Watch Miss Teen USA 2009 Online | Watch Miss Teen USA 2009 Live Online Video

Watch Miss Teen USA 2009 pageant streamed live, the 27th Miss Teen USA beauty pageant, will be held at Imperial Ballroom, Atlantis Paradise Island, in Nassau, Bahamas on July 31, 2009. For the first time since 1986 the Miss Teen USA pageant will held earlier than Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe 2009 pageant will be held at the same venue on August 23, 2009. Miss Teen USA 2008, Stevi Perry of Arkansas, will crown her successor in the event. This year for the very first time, the event will be broadcasted live over the Internet on www.missteenusa.com. Ed Fields and Stevi Perry will host the presentation show, when Seth Goldman and Miss USA 2008, Crystle Stewart will host the final show. During the final night, The Jonas Brothers will perform at the opening number, when Canadian singer, songwriter, actress and model, Leah Renee will performance during the swimsuit competition and evening gown competition.

Watch MISS TEEN USA® 2009 Live telecast:

2009 Miss Teen USA to take place at the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island, Bahamas.

Pres. Arroyo meets Pres. Obama for the first time

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s own announcement, security, economy and the environment were to be the main issues for discussion at her meeting with US President Barack Obama.

“My expectations for the trip are straightforward: To meet the new US President and advance the interests of the Philippines with our strongest friend and ally. The US is essential to our economic, diplomatic and national security. We plan to ensure that these objectives remain front and center and on track between our two nations,” the first Southeast Asian President to meet with the United States’ first black President told members of a Filipino-American group in Washington.

But was Ms Arroyo invited by Obama to the meeting at the Oval Office, as Malacañang has constantly claimed?

Not even the senior official of the US State Department who briefed the members of the Philippine media four hours before Ms Arroyo’s arrival in Washington knew for sure.

“There was an opportunity for her to come to Washington. A visit was proposed, and the timing worked for both Presidents and they were happy to meet,” said the official who declined to be named.

The official also said it was not as if Obama had chosen Ms Arroyo over other leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

According to a source from the Filipino-American community in Washington, the meeting was the fruit of intense lobbying by Malacañang shortly after Obama won the US presidential election in November.

The source claimed that the meeting was intended to save Ms Arroyo from the embarrassment of another snub: Speculation is rife in Washington circles that Obama would make a series of state visits to Indonesia and other Asean members, the Philippines not included.

But the State Department official said Washington had yet to make an announcement on Obama’s purported planned visits to Asean countries.

The official also said that while the US government was aware that Ms Arroyo was in the final year of her term, it viewed its relations with the Philippines beyond the personalities of the country’s leaders because of the enduring RP-US bond.

A lot to talk about

The President said she would like to raise the issue of how to improve regional cooperation in antiterrorism in Southeast Asia, particularly in the light of the July 17 bomb attacks in Jakarta.

She said she also planned to discuss how best to advance the peace process in Mindanao and how to mitigate the impact of the economic crisis on poor people in the Philippines and Asia, as well as issues on climate change.

Earlier in Manila, she said she planned to convey the Philippines’ gratitude for the $190-million compensation granted Filipino veterans of World War II.

At the briefing for the Philippine media, the State Department official said it was up to the two leaders to decide what to discuss in their meeting at the Oval Office.

“It’s a working visit but it doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be pleasant. They have a lot to talk about—climate change, the economy, trade, progress in Burma (Myanmar), and promoting nonproliferation, particularly with regard to North Korea. But there is no formal agenda. They will decide what to talk about,” the official said, adding:

“It’s also an opportunity to talk about the legacy that President Arroyo will leave with one more year in office.”

Debt reduction strategy

Thursday in Manila, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman said he had asked Ms Arroyo to propose to Obama the idea of allowing the Philippines to convert into debt repayment the amount that it had allocated for projects to achieve its Millennium Development Goals (MDG).

Lagman pushed the idea in a resolution filed on Wednesday, saying it was both a debt reduction strategy and a resource-generation scheme for sustainable human development.

“I wrote to the President asking if she could include in the agenda in her meeting with Obama the arrangement of the swap exchange with the US. We have a lot of debts with the US, which we can use or pay through appropriations for health and development,” Lagman said at the Serye forum.

Under the scheme, the amounts that the Philippines will allocate for programs such as the reduction of child mortality, improvement of maternal health and combating AIDS/HIV, malaria and other diseases will be considered debt repayment, with the conformity of the debtor country.

