It seems ironic that two of the biggest announcements at last week's Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas came not from traditional electronic companies, but from Yahoo and Google whose products take up absolutely no shelf space at electronic retailers.
Yahoo officially announced its new portable initiative called "Yahoo Go" that extends its already numerous services to televisions and cell phones. Yahoo Go Mobile, for example, brings Yahoo Mail, Yahoo Messenger, photo services, and Web and image search to cell phones. Yahoo Go TV brings video search and movie information to PC-connected TVs. Yahoo's goal is to make their services indispensable, omnipresent fixtures of our so called "digital lifestyle."
Yahoo does have some darn good services including Yahoo 360 (combines your photos and personal blogs) and Flickr (an advanced site for showing off your photos), not to mention their e-mail, instant messaging. You should check out Yahoo Go, if only to see if some of their existing services might be of value to you now.
Meanwhile, Google announced its soon-to-be-open video service, called Google Video Store. When fully operational, people will be able to buy a wide array of sports, entertainment and news programming from partners such as CBS and the NBA. In 2005, Google launched a video search service, and outsiders have long assumed the company and business partners would seek ways to make money from online video. In his Las Vegas speech, company's co-founder and president of products Larry Page said Google would sell some videos for as little as 99 cents.
Google also announced the release of Google Pack, a free downloadable package of Google-branded and third-party software, such as a Web browser and a media player, considered essential for most computer users. The availability of the included software could diminish Microsoft's control of the computer desktop, seen by many as a key tool for driving people to use online services.
The package includes Google Desktop, which searches computer desktop files; Google Earth, a 3D earth browser for looking at close-up satellite imagery of the earth; Picasa a very good photo editor and organizer; Google Screensaver for customizing your own screensaver; and Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer.
Third party software included in Google Pack includes the Firefox web browser complete with Google Toolbar, Norton Anti-Virus with a free six month subscription, Ad-Aware anti-spyware software, and Adobe Reader 7.
Optional software that can be downloaded as part of Google Pack include Google Talk, an instant message and voice chat program, RealPlayer digital media player from Real Networks, Gallery Player HD Images, and Trilian Instant Messenger. You can download some or all of these goodies for free by going to the new Google Pack Web Page. This is a great bargain in free software, now available in one place. Check it out.
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