I love Google, I must confess it. I know nothing is perfect, and while I must admit Google has its weak spots, and that I am not crazy at all about the Google Pack or Google Video, I still have a lot of interest on any new software product arriving from the Internet search giant's labs. Google Chrome is the last software tool from Google, and what could be better than a Web browser from the company currently pushing the Web into the direction it sees fit?

Why another Web browser? Good question, and if you check the last link above, you'll also get your answer, but since not everyone is crazy about comic books(great job, Google, I love the comics about Chrome!), let me tell you just the most important part: no memory hogs, each tab to run independently, and if something crashes, you only lose one tab, and not the entire pages open in the browser! How's that?

Today, Chrome's Beta version will be released in 100 countries, and the answer to the question above, but straight from Google's Sundar Pichai, vice president of product management, <-125x125 Button - right->and Linus Upson, engineering director, looks like this - "Why are we launching Google Chrome? Because we believe we can add value for users and, at the same time, help drive innovation on the web."

The 38 pages comic I mentioned a bit earlier is really worth checking out, believe me! On the technical side, it is worth being mentioned that Google Chrome will use the WebKit engine, combine with Google's Gears, as well as a new JavaScript virtual machine called "V8" (probably the improved version will be "V8 turbo," hahaha!), and the entire project will be, just as OpenSocial and Android, open source. Even more, it seems Chrome also uses code from Mozilla - "We've used components from Apple's WebKit and Mozilla's Firefox, among others -- and in that spirit, we are making all of our code open source as well. We hope to collaborate with the entire community to help drive the web forward."

Although this will only be an early Beta version, I hardly wait to get my hands on it! If it proves to be good enough for an early Beta, you may even be able to read its review here in a few days!

Are you downloading something as we speak? Are you sure all the files on your computer are "clean" from the legal point of view? Believe me - the more media content you have on your computer (excluding family photos and your dirty college video footage, of course), the less chances for everything to be all right exist. Anyway, don't worry too much, just be sure not to share the content of your hard drive, because there are some people just waiting to get their hands on you and squeeze some money...

...and, unfortunately for Jeffrey Howell, sharing "Waiting For A Girl Like You," "Money For Nothing," and "Sweet Child O' Mine" on P2P networks ended up being extremely expensive. I am really sorry for the guy, but I guess he missed reading about downloading music ilegally, or about staying on the safe side with Limewire. Well, too bad for him, I must say.<-180x150 Small Rectangle - right->

Now, RIAA can celebrate another so-called "victory against illegal sharing," since Jeffrey got a $40,850 fine, and this happened mainly because he destroyed the evidence of his computer activity, after being ordered to preserve it. He did things right, formatting his hard drive and using a file-wiping software, but that's exactly what is completely useless, once you have been caught.

Apart from being ordered to pay the amount I just mentioned, and $350 court costs, Jeffrey was ordered to stop infringing copyrights, "including without limitation by using the Internet or any online media distribution system to reproduce (i.e., download) any of Plaintiffs' Recordings, or to distribute (i.e., upload) any of Plaintiffs' Recordings."

Wait, there's even more to this! As a precaution, our guy also has to "destroy all copies of those downloaded recordings transferred onto any physical medium or device in Defendant's possession, custody, or control."

I think destroying entirely his computer, cancelling the Internet subscription and go buy a ranch, grow some cattle, would be easier. Probably that's what RIAA has in mind for all of us...even though when we're only listening to our friends' CDs while drinking a beer, and not sharing a single bit of illegal information.

Latest news about Microsoft? Well, it's "hasta la vista" for Vista, as it seems from signals you can see everywhere, or simply by talking to at least 4-5 Vista users. Internet Explorer 8 and a bunch of other interesting products are on the way, but nobody knows when they'll drop by, and since I am not really into dealing with Microsoft shares, I think this is exactly what we should be talking about next - latest news about Microsoft products!

Since I mentioned Internet Explorer 8, you should know the Beta 2 is already available for the masses. Finally, anyone can play with this cutie, as long as they have the guts to try Beta releases(from Microsoft!). The official IE8 download page is here, so get in and give it a spin. I don't have the courage to do it just yet, but it seems Microsoft is getting closer to the truth, from what I've heard...

