Tom Krazit writes about the ever-expanding world of Google， as the most prominent company on the Internet defends its search juggernaut while expanding into nearly anything it thinks possible. He has previously written about Apple， the traditional PC industry， and chip companies.

Google has shipped its limited-edition prototype notebook Cr-48， which runs the first public beta of the Chrome OS. The browser-based OS feels stable， but is the world ready to store all its data in the cloud?

Do Not Track list for the Internet: a controversial sentiment among companies that make their money advertising on the Web. Theyve been handed an early Christmas present courtesy of the European Commission， which chose to announce

Report: Apple， Google to bid for Nortel mobile IPThe two mobile players that have the most money to spend are named as just two of the companies expected to bid on the assets of the bankrupt Canadian telecom firm.

Relevant Results focuses on the big Internet companies of our time， tracking the evolution of search， communication， and business on the Web. Tom Krazit examines how a shift to mobile computing and the growing demand for online content affect our understanding of how to deliver information in the 21st century， in between bemoaning the state of the New York Mets and searching for the perfect IPA.

an extremely creepy depiction of Schmidt in New Yorks Times Square for six weeks.

Apps Meet Ops

Still， Consumer Watchdog is a co-counsel

It used to be affiliated with Grassroots Enterprises， a division of the huge public relations firm Edelman that counts Microsoft among its clients， and， amusingly， uses Google Analytics to chart traffic on sites hosted under its domain. Court said Consumer Watchdog has recently moved its site off Grassroots servers and is now using an open-source analytics tool to measure traffic on Consumerwatchdog.com.

Politics and Law

An inside look at the testing of Windows Phone 7In part three of a behind-the-scenes look at the development of Microsofts new phone software， Ina Fried takes a look at Redmonds massive testing operation.

If you have a question or comment for Tom Krazit， you can submit it here. However， because our editors and writers receive hundreds of requests， we cannot tell you when you may receive a response.

Crave

In between drafts of a blog post hes preparing for The Huffington Post on the do-not-track concept， Court issues orders， approves a $5，000 expenditure to Webcast the conference， and holds forth on the evils of Internet advertising companies， insurance companies， and Google. He also thinks it would be a good idea if I read his book， a suggestion repeated more than a few times.

declanm: Heres an article I wrote about Carls worthy efforts back in 2008: abcdnews.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10050687-38.html @carlmalamud

Perhaps the most damning criticism of Consumer Watchdog (other than its taste in cartoons) is that the only consumers who make up its members are its employees: the group refers to itself as a consumer advocate， but doesnt have an organized group of contributors from among the general public， like other organizations.

Last of the storage independentsA recent flurry of storage acquisitions (consuming 3PAR， Isilon， Compellent， and others) leaves enterprises few remaining alternatives to the largest vendors.

Truth be told， in Courts mind Google simply exerts too much influence regardless of its intentions. He thinks of Google as a utility， a necessary component of modern life but the master of a space in which competition isnt necessarily a benefit. In that light， Simpson argues several times on Tuesday during conversations with reporters that he doesnt want competition among rival firefighting concerns in his hometown， but he damn sure wants those firefighters to be scrutinized and regulated.

danackerman: Amazon CSR moans， We know... when I call about items lost by A1 Shipping. They apparently have a terrible rep， but Amazon still uses them.

On the spectrum of Google critics， Court and his group fall somewhere between activists like Scott Cleland and Gary Reback， who both have acknowledged working directly on behalf of Googles competitors (and who both appeared at Consumer Watchdogs conference)， and groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Consumers Union， who represent concerned members.

b1g1nj4p4n: cute but too-long google vid on chrome notebook， that ends with a knee to the privates. not mine. in the video. sheesh! abcdbit.ly/gPYnwL

Court， chief spokesman John Simpson， Washington coordinator Carmen Balber， and social-media strategist Josh Nuni are planning the Future of Online Consumer Protections conference，

Tuesday is a busy day at the Washington office of Consumer Watchdog， an advocacy group generally focused on health care and insurance companies but with a prominent sideline as arguably the most vocal critic of Google. Office is perhaps an overstatement: the space reminds me more of a college graduates first apartment than an office. But its a temporary home to Consumer Watchdog President Jamie Court and his disciples as they gear up for a conference that Google CEO Eric Schmidt probably wouldnt rank among his favorites.

