Mental notes to myself

Interesting article on googles non-search products and how they’re expanding their business.

Some of Google’s non-search projects are really extensions of its search monetization, and are likely to succeed. But others projects mean entering areas where Google doesn’t have much experience, and is taking a risk. With regard to those riskier areas, the key question for Google’s future is whether it can realize that losing is really one of the best assets the company has.

Read more on:
mediapost

It’s a surprising news that eBay is banning Google checkout.
Are they too scared to compete with Google.
Checkout the accepted payments list on eBay.

Payment Services permitted on eBay: Allpay.net, Bidpay, Canadian Tire Money, cash2india, CertaPay, Checkfree.com, hyperwallet,com, Moneybookers.com, Ozpay.biz, Paymate.com.au, Propay.com, XOOM

Payment Services not permitted on eBay: AlertPay.com, anypay.com, AuctionChex.com, AuctionPix.com, BillPay.ie, ecount.com, cardserviceinternational.com, CCAvenue, ecount, e-gold, eHotPay.com, ePassporte.com, EuroGiro, FastCash.com, Google Checkout, gcash, GearPay, Goldmoney.com, graphcard.com, greenzap.com, ikobo.com, Liberty Dollars, Moneygram.com, neteller.com, Netpay.com, Nochex.com, paychest.com, payingfast.com, Payko.com, paypay, Postepay, Qchex.com, rupay.com, scripophily.com, sendmoneyorder.com, stamps, Stormpay, wmtransfer.com, xcoin.com

I’ve found this interesting article on why the web2.0 applications fail (or will fail)

1. Focus on social instead of personal.
2. They solve too many problems, or try to.
3. They’re about making someone other than the user happy.
4. They sell it the wrong way.
5. Not in it for the long haul.
6. They show too much of what’s going on, and get gamed.
7. They don’t have an underlying business strategy of improving people’s lives.

nicely pointed out by Joshua Porter
Read more…

Reuters is reporting that Universal Media Disc, Sony’s PSP-only movie format, is about to kick the bucket. While the discs’ novelty factor resulted in strong sales shortly after the PSP’s May 2005 launch, interest rapidly dropped and movie companies are no longer interested in producing titles.
From the article:

Universal Studios Home Entertainment has completely stopped producing UMD movies, according to executives who asked not to be identified by name. Said one high-ranking exec: It’s awful. Sales are near zilch. It’s another Sony bomb — like Blu-ray.

It’s been a while not hearing something new about IE7.
I kind of wait for the RC stage. Until then I decided not to install it. At least without a VMWare.
Think about it, even release versions are buggy in M$ world, I can’t stand the bugs on betas too.

If you are interested here is the new “flashy” intro and download for IE7

It is reported that entertainment media groups are accepting Blu-Ray.

slashdot reports

It was about time that somebody really care about an open source flash.
I wonder how Adobe is feeling about it.

Congrats to Aral Balkan and his team.

ovell expects the cost of upgrading to Vista will encourage many companies to turn to Linux instead.

link to the article.

1 and 1 is now offering $5.99 domain names for .com , .net, .org, .us, .info and .name
also .biz and .ws at $8.99, .cc at $19.99 and .tv at $29.99 and amazingly includes free domain privacy. You can registrer your domain privately.
It also includes

It seems they are trying hard to compete with GoDaddy and Yahoo!

Here is Link: 1 and 1

I saw something very strange a few days ago.
Alexa is an Amazon company, offering stats about websites. And on their page if you’d like to search the web, the web search is powered by Google.
Also A9 an Amazon company offering websearch.
So why use Google, if they are both Amazon company. Isn’t A9 is a competition for Google (or vice versa)? Why support competition instead of your own company’s search engine?
Simply non-sense.
Maybe an AdSense revenue trick?