[LINK] Technology Escalation Brinkmanship exponentially Ballistic.

[Tom Koltai]

We have become almost immune to the escalation of technology steps taken
in turn (it seems) by IBM, Microsoft, Motorola, Yahoo, Nokia, Google,
Tencen, Facebook, Baidu, Apple, QQ

Google's Android [1] would appear to have legitimised the Chinese
smartphone industry to the point where 700 million Indians are now net
connected via cell phones. [2]
Star Office almost 100% compatible with MS Office 2010.
Microsoft released a charity version of their Office Works.
Baidu convinced the Chinese phone manufacturers to put their search
engine banner on the front page of each Chinese made "clone phone" now
powered by the legal Android OS.
Stephen Jobs filed a patent for GEO based cellphone advertising.
Google released the tablet version of Android.
Nokia aligns with MS Mobile V7.0
FCC announces Cellphone Carriers up the creek.
Microsoft Grabs Skype 
Google offers portable thin client for $5 bucks a week with Google Docs
to students (In the Cloud !!!)

(Sort of like Cwealth Bank money boxes to primary schoolers....)
Except...

All your bases belong us... [Evil laugh] Goodbye Facebook...

I think that's a slam dunk en passant   !

Quote/ [From:
http://blogs.forbes.com/quentinhardy/2011/05/10/google-to-announce-chrom
e-laptops-20month/]
Google To Announce Chrome Laptops-$20/Month

May. 10 2011 - 9:12 pm 
By QUENTIN HARDY
Image representing Google Apps as depicted in ...
<http://www.crunchbase.com/product/google-apps> 

Google tomorrow will announce sales of the new Chrome laptop in a $20 a
month "student package"  that combines both hardware and online
services, according to a senior Google executive.
The product is almost certainly a precursor to an enterprise offering.
Google Apps, an online product with features similar to Microsoft Office
(word processing, spreadsheets, calendars, and other productivity
software) is sold to business for $50 a year. An inexpensive Chrome
laptop could be added to that for a small premium, somewhat the way
mobile phones are sold below cost when tied to calling plans.
Having students try out the product - at a price cheaper than buying a
laptop for school - amounts to a shakedown cruise for the eventual
product. If successful, it also seeds the market for future demand, as
students move into the workforce with expectations of working in
cloud-based systems.

"Small and medium-sized businesses are banging on our doors to get
something like this," the executive said.

The browser-based office productivity system may also promise businesses
more control over what employees do online. Google offers ways companies
can set where employees go, and how they can access internal data.

The greatest difficulty with Google Apps for now may be the ability to
work offline, when temporarily disconnected from the Web. Google
executives involved with the program said the company is very close to
solving that problem, however.
/Quote


[1] Android Growth  
http://gs.statcounter.com/#mobile_os-ww-monthly-200812-201105
[2] Cell Phone A/c's in India
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/28/technology/28internet.html?_r=1