company headquarters. 

Not surprisingly, the on-screen interface of the operating system looked much like a browser. On top were tabs showing programs for e-mail, documents, a chess game, a book e-reader and more.

Pichai showed how panels that popped up from the bottom of the screen (around Google, they've been nicknamed "moles") can be used to play music, instant message or show a quick video while browsing the Web or doing work.

The aim for consumers, Pichai said, is simplicity.  "We just want computers to be delightful and work," he said.

One of the keys to Chrome OS' success likely will be how much users can actually do with it, given that it won't be using much of the software in common use now. To that end, Pichai announced that, as of today, the company was making the system's computer code public so that outside developers could start making applications for it.

Google released an animated video on YouTube (which it owns) to explain Chrome OS to the public.

-- David Colker

Twitter-equipped bathroom scale tells the world how much you weigh

This bathroom scale knows how much you weigh and it can blab it to your Twitter friends. Credit: Withings.

The most embarrassing new tech product of the year just got more embarrassing.

Last month, we let you know about the Wi-Fi Body Scale, the first bathroom scale equipped with a wireless connection to send your weight and body fat information directly to your Web page and iPhone.

But weight, there's more.

Today the French company behind the scale, Withings, announced it has added Twitter capability to the scale, enabling the user to automatically tweet the weight/fat info to followers.

In a news release, Withings declared the Twitter function would be a great help to users, "further motivating them by sharing their progress with followers."

Right.

What's next for Withings? An app to let the Twitterverse know how much debt you're carrying? How about a public questionnaire to rate how far you are from achieving your life dreams?

Come to think of it, either might be preferable to letting the weight info hit Twitter. This is Los Angeles.

-- David Colker

Microsoft to shut down MSN Direct traffic service for GPS

Microsoft is killing its MSN Direct subscription service that provided real-time traffic information, plus weather, stock quotes and local gas prices to car GPS navigators. But not for a while -- the company said the service would shut off Jan. 1, 2012.

Consumers who purchased subscriptions to go beyond that date (several posters to online forums said they had made one-time payments to get the service until 2014) will be given pro-rated refunds, according to the MSN Direct site. 

However, it's not clear whether people who bought special equipment to get the service that's delivered over a digital FM network will be compensated. For example, one of the leading GPS companies, Garmin, sells a receiver for MSN Direct that costs $119.99, including a one-year subscription to the service. Garmin executives could not be reached Tuesday evening.

According to a statement on the MSN Direct site, there has been "reduced demand" for the service -- which started in 2004 -- because of the increased popularity of information products delivered by cellular and other digital networks.

Also, although not mentioned in the statement, live traffic information is now included for free on several GPS car models, including some sold by Garmin.

-- David Colker

3D video without glasses - two new devices on display

A new display screen from Pioneer can show a 3D image that can be viewed without special glasses. Credit: Techcrunch.com.

The quest for a practical 3D video device that can be viewed without the glasses continues, with two heavy hitters getting into the game -- Sony and Pioneer.

The companies both had 3D devices on display at the Digital Contents Expo that just wrapped up in Tokyo, according to the TechCrunch site. Neither of the devices have much practical use at the moment, but they provide a glimpse of what 3D television could be like in the future.

The Sony device is a cylinder in which objects seem to float (the effect resembles the video screens featured in the cornball sci-fi classic movie, "Logan's Run"). Sony, according to the presentation at the expo, imagines it could be used for serious purposes, such as medical imagery, but also for keeping a virtual pet.

The Pioneer display is hooked into a PC via a USB connection. It produces images that can be somewhat controlled by touch on its 6-inch screen, or even by voice. And it's on the market, going for 49,800 yen (about $540) from a company site in Japan. No word on possible availability in the U.S.

-- David Colker

Wedding gift can't open until taken to secret GPS location

There’s only one spot on Earth to open this wedding gift.

It comes in a small, carved wooden box — equipped with a GPS circuit — that won’t unlatch until it’s taken to a pre-set mystery location.

And the recipient has to figure out where that is.

It sounds like something from “Mission: Impossible” or a James Bond movie, but this is a real gift made by software engineer Mikal Hart for a friend who was getting married and moving to France.

And it has to rank as one of the most mysterious, geekiest and most delightful wedding presents of the year.

