Google News: A Payment System and A New Search Bar

From Neiman:

Google is developing a micropayment platform that will be “available to both Google and non-Google properties within the next year,” according to a document the company submitted to the Newspaper Association of America. The system, an extension of Google Checkout, would be a new and unexpected option for the news industry as it considers how to charge for content online.

The revelation comes in an eight-page response to the NAA’s request for paid-content proposals, which it extended to several major technology companies and startups.

And from Google:

For us, search has always been our focus. And, starting today, you’ll notice on our homepage and on our search results pages, our search box is growing in size. Although this is a very simple idea and an even simpler change, we’re excited about it — because it symbolizes our focus on search and because it makes our clean, minimalist homepage even easier and more fun to use.

Well, if I were Facebook or eBay/Paypal, I’d be concerned about any payment system from Google, no matter how early stage. And the larger search bar, well, just seems to make sense. Search queries are getting longer, for one, and we’re all getting older, for another – the text is now bigger as well. (OK, maybe it’s just me getting older…)