Google is showing a strategy to enter both service and infrastructure business with their latest announcement to launch a browser. They started out with infrastrucure, buying thousands of PCs and building the googlebot, at the same time believing in the advertising business model unlike many others. Search+ads proved succesful, and allowed them to innovate on applications and services like maps, gears, docs etc.

Building a browser they a) validate the idea of cloud computing b) demonstrate that they want to be in both infrastructure and apps/service business. I admire the company very much, they are a living proof that ideas are good but ideas put in practice are even better (see my previous entry).

With the speed and determination they are entering into new businesses with Android and now Chrome, one cannot but wonder when (or if) they start the transformation from the nice and relaxed valley guys into a corporate conglomerate that eats everything else around them. They do base their offering on open standards and open source components, so there's no technology lock-in, but the more people and companies rely on Google in their lives and businesses, the closer a de-facto lock in situation is.

Not all people are aware that they live in a walled garden, and many many people don't care (like some millions of happy apple users, for example). However, freedom to choose and to be able to change technology environment is and continues to be a value in itself. However, although not using blogger this time, I'm still a happy Google customer with no google-anxiety in sight - yet.