David Pogue: What's Google Up To?

David Pogue at the New York Times wonders: "In today's culture of cynicism, such generosity and software excellence seems highly suspicious; surely it's all a smokescreen for a darker, larger plot to suck us all in. What, exactly, is Google up to?"

"In a single week, then, Google, the software company, addressed deficiencies in Windows, tried to create a grand unified chat and voice network, and opened its clean, capable, capacious e-mail system to all comers," he writes. "All of this software is beautifully done, quick to download and fun to use - not to mention free and (apart from the Gmail service) entirely free of ads and come-ons."

"Wish they'd cut it out," he says. "Trying to figure out what this company's really up to is enough to drive you crazy."

Gee, maybe they are a really great company with a revolutionary view of how to do business. And they certainly are giving Microsoft, and everyone else, a run for the money. I know it's really hard for money people to believe that there really could be a new way to do business. But Pogue is far from traditional. Maybe he's just joking around. He does that. :>)

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