Under wraps

Both Malacañang and the White House had kept the details of the 45-minute meeting under wraps, in keeping with the Obama administration’s new security protocol and media restrictions.

Malacañang’s advance team had not been told the actual time of the meeting, as well as the final schedule of Ms Arroyo’s meetings in Washington until Aug. 1, which include one with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Only 12 Filipino reporters, photographers and TV crew were to be allowed access to the White House for the meeting.

They were to be “contained” at the White House North Lawn until summoned for the two Presidents’ statements after the meeting. Their entry into the Oval Office were to be restricted, with each photographer given only 49 seconds to complete his/her task.

Stringent measures on media

According to Philippine Consul Gines Gallaga, the White House adopted these stringent measures to prevent a repeat of an incident during a Latin American President’s visit, when the journalists broke protocol and went up the podium for a surprise photo op with Obama, which did not amuse his security.

Ms Arroyo’s other engagements on Friday tentatively include meetings with national intelligence director Adm. Dennis Blair and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, lunch with leaders of the RP-US Friendship Caucus, coffee with Sen. Harry Reid, and a forum on the Coral Triangle by the National Geographic.

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Watch Aliens in the Attic Online Video | Watch Aliens in the Attic Online Movie Video Stream

Watch Aliens in the Attic Online Movie Video. The Pearson family (Ashley Tisdale, Kevin Nealon, Carter Jenkins) think they have got the ultimate family vacation as they head to their vacation home in Michigan. However, soon after arriving to the house, they discover that they are not the only people staying in it since a friendly alien has found the house first. Though the alien is friendly, his friends are not, and they are ready to invade the house. The kids (Henri Young, Regan Young) have to gear up and defend their vacation house with everything they have or else the aliens will probe them out to space and destroy the world.

Aliens in the Attic

Directed by: John Schultz
Starring:
Robert Hoffman
Ashley Tisdale
Carter Jenkins
Austin Butler
Malese Jow
Jamie Lynn Spears


Watch Aliens in the Attic Movie Online Trailer/Promo Preview:



Release date(s)
United States and Canada: July 31, 2009
Australia: September 24,2000

G-Force elite squad topples boy wizard Harry Potter

An elite squad of guinea pigs has worked its own brand of magic at the box office, taking the No. 1 spot from boy wizard Harry Potter.

The 3-D "G-Force" was the top movie at the box office this weekend, opening with $32.2 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. The Walt Disney release from producer Jerry Bruckheimer, with its mixture of live action and computer-generated animation, is a "Mission: Impossible"-style adventure. It features voiceover work from Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell, Tracy Morgan and Penelope Cruz as resourceful rodents.


Last week's No. 1 film, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," came in a close second with an estimated $30 million. That's a whopping 61-percent drop from its huge opening last weekend of $79.5 million.

Coming in third was another of the week's wide releases, the battle-of-the-sexes romantic comedy "The Ugly Truth," which had a $27 million opening.

The sixth installment in the Harry Potter franchise has now made $222 million total, which is $14 million ahead of where part five, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," was after 12 days in theaters in 2007. And this week, "Half-Blood Prince" will start showing on 166 IMAX screens, which the last "Harry Potter" movie did from the start.

"So we're coming in with this one (in IMAX) a little bit late, but it's going to be a great addition and it'll keep our momentum going," said Dan Fellman, Warner Bros.' head of distribution.

"G-Force" triumphed in a crowded summer marketplace with its combination of 3-D effects and the Disney and Bruckheimer brands, said Mark Zoradi, president of Disney's motion-picture group.

"You never go into a situation where you're competing against two important movies -- the second weekend of 'Harry Potter' and the opening weekend of 'The Ugly Truth' -- you never go in cocky," Zoradi said.

The one-two of PG-rated movies reinforces the fact that summer is prime family movie time, said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com.

"This summer is all about packaging and escapism," Dergarabedian said of the strong showing for "G-Force." "People were scratching their heads and dragging their kids to go see this thing. They were watching the trailers with absolute shock going, 'Is that really happening?' But as a kid you're like, 'I gotta go see it.' This is a testament to the fact that Jerry Bruckheimer, like ('Transformers' director) Michael Bay, knows exactly what summer movie audiences want."

With $27 million, "The Ugly Truth" performed at the high end of Sony Pictures' expectations, said head of distribution Rory Bruer.

