Google has decided to get into the browser business. Meet the Google Chrome browser. They will release the browser in beta, refining it as they go just like Gmail. Google’s plan is to simplify the interface while simultaneously improving it’s inner workings. Will it eventually take on IE, Firefox and Opera? It says Google doesn’t it?

It should be released by Wednesday, if you can believe the rumors and should be available on Windows only, while Mac and Linux versions will be available later. Some of the features include: A UI that places the tabs above the address bar, Incognito mode, which allows users to browse the web in privacy, without recording any your activity, and a new JavaScript engine for speed.

AOL launched this morning a Flash-based Web version of its instant messaging AIM service. It is called AIM Express and you need not install any software to make it run.

AIM Express includes as features tabbed IM conversations, status message indicator, text messages to cell phones, rollovers of friend names to see status and compatibility with most popular browsers. The company also unveiled AIM for Windows Mobile, offering functions for phones like the Motorola Q, Samsung BlackJack and many Palm Treos such as status messages, buddy icons and text messaging. It works with devices using …

We all know from Sci-Fi movies that phones will be strapped to your wrist, and you will learn to like it! The Epoq EGP-WP98B runs Windows Mobile 5.0 and has a 1.4 inch OLED touch screen display with a quad-band GSM radio with GPRS. It includes support for WMV, AVI, 3GP, MP4 and MP3 media files with full screen playback and the 128MB of internal memory can be expanded with a trans-flash memory card.

You also get a WAP and web browser. If paying GPRS fees doesn’t sit well with you, it even has wifi b & g. Other software included will give you calendar functions, voice recorder, e-book reader, handwriting input, MMS, calculator, memo and a world clock. The Epoq EGP-WP98B has 100-180 minutes of talk time per charge, with 80-100 hours of standby. No details on pricing or availability.

IoGear is out today with a new piece of computer hardware which lets on the go workers “access their home or office computers from across the globe, as if they were working on the machine directly.” It is called the PCPortal and pricing is at around $500.

The IoGear PCPortal is completely hardware based, reportedly only requiring an Internet connection, Web browser and your router’s current IP address. With this device you can, for example, do remote file transfers or troubleshoot a remote machine if it is not operating correctly. This device allows for access to multiple machines when connected through a USB KVM switch.

With the buzz of the possible Microsoft takeover of Yahoo still fresh in the air, Google wasted no time in jumping in to say the deal could possibly create a monopoly which threatens “the underlying principles of the Internet: openness and innovation.” This, from Google’s chief legal counsel, prompted a quick response back from Microsoft’s chief legal counsel saying the merger will “create a more competitive marketplace by establishing a compelling number two competitor for Internet search and online advertising.”

Google’s David Drummond, Senior Vice President, Corporate Development and Chief Legal Officer, had this to say on Sunday - “The openness of the Internet is what made Google — and Yahoo! — possible. A good idea that users find useful spreads quickly. Businesses can be created around the idea. Users benefit from constant innovation. It’s what makes the Internet such an exciting place.

The ultimate glamorous feature phone is now available in the U.S. Motorola, Inc. announced today that MOTORAZR2 V8 Luxury Edition is available in the U.S. exclusively through MOTO STORE. It features the signature MOTORAZR2 form factor with gold-plated accents on medallions, navigation key and hinge and it’s embossed in a snakeskin-like texture. It’s available unlocked for GSM networks.

Without even opening the flip, users can read and respond to texts on the large external display, which also boasts touch-sensitive music controls, picture caller ID and self-portrait camera display. Motorola’s CrystalTalk technology helps insure clear calls by automatically accounting for background noise and adjusting the audio accordingly. Travellers will appreciate the device’s quad-band technology to stay connected while traveling the globe.

Opera Software has filed a legal complaint to the European Commission against Microsoft over the companies web browser and how it is packaged with the operating system. As you may or may not have noticed, the Internet Explorer browser that comes with the Windows operating system has become part of the OS, and can’t really be removed or uninstalled. Because of this Opera Software is complaining that the tie Microsoft has between the OS and its IE browser is illegal since it does not give competing browsers a chance on the highly dominate Windows OS. Opera is also saying that Microsoft is hindering interoperability by not following the commonly accepted web standards.

