Google Closer to Self-Driving Car; Intuit Buys Demandforce for $423.5 Million

Every week, Mountain View makes news with technology developments, discoveries and sometimes controversies.

In the weekly "Bits and Bytes" column we’ll relay the past week’s news highlights from our backyard giants, start-ups and small businesses alike.

Who is the safest kind of driver? No driver at all. That’s at least what is wants to prove while it's in talks with automakers in Detroit to roll out a self-driving car, which it says make less mistakes than actual drivers. Currently Google’s self driving cars exist as Toyota Prius sedans with added sensors and cameras.

On Wednesday, launched its first iPad app, which includes features not available on the web. In doing so, the company has tapped into a major market, since they report that every second 41 LinkedIn profiles are viewed from a mobile device and 19 LinkedIn people searches are made.

Facebook and Google aren’t the only local companies that are making big purchases these days. Intuit bought San Francisco-based cloud company Demandforce, which connects businesses with customers through a variety of tools, for almost half a billion in cash.

is now offering a new, non-invasive therapy for Glaucoma, the leading cause of adult blindness. The tissue-sparing, repeatable technology called MicroPulse Laser Trabeculoplasty (MLT) was introduced by the company at the recent American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS).

A new system from abiliti helps obsese adults lose weight through both medical and lifestyle changes. The abiliti(R) system combines gastric stimulation, which helps patients feel full sooner, with data monitoring tools that allow patients to watch their progress through and implement lifestyle changes.