Business Week, Feb 20, 2012 (cover date)

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(1) Peter Burrows, Google's Bid to Be Everything to Everyone; A rumored audio device and new testing facilities hint at the search giant’s hardware ambitions.
http://www.businessweek.com/maga ... ryone-02162012.html

Quote:

"On Feb. 10, the Wall Street Journal broke the news that Google is working on an audio-streaming device for the living room. Since Motorola is already the market leader in cable set-top boxes, it’s likely such a device could also be used to distribute television, movies, and other digital fare. The San Jose Mercury News subsequently reported on $120 million in new architectural projects at the Googleplex in Mountain View, Calif., including advanced hardware-testing facilities.

"Even in the best of scenarios, digesting Motorola will be a challenge. The company, with 20,000 employees, lost 20 percent of its market share in 2011, though the cell-phone maker did manage to earn $98 million on $13 billion in revenue. Motorola will likely drag down Google’s earnings for years to come.

(2) Jordan Robertson, The Kill Switch Comes to the PC; A feature common in phones will let Microsoft remotely disable malware.
http://www.businessweek.com/maga ... he-pc-02162012.html

Quote:

"Kill switches are a standard part of most smartphones, tablets, and e-readers. Google, Apple (AAPL), and Amazon (AMZN) all have the ability to reach into devices to delete illicit content or edit code without users’ permission. It’s a powerful way to stop threats that spread quickly, but it’s also a privacy and security land mine.

"With the rollout of the Windows 8 operating system expected later this year, millions of desktop and laptop PCs will get kill switches for the first time * * * Windows smartphones, like those of its competitors, have included kill switches for several years, though software deletion 'is a last resort, and it’s uncommon,' says Todd Biggs, director of product management for Windows Phone Marketplace.

Note: Kill switch
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kill_switch