Opera is asking that Microsoft be forced to “unbundle” their web browser and operating system allowing other browsers, such as Opera’s, to be able to compete more fairly. They are also asking that Microsoft adhere to common Web standards so that developers creating hosted applications and web sites do not allow or need specific code written for viewing on Internet Explorer compared to other browsers.

If you’ve taken the time to connect your Nintendo Wii to your in-home wireless network you’ll want to check out the new firmware upgrade available for the console. The new version 3.1 can be automatically installed by going to your system settings and selecting the option to upgrade, and in our case it wouldn’t let us use the Shop Channel again until we did.

The firmware upgrade brings support for a USB keyboard to connect to your game console to make surfing the web and entering information a lot, lot easier. Prior to this update it was necessary to use the Wii Remote to navigate a pointer around the screen and select letters from a large keyboard anytime you wanted to type in a URL or fill out any information (including signing up and buying things from the Shop Channel). It was very cumbersome and the new ability to connect a keyboard to one of the two USB ports on the back of the console is a much welcomed feature.

Mozilla has decided to get down to business about developing a mobile browser and have recently hired two developers experienced in mobile Linux-based applications to start building a mobile version of the Firefox browser. The company didn’t give any dates on when they thought the new browser would be available and it might be a little early to know what types of phones it would be able to run on, but they did let us know it wouldn’t be this year.

We would love to see something in the way of mobile from Firefox soon and hopefully sometime next year. The longer Mozilla takes the stiffer the competition will become and already the company will have challenges getting into mobile devices with Microsoft and Apple. Both of these companies run their own browser on their respective platforms which integrate nicely, but that certainly hasn’t stopped Firefox from swaying a chunk of users already with desktop browsers. Here at the ‘Brick we currently see over 38% of our readers using a Firefox browser and that percentage continues to rise. Opera Software will be another tough competitor having had a mobile browser in the market for a number of years already, but Mozilla feels there is till room for another and possibly better option.

Opera has released the Opera 4 Mini Beta browser for non-smartphones to be able to surf the internet seeing pages how they are and not distorted or requiring special “mobile” web pages. Users can download the browser now for free and follow the instructions on your phone to get it installed. There is also an Opera Mini 4 Beta for Palm and Blackberry devices that require a manual installation.

The Opera Mini 4 works by gathering pages through the Opera servers and “shrinking” them down to be viewed in full with their original …

Sony Ericsson got the mobile phone community buzzing yesterday by announcing two new Walkman phones in its family lineup. After listening to what the company had to say about what these two kids can do, we too felt that same buzz in our bones.

The W910i is a HSDPA Walkman phone that’s being targeted for gameheads, webheads music aficionados that like to get interactive with their hardware. The two main new features are SensMe, which allows you to pick tracks by tempo or rhythm instead of by artist or album, letting you get your groove …

Opera Software and Nintendo have finally launched the full version of the Opera web browser for the Internet Channel of the Wii game console. The download is free, but not for long.

This web browser allows Wii owners to browse the internet through the console on their television, provided the console is connected to the internet, of course. Some new features of the full version of the Opera browser revolve around usability with zoom and scrolling functions that were not present in the trial …

Microsoft has recently announced the release of Deepfish, a web browser for mobile devices that’s still in its early stages. The new browser for smart devices promises to make the experience of browsing web pages closer to that of viewing the pages on a standard desktop browser.

For the most part, browsing the internet on a “smartphone” is cumbersome at best. There are a number of sites that have been developed with scaled down pages targeting mobile devices, but for the vast majority of web sites (including SlipperyBrick) you will need to …

Leonardo da Vinci was one of the most prolific polymaths who ever lived. A true Renaissance man, his interests allowed him to succeed as a scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, painter, sculptor, architect, musician, and writer. Leonardo’s studies were recorded in notebooks that were maintained daily throughout his life as he made continual observations of the world around him. Leonardo’s notebooks encompass over 13,000 pages of notes and drawings.

You now have access to page through the notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci thanks to a joint effort between Microsoft and the …

The problem I have with email and instant messaging is that people can easily misinterpret my message differently from the way I had intended. It can be hard to show your true emotions - anger, humor, and especially sarcasm without the benefit of facial expressions, gestures, or voice inflection.

Eyejot is a web-based, client-free video messaging platform that will help you get your point across much more effectively than email. Using your webcam, you can create a video message and send it via email. Through a video, your friends, family and business contacts are …