According to Steven Sinofsky, "performance and compatibility will be a big focus for Windows 7." Of course, they were always targeted by Microsoft, but they escaped almost every time. Let's hope they'll get'em this time!<-180x150 Small Rectangle - right->

New WGA update! If this sounds like something new to you, then let me put things as simple as possible: new update, apply it, then Windows XP starts screaming that your version is a pirated one...that only happening if it really is that way, of course! Even more, they claim this new update aligns XP's WGA with the one in Vista SP1, whatever that means.

Windows Live Wave 3 is already available to Butterfly testers, with more expected to be invited this week. In the meantime, various builds of the Windows Live Messenger 9.0 are floating around, but I have to ask - who is still using that thing???

According to some details regarding the next version of Windows Live Hotmail, there are a lot of speed improvements coming up. Since nothing official was heard yet, I rest my case here and conclude that the latest news about Microsoft show they really need some inspiration...

Yahoo, and Mash, two things that seem to have nothing in common, since if you simply hear about them, you'll instantly think about the MASH TV series - at least that what I just did...but the reality is quite different, since Yahoo! Mash is a social network service released in early September, 2007. What's so special about it? We'll see that right away, but now let me say just this - Yahoo got Mash'ed this time!

Smashed, mash'ed, crushed, call it as you wish, because Yahoo! tried to compete with other social networking sites by offering "mashups" of existing online services packed inside a single user interface. While the idea doesn't sound bad at all, it seems their try failed, since they just announced all its Mash subscribers they only have one month left until their world is going to be pounded into dust.<-125x125 Button - right-> Sad, but true. That's life, what else can I say?

Oh, yeah - one of the answers to the questions regarding the mystery surrounding Yahoo! Mash is that this social network was in a private beta stage since its release until now, so most Internet users didn't have any chance to check it out. Unfortunately, now all comes to an end, as I said. Why?

Yahoo needs to concentrate on areas that are really working, and it seems Mash was simply a victim of redirecting vital resources from projects that "could" work to the ones that "do" work, and by that, I understand "making money," or at least "almost making money," like Flickr, for example.

I don't know why, but I think successful innovation is not something to happen with big companies like Yahoo or Microsoft. See this case, see Vista, and judge for yourselves. If you get to any conclusion, don't forget to drop your comments below, of course!

Could you believe that "We remove Vista/We install XP/We repair notebooks" was used on a sign placed in front of the A&D Computer repairs, upgrades, and custom built computer store? Even more, this proved to be one of the most successful signs in the last two years, according to the shop manager, who also added that "A lot of people didn't like using Vista, and a lot of the manufacturers forced people to go up to Vista." Anyway, this is only a drop in an ocean, as we're going to see right away...

What happens in the small town of Milford could be easily extrapolated to an entire planet, if I think well, and this is what is all about, since the A&D Computer website says the following about Vista removal: "This service is offered as a way to give customers a choice in the operating system that they want. <-336x280 Large Rectangle - right->It is primarily for systems not purchased at A&D, as all of our systems are offered with the choice of Windows XP, Vista, or without an O/S (so that the customer may install his/her own.)

Big-box stores, however, have decided to force customers up to Microsoft's latest OS, Windows Vista, whether they like it or not. Only a few, select, "business" class systems can be found with the option of XP as an operating system.

A&D Computer has decided to gives these customers the choice of sticking with the mature operating system of Windows XP. If you are a customer forced into Vista and believed that you had no choice, A&D staff can evaluate your computer to see if it is XP compatible, backup any requested files, and revert back to Windows XP from Vista. Our staff can also explain the pros and cons of going back to XP (of which cons there are very little.)"

The funny part of the entire Vista experience is that PC makers are trying to make it look like...Mac OS X! In this article, you can read about the modifications made by HP or Sony to Windows Vista, but do you know what's the funniest part of it all?

...in an email from Lauren Moynihan, a senior product manager at Microsoft, these PC makers are encouraged to build their own custom apps "on top of Windows Vista that enhances the customer experience." From here on, I think the next stop for Microsoft would be to recommend Windows users switching to Mac OS X or Linux!!!