Google's semi-secret WiFi network has established a foothold in New York City.  Someone who recently visited saw a plaque (left) and took a photograph. As most people know, Google dipped a toe in the WiFi market in April by sponsoring a  free hotspot in San Francisco's Union Square. So how long is it going to take before Google unveils its WiFi plans? I mean, you can't have Om Malik and IP Media Monitor do all of Google's PR work, right? For some good insight into Google's Secure Access service, check out AugustJackson. Robert Scoble thinks Google's WiFi plans may be focused on building a better search engine. The idea is that Google will have another way track Web traffic.

For the first time since the Proclaimers' "500 Miles" (my mistake: it was actually "Cap in Hand"), Saskatchewan is getting some serious attention as Russell Shaw has a post on how the province's carrier, SaskTel, has refused to launch VOIP service.

For anyone interested in the inner workings of Google, a must-read is BusinessWeek's story on Marissa Mayer. While Mayer certainly has a low profile - at least until the BW came on the scene - she plays a key role in the launch of new Google services. As director of consumer Web products, Mayer has a mandate to work with Google's engineers to select the most promising new services. This is a huge job given Google has developed a culture of innovation that has grown exponentially as its workforce closes in on 5,000 people. The focus on the 30-year-old Mayer, Google's 20th employee, is interesting for a couple reasons:  it's refreshing to see a women holding an important role in a high-profile, high-growth technology company, and it's encouraging to see that co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin apparently don't feel the need to micro-manage all aspects of Google's strategy - which can be a huge entrepreneurial weakness. In addition to Mayer, I'd like to see a profile on the person who heads Google's M&A unit given I believe the company may be poised to make a huge deal within the next year.
In other Mayer-related news, John Battelle has a post today that talks about Google's indexing efforts. Google now claims its index is three times bigger than its rivals. While bigger is better, Battelle hopes Google's huge indexing advantage will put the focus back on relevance.

It was a busy wireless day yesterday what with Nokia relaunching the 6630, which can hold up to 1GB of music, while Palm and Microsoft unveiled a Windows-powered smart phone, the Treo 700w, that will apparently keep RIM CEOs Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie awake at night. Of the two devices, the Treo 700w is the most interesting because it could finally address my desire for an all-in-one device, which consists of a phone (that's easy to use and works well - unlike those currently in a Blackberry or Treo), e-mail, a calendar, MP3 player and perhaps a camera, although I still think their over-rated features. For a while, I was using a Treo 650 and it came awful close but failed the "I must have this device" test because the software, particularly the e-mail, was buggy. Not sure what to expect from RIM's new Electron but I hope it at least has a good Web browser and a better quality phone, which would go a long way to complement Blackberry's yet-to-be-beaten mobile e-mail service.