While Google's always delivered customized search results to people logged into their Google account—that is, search results tailored to you, based on your web history (yes, even outside of Google, like Gizmodo), past searches and previous results you've clicked on—it's now going to be doing that for everybody. Even if you're not logged in, you're going to get personalized results and yes, more targeted ads, based on past searches, tracked by an anonymous cookie that stays on your computer for 180 days. (BTW, it's not like Google's just started keeping track of your searches, it's just now Google's using that info more directly, that's all.)

You can turn it off here, though I'm guessing that won't turn off the dirty feeling you've got right now.

[Google via Bits]

And I agree with the guys at Pre Thinking: She really, really, seems like she wants to say something at the beginning, before the ad cuts to a close-up of the synched contacts functionality. It's the same story with the second video, which showcases calendar linking.

Sorry Modernista, even with a shorter run time and less soul-sucking dialogue, these commercials still fail to market this phone effectively. [YouTube, YouTube via Pre Thinking - Thanks, Philip]

That's right, part of the data package it delivers to Palm includes your GPS location, according to Joey Hess, on top of ever webOS app you use, and how long you use it:

The first thing sent is intended to be my GPS location. It's the same location I get if I open the map app on the Pre. Not very accurate in this case, but I've seen it be accurate enough to find my house before.

{ "errorCode": 0, "timestamp": 1249855555954.000000, "latitude": 36.594108, "longitude": -82.183260, "horizAccuracy": 2523, "heading": 0, "velocity": 0, "altitude": 0, "vertAccuracy": 0 }

Which their privacy policy totally allows.

Pre Central makes the most out of the info, breaking down their privacy policy and who they're allowed to share it with.

Palm will most definitely be attempting to "clear up" this bit of information, but in the meantime, what's apparent is that the Pre uploads your GPS location to Palm to the best of its ability, and that's just feels a little creepy, even if we're all totally used to broadcasting our location all the time anyway.

Update: As expected, Palm comes through with a clarification, via PhoneScoop:

"Palm takes privacy very seriously, and offers users ways to turn data collecting services on and off. Our privacy policy is like many policies in the industry and includes very detailed language about potential scenarios in which we might use a customer's information, all toward a goal of offering a great user experience. For instance, when location based services are used, we collect their information to give them relevant local results in Google Maps. We appreciate the trust that users give us with their information, and have no intention to violate that trust." [emphasis ours]

As Eric notes, they don't exactly mention how to opt out, though. But yes, ordinary enough. [Joey Hess, Pre Central]

One look at this pic could explain why the project was later discontinued. [Ingenious' Flickr via Robot Stock News]

Let me be the first to say "mission accomplished." Kids are creepy anyway, but throw in a system that leeches blood when it rains and you just might scare people into giving up their cars entirely. Not surprisingly, the billboards have been effective. Since they were put in place, there hasn't been a single fatal accident in the area. [Neatorama via Buzzfeed]

Specifically, the Pentagon is soliciting proposals to "develop a highly interactive PC or Web-based application to allow family members to verbally interact with 'virtual' renditions of deployed Service Members."

Parameters include:

"The child should be able to have a simulated conversation with a parent about generic, everyday topics," the solicitation says. "For instance, a child may get a response from saying, 'I love you,' or 'I miss you,' or 'Good night mommy/daddy.' This is a technologically challenging application because it relies on the ability to have convincing voice-recognition, artificial intelligence, and the ability to easily and inexpensively develop a customized application tailored to a specific parent."

Like other DARPA-esque endeavors, this task is much easier said than done. And, to be honest, I don't know what to make of it. I understand that deployed parents might not have internet access at all times, but this solution seems preposterous and costly when compared to, say Skype. On the other hand, its kind of touching—like the military's awkward cloak-wearing, bony-fingered way of expressing compassion. [Information Week via Medgadget]

It is logical to assume that the phone calls were the result of a technical malfunction and not supernatural forces. And, as far as I know, there has been no analysis of the condition of the cellphone itself. But consider this—all 35 calls were made to close family members only: his son, brother, sister, stepmother and fiancee. Plus, this is not the first time something like this has happened. OoOoOoOoh! [KTLA]

To compound the problem, the message was the only existing recording of his wife, so Mr. Whiting blamed Verizon for "taking her voice away." When Verizon got wind of the situation, they promptly restored the greeting from an archive while simultaneously restoring our faith that there might actually be humans behind our nation's faceless wireless carriers. [Fox News via MobHappy via BoingBoing]

We once knew this girl whose boyfriend was such a controlling creep that he insisted on reading through her email and checking her cellphone call and sms logs to see if she'd been in contact with anyone he didn't approve of. Instead of dumping him like any sensible person would, she decided to create a super sekrit email account and to delete calls and sms he wouldn't like from her phone as soon as they were done. Had it existed at the time, we're sure the creep would've just loved the Deleted Text Message Reader. £149 and all he would've had to do to read her last 20 sms was insert her phone's SIM card into the device, plug it into a Windows 2K or XP machine and run the included software. Dear readers: don't be a creep.

Deleted Text Message Reader [via The Red Ferret]