Google Inc’s expansion has been phenomenal. And as it explores more solutions, its rapid expansion is prompting concerns that the company may know too much..

Google is at once a powerful search engine and a growing e-mail provider. It runs a blogging service, makes software to speed Web traffic and has ambitions to become a digital library. And it is developing a payments service.

Although many Internet users eagerly await each new technology from Google Inc., its rapid expansion is also prompting concerns that the company may know too much: what you read, where you surf and travel, whom you write. “This is a lot of personal information in a single basket,” said Chris Hoofnagle, senior counsel with the Electronic Privacy Information Center. “Google is becoming one of the largest privacy risks on the Internet.” Not that Hoofnagle is suggesting that Google has strayed from its mantra of making money “without doing evil.”

Rather, some privacy advocates worry about the potential: The data’s very existence — conveniently all under a single digital roof — makes Google a prime target for abuse by overzealous law enforcers and criminals alike.

Through hacking or with the assistance of rogue employees, they say, criminals could steal data for blackmail or identity theft. Recent high-profile privacy breaches elsewhere underscore the vulnerability of even those systems where thoughtful security measures are taken.

This is very true. Google Inc just knows too much, and this is really scary. Especially when it comes to hypothesizing a possible security breach.
Source: Hackinthebox

When it comes to features, the lightweight Kensington® PocketMouse Optical Micro Wireless mouse is a real heavyweight performer. We’ve packed this ultra-compact mouse full of leading-edge capabilities. It is wireless so you never have to hassle with cords. Its simple, plug-in USB receiver tucks right inside so you’re never left without a receiver and, when stowed, it automatically shuts off the mouse to save batteries. And the PocketMouse’s programmable buttons and scroll wheel make fast work of navigation. All this in an ultra-compact and comfortable chassis that takes up virtually no room in your computer bag.

Features and Benefits

Besides the heavy price tag of $49.99 (approx RM194), Whatelse would you want in a mouse?

Source: Kensington

Picture a world without Google, without eBay or Amazon or broadband, where few people have even heard of IPOs. That was reality just a decade ago. The company that changed it—bringing us into the Internet age—was a brilliant flash in the pan called Netscape. For the tenth anniversary of its IPO, FORTUNE recruited dozens of players to tell the story of the startup in their own words. [Futher Reading...]

Can you picture one? Well i really cant

Search giant Google has started offering its browser toolbar for Firefox, in addition to new Web-to-SMS and automatic search term completion extensions.[For Futher Reading...>>]

Browser plugins now? haha. Thats google for you. I said in my previous postings in relation to google’s diversities. That they are really making sure, that they reach the point, whereby all online activities would have a “Google touch”. When you think about the internet, its Google that comes first. Well it is worth noting that there are is still yet only one area that google is yet to explore. That area is the online payment processor, and google is planning to launch an e-purse soon, to compete with paypal.

You might say that they have not explored into the online shopping arena, probably a replica of amazon right? But well, they actually do have an online store called Google Store , where they sell sourveneirs (Accessories, Fun, Kids, Office, Wearables, Software), besides the “Gooogle Mini“. What that store just needs currently, is a little bit of expansion the “google way”. And surely it would become a standard online store. I guess there are not intrested in that now.

But lets keep on watching, we might be in for a suprise.

Well i think, it is really interesting, the way paypal is expanding its market. Yesterday Paypal China launced its website https://www.paypal.com/cn/. It is a nice website, a perfect replica of the main site, but everything looks gibberish to me (it is in chinese !!). Well would it be more difficult for Google to launch its e-purse now?

This mainly i ask because China is a big potential Market, and once you penetrate and have a good trusted standing there, its really hard for any future competitor to compete in that same market (people easily get used to a service, and find it hard to change to a new one). Besides that Ebay China, would have lots of customers, in terms of people coming to bid from all over the world especially those that have paypal accounts, using paypal accounts to pay for their biddings, is just the best solution to avoid losing your money to fraudulent products displayed on Ebay. And China does have a good variety of products, and we shouldnt forget their cheap price tags. Well lets fold our arms and see, what the future has installed, in terms of payment solutions. My message to Paypal is:, Please do not forget the malaysian market, we really want to use our Malaysian bank accounts.

