Google TV and the Google Era

Google is preparing its Google TV service. The World in the Google Era.

Probably you’ve already heard about the Google TV. Although all the companies involved are very secretive about this new service/product, The New York Times has published yesterday an article about this, followed, of course, by many others copying the topic and sharing their own opinions. In a nutshell, Google and Intel have teamed with Sony and have contracted Logitech for this new technology.  Logitech will design a keyboard-remote control for the new Google child.

So what does Google TV do? To cite the source, rather than rewrite it with my own words:

The partners envision technology that will make it as easy for TV users to navigate Web applications, like theTwitter social network and the Picasa photo site, as it is to change the channel.

A very important aspect, technology wise, is that the platform adopted for Google TV is the open Android. This will make the TV box accessible for developers to write their own application for, unlike the product from the Google’s more and more direct competitor, the Apple TV. (mrrr…)

But enough about this Google TV thing. There are many technical or visionary discussions on the internet. Others are making a comprehensible comparision between Google and Apple. I am sure you can find all this by yourself, using Google, of course…

What I want to question here is: Where will Google stop? and Will it, eventually, stop? How will the Google Era look like?

I want to start saying that I love Google products. Almost all of them. And I am using many of them myself. But even more because I love them, what is happening is frightening. Imagine this: you just bought an inexpensive netbook, coming preinstalled with Google Chrome OS. You don’t have to install or import anything for this to feel like your computer, because all your data and profile is in the cloud. So, you just open the Chrome Browser and login to your private Gmail account. You see some Youtube videos, get a Buzz, you click some Google ad for a wanted product, you use Google Checkout to buy it. Next you want to see what’s up with your company, so you log in to your work Google Apps account, bla bla bla…, use a lot of Google Docs.. bla bla bla.. . You spend money with Google, you earn money with Google (AdSense, and now… Google Affiliate Network!). I didn’t cover all the applications, all I want to point is : there are so different areas and markets! But there is more: you get a call on your Android mobile, you develop your own applications with the App Engine… And now: you close the computer and go to the living room, and you open the Google TV. What’s next: you use your GCard to lock your home, go into your GCar and drive to the closest GFood (or McG)? Abroad you travel with GAirlines and register to one of the many GHotels in the area? But why travel, when you’ll have so many Google virtualization technologies? Welcome the Google Era.

What scares me is that in the past one company had to have a long history in that specific field to be an authority. You want to shave, you must at least consider Gillette, you want to buy some cheap generic thing, you may go to Wal-Mart, you want to read some news, The New York Times would be a good choice… you get the idea. A newcomer would have a hard time to compete with that brands, so everyone specialized in its domain and there were different companies for different products. You would not get a razor branded The New York Times.  Now, because Google controls the search – slash – the content – slash – the ads – slash the digital life, it goes in all kind of areas, put its mark in just a glimpse and want to control it all. This will be what I call the Google Era.

I am not going into the privacy/Big Brother polemic, I just want to expose the monopolization and to defend the diversity. I don’t even think that Google TV will be a bad technology.