Hello, what's up?

The blogosphere is abuzz with all the latest Google News; the Picasa upgrade, the new Google Video Search, and their recent hiring of Firefox browser engineer, Ben Goodger. This hiring has refueled speculation that Google is developing its own internet browser, and some bloggers point to registration of the domain name Gbrowser.com as an indication of what's coming next, after Gmail. Googler might be their better name for the browser, don't you think? Either that, or they plan to rename him Ben Googler.

It's really old news that Google acquired Blogger, the web-based technology that enables virtually anyone to freely publish their written words on a blog. But more recently, Google purchased Picasa, an awesomely free photo management system, with its complementary web utility for posting photographs to blogs, sharing photos online, and talking about shared pictures over an integrated instant messenger.

Speaking of chatting, Google is reluctant to talk publicly about any plans for free phone service. Voice over Internet Protocol, with its insufferable VoIP acronym, is an alternative to landline telephone services. It's a growing business for new companies with names like Vonage and Skype, and some say it's the next big thing. But a spokeswoman for Google said recent reports about the company's possible interest in broadband telephony were "pure speculation" and she was unaware of any "imminent" move into the VoIP market.

Julian Hewitt, senior partner at Ovum, a telecoms consultancy, said: “From a telecoms perspective there is a big appeal in the fact that Google is a search operation — and of course the Google brand is a huge draw.”

Mr Hewitt said that a Google telephone service could be made to link with the Google search engine, which already conducts half of all internet inquiries made around the world. A surfer looking for a clothes retailer could simply find the web site and click on the screen to speak to the shop.

When Google positions its brand to own the conversation about internet telephony, what might they possibly call that? Hello!