Virtually everyone expects Google to announce something to do with social networking today, when the company holds a press conference at 1 PM ET. Maybe it’s some Twitter-like functionality inside of Gmail. But Google isn’t telling, and the result is all guesswork. What if everyone is wrong? Here are a bunch of ideas from Twitter of all the things people would like to hear Google announce today.
Wish Google Would Announce
1.) “We’re Buying Twitter”: Well, this is wishful thinking. Google has bought its share of companies and technologies, but I think Twitter’s valuation might be too high for Google’s blood.
2.) Preview Panes in Gmail: Nice, simple upgrade to the popular web mail app. If they do, it’ll show up quietly in Gmail Labs.
3.) Google Reveals Exactly What’s it’s Doing with the NSA: There have been reports that Google is working closely with the National Security Agency, but no one seems to know why. Don’t expect Google to talk about this.
4.) Google Voice is Going Open: You don’t need an invite; you could simply go to Google voice and sign up today. It would be nice, but it’s definitely not newsworthy.
5.) Google Lowers the Price on Unsubsidized Nexus Ones: Wouldn’t it really be HTC lowering the price? Google’s not making money on this phone, but HTC probably is. I doubt they’ll want that to change.
6.) Google Announces Rescue Plan for NASA: With the Obama Administration pretty much abandoning the program, this would be a great opportunity for the space-loving Google to step in. Again, doubtful—even Google doesn’t have that much money.
7.) A Promise Never to Allow Data Mining: Google needs to mine its data to deliver valuable insight to clients and partners. They do it in ways that do not reveal private data. Don’t expect any of that to change.
8.) Google Unveils a Shipping Chrome Netbook or Tablet: The Chrome OS is months, if not a year, away from commercial availability. This will not happen.
9.) Google Updates Android: Android 2.1 is just arriving on Droids, but there is a chance, I guess, that this could be a big Android 3.0 announcement.
