Google and Sony hold hands

[cliffbo]

adverts though mmmmm.

Google recently met with Sony to discuss how users could use their PSPs to access municipal Wi-Fi networks, which Google hopes to bring to the San Francisco area and beyond. The San Francisco network would be free to the city and its users, to an extent—Google will likely offer a premium service, featuring higher speeds for paying customers. In addition, with the proper network access installed on the PSP, Google could deliver location-specific ads to gamers. That is, Google can track which access point the PSP is connecting through and send out an ad for a business around the block.

http://www.infoworld.com/article/06/01/27/74875_HNgooglewificity_1.html

what could google offer once this is up and running? google is rapidly growing and i see no reason why they wouldn't incorporate games, tv, movies.

[Ocelot9]

This will be a big blow against Microsoft. Google, at this time are one of M$' biggest problems. To be in the in with Sony will definetly heat things up!
As far as providing wirless internet in major cities is concerned, I think it will be the next biggest thing. Japan's idea of portability is starting to have its effect here in N/A. Bring it on!

[onnio]

Google is interested also in making their own Linux distro based on Ubuntulinux. The strategy is clear and pointed agains MS. Here some info:

ww.theregister.co.uk/2006/01/31/google_goes_desktop_linux/

somebody, please edit the string. I cannot post links.

[jaxmkii]

god...
please make Bill gates cry...

[saxdawg00]

....Japan's idea of portability is starting to have its effect here in N/A....
That is why all of a sudden MS is thinking about making a portable system (ala PSP) themselves, but they already shot themselves in the foot by allowing compatibility between the 360 and PSP! They dismiss the handheld market only for it to come back and affect their console business. I don't think they really thought through the significance of a device like the PSP and how it goes beyond simple connectivity like the Gamecube and GBA:

http://media.putfile.com/PSP-Location-Free-Player (glimpse of the future)

Now imagine those municipal Wi-Fi networks when they start to broadcast TV, people could check stocks(on an actual financial news show), watch late breaking news and weather reports(from an actual news station), etc. ALL ON THE GO (with their PSP of course)!

[RavenFox]

Just keeps getting better and better.

[Ocelot9]

That is why all of a sudden MS is thinking about making a portable system (ala PSP) themselves, but they already shot themselves in the foot by allowing compatibility between the 360 and PSP! They dismiss the handheld market only for it to come back and affect their console business. I don't think they really thought through the significance of a device like the PSP and how it goes beyond simple connectivity like the Gamecube and GBA:



M$ just like to sweep their mistakes and smack talk under the carpet and turn over a new leaf so to speak, thus they are followers, Bandwagoners!

Remember when Bill Gates used to mock videogames?

[cliffbo]

M$ just like to sweep their mistakes and smack talk under the carpet and turn over a new leaf so to speak, thus they are followers, Bandwagoners!

Remember when Bill Gates used to mock videogames?

lets not beat up Microsoft, lets just big up Sony. but you have to smile, don't ya

[Coded-Dude]

lets just big up Sony. but you have to smile, don't ya
wtf.......?

[Ocelot9]

I was smiling in fact!

[frosty]

Well, Google and M$ are bitter enemies, and according to K. Kutaragi, Sony wants to kill M$, so all the better! Both are promoting Linux as a way of taking M$ out of the top spot in the OS market.

[Helios]

There's some wireless broadband service offered by Verizon that you can access in certain cities but the price far outweighs the benefit. What Google plans to do is whats really going to kick this type of anywhere wireless access into high gear, all the better for them and me too im gonna buy some Google stocks in a bit.

[BlueTsunami]

Theres an article I just read recently that has the "Internet Powers that be" trying to cut the internet into pieces. Meaning, certain tasks and things you would do online will cost you money, not just one umbrella payment to have access to the internet proper.

This seems to go against Googles mindset after reading the above news. It should be interesting to see what happens with these polor opposite mentalities.

*For all whos interested heres a link to what i'm talking about and quoting the first two paragraphs...

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060213/chester

The nation's largest telephone and cable companies are crafting an alarming set of strategies that would transform the free, open and nondiscriminatory Internet of today to a privately run and branded service that would charge a fee for virtually everything we do online.

Verizon, Comcast, Bell South and other communications giants are developing strategies that would track and store information on our every move in cyberspace in a vast data-collection and marketing system, the scope of which could rival the National Security Agency. According to white papers now being circulated in the cable, telephone and telecommunications industries, those with the deepest pockets--corporations, special-interest groups and major advertisers--would get preferred treatment. Content from these providers would have first priority on our computer and television screens, while information seen as undesirable, such as peer-to-peer communications, could be relegated to a slow lane or simply shut out.

I'm still wondering if I should turn this into a separate thread. Don't want to derail the topic (Sony and Google).

[jm9206755]

business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,9075-2023600,00.html

Google is working on a project to create its own global internet protocol (IP) network, a private alternative to the internet controlled by the search giant, according to sources who are in commercial negotiation with the company.

Last month, Google placed job advertisements in America and the British national press for "Strategic Negotiator candidates with experience in...identification, selection, and negotiation of dark fibre contracts both in metropolitan areas and over long distances as part of development of a global backbone network".

Sorry about the link, don't have enough posts yet apparently. Seems like Google is quite busy these days, though.

[Sephiroth_VII]

Hmm... This is very disturbing, and I'm now really glad that I live in Denmark. I'll bet 1000$, that as soon as this network comes true, either some Hackers will crack it, or they'll create a Internet v. 2.0, which will be free for all.

Who want's to bet?

[kaphwan]

Please, people. There is no point in pointing out where Bill Gates personally contradicts himself and when he changes his outlook entirely to fit in with how actual innovaters have done their thing. We could fill many pages with such things.

As for this partnership of sorts, you can only hope.

What if the ps3 and psp (or at least their future younger siblings) become the new computers? What if a console company actually does reach 1 billion users?

[VG Aficionado]

What if the ps3 and psp (or at least their future younger siblings) become the new computers? What if a console company actually does reach 1 billion users?That's an interesting thought. I don't see that happening too soon, but Sony has already sold 200+ million consoles in a decade, so they could be the first ones to achieve something like that. It's also true that PS1 didn't have many features besides the ability to run videogames, but PS2 changed that a bit and this year we could see a great leap in convergence with PS3.

Which kind of computer could overcome PCs? It certainly has to be something powerful, versatile, easy to use, cheap and... upgradeable? DRM-free?

[cliffbo]

same news, except... i didn't know that google already opperated a simillar service in its home town.

Google has been meeting with mobile device companies like Motorola and Sony trying to find out how they could use those devices

to bring their search engine to the general public over municipal Wi-Fi networks. Google already operates one of these networks in its home town of Mountain View, CA, and Christopher Sacca (from Google’s business development team) says, "We're doing everything we can to make this a playground for devices,"

Google is especially interested in the PSP, "There's like five million of those in the U.S. now, they've all got Wi-Fi in them. We're trying to do what we can to make those devices able to log on to this network," Sacca said, but they aren’t limiting their options, "We're getting stuff shipped to us by everybody -- by Motorola, by Siemens, by Philips, by Sony, by Nintendo." Of course, not all of these devices are officially being released by the parent companies, in fact in some instances "we're meeting with somebody, but it's behind the CEO's back," according to Sacca.