GOOGLE: THE NEXT MICROSOFT? NOOOO!

USA Today's Kevin Maney has an article on Google's march towards the "darkside." As with much of mainstream media, he's a bit late on this idea, but it's a decent read:

...On top of that, Google last week also came out with Google Desktop 2, which can sit on your PC screen like a control panel, searching files on your hard drive and working as a launch point for playing music, navigating the Web or most anything else you do on your PC. Until recently, most of those functions had been Microsoft's territory.

But wait — there's more! Google Maps and Google Earth are crashing the whole mapping and navigation party. Launched in early 2005, Google Maps is quickly gaining on leaders Yahoo Maps and MapQuest, according to Web research firm Hitwise.

Plus, Google has Gmail, Blogger and Picasa photo sharing. It invested in Current Communications, which makes technology that lets electrical wires carry Internet communications. And now, Google is selling shares to raise $4 billion so it has the cash to do even more stuff, setting off yet more speculation.

Around the world, people are trying to read the Google tea leaves. Search for Google on Google News, and you'll find headlines from the U.K., South Africa and Australia.

In Pakistan, English-language Kashar News concludes a story by saying, "Google Talk may be just another step toward world domination by Google." (full article)