Google has been hit by anti-monopoly lawsuits all over the world. The Americas, Europe, India, China, have all had (or currently have) some sort of lawsuit against the search giant, claiming the American company abuses its dominant position in the search engine market.

Now, Russia is jumping on the bandwagon, with its anti-monopoly agency saying Google is using Android to promote its other services.

Care to go on a safari? It's a childhood dream for some, but sadly, few will get there. Eastern Africa is a long trip for most people, not to mention a pricey one. Fortunately, there's no need to break the bank for a lengthy flight and a bumpy ride in a Land Rover. Google Maps Street View can get you there for the low price of free.

This is the first time Google has released imagery in the nation of Kenya. Now the Street View team has trekked the Samburu National Reserve to bring the wildlife to your desktop. This release is specifically elephants, and was done in conjunction with the Save the Elephants research camp.

The first weekend of iPhone 6s and 6s Plus preorders are behind us, but Apple already looks ahead. This morning, the company presumably sought to quell last week's Wall Street jitters in statements to CNBC, Financial Times, and MarketWatch, among other news services popular with investors. This is perception-management at Apple's finest, and it is metaphor for success selling smartphones and why most competitors flounder by comparison.

I didn't receive the statement and so cannot attest to its veracity. But presuming esteemed financial news services accurately report, misdirection isn't much better than this. Apple doesn't give an exact figure, instead stating: "We are on pace to beat last year's 10 million unit first-weekend record when the new iPhones go on sale Sept. 25". How circumspect is that? Ten million the first weekend two weeks later?

Google has teamed up with RailTel Corporation of India to bring free Wi-Fi hotspots to more than 400 train stations. The state-run company already has a fiber network in place across the country, and the new venture -- which goes under the name of Project Nilgiri -- is set to roll out over the next four months.

TelecomTalk reports that hotspots will enable travellers to get online with a high-speed connection free of charge for half an hour, and then speeds will be reduced. SMS verification will be used to provide web users with the necessary passwords, and screenshots of the portal that will be used to get online have also leaked.

Please take my money, Google. Tap the vein right here if blood is the currency you need. I am ready, willing, and over-excited. If you disappoint, I understand, though. My city is a brick wall when it comes to new commerce. It's regulation central. So good luck to you.

This afternoon I received email from the Google Fiber team that stopped my heart: "We wanted you to be among the first to hear the news. Today we announced we're exploring bringing Fiber to San Diego". Hell, yeah, baby. Sign me up. Which up-for-reelection-politician needs me and other native and transplanted San Diegans to be thorns in the butt? Give us more speed than we possibly need for prices we probably can't afford.

Paper money sucks. When you spend it, you cannot easily track it by category, and unlike credit cards, you do not get protection, points, or cash-back. Unless you are doing illegal activity, you are better served to use plastic -- as long as you pay your balance in full each month, that is. Paying interest is for suckers.

With all of that said, carrying slabs of plastic feels rather archaic in 2015, so I gladly welcome the transition to smartphones for making payments. Apple Pay is cool, but it is not available on Android, and it would stink to have one company dominate this method of payment. Today, Google announces the official launch of its smartphone payment service, the unimaginatively named, Android Pay. Will you use it?

It should only be a matter of weeks before we have official news about the new Nexus 5, but as we draw closer to the launch, leaked images continue to stream in. Just a few days ago we were treated to the best image yet of the upcoming LG handset, and now we have a new photo that gives a slightly different view.

A new leaked image depicts the new Nexus 5 (or Nexus 5X, perhaps) from a side angle, giving a clear view of the protruding camera lens that graces the rear. The photo also shows the repositioned power and volume buttons, but it is the camera nipple that will probably cause the most interest.

The on-going refugee crisis in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East has grabbed hearts and headlines around the world. As European governments argue over who should take in the thousands of desperate people, European citizens have criticized the speed and scale of the help offered, whilst simultaneously donating money, food, and equipment to help those in desperate need.

Now Google has stepped in, offering €1 million ($1.1 million) to the organizations providing help to refugees. In addition to this, Google.org (the branch of the company "using innovation to tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges") is setting up a page to make it easier for people to make donations, and says that it will match any money donated by Google users.

Google Calendar is used by many people to track (seemingly) their every activity. That's a good thing, as it keeps users organized and calendars can be shared with family and co-workers so they also know what's going on. But what about its security? It doesn't seem a huge issue, given the nature of the service -- it isn't your bank, after all.

Google is ever vigilant, however, and has been thinking this part through and is now making some changes. The update brings a new URL, but it's really about security.

What the frak? Is it because of the presumed, imminent launch of Apple's successor to iPhone 6 or 6 Plus? Are rumors about Google launching new Nexus devices near month's end true -- and it's better to clear out excess inventory now? Or is Amazon being Labor Day weekend Amazon?

Motorola-made, Google-branded Nexus 6 is on big sale today from the retailer's U.S. store. Last night, I oogled at the phablet for $499.99, which already was a hefty discount. This morning I rolled out of bed to see $349.99. Both prices are for the 32GB model. Double the memory and pay $399.99. Yesterday: $549.99. Surely the price and supply can't last. That's helluva good deal -- and for both colors: Cloud White and Midnight Blue.

Google is just one of many companies to offer free cloud storage, and over the years the amount of space given away has crept up. There have also been plenty of opportunities to boost cloud storage for free -- if you've bought a Chromebook, you'll have been given a bunch of extra space, and there have been various other special offers out there.

You may well have received a mysterious email from Google in the last day or so, warning you that you are about to lose 10GB of space. The email rather unhelpfully refers to an "Unknown promotion". What's it all about, and what do you need to do?

Google voice search is a powerful feature of the Android-powered smartphone. By simply talking to your phone, you can do internet searches, call contacts, take photos, set an alarm, create a calendar event, make a note, the list goes on.

However, not everyone wants to use the voice-controlled feature for various reasons. Some don’t like the idea of their smartphone listening to them, while others don’t speak English that well and don’t see the benefits of keeping the feature turned on.

Chrome has long been maligned as a huge drain on system resources. Open more than a few tabs and you'll notice that memory usage skyrockets, and performance can slow to a crawl. Run Chrome on a laptop that's not connected to mains power, and you've probably seen the battery meter plummet whenever you use the browser.

Now -- at long, long last -- Google is doing something about it. The latest version of Chrome boasts a number of improvements designed to reduce the browser's footprint, including a new intelligent tab restoration system that keeps the least viewed tabs suspended in the background until needed. Chrome 45 is also far more aggressive at actively cleaning up memory.

Turning to the internet for medical advice is something of a double-edged sword. On one hand, it provides access to a wealth of information previously only available to medical students, making it easy to look up symptoms and see what they might mean. On the other, hypochondriacs can very easy self-diagnose every condition under the sun.

But there's no denying that it can certainly be helpful to be able to find out a little more about different conditions from the comfort of your phone or computer. Today Google announces a swathe of updates that it hopes will help people to be better informed in terms of understanding symptoms and treatments, and conveying what they are experiencing to a doctor.

Google has lots of tricks up its sleeve -- it's much more than just a search engine -- and now there's something new to try out. Hot on the heels of the unveiling of its new logo, the company has quietly launched a new "fun fact" feature for its search tool.

The next time you have a few minutes to kill, or you just like the idea of learning something new, type "fun fact" into the search box. Google will furnish you with a random fact -- from the price of a lifetime airline pass, to where golf was first played in the US. The only danger is that it could quickly turn into a real productivity vacuum!