An increasing amount of them, from simple consumer purchases to complex business needs, research their problem on Google.

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Last year, for the first time, spending by Apple and Google on patent lawsuits and unusually big-dollar patent purchases exceeded spending on research and development of new products, according to public filings.

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Syncing Google Play purchases between phone and tablet -- with practically no involvement on the end user's part -- provides real value.

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This may also help Google skirt, or at least mute, growing concerns about stealth targeting based on your clicks or purchases.

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