Antony’s Personal Opinion

I’ve just downloaded Google Talk, the newest instant messaging software from Google that supports text messaging and VoIP. Many newspaper and e-news are discussing this new IM software. After trying this software for two days, I am a little bit disappointed. It is just another IM software without any added values.

I am using four IM software right now, i.e.:

• MSN Messenger (my favorite one)
• Yahoo Messenger (sometimes using it because some of my friends still have only YM)
• ICQ (rarely using it, but it was my favorite IM long time ago)
• Skype (using it mostly for calling to ordinary phone or mobile phone)

All of them are supporting text messaging and VoIP too. So why should we use Google Talk? In fact, I am missing a lot of features in Google Talk, like file transfer, white board, webcam, online games and most importantly animated funky cute emoticons. Another problem, I have only a few friends who have GMail account. It means I have to invite as many people as possible to join GMail (are they willing to join GMail?)
The only interesting things about Google Talk are

• It is from Google (so what?)
• Advertisement free
• Supports the open IM standard, Jabber.

I would imagine if Google Talk is not released by Google, it won’t be so popular. It’s just because it is from Google, then everyone is talking about it… Let’s wait for the final version of Google Talk; they might add some more cool features.

I got two heart attacks in about 1 week. Firstly, when last Monday, Nokia’s CEO, Jorma Ollila, has decided to left the company and joined the second largest oil company in Europe. Secondly, this morning I read news that Cisco is targeting to eat Nokia. What the hell is this? The largest network equipment manufacturer is going to buy the biggest mobile phone manufacturer???

I am just wondering whether Jorma’s decision to leave Nokia has relationship with Cisco’s move. I really don’t know what will happen next with the company that I’ve been working for three years. I hope not something bad, for instance big lay off, just like what have happened to the mergers of HP-Compaq and Oracle-PeopleSoft.

Apart from that, seeing mega-mergers between European and American companies would be very interesting. I myself don’t agree with this merger. At least both companies have different core businesses and cultures. Unfortunately I am not Nokia’s shareholder, so I cannot say anything.

Once again, I am amazed with what Google has been doing. I’ve just downloaded their newest tool, Google Earth, about two weeks ago. After playing with Google Earth for a couple of hours, my impression was just “Wow! That’s damn cool…”

If you haven’t tried Google Earth yet, then you have to see it yourself before you believe. It’s much cooler than Google Maps or Microsoft Virtual Earth. You can see our lovely earth from the satellite’s view, complete with impressive globe animation, just like what we always see in Hollywood movies when FBI is chasing the most wanted person in this planet. Unfortunately, you can see detail views of areas in North America only. There are though some parts of Europe, for example you can see Eiffel Tower or Notredame in Paris. I hope that Google will expand it to all other parts of the world, including my home city at 7.28′ S, 110.12′ E.

What’s next? Since I am working for a mobile phone company, my feeling says that this kind of technology will come to our mobile phones soon. Later we can combine this technology with GPS…. and…. we can see ourselves from the satellite’s view. Furthermore, we can track people more easily, for example tracking terrorists (we’ve heard that police has caught London bomber with the help of mobile phone technology).

Anyway, I really admire Google… they have a lot of ideas and innovations….