My message to Google is : We all are waiting to see what you have in mind, because, anything that doesnt come better than paypal, would just be too dissapointing.

Internal attacks blighting banks
As the threats from outside decrease, financial services firms’ security officers are seeing a massive rise in internal breaches…..[For Futher Reading]

Source: ZD NET.

Well i dont know about you, but i think the future would be faced with a lot of challenges in relation to security especially when it comes to banks, immigrations etc.
Read More

Source: ZDNET

Google on Monday launched its new Web-based video search service, which allows people to use keywords to search the company’s indexed database of video from Unicef, Greenpeace, CNET Networks and others that have uploaded content since April.

Since the launching of Google’s main product , its “Google Search“, I taught it was a great move to a better way of searching, and that was it, just the search engine, but from what i can tell today, Google is on its way to building an internet dominated empire.

The reason is mainly because its virtually getting into everything, from its desktop apps such as desktop search, to picasa (for image editing etc), to its online news engine Google News, to froggle (price comparison) (i wonder what Price Grabber taught about that ), the list goes on and on, to the future proposed payment system the Google Purse to compete with paypal to now trying to compete again with yahoo’s video search @ http://video.search.yahoo.com/ with its Google Video, which not only ends with the ability to search for videos or submit, but came packed with a windows based desktop application again, named Google Video Viewer. Incredible !!

Well what would be Googles next move? A replica of Amazon? i wonder

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Choice: #4 (E-Business)

IT Priorities Research Report: The latest survey of ZDNet UK readers shows networking, security and mobility as increasingly important now and in the future

Source: ZDNET

But E-Business is not in the top IT priority of the present nor even the future . Exactly that is the point. Personally i am not following trends of what people desire to do, or evolving possibilities of technology. What i look for is uniqueness, in whatever i intend to venture in. But the question still is, do you think the statistics would apply in the future?

well i read somewhere that …

The Internet is rapidly transforming business, markets and society. Every industry from financial services to health care, to electronics to education will be influenced. Supply chains in every market throughout the globe will be reshaped. The emergence of the Internet as an electronic marketplace is unparalleled in human history but is still in its infancy. The convergence of computers, networks and wireless technologies will create both opportunities and threats.

But the reason for my stance again, is the uniqueness besides the fact that a lot of opportunities, especially in my lovely country ,are still yet to be explored and fully implemented.
What about you, whats your choice? and Why?

PC makers and distributors are holding back from buying the new alternative version of Windows XP that Europe’s competition commissioner ordered Microsoft Corp. to offer as part of the punishment in the software maker’s long antitrust battle with the European Union.

Source: CNN

One thing i dont quite understand is why everybody is fuming over microsoft’s success in the operating system market. Besides that we can’t ignore to mention the numerous policies that have been passed over the past years to make sure they are punished for their success. One of the recent one, is in relation to the above quoted that was passed by EU antitrust regulators, which led to microsoft to re-produce a new version of its Windows Xp to contain european languages.

Now Microsoft went ahead to reproduce a version to meet the regulators requirement besides the fine which was a whopping record of euro497 million ($608 million). The product reproduced was the Windows XP N which was released to distributors last week in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish and will be available to the public in the next few weeks.

Now the punishment hasnt just ended. Distributors and Manufacturers are showing little interest. They said and i quote that “We’ll continue to sell the old version because it’s obviously better value for our customers,” .

Poor Microsoft. . Whats up with Europeans? i cant really understand why they are doing this? Is it because of open source alternatives such as Linux?

I really do not know.

Well i recently signed up to my universities sharenet. And well it is really an interesting place to be, besides the user friendliness of the workplace which you are provided with.

My Universities Sharenet is a knowledge-sharing network for the Multimedia University. It is a platform for the universities community at large (academicians, administrators and also students) for collaborative learning. The ShareNet provides access to all relevant information and knowledge regardless of the user’s location.

It is originated from the Siemens ICN Sharenet model, which was created to support the sales and marketing process of Siemens ICN. The primary focus was to assess the knowledge-sharing needs of the Siemens global community. It was seen as a global and democratic initiative that was energized by the evolving demands for international solution business. The goal was to leverage local innovations and knowledge globally.

Being the first of its kind, My university uses it as the testbed for its applications in an educational environment.