"The chemistry between Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler is a blast. It's really a lot of fun, everything we'd hoped it would be," Bruer said. "From sneak previews to word-of-mouth screenings we had on the movie, we knew people liked the movie."

Critics weren't so enamored, though: "The Ugly Truth" received just 15 percent positive reviews on the Rotten Tomatoes Web site.

"If I have a choice of deciding between what the audience's opinion is going to be versus the critics', I'll definitely go with the audience's every day, and they spoke loud and clear," Bruer said.

Also opening nationwide this weekend was another Warner Bros. release, the horror movie "Orphan," about a couple who adopts a little girl who's not nearly as sweet as she seems. It came in fourth place with $12.8 million.

Expanding in its second week of limited release, the Fox Searchlight romantic comedy "500 Days of Summer" made $1.63 million. Going from 27 screens to 85, it's grossed just over $3 million. The critical hit stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel in an out-of-order tale of boy-meets-girl.

On the other end of the cinematic spectrum, the dominant movie of the summer, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," is now the 10th-highest grossing film of all time with just over $379 million. The Paramount sequel made $8 million this weekend, pushing it past 2003's "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," which made just over $377 million.

Dergarabedian said movies like "Transformers," "Harry Potter" and the R-rated, surprise-hit comedy "The Hangover," which has now made over $247 million, have kept this summer's revenues right in line with 2008, when "The Dark Knight" was all the rage.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "G-Force," $32.2 million.

2. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," $30 million.

3. "The Ugly Truth," $27 million.

4. "Orphan," $12.8 million.

5. "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs," $8.2 million.

6. "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," $8 million.

7. "The Hangover," $6.5 million.

8. "The Proposal," $6.4 million.

9. "Public Enemies," $4.2 million.

10. "Bruno," $2.7 million.

source: www.hollywood.com/boxoffice

New low-cost desktop PC unveiled by CICT and Intel

Another great news for those who cannot afford to have a desktop pc, here's a good new about the low cost pc.

The Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) and Intel unveiled a new low-cost desktop that comes with a widescreen LCD monitor but still has no bundled Internet connection and operating system.

Instead, Intel and CICT will leave computer shops and resellers to bundle the Nettop ng Bayan 2.0 setup with telecommunications providers, particularly those that are offering wireless broadband Internet services.

During the launch of the Nettop ng Bayan 2.0, Carlo Subido, Intel Technology Philippines business solutions manager, said their resellers have the discretion to partner with telecommunications providers in bundling wireless connectivity.

“Buyers also can have the freedom to choose what provider they can use,” Subido said.

Nettops and their mobile relative, the netbook, were specifically built largely for Internet consumption. Most are powered by Intel’s Atom chip, which provides enough processing power for Internet-related activities.

As such, nettops and netbooks are priced much lower than regular desktop and laptop computers.

But even with the lack of an Internet connection, CICT and Intel are still confident that the latest version of the low-cost desktop will continue to generate interest amongbudget-conscious consumers.

CICT chairman Ray Anthony Roxas-Chua said the Nettop ng Bayan integral to his agency’s programs to provide universal access. One of the main programs of the CICT is the Community E-Center (CEC), which are Internet café-like facilities but are targeted at local industries.

But Roxas-Chua noted that the Philippines still has among the lowest computer-per-household ratio among Asian countries and that communications infrastructure is still a problem particularly in rural areas.

Price of computers, availability of connectivity in certain areas, and lack of local Internet content that would spur usage are among the issues that deny most people from acquiring computers.

Intel Philippines country manager Ricky Banaag said introducing machines like the Nettop ng Bayan should be able to convince most people to purchase computers.

He also cites that devices with specific uses provide just the necessary computing power for the needs of most people. “Most buyers want to use their computers for basic usages. In fact, when they see the Nettop ng Bayan, some tend to buy higher models.”

The Nettop ng Bayan program is a continuation of a previous project by the CICT and Intel called the “PC ng Bayan.”

The new Nettop ng Bayan 2.0 features an Atom N270 chip, an 80 Gigabyte hard disk, and 1 Gb of memory. It is priced at P10,800.

What makes it more appealing is the inclusion of a 15-inch widescreen LCD monitor, which would normally be priced at around P4,000-P5,000.

