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San Jose Mercury News, Calif., 60-Second Business Break

Posted on: Monday, 10 October 2005, 21:00 CDT

By Frank Russell, San Jose Mercury News, Calif.

Oct. 9--Here's a quick rundown of news you may have missed last week, culled from reports by our staff and wire services.

MONDAY: We'd like to declare this week's column a Google-free zone. Then again, we'd also like a free lifetime supply of double-tall soy lattes. Neither is going to happen.

Beginning last week's Google news cavalcade, the Mountain View Internet goliath was one of 24 bidders to provide free or inexpensive wireless Internet service throughout San Francisco, our beautiful neighbor to the north announced.

Sun Microsystems, meanwhile, announced it would be announcing a collaboration with Google the next day. The mere hint of a deal with Google pushed struggling Sun's stock up 6.6 percent.

Analysts speculated that the companies' chief executives would reveal that Google would be purchasing Sun's new Galaxy servers. The analysts were wrong.

TUESDAY: As it turned out, Sun CEO Scott McNealy and Google CEO Eric Schmidt joined to announce a software collaboration.

Details were vague, but apparently the alliance might involve using Sun's Java software and improving the open-source Open- Office word-processor and spreadsheet programs to finally crush Microsoft.

In the meantime, though, Google's toolbar will be offered to people who download Sun's Java desktop software. Interesting, yes, but did we need two busy chief executives to tell us?

WEDNESDAY: In more Google news, the company has combined its online maps and local search services and taking them out of "beta," or test mode. You can take service for a spin at http://maps.google.com.

For example, a search for "coffee near 750 Ridder Park Drive San Jose CA" reveals several java merchants (the beverage, not the software) within a quick drive of the Mercury News.

THURSDAY: For another perspective on the giant Mountain View Internet company, we turn to Yahoo CEO Terry Semel, who was speaking at the Web 2.0 conference, another event held in our beautiful neighbor to the north.

According to an Associated Press report, Semel belittled Google's efforts to expand beyond its search engine as an effort to catch up with -- well, Yahoo. "So far they don't seem to have a plan, but maybe they do," Semel said. "Maybe magic will happen tomorrow."

And in more Google news, the company has hired Alan Davidson to lead its lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C.

FRIDAY: Hurricane Katrina broke the economy's two-year streak of job growth, pushing the unemployment rate to 5.1 percent in September, according to a report from the Labor Department. The rate had hit a four-year low of 4.9 percent in August.

The nation lost 35,000 payroll jobs in September, the biggest decline since April 2003. But the results were better than some analysts -- who had predicted job losses of about 150,000 -- had expected.

"This indicates that the job market is holding together pretty well," Mark Zandi, chief economist at Economy.com, told the Associated Press.

And, apparently, at least according to the company's jobs page, there are hundreds of openings at Google.

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To see more of the San Jose Mercury News, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.mercurynews.com.

Copyright (c) 2005, San Jose Mercury News, Calif.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.

GOOG,

Source: San Jose Mercury News

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