I used to send out an occassional e-mail that included some of my thoughts and musings on business and technology. With recent developments, I thought I would return to this practice, but now in blog form. enjoy...

It is inevitable that Google, being so much like, yet so much more ambitious than its competitors, will at least partially succeed in its attempts to collapse the Internet. Not unlike Yahoo, Google has made tremendous strides in its attempt to provide, via its own ubiquitous interface all of the informational tools the typical Internet user will need in one place on the web. In doing so they made an early commitment to blogging by purchasing Blogger, but so far have not made a commitment to social networking. Why they didn't get Myspace before Rupert Murdoch, we may never know! Google will be like the Palm OS to Microsoft's Windows Mobile: A useful function based approach, vs.a bloated systems based approach to accessing information. By publishing the most important functions that users are looking for via lightweight web-based applications users will find the data and tools that they need, not simply a platform to build and by the tools for. Many say Google buying Writely is really no big deal. What they may fail to see is that by drawing the sources and orignination of information closer to Google's core of search, with web users potentially storing all of their newly created documents directly on Google's servers, one could envision a future where the "operating system" will be replaced from the inside out, with the Google login replacing the Windows login as the primary gateway to one's information. Here are some relevant articles:

http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/03/08/exclusive-screenshots-google-calendar/

http://news.stepforth.com/blog/2006/03/googles-growing-online-office.php

http://blogs.zdnet.com/web2explorer/?p=134

By providing infinite storage, a usable set of web-based tools, and a single, secure login, Google has the opportunity to provide a much more universal form of information than the traditional stalwart Microsoft or its web-based competitor Yahoo--the latter of which currently trumps the newer upstart in the amount of functional information tools by at least 130 to 32. Having once possessed the "King of the Web" crown, Yahoo of course will not take this lying down.I wonder if iRows will be left out in the cold for long?

In a recent article on CNET the reporter Martin LaMonica says, "growing a hosted Web application beyond a few hundred, or even a few thousand, users requires substantial resources and technical expertise." However, with the powerful vector of social networks, at least the slow growth part no longer has to be true. By simpling using tools such as YouTube and Flickr on their social networking sites like MySpace, users are driving millions of hits to these new player, by what is affectively "word of web." These web functions are using the web to promote themselves. What an exciting time for computing and information!On the other hand, for those of us not living under a rock, you may have heard that The new improved Microsoft may have recently come out with a new technology, category-killer of their own called the "Ultra Mobile PC". Formerly known as the "Origami Project," this handheld PC definitely has a somewhat ambitious name, but it is also an ambitious product. Featuring a go-anywhere PC form factor with a function-based overlay on top of Windows. One of the more promising notes: Microsoft's decision to use the robust Windows XP Professional as the core operating system, not the slower, infectious XP Home (which is almost useless whether used at home or abroad). At a target price of $599-$999 this may prove a compelling counterpoint to the webcentric view of Google. By placing all of your information in the palm of your hands, who needs to go find it on the web? Early versions have been shown incorporating both WiFi and Bluetooth. Of course I will be even more interested if I can get one with XM radio, EVDO broadband and iTunes. Then what else would you ever want ?Well, an Optimus keyboard to plug into it for starters...

Next time, we'll talk about the new "portable terminal" power that is available via the most recent cell phones.Until then, enjoy...

Finally, Is it just me, or in the course of recent events, did Intel get Apple-ized as opposed to the other way around? Check out their new logo: http://www.intel.com/homepage/nav/pix/logo.gifand tell me what you think!