MPAA， RIAA: Lawsuits wont protect contentSo， this is why the film and music industries have stepped up lobbying efforts. Big media companies tell Commerce Department today they need more antipiracy help.

Send me a copy of this message Note: Your e-mail address is used only to let the recipient know who sent the e-mail and in case of transmission error. Neither your address nor the recipientss address will be used for any other purpose.

For its part， Google is mostly bemused by Consumer Watchdogs brand of activism， which generally senflash tutorialds eyes rolling in Mountain View， Calif.， but theres no doubt that Court has gotten Googles attention in the past: a Google executive so angered by Consumer Watchdog in 2009 sent a letter to one of its major donors， the Rose Foundation， urging it to revoke its funding. The executive， Bob Boorstin， later apologized.

That exploding Droid? Maybe not so muchRemember the guy who said a Droid exploded in his ear while he was using it? Purported Motorola tech says Droids cant explode like that and that the phone was likely dropped instead.

Over lunch at a diner a block away from Consumer Watchdogs Washington， D.C.， office， Court flashes a sheepish grin when asked about the video， which depicted Schmidt as a creepy ice-cream truck driver bent on gathering as much data about the children on his route as possible. He doesnt exactly apologize for the characterization， believing that when youre up against powerful interests in a hyper-media-oriented 21st century， you cant exactly file a critical position paper and hope for the best.

Google hosted a conference for several hundred business types in April that featured a five-minute tutorial on how to operate the fancy chairs allocated to attendees， sealing the pitch with freeNexus One phones for all in attendance.

its decision to formally investigate Google on the eve of Consumer Watchdogs conference as Simpson almost gleefully fields calls from reporters asking for reaction to the investigation.

Its rhetoric like that that makes it hard for the tech industry to take Consumer Watchdog seriously. For all the rhetoric， however， Courts basic message is simple: Google is the most powerful company on the Internet and needs to be watched extremely closely.

which was taking place Wednesday amid the Federal Trade Commissions release of a report that threw the governments weight behind a

Media Maverick

waynec_sf: Been out driving the Honda CR-Z， down 1 to Santa Cruz， and back through the mountains. Not much power， but a good time anyway.

Court thinks that public distrust of Google is growing， and he wants to be that person holding that lens. Google scoffs at the notion that widespread numbers of people are angry about its methods， but clearly there are some.

Court is sensitive to charges that hes a tool of the corporate interests that oppose Google， a list probably headed by Microsoft and AT&T and comprising any number of Internet companies stepped on by the search giants relentless push into nearly anything it finds feasible and ripe for disruption. He denies receiving funding directly from such companies， arguing that while he could definitely solicit such donations， accepting that money would bring a rash of unintended consequences.

Court says an activist organization with limited resources isnt in a position to refuse a creative ad campaign donated by a sympathetic cartoonist whom Court declines to identify. Indeed， many who would normally be sympathetic to Consumer Watchdogs cause as a preeminent Google critic winced at the video， yet Court suggests that January will bring another anti-Google campaign similar to that video， although he ruled out another tour through Times Square.

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flash tutoriAn inside look at Googles loudest critic，WASHINGTON--In a small brownstone on a quiet tree-lined street in the shadows of the Capitol building， four people are plotting against the most powerful company on the Internet.

If you let engineers run the world， youre not going to be accountable， Court says， enunciating a popular criticism of Google that despite all its engineering prowess， it doesnt exactly understand how to operate in the real world.

But it certainly does attract attention， enough attention for Court to divert a fair amount of his energy away from Consumer Watchdogs main causes toward Google. In Courts book， The Progressives Guide to Raising Hell， he wrote the public can win if its opinion is focused like a beam， and if the right person with a platform holds up a lens at the right time to magnify the force of the publics light.

At the moment the anti-Google business isnt a particularly lucrative one: Consumer Watchdogs conference at the National Press Club was attended by fewer than 50 people and featured barely warmed-over croissant sandwiches for lunch.

