Google's Gamble

It seems that just about everything Google touches turns to gold .. but this time, it's venturing into unfamiliar territory.

Today, Google confirmed what a lot of people thought it would do: bid on a chunk of the wireless spectrum. That means Google will bid severl billion dollars to try and get a piece of the airspace we use on our cell phones.

Significant? Possibly, given that Google is so good with ads, that it might offer part of the spectrum to us consumers for free. That would be a major game-changer, given how much we all pay for cell service right now.

It's still a mystery where all this is leading, both for us, and for Google. But if the company is willing to spend that much money on something .. it's worth following.

Cyber Terror Alert

No, don't worry, your computer is not spying on you .. probably.
But Silicon Valley computer security company McAfee (MFE) says the biggest concern it has looking to 2008 is not phishing or viruses, but high-tech spying.

They call cyber spying the biggest security threat of '08, threatening not only your computer, but national security as a whole.

McAfee says 120 countries are using the 'net to spy on other countries, as well as for cyber attacks. Given the amount of business done on computers these days, this could turn out to be a big problem.

We'll address some of the solutions tonight at 6pm.

Web 2.0 Here To Stay

On a day where most of the business headlines are going to the Arab investment made in America's largest bank (Citigroup), we've got something much more local, that will affect a lot of people in the Bay Area.

Today, ICTV makes San Jose its new home. This is a web video company that says it's about to double its staff, and it will do so here in the Silicon Valley. It could certainly go elsewhere and save money, but it wants to be where the action is. Given that this is a company that will likely get VC funding, grow, and eventually go public, it's a good thing for the Bay Area that it wants to do it here.

Not to say money didn't come into the picture. San Jose is known to give technology companies incentives to come to town. It did it for Adobe Systems many years ago, and that investment has paid off huge.

Can ICTV give a similar return? Only time will tell, but it's a good start to keep companies like that here.

raider.nation

The Oakland Raiders may be struggling on the field (and Oakland natives like myself are struggling along with them...), but they're ahead of the curve in at least one area: the web.

The Raiders, along with a Silicon Valley company called Gydget, are trying to spread their web domain by putting together a widget. If you use Google a lot, or are a fan of the Apple operating system, you know about widgets. They're the little web applications you can put pretty much anywhere that let you check weather, stocks, a favorite musician, you name it.

The Raiders have a widget, and they're trying to spread it around. It's showing up on Myspace pages, on business websites, anywhere Raider fans want to spread the word. Click it, and you'll get scheduling, player, and other information.

Could this be the start of a trend to get people to learn about (and shop for) their favorite teams? We'll see. For now, the Raider Nation is spreading .. through cyberspace.

In "Crysis" Mode

It's violent, yes, but if you're a big-time gamer, you'll want to check out "Crysis" in your weekend spare time. This is a game with amazing graphics, world-class sound, and a Silicon Valley gaming pedigree.

It's a PC game, so the graphic card is likely to be from Nvidia, which provides the hardware for the title, developed by Electronic Arts. Not a bad one-two punch for a video game.

In the brief time we had to play it, Crysis looks like the kind of game you could get completely lost in. Lots of different ways to maneuver, lots of possible scenarios, and as you might imagine, lots of ways to shoot and be shot at.

If you don't mind the violence (and there is a lot), give it a try. The graphics alone will blow you away.

Google's Got Class

Talk about recruiting .. Google recentle sent an executive into a high school classroom, to guest-lecture the students on the benefits of web 2.0.

A genius strategy, if you ask me. Why not start putting feelers out when students are in high school? .. after all, they probably use Google, and have heard of it; this way, they might start thinking about Google (or another web-related company) as a career choice.

By showing off Google earth, among other software program's Google's Chikai Ohazama is spreading the gospel of his company .. while hinting about its future.

And he's doing it in front of the people who will, in the years to come, become the creators, and consumers, of that future.

Snapping Back?

After days of investor angst, the markets are giving us several reasons to breath a sigh of relief .. at least for today:

Bank of America admits to a 3 billion dollar writedown .. and the stock goes up, despite the bad news. Yahoo settling a lawsuit with two jailed Chinese journalists. Even E-Trade is getting a little boost today - and boy, could that company use a lot of boosting these days.

