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What we really needed was not just a browser, but also a modern platform for Web pages and applications, and that’s what we set out to build.”

– Sundar Pichai, VP Product Management, and Linus Upson, Engineering Director, Google

“With its view of the Web as a Web of applications, and its multi-process/multi-application design, Google Chrome almost seems more a Web desktop than a Web browser, doesn’t it?” Seems I wasn’t alone in asking that question yesterday, as a flurry of research notes published today suggests.

“We believe the simplicity and open-source nature of Chrome is well-suited to the mobile environment,” Lehman’s Doug Anmuth told clients this morning. “Ultimately, we believe Chrome is part of Google’s overall cloud-based computing strategy as the browser morphs to become the platform of the next generation OS.”

Ovum analyst David Mitchell was even more forthright in his assessment of Chrome as a Webtop in a browser’s clothing.

“What you are seeing is the language of the browser coming very close to that of the operating system, with services provided at the browser level rather than the OS level,” Mitchell said. “If some of the OS functionality is within the browser then there will be a demand for a more anorexic OS running underneath. It is a big step towards telling people like Microsoft that they are not so popular after all.”

Funny, isn’t it? Google (GOOG) has long been rumored to be developing a browser and an OS. Who would have thought they’d be the same thing?

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If they were to be sacked tomorrow, a staggering 88 percent of IT administrators would steal sensitive company information. This according to a new survey from Cyber-Ark, which found that IT security professionals aren’t above indulging in a bit of vindictive corporate espionage, given the right circumstances.

Or at least they’d like to give that impression.

Said Udi Mokady, co-founder and CEO of Cyber-Ark: “You can install the best security systems in the world, but if your staff do not respect the information they are entrusted with, then the information will definitely go astray–just as the findings of this survey have illustrated.”

Seems there’s a little bit of BOFH (Bastard Operator From Hell) in all system administrators …

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In the future, “heavy users” of Comcast’s broadband service may face not just a periodic slowing–sorry, deprioritizing–of their service, but a capping of that service as well. Broadband Reports brings word today that Comcast plans to implement a 250GB broadband cap come October. “The intent appears to be to go after the people who consistently download far more than the typical user, without hurting those who may have a really big month infrequently,” a source familiar with the plan told BroadBand Reports. Indeed it does. Certainly, 250GB is quite a bit higher than the 5-40 GB caps being considered by some other providers. Still, it’s not exactly the “unlimited” service Comcast has sometimes touted in its marketing materials.

So what happens should one hit Comcast’s cap or exceed it? Comcast (CMCSA) says first-time transgressions will be addressed with an “excessive use” call from Comcast’s Customer Security Assurance group. But hit the cap twice in six months and you’ll be looking for a new ISP. “If a customer surpasses 250 GBs and is one of the top users of the service for a second time within a six-month time frame, his or her service will be subject to termination for one year,” Comcast explains in its Excessive Use FAQ. “After the one-year period expires, the customer may resume service by subscribing to a service plan appropriate to his or her needs.”

Assuming he or she is still willing to give Comcast his or her business.

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If you’re the owner of an iPhone 3G and you haven’t already updated to the iPhone 2.0.2 firmware, do so today–for your sake and that of all iPhone 3G owners.

Why?

Well, according to sources at AT&T (T), the reception problems that have plagued the device won’t be resolved until you do. iPhone’s running 2.0 or 2.0.1 firmware mistakenly demand too much power from 3G networks. And when they do this en masse, they can cause the network to refuse new requests for 3G bandwidth. That in turn causes the reception issues we’ve been hearing about since the device first arrived at market in July. And those issues will persist as long as handsets running iPhone 2.0 and 2.0.1 continue to strain the 3G networks.

That’s the story, anyway. And it does sound plausible. Although, you’ve got to wonder why this issue is specific to the iPhone. Presumably, there’s a multitude of other 3G devices out in the world requesting a 3G signal from the same networks the Apple (AAPL) iPhone is overwhelming. Why aren’t they suffering similar problems?

The Rest Of The Story at Digital Daily …

If you’re the owner of an iPhone 3G and you haven’t already updated to the iPhone 2.0.2 firmware, do so today–for your sake and that of all iPhone 3G owners.

Why?

Well, according to sources at AT&T (T), the reception problems that have plagued the device won’t be resolved until you do. iPhone’s running 2.0 or 2.0.1 firmware mistakenly demand too much power from 3G networks. And when they do this en masse, they can cause the network to refuse new requests for 3G bandwidth. That in turn causes the reception issues we’ve been hearing about since the device first arrived at market in July. And those issues will persist as long as handsets running iPhone 2.0 and 2.0.1 continue to strain the 3G networks.

That’s the story, anyway. And it does sound plausible. Although, you’ve got to wonder why this issue is specific to the iPhone. Presumably, there’s a multitude of other 3G devices out in the world requesting a 3G signal from the same networks the Apple (AAPL) iPhone is overwhelming. Why aren’t they suffering similar problems?

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Google’s Android mobile platform will become commercially available before year end, just as the company promised. But with one caveat: It will lack some of the features Google (GOOG) first intended. Seems that in order to get Android out the door in time for the holiday shopping season, the company has been forced to defeature it. Google has dropped planned APIs for Bluetooth and Google’s own GTalk instant-messaging service in Android 1.0, according to the Android Developers Blog. Seems there are issues with both APIs that need to be resolved before Google is comfortable releasing them into the wild, and the company couldn’t do that before the end of the year. “… We plain ran out of time,” said Android engineer Nick Pelly. “The Android Bluetooth API was pretty far along, but needs some cleanup before we can commit to it for the SDK. Keep in mind that putting it in the 1.0 SDK would have locked us into that API for years to come.”

Unless you simply kept it in beta for a few years like some of your other products. …

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If you’re the owner of an iPhone 3G and you haven’t already updated to the iPhone 2.0.2 firmware, do so today–for your sake and that of all iPhone 3G owners.

Why?

Well, according to sources at AT&T (T), the reception problems that have plagued the device won’t be resolved until you do. iPhone’s running 2.0 or 2.0.1 firmware mistakenly demand too much power from 3G networks. And when they do this en masse, they can cause the network to refuse new requests for 3G bandwidth. That in turn causes the reception issues we’ve been hearing about since the device first arrived at market in July. And those issues will persist as long as handsets running iPhone 2.0 and 2.0.1 continue to strain the 3G networks.

That’s the story, anyway. And it does sound plausible. Although, you’ve got to wonder why this issue is specific to the iPhone. Presumably, there’s a multitude of other 3G devices out in the world requesting a 3G signal from the same networks the Apple (AAPL) iPhone is overwhelming. Why aren’t they suffering similar problems?

The Rest Of The Story at Digital Daily …