Google vs. Everyone Else?

From Business Week Online, "Its lips are sealed, but its moves rattle everyone from Microsoft to eBay." A look beyond the typical "Google vs. Microsoft" debate to speculate on possible Google vs. Motorola, Google vs. Verizon, and Google vs. eBay wars as well. We are all aware of the power Microsoft has had over the years when they are interested in a particular industry. They have typically froze competition in their path. Not so with Google. In fact the article refers to Google as "the 800-pound octopus that is filling potential rivals with dread and envy."

Google is already in a battle with Yahoo! and MSN in the world of search and has held the lead for quite some time. However with recent acquisitions and product announcements Google has made, Google-watchers are speculating on what their next move or moves might be. Let's look at some of the moves Google has made in recent months and the battles that could be ensuing.

Google vs. Verizon

• April - Google teams up with wireless startup Feeva Inc. to provide a Wi-Fi hot zone in San Francisco in which Google appears as the start page. It is possible this is the testing ground to even more WI-Fi hot zones in the future. "Google wants there to be more search moments," says Esme Vos, editor of the MuniWireless Weblog and a consultant to cities deploying Wi-Fi solutions. "This would make a lot of sense."
  
  
• July - Google invests in Current Communications Group LLC who offers broadband access over power lines.

Google vs. Motorola

• May - Google acquires Dodgeball, a company who developed social-networking software for mobile devices.
  
  
• July - Google acquires secretive startup Android founded by Andy Rubin. Business Week Online reports "Rubin's previous startup was Danger Inc., which developed the popular Hiptop communications device. Although little is known about Android, one person familiar with the company says its engineers at one point had been working on an operating system for mobile phones."

Google vs. Microsoft

• Google has been poaching experienced engineers in two Microsoft strongholds - browers and operating systems. The articles speculates that these hires may working on an Internet operating system that might run on top of Linux and as such, directly compete with Microsoft's Windows franchise. They have also recently hired several top developers of the Firefox browser.

Google vs. eBay

• Google has admitted that it is working on an online payment platform that would put them in direct competition with eBay's PayPal service.

It is a good possibility that Google is pondering these moves as well as many others. Because of Google's tightlipped nature however, they will just keep the tech world guessing what their next move might be.