It's probably way too early to get too excited .. this could just be a quick snap-back after all the bad news we've had lately. It is nice, though, to pause the market's tumbling. We'll keep you posted as to where we go from here ..

And, tonight at 5 & 6 .. more reason for optimism .. an amazing use of technology to help you get where you're going, and show you a good time, too.

Adobe's Big Shakeup

Late-breaking news from the tech industry today .. Adobe Systems, one of the world's largest software makers, says its CEO, Bruce Chizen, will step down .. replaced by the company's Chief Operating Officer, Shantanu Narayen.

Adobe, I'm reasonable sure, will continue smoothly. The company has a huge built-in base of customers, both business and home users, so it will do fine selling lots of Photoshop and that sort of thing.

The surprise is .. why Chizen is stepping down? Citing personal reasons, the company did not give details yet. This might actually be a case where "personal reasons" is the real reason, because Adobe seems to be completely clean under Chizen, and its performance lately has been abotu as strong and steady as you could ever expect from a tech company.

Also, on a personal note, Chizen was easy to interview, and he often made himself available to us, which is appreciated.

We'll know more about why in the near future .. for now, best of luck to Chizen, and Adobe shareholders who have to cope with a little uncertainty in the next day or two.

The Tech Trends

Two things I notice this morning .. One, tech stocks are getting mauled.

There's a reason for that: On his conference call, CEO John Chambers, while reporting otherwise strong quarterly earnings, said that some of the financial companies are struggling enough so that they're using less high-tech networking equipment. That not only sent investors running for the exits to sell their Cisco stock, it started a panic in the tech sector .. it means the mortgage mess is hitting beyong real estate and banking. It's starting to affect tech companies.
And tech stocks are reflecting that concern.

Secondly, solar is really really hot. These stocks are flying today, as they have been for awhile .. largely, I imagine, because the price of oil is moving so high so quickly.

This also makes sense. Not only are solar companies (First Solar, SunPower, etc) performing well for the time being, but the future for these companies looks (sorry about this) bright. The more oil costs, the more people are likely to turn to solar as an alternative.

Yahoo's Big Trouble in China

As I write this, Yahoo executives (including co-founder and CEO Jerry Yang) are being grilled in front of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, because of the company's role in the jailing of a Chinese journalist.

This has to be one of the worst trips to our Nation's Capitol ever taken by a Silicon Valley company. Yahoo is accused of lying about what transpired when Yahoo turned information about the journalist over to the Chinese government. The man, Shi Tao, was sent to jail for 10 years. Among those at the hearing this morning is Shi's mother.

Did Yahoo lie? Is the company being made a scapegoat for American companies (of which there are a lot) doing business in China, which (even in the face of upcoming Olympics) still has questionable human rights policies?

It will be interesting to see if any change, whether on the part of American business, or China itself, comes from these hearings. It can't really be a coincidence (can it?) that just today Alibaba, a Chinese internet company partly owned by Yahoo, went public on the Hong Kong stock exchange .. and was a walloping success among investors. It seems money talks after all.

"G" Update

I guess we've known for a while that's we're just living in Google's world, but today's news, and the fanfare that followed, probably proves it.

Google says it will put software on cell phones that will let you search the internet.

OK, you might be saying "I already search the 'net on my cell phone, even with Google." And, you'd be right. So why all the press? And, why the huge jump in Google's already nosebleed-inducing stock price?

I'm not sure yet, but it's never been a good idea to doubt Google. This company has caused waves, and brought in profit, with much of what it has touched. Why not new software for your phone? Can't wait to see what the software looks like, and how it works.

The Green Governor

He says he'll keep the smoke tent .. but he'll also keep the pressure on Silicon Valley CEOs to help the environment.

Governor Schwarzenegger came to San Jose today .. talking up green initiatives that have helped local companies like SunPower grow its stock price by 400% this year. Schwarzenegger says we're making a good start, but the environment needs more help.

If that's not enough incentive for Venture Capitalists to look closely at "green" companies .. look at the bottom line: you can't argue with growing revenue and rising stock prices. Helping the environment, for technology companies, has turned into a way to go green, and make green, at the same time.