“I’ve always been fascinated with puzzle solving, and I thought something fun could be done with GPS,” said Hart, 46, who works for computer-chip maker Intel Corp. in Austin, Texas.

He bought the box, festooned with a carved elephant, at a World Market store. A little digital screen, push button and GPS chip were mounted on the lid. Inside went the rest of the electronics and a little motor for the latch.

The box was delivered with no instructions. When the button is pushed, a message comes on the screen giving a distance in kilometers. It also shows the number of button pushes — the maximum allowed is 50.

Hart hopes that his friend, who received the box last month, will figure out that the distance on the screen is a GPS-derived calculation of how far he is from the target spot in France. With three clear readings, he could triangulate to find the goal.

Here’s hoping he’s not reading this — it’s the Ile-de-Brehat, a small island off the coast of France where the couple met. Upon arrival, the motor will automatically turn on to free the latch.

“What would be better than to get in a boat and go to the island to open the box,” Hart said.

The gifts inside had to be small to fit — they’re mostly gift cards. But if it’s the thought that counts, this gift is priceless.

“It took me nine months, off and on, to figure it out and build it,” Hart said.

As people discover his site, he’s getting requests for boxes.

“I was set up to make only one,” he said, “but people are asking.”

-- David Colker

Top photo: Wedding puzzle box, equipped with small display screen in middle, push button and GPS chip. Bottom photo: When button is pushed, screen shows distance from goal. Credit: Mikal Hart

New computers for Windows 7

The TouchSmart tx2 is a tablet computer with a screen that swivels and folds down flat. Credit: Hewlett-Packard

When Microsoft officially unveils its Windows 7 operating system (see our review here) Thursday, the company is supposed to also announce several new computers designed to run the new OS.

But some computer manufacturers have jumped the gun, already disclosing information about their new models, a few of which are designed to use Win7's touch-screen features.

Hewlett-Packard has announced four new consumer products, all of which have touch screens. At the low end is the TouchSmart 300, an all-in-one desktop with a 20-inch screen that will sell for about $900 and up.

The TouchSmart 600, an all-in-one that will sell for about $1,100, will sport a 23-inch screen. A version that will sell for about $1,600 will be able to show video at 1080p resolution.

The TouchSmart tx2 is a tablet computer with a screen that folds down flat over the unit screen side up. It will start at about $800.

Finally, the LD4200tm is a 42-inch touch screen monitor for those who want the PC version of big screen. It will go for about $2,800.

For the budget-minded, HP's bargain line, Compaq (which used to be a high-end brand in its own right) will have the CQ61z laptop with a 15-inch screen (non-touch) at $399. That's what you'd pay for a much smaller netbook computer. But the Compaq price is temporary -- after Dec. 19 it jumps to $499.

Toshiba will have two new Satellite-branded laptops with touch screens. Its M505 with a 14-inch screen will go for about $950, while the U505 with a 13-inch screen will be about $1,050. So why will the laptop with the smaller screen be more expensive? One of the primary reasons is that the case will sport a "textured" finish.

-- David Colker

Google goes maxi-minimal with experimental home page

The Google folks are experimenting with a new, minimal look for their basic search page. You can try it out.

At a time when a lot of Web sites are cramming more and more links onto their home pages, Google might be going in the opposite direction. TechCrunch reported that a small group of users are testing a new home page for the company that has absolutely no clickable stuff at all.

The only items on the experimental page: the famed multi-colored Google logo and the search box.

It's classy and minimal -- think of it as the Philip Glass of Web pages.

Not that the classic Google home page was all that crowded anyway. The version I use has only 22 words that were eliminated by the experiment.

How do I know? Because the TechCrunch folks have figured out a way to simulate the minimal page, at least in some cases.

Their method, which is on their blog post, worked perfectly for me on a Mac, on both the Firefox and Safari browsers. And it was easy to get my "missing" links back -- all I had to do was drag my cursor out of the search box and they faded in as if they were never gone.

But a couple of caveats before you try it. Judging from the comments on the blog, many people were unable to make the method work. And my own warning: now that I have it working on Safari, I can't seem to get rid of it, even by shutting the browser down and restarting.

I'm guessing I can get back to normal by finding the appropriate cookie in Safari and eliminating it. But I'm in no hurry -- I truly like the sleek, new look.

In this era of information overload, the minimal styling is not only classy, it's refreshing.

-- David Colker