Google Finally Does a Browser
Years ago, it was fun to talk about the idea of Google releasing a browser. Google, however, didn’t seem interested…until today, when we learned that it’s been working on what sounds like an extremely ambitious one. I’m always cautious about predicting great things for a new Google product (such as, say, Knol) until they’ve proven themselves. But I don’t think it’s irrational exuberance to say that Chrome could be huge. Especially if everything that Google claims for it–speed, security, better tabs, and the ability to run Web apps well–pans out. Even if it fizzles, I’m looking forward it: There’s not much in the whole tech world that’s more fun to cover than the browser wars, the arrival of Chrome will surely signal the begining of Browser War 3.0.

Read more at: BoomTown, TechCrunch

iTunes Albums Go Interactive
Music industry trade publication Music Week is reporting that Snow Patrol will release an enhanced album on Apple’s iTunes Store next month designed for the iPhone and iPod Touch and featuring lyrics, photos, and other bonuses. Sounds cool–to me, the trimmings that come with albums have been going downhill ever since vinyl went away and we lost nice big pieces of artwork on covers and booklets with type in a size that was actually legible.

Maybe They Shoulda Called It the Commodore 65
I spent time at the IFA electronics show in Berlin last week, but somehow managed to miss the news that Comnmodore has released an eee PC-style “netbook” mini-notebook. It looks pretty generic and may never be available in the U.S. And I’m aware that the current Commodore has nothing in common with the one responsible for the PET, C64, and Amiga except the name. But I still can’t pass up an opportunity to mention Commodore–even though the device’s name, the UMMD 8010/F, may be the blandest one ever attached to a Commodore product.

Read more at: Lilliputing

Gustav Giving
Both the McCain and Obama campaigns urged Americans to give to the efforts to help folks impacted by Hurricane Gustav, and both provided details on how to make donations via SMS. Texting GIVE to 2HELP (24357) results in a $5 donation to Red Cross disaster efforts. And both the McCain and Obama homepages have been turned over to donation messages. Let’s hope that people give generously, and that nobody derives any political advantage from this.

Read more at: Cnet

Buy a Nokia, Get Free Music
Nokia has announced that it’s launching Comes With Music, a pretty bold attempt to take on the iPhone onslaught, in the UK. People who buy Comes With Music phones will get access to 2.1 million songs; they can download all they want to their phone, and keep them on that phone forever. What’s the catch? Well, you can only do your downloading for the first year you own the phone, and can’t transfer the songs to any other phone you buy. And 2.1 million songs is a smallish selection by today’s standards. Rumor has it that Apple is working on something similar (although I’m skeptical); if nothing else, it’ll be interesting to see if Nokia’s foray into all-you-can-eat music shakes up the market at all.