As I mentioned back on April 1st (no I wasn’t kidding), there is a Google PC effort in the works.  It appears that the effort to move the Android Operating System (OS) to the PC is in full swing.  This time Google is directly involved.

Microsoft announced Bing last week and Google has made some efforts to bash it.  You can read Matt Cutts Twitter feed to see what I mean.  This might just be Google’s effort to steal the spotlight and put MSFT on their heels.  Read more below about the Google OS / Android OS that is setting out to challenge the dominance of Microsoft.

To top it off, Google has also challenged Kindle at the e-Book game.  You had to wonder why they were scanning all of those books.  Is Google feeling threatened in it’s old age?

Google version 1.0

Google gets aggressive. In a direct challenge to Microsoft (MSFT), Google (GOOG) is offering its free Android operating system for use on computers. Acer, the world’s second-largest laptop maker, will release an Android-run netbook by next quarter. Asustek Computer has also developed a model based on Android. Earlier this week, Google said it plans to launch a program to let publishers sell digital versions of their books directly to consumers, a move that would put Google in competition with Amazon (AMZN) and its e-reader Kindle.

via Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News — Seeking Alpha.

The success of Netflix (NFLX) has always puzzled me. Perhaps that is because I am not much of a movie watcher. Not sure. Blockbuster (BBI), in the day, I understood. However, with broadband adoption widespread and download speeds moving higher and higher, I don’t understand the attraction of the DVD that has to be shipped in the mail. How the DVD in the mail beats out the digital delivery via a set top box or a TIVO unit puzzles me.

Netflix

Perhaps I am the dinosaur, but my feeling is that Netflix could go the way of the Dodo. When I am in search of content, it can typically be on a whim. If there is a new release, I would rather play it “on demand” with my local cable company or via our TIVO unit through Amazon.

To add to my confusion over the success of the DVD (or Blueray Disc) there are kiosks and boxes popping up in supermarkets around the country.  The impulsive rental, I understand.  The prices in the kiosks via Redbox (a division of Coinstar – CSTR) are much less ($1.00/day) than what you would pay for a digital delivery via a set top box or TIVO.

What is the long term picture for NFLX?  Is their brand strong enough to be a leader in digital delivery? If you have ever seen the mechanisms they have in place for pick and pack and inventory management, you might question why they don’t chop off a supply chain/warehousing / order fulfillment company from the core.

In any event, I can’t see myself as a buyer of NFLX.  But… they continue to perform quarter after quarter.  They may have another couple of years to run, but I can’t see the company having a bright picture for the long term.