GoogleTop

So what is Google playing at by releasing yet another browser into the wild? Another side-swipe at Microsoft perhaps? Could be, but I think there is more thinking behind this. 

Google is creating a whole load of "Google Apps" including Docs, Gmail etc but they - along with many other web apps - can be slow due to the execution of javascript and rendering. 

Creating a really fast browser helps google run faster and therefore gain better acceptance. Of course it is not the only thing that needs to happen. It also needs to be able to handle data offline and hence "Google Gears" was born. 

So what next? We have "Google Apps" running in a "Google Browser"  on ... Windows ... 

I suspect next step is for Google to release a "Google OS" (I have coined it "GoogleTop" not that I want to do the marketing for Google). 

I am not talking about Google inventing a massive "Fat-OS" like Microsoft, but rather a cut down linux varient similar to Splashtop and with Chrome preinstalled plus a few little modifications perhaps. This is not so outlandish given that Google have already ventured into this with Android albiet on a mobile device

I think it would be very tempting for Google to build in search so that if you did store any files  locally you could find them instantly (with, of course, some targeted advertising). 

Google would then be able to provide a completely web (and ad) centric as well as non-microsoft platform with all the applications provided online. 

If Microsoft's WinTel platform is primarily license driven, then the Googletop platform represents an entirely Ad Driven alternative model. Microsoft wants to keep us coded to the desktop for the license fee, whilst Google is trying everything it can to get us onto the web where it can monitise our activities through Ad's. GoogleTop would be a perfect way to do this by effectively just giving you enough software to get you onto the web via Chrome. 

Whilst doing everything online is not everyones preference, I suspect the facebook generation are much more web-centric and will be keen adopters. 

If i'm right then Google's developments all come together as part of an overal strategy to take the stack. Otherwise it would just seem to be random swipes at Microsoft and somehow I think the guys at google are smarter than that.