Browser makers are excited about a new technology called Web Sockets， but some are scrambling after an early version raised a security problem.

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That grant was followed by a smaller one in 2009， but Consumer Watchdog mostly pays for its anti-Google activities through its general fund of donations and proceeds from legal activities， which apparently was flush enough in September to support a $25，000 outlay to run a video with

Green Tech

Robots wait on you in this Chinese restaurantAt Chinas Dalu Rebot (sic) restaurant， patrons are greeted by robot receptionists and attended by robo-waiters. Fortunately， real-life cooks are on hand in the kitchen.

declanm: Piss off the #TSA， and you could end up on two secret lists: no-fly and no-follow abcdbit.ly/icycmi abcdbit.ly/gC4Q45 @lensassaman

Consumer Watchdog's Washington， D.C.， office， a few blocks away from the Capitol building， where the group has testified against Google in congressional hearings.

Beyond Binary

Spectrum of critics

But what Court says hes most worried about is the vast amount of data that Google gathers on Internet-surfing habits， especially when it comes to children using Google. In fact， when Consumer Watchdog was looking for funding in 2008 to expand its mission from insurance gadfly to Internet pest， Court says he specifically asked the Rose Foundation， a California-based charitable organization， for $100，000 to target Google--not Internet privacy in general， but Google--because of the companys well-known thirst for data.

donald: Brilliant. Ive always wanted to see this done. RT @jdolcourt: Smartphone interface-off!: 10 UIs compared - abcdt.co/9exHSJs

in the pending legislation over Googles Street View Wi-Fi debacle， easily the biggest privacy-related mistake (or transgression) the company has ever made. Court supplements his budget in part by earning so-called cy pres awards， essentially the leftover spoils from lawsuits in which the original class of plaintiffs cant be easily compensated， and he could be in for a big payday once that legislation is eventually satisfied.

Were always happy to engage with groups that are interested in constructive solutions. But given Consumer Watchdogs tactics--calling for Googles breakup， releasing information about the home Wi-Fi networks of Congress members， working closely with Microsoft and our other competitors--coupled with the fact that they dont represent any actual consumers， we have doubts about how serious they are， said Adam Kovacevich， a Google spokesman， in a statement.

Mixed bag for green tech in Washington dealingsAn extension to renewable energy grants and corn ethanol subsidy are part of a tax deal while funding for clean-energy research and development appears flat.

What Court doesnt mention in the book is that lenses can also be used to turn a very small amount of light into a raging fire. This appears to be his strategy with Google， taking nearly any tidbit that emerges about Google and turning it into an opportunity to bash the company. (Court used Googles decision to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street with a Google Doodle of Big Bird to launch a trademark attack， calling the doodle the Trojan Muppet in suggesting Google was trying to lure children.)

WikiLeaks， Assange feel the heat (roundup)Whistle-blower site continues to face heavy criticism and repercussions for publishing extensive details of U.S. military and diplomatic activity.

declanm: Okay， why did it take Carl Malamud spending $1，100 for CA fire， electrical， plumbing codes to appear online? #Sheesh abcdbit.ly/ebJ9b1

After two days spent in the company of one of the biggest Google bashers on the planet， theres a sense that the Google-specific attacks may be getting old. That didnt dissuade anyone at Consumer Watchdogs conference from taking swipes at Google， yet Court and his cohorts are starting to acknowledge that Google is just a rather large example of Internet-industry practices that grate on the group in general.

Circuit Breaker

Consumer Watchdog's John Simpson， Carmen Balber， and Jamie Court (left to right) make last-minute arrangements for their Wednesday privacy conference， dominated by criticism of Google.

Crave

Court says Consumer Watchdog is starting to broaden its criticism of Internet companies in general as opposed to bashing Google 24/7， with Facebook squarely in its sights as the next big target for scrutiny. And he acknowledges that any successful regulatory pursuit of Google wouldnt necessarily prevent another company from simply taking over where Google lflash tutoriAn inside look at Googles loudest criticeft off， applying many of the same Internet advertising principles that raise his ire.

At some point， hell likely find a few sympathetic ears in this town for that message.