But the package does not include an operating system yet so users may have to work out an agreement with dealers.

source: technology.inquirer.net

Beware of SMS messages

Mobile phone users may expect to continue receiving unsolicited SMS messages from vendors offering a wide range of products and services despite an ongoing crackdown against this annoying practice.

According to the National Telecommunications Commission, regulators are powerless to stop parties from sending out thousands of text messages that offer recipients anything from cheap, collateral-free loans to real estate deals.

In a telephone interview, NTC Commissioner Ruel Canobas said such activities are beyond the ability of the government to regulate, since the messages are sent through private numbers that fall outside registered value-added service (VAS) providers.

The most common users of this scheme are banks or their commission-based agents, which send offers via SMS to mobile phone users offering salary loans or multipurpose loans at relatively low interest rates, sometimes free of collateral requirements.

The NTC can only regulate these so-called “push” broadcast messages if they are sent from VAS providers using four-digit codes, which refer to registered firms, Canobas said.

This other prevalent form of text spam that more mobile phone users are now complaining about makes use of “prepaid” numbers from private individuals that are virtually impossible to regulate, he explained.

The NTC’s ongoing clampdown was prompted by a Senate investigation where lawmakers took to task regulators and industry officials for failing to prevent abuses like spam messages.

Starting on July 21, broadcast messages must contain all the necessary information—description of service, tariff, frequency, a permit from the Department of Trade and Industry where applicable and an “opt out” command from the broadcast, under the new rules.

“Subscribers can choose not to receive broadcasts at any time by texting in a command free of charge,” the NTC said.

But these new rules do not cover and cannot stop the growing volume of text spam that go through prepaid numbers.

“In cases like these, we advise people to just ignore them,” Canobas conceded.

source: technology.inquirer.net

17th ESPY 2009 Awards Nominees and Winners

Complete list of ESPY 2009 Awards Nominees and Winners:


Best Male Athlete
Michael Phelps Swimming
Kobe Bryant NBA
LeBron James NBA
Jimmie Johnson Auto Racing

Best Female Athlete
Nastia Liukin Gymnastics
Natalie Coughlin Swimming
Maya Moore NCAA Basketball
Candace Parker WNBA
Serena Williams Tennis

Best Moment
US swim team wins thrilling finish in Olympic relay
Florida’s Tim Tebow’s speech
Helio Castroneves wins the Indy 500

Best Team
Los Angeles Lakers
Connecticut Women’s Basketball
North Carolina Men’s Basketball
Philadelphia Phillies
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Steelers

Best Coach-Manager
Phil Jackson Los Angeles Lakers
Geno Auriemma Connecticut Women’s Basketball
Dan Bylsma Pittsburgh Penguins
Joe Maddon Tampa Bay Rays
Mike Tomlin Pittsburgh Steelers

Best Game
Steelers vs. Cardinals Super Bowl XLIII
Federer vs. Nadal 2008 Wimbledon Final
Syracuse vs. Connecticut Big East Tournament Quarterfinals

Best Championship Performance
Michael Phelps Olympic Swimming
Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers
Cole Hamels Philadelphia Phillies
Misty May-Treanor & Kerri Walsh Olympic Beach Volleyball

Best Play
Roethlisberger to Holmes Super Bowl Winning TD
Ovechkin vs. Rangers
Pacquiao KO’s Hatton
Texas Tech’s Michael Crabtree makes game-winning catch vs. Texas

Best Upset
US Soccer shocks Spain in the Confederations Cup Semifinals
Mine That Bird
Oregon State stuns then #1 USC
Tampa Bay Rays win the American League Championship Series

Best Breakthrough Athlete
Matt Ryan Atlanta Falcons
Shawn Johnson Olympic Gymnastics
Evan Longoria Tampa Bay Rays
Derrick Rose Chicago Bulls

Best Record Breaking Performance
Michael Phelps Olympic Swimmer
Usain Bolt Olympic Sprinter
Larry Fitzgerald Arizona Cardinals
Phil Jackson Los Angeles Lakers

Best Sports Movie
The Express: The Ernie Davis Story
Sugar
The Wrestler

Best Male College Athlete
Tim Tebow Florida Football
Sam Bradford Oklahoma Football
Matt Gilroy Boston University Hockey
Blake Griffin Oklahoma Basketball
Stephen Strasburg San Diego State Baseball

Best Female College Athlete
Maya Moore Connecticut Women’s Basketball
Kerri Hanks Notre Dame Women's Soccer
Courtney Kupets Georgia Gymnastics
Danielle Lawrie Washington Softball
Dana Vollmer California Swimming

