[Google] Leaked Comic Heralds Google Browser

Looking at my recent entries, I realize that I haven't been writing all that much about Google. It's not that I don't love the search company, because you know I do, but more because given the large number of Google-following blogs out there, I didn't really see the need to add to the noise based on every little Google movement. I do save my efforts for the big stuff, though.

Things started with Google Blogoscoped announcing that they had received an email from Google with a 38-page comic book announcing their new open source browser, Google Chrome. Google Operating System eventually chimed in with their initial analysis.

Eventually Webware added in their own detailed analysis of Google Chrome's many promised features and by then pretty much the entire blogosphere (myself included) was really excited about this new product.

Were it not for the fact that actually had to work last night, I would have immediately drafted an entry for the Geeky Guide. Given my personal rules about not blogging from the office (although I'm okay with checking on my Google Reader feeds, hehe), I was pretty keen on getting home quickly to write about all this.

Now that the dust has settled, Google officially explained the comic and how it was a bit of a mistake but all that aside, they also announced that Tuesday marks the official launch of Google Chrome for everyone to download.

And who says people don't work on Labor Day, right?

[Web] Microsoft's Yahoo Bid

Yahoo Microsoft Messengers Make Nice by Photo-Mojo.

How far back do you have to go to start talking about this story? Should you be content with talking about former CEO Terry Semel completely leaving the board last Thursday? Should we go a bit further back to the announcement of 1,000 jobs being cut at Yahoo starting next month in an effort to deal with improving their bottom line without announcing a strategy for the future?

We can keep digging back into Yahoo's colorful history as much as we'd like to but the fact of the matter is that on February 1, 2008, Microsoft forwarded an "unsolicited" $44.6 billion bid for Yahoo, thus providing them with an entirely different strategy moving into the future. Here's Microsoft's letter to Yahoo in case you're interested.

Of course the news raged against the blogosphere like wildfire. High profile tech sites like CNET already have a dedicated section following the story and of course everyone is throwing in their two cents' worth.

Initial blog reactions were more centered around humor with jokes along the lines of how merging a second tier search engine with a second tier website won't result in an online presence strong enough to unseat Google from internet supremacy just yet. Others have written how it there would be some sense of poetic justice served if the resulting takeover would give Yahoo users the same dreadful experience that all those other companies that Yahoo has bought out over the years had to go through. Then, of course, things began to get more and more in-depth.

Valleywag has moved from comparing Yahoo's existence to that of a child actor in a downward spiral in recent years to trying to figure out who won't get the axe at Yahoo should the Microsoft deal push through. Let's face it, it is a takeover and nor a merger after all. Oh, and of course they also had to remind us that this bid wasn't totally unexpected, for as long as you've been paying attention.

The folks over a WebWare took a more serious bent and considered the cultural differences between Microsoft and Yahoo considering the takeover and how another icon of the internet age is bound to be lost to the Microsoft juggernaut. Google-watcher Ionut, the genius behind the Google Operating System blog ran a pretty comprehensive review of two companies have previously tried to block Google's acquisition of Doubleclick. Talk about irony.

That brings us to Sunday when Google finally broke their silence with official statement and what will theoretically be their last word on the matter as well. Naturally Microsoft was very quick to respond in their own fashion.

This struggle has scarcely begun given the negotiations that will need to take place between Microsoft and Yahoo (their stock price has already climbed up to the $28 range over the weekend from Thursday's $15 stock neighborhood) and the inevitable FCC approval hearings and accusations of this leading to monopolistic practices, where do we factor in all this? Do we want to see Yahoo acquired by Microsoft?

Just think about the brilliance that was the Passport system and how many headaches that created - do we want those same monkeys handling the many services that link to every Yahoo account? Flickr is bad enough under Yahoo's control, but what more under Microsoft? No matter how much Microsoft "respects" the Yahoo! brand, do you seriously think that it's going to survive Microsoft's higher priorities of boosting their own Windows Live line of services? Depending on whether or not Yahoo tries to resist this takeover attempt will ultimately determine if Google is justified in calling this a "hostile" takeover just yet.

Let's get realistic here - will the joining of these two companies really given them the ability to challenge Google from where it stands as king of internet search and online advertising? Perhaps not, given their success is not about the size of the workforce or the number of subscribers but their ability to dynamically innovate new technology and cater to the needs of the users. What this buy out is only going to accomplish is the murder of one of the web's most iconic brands and a greater need to migrate to Google's services in order to escape the clutches of Microsoft. Go figure.

Now all we can do and wait to see how this story will unfold.

[Google] Strawberry Issues

Google has always been known for their highly creative logos on holidays more commonly known as Google Doodles by the web community. This year's Valentine's Day logo didn't quite sit well with some members of the blogosphere given the argument that they actually misspelled their own name. I'm including the image below so you can judge for yourself:



In this case, the strawberry body along with the chocolate makes up the "G" while the stem makes up the "L" although not everyone would like to agree. It's kind of funny that it's actually made the news in some quarters - just goes to show the kind of impact Google has on the web as a whole. Google actually commented on this on their official blog and I think the response was pretty straight to the point while still being witty about it.

This really should have been a happy day but then again some people wanted to take the time to pick at Google for their interpretation of artistic license. Frankly, I'm surprised this ended up making the rounds more than the announcement that GMail is really open to the general public now (although still in beta).

Was the logo really that bad in your opinion?

Related Links:

• Google Operating System: Alternative Google Logos and Perspectives
  CNET News.com - Blogma: No so sweet on 'Googe' Valentine's Day strawberry