CBS MarketWatch's Bambi Francisco is riffing again today on Google's need to have an instant-messaging service to increase its stickiness. It's a credible idea but it just scratches the surface in terms of Google's shopping list. My take is Google also needs to seriously think about expanding into the RSS search engine (Technorati) and VOIP (Skype?) markets. That said, there is no way Google or anyone else for that matter is going to pay $3 billion for Skype. That's just silly speculation by Robert Cringely, who should know better. If Google wants to go from being a very lucrative one-trick pony, it needs to get serious about diversification. Say what you want but Google Maps, Froogle, Gmail and Okrut are interesting intellectual exercises for the company's developers - not home run business hits. Google has the cash and cache to make a big, bold move. Skype would cost its some cash but it would not only be a key strategic move but prevent rivals (News Corp., Comcast, Yahoo, Microsoft?) from going after it.

The controversy over whether or not Robert Scoble confessed there were problems with the IE7 beta has prompted venture capitalist Rick Segal to send an e-mail to The Register, which employs Scoble nemesis/accuser Andrew Orlowski. Segal is asking for The Register to examine the legitimacy of an e-mail Orlowski allegedly received from Scoble. Scoble, however, contends the e-mail is a forgery, which is a legitimate claim given how easy it can be to spoof e-mail addresses. Segal wants The Register to do the right thing and determine if Scoble's claim is true. If Scoble is right, then The Register has to retract and/or amend Orlowski's stories to reflect that a key piece of information was, in fact, fiction rather than fact. "Under the UK's Code of Practice, it would appear that some further work on your part is warranted," Segal wrote in a letter to The Register. "I'd like to request that the The Register look into this e-mail story further and attempt to validate the email in question or at least provide readers with Scoble's denial." If anything, this is a fascinating issue on several fronts. It puts the legitimacy of e-mail from "sources" into the spotlight; it focuses attention on the pissing match between Orlowski and Scoble, and how the blogosphere encourages/permits/facilitates these kind exchanges, and whether they should be seen as positive or negative; and its puts the ball into The Register's court to investigate this issue.
For another take on the controversy, check out Thomas Hawk and Technovia.

Can anyone explain what's happening in the suddenly-hot PC market? IDC Canada reports Q2 sales north of the border jumped 20.5% while breaking the 1M unit mark for the first time in what is usually a slow sales period. Laptops are particularly hot as consumers become comfortable with their ability to provide performance and wireless Internet access. Of course, low prices are a key factor when you can buy a new PC for less than $500 and a laptop for less than $1K. It's almost got to the point where PCs are a short-term (two or three year) investment. Of course, this also means making PCs is a high-volume, low-margin business - not a new trend, mind you - unless you're Calgary-based Voodoo Computers and selling high-end, ultra-powerful PCs and laptops to the gamer and digital content communities. PCs makers must be feeling their oats again if MDG's decision to get NBA MVP Steve Nash to appear in radio, TV and print ads is any indication.