Best Male Athlete With A Disability
Jason Lester Ironman
Jeremy Campbell Track and Field
Will Groulx Wheelchair Rugby
Oscar Pistorius Track and Field

Best Female Athlete With A Disability
Erin Popovich Swimming
Jessica Long Swimming
Maureen McKinnon-Tucker Sailing
Asya Miller Goalball

Best Male International Athlete
Usain Bolt Jamaica, Sprinter
Pau Gasol Spain, Basketball
Lionel Messi Argentina, Soccer
Rafael Nadal Spain, Tennis
Cristiano Ronaldo Portugal, Soccer

Best Female International Athlete
Lorena Ochoa México, Golf
Yelena Isinbayeva Russia, Pole Vault
Marta Brazil, Soccer
Stephanie Rice Australia, Swimming
Dinara Safina Russia, Tennis

Best Baseball Player
Albert Pujols St. Louis Cardinals
Roy Halladay Toronto Blue Jays
Ryan Howard Philadelpia Phillies
Dustin Pedroia Boston Red Sox
Francisco Rodriguez Los Angeles Angels/New York Mets

Best NBA Player
LeBron James Cleveland Cavaliers
Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers
Dwight Howard Orlando Magic
Dwyane Wade Miami Heat

Best WNBA Player
Candace Parker Los Angeles Sparks
Deanna Nolan Detroit Shock
Diana Taurasi Phoenix Mercury
Lindsay Whalen Connecticut Sun

Best NFL Player
Larry Fitzgerald Arizona Cardinals
James Harrison Pittsburgh Steelers
Peyton Manning Indianapolis Colts
Adrian Peterson Minnesota Vikings
Kurt Warner Arizona Cardinals

Best NHL Player
Sidney Crosby Pittsburgh Penguins
Pavel Datsyuk Detroit Red Wings
Evgeni Malkin Pittsburgh Penguins
Alexander Ovechkin Washington Capitals

Best MLS Player
Landon Donovan LA Galaxy
Juan Pablo Angel New York Red Bulls
Jon Busch Chicago Fire
Kenny Cooper FC Dallas
Guillermo Barros Schletto Columbus Crew

Best Male Action Sports Athlete
Shaun White Snowboarding/Skateboarding
Ryan Sheckler Skateboarding
Kelly Slater Surfing
James Stewart Motocross

Best Female Action Sports Athlete
Maya Gabeira Surfing
Torah Bright Snowboarding
Sarah Burke Skiing
Ashley Fiolek Motocross

Best US Male Olympian
Michael Phelps Swimming
Bryan Clay Track and Field
LaShawn Merritt Track and Field
Angelo Taylor Track and Field

Best US Female Olympian
Shawn Johnson Gymnastics
Natalie Coughlin Swimming
Dawn Harper Track and Field
Nastia Liukin Gymnastics

Best Bowler
Norm Duke
Chris Barnes
Wes Malott

Best Driver
Jimmie Johnson
Helio Castroneves
Scott Dixon
Lewis Hamilton
Tony Schumacher

Best Fighter
Manny Pacquiao Boxing
Lyoto Machida MMA
Shane Mosley Boxing
Anderson Silva MMA

Best Male Golfer
Tiger Woods
Padraig Harrington
Phil Mickelson

Best Female Golfer
Lorena Ochoa
Paula Creamer
Suzann Pettersen

Best Jockey
Calvin Borel
Garrett Gomez
Mike Smith

Best Male Tennis Player
Roger Federer
Rafael Nadal

Best Female Tennis Player
Serena Williams
Svetlana Kuznetsova
Dinara Safina


Under Armour All-America Moment
Andre Debose & Russell Shepard Football
Jake Bernhardt Lacrosse
Tara Glover Softball
David Renfroe Baseball
Hannah Werth Volleyball

Special Awards
Arthur Ashe Courage Award: President Nelson Mandela
Jimmy V Award For Perseverance: Don Meyer, Northern State University coach
Best Comeback: Dara Torres, Olympic swimmer.

Watch 2009 ESPY Awards Ceremony Recap here.

