With two months of 2010 already in the books, spring is just around the corner. The beginning of spring gets exciting, as it brings in warmer weather, Spring Break and March Madness.
However, it also means football season is long over.
With most New Orleans and diehard Saints fans, still partying after the Saints recent Super Bowl victory, the Who Dat bandwagon has reached its maximum load.
So continues the cycle for bandwagon jumpers — when one train stops, it’s time to find another one to jump on.
Well ladies and gentlemen, there is a new powerhouse building up steam, and it’s the train I’ll be hopping aboard — and if you’re smart, you will too.
The Google power train started as just a tiny boxcar back in late ’90s but, through innovation and acquisitions, it’s blown up into the giant locomotive they are today.
Not only is Google the world’s most popular and well-known search engine, the company has also taken over the GPS market with Google Maps and Google Earth.
The company even introduced their own Web browser with Chrome.
Google is also revolutionizing the cell phone market with its Android operating system (OS) and its very own “superphone,” the Nexus One. The Android OS is smooth as butter to run, fast to load up and open source (meaning it’s easy for developers to create and upload apps to the Android Market).
Also, with the introduction of Google Voice, Google has made it easier for users to link all of their phone accounts (home, office, cell, etc.) to one phone number. Users of the service decide which phone they want to ring depending on who calls. Google Voice also provides a way to check messages on any of the phones set up through the account. You can even check them on your computer via e-mail.
Speaking of e-mail, let’s not forget Google’s service, Gmail. After signing up for Gmail when I got my job at The Daily Reveille, I’m blown away by how much better a service it is than that dinosaur service AOL I used to use.
With incorporated video chat and instant messaging, as well as the innovative use threads for easy conferencing through e-mails, it’s easy to see why LSU put its e-mail system in Google’s hands as well.
With the recent acquisition of YouTube in 2006, Google now holds possession of the most popular video uploading and viewing site on the internet.
Most recently, Google has even thrown its hat into the social networking game with Google Buzz.
Google Buzz is incorporated with your Gmail account and seems to be a combination of Twitter and Facebook.
Users are able to share statuses and links like Twitter — however, the service allows for comments and even the “like” button from Facebook.
So far, however, I’m not a big fan of Buzz. It would be interesting and could work if people would use it, but right now it seems useless (like Twitter) and tacked-on.
But one not-so-hot idea won’t bring this mega-corporation down. Google has established itself as the prime search engine on the internet. The competition is trying, but will ultimately fail.
When you ask your friend something they don’t know, they don’t say, “Wait, let me Bing that.” They say, “I’m going to Google it.”
Google is on the rise, and I’m going to support them all the way. While I probably won’t use Buzz too much, I can’t wait to get into the Android phone market.
I just have to wait a tad longer for the Nexus One to be released for Verizon.
Adam Arinder is a 20-year-old communication studies junior from Baton Rouge. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_aarinder.
Contact Adam Arinder at [email protected]