Watch 17th ESPY 2009 Awards Online | Watch 17th ESPY 2009 Awards Online Video Winners

Watch 17th ESPY 2009 Awards Online. The ESPY Awards is an annual sports awards event created and broadcast by American cable television network ESPN. Begun in 1993, the event confers eponymous awards, fully styled as Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Awards, for individual and team athletic achievement and other sports-related performance during the calendar year preceding a given ceremony, but is really a celebration of ESPN. As the similarly-styled Grammy (for music), Emmy (for television), and Academy Awards (for film), the ESPYs are hosted by a contemporary celebrity; the style, though, is more relaxed, light, and self-referential than that of many other awards shows, with comedic sketches usually included.

Watch 17th ESPY 2009 Awards:



Hosted by actor Samuel L. Jackson, the awards ceremony actually took place on Wednesday evening, July 15, at LA's Nokia Theatre and taped for official airing on Sunday.

This year, Olympic champion Michael Phelps has ended Tiger Woods' 5-year reign as Best Male Athlete by swimming away with the 2009 title — in addition to Best Record-Breaking Performance, Best Championship Performance, and Best Male Olympian.

See:

17th ESPY 2009 Awards Nominees and Winners

Watch Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Free Online Video

Watch Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Online Video Free. The sixth movie of Harry Potter film series directed by David Yates.

Watch Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Premiers July 15, 2009

Unlike the previous film, the sixth film will not be simultaneously released in regular cinemas and IMAX 3-D, due to a Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen several week commitment. The film will instead be released in IMAX 3D on 29 July, two weeks after its original release.

Starring:
Daniel Radcliffe
Rupert Grint
Emma Watson
Michael Gambon
Jim Broadbent
Alan Rickman
Tom Felton
Helen McCrory

Google Chrome OS a new challenge to Microsoft

Google says it will launch "Chrome OS" by the middle of next year and that the operating system will be quick, light-weight and tailored for a "cloud computing" trend of offering applications online as services.

Google pitches Chrome as ideal for low-cost, light-weight netbooks, a growing segment of the computer market.

The Internet titan also announced its Google Apps suite of email, calendar, word processing, instant messaging and online telephony programs are out of a test, or beta, phase.

Google's "cloud" services compete with Outlook, Word and other Microsoft software.

Chrome OS could become a viable challenger to the Windows operating systems on which Microsoft's global empire was built, according to analysts.

"This is very disruptive," said analyst Rob Enderle of Enderle Group in Silicon Valley.

"This takes the entire concept of an operating system and takes it to something it really should be in this century; something much more tied to the Web. Right now, the market is moving online."

Google already has an Android operating system only used for mobile phones at the moment, but the software has showcased Google's keen interest in expanding beyond its search engine base.

Chrome is "our attempt to re-think what operating systems should be," Google said.

The search engine giant said it will open-source the code for "Chrome OS" and that netbooks running the system would be available by the middle of next year.

Rubicon Consulting principal Michael Mace said in an online posting that it seems Google is making clear that it wants "to bleed Microsoft to death" by giving away equivalents to the software king's products.

Free netbook operating systems offered by Google will pressure Microsoft to cut prices on Windows software or risk losing market share. Windows operating systems run more than 90 percent of the world's computers.

"The more free options, the more pain caused," Mace wrote.

Microsoft has a few years to respond to the Google threat because of the pace at which high-speed Internet networks are improving, according to Enderle.

Faster, more reliable networks are expected to make cloud services more enticing.

"Microsoft OS was basically built before broadband and the Internet and is in some ways almost anachronistic in this environment that we're in now," said analyst Christa Quarles of Thomas Weisel Partners.

"This whole idea of Web delivery applications is something that we think is part and parcel of the way the world is going."

Google is "clearly looking for ways to chip away at Microsoft," she added.

It would take Google "quite a while" to wrest a significant share of the operating system market from Microsoft because many programs depend on Windows, according to Gartner analyst Michael Silver.

Bundling an operating system with cloud services could cause Google regulatory woes similar to those that have haunted Microsoft, which has been a prime target of US and European antitrust officials..

"It is certainly hard for the European Union to tell Microsoft they can't do something and then have Google show up doing it," Enderle said.

The European Commission (EC), Europe's top competition watchdog, opened a new front in its epic antitrust battle with Microsoft in January, hitting the company with fresh charges of unfairly squashing competition.

Microsoft has said regulatory wrangling has prompted it to strip Internet Explorer Web browsers from copies of its Windows 7 operating system to be sold in Europe.

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net


Windows 7 is on track for worldwide release on October 22.