[forkandwait]

Google -- solved a single very important problem really well by applying a well known tool (SVD and graph networks) to a novel example, also made android, otherwise not very exciting.

Furthermore, brick and mortar problems are hard -- things break, rot, get lost, require staff to move them around, etc. Not to poo-poo Google or any other pure software company, but it isn't harder because its on a computer, it's actually easier.

[enraged_camel]

>also made android

This is a common misconception. Google didn't "make" Android. They acquired it by purchasing Android, Inc.

[jordanthoms]

At an early stage, and incubating them for years before they told the world what they were working on.

[gbog]

> not very exciting

So you are "unexcited" by Glass, Loons, Earth/map/streetview, Go, etc.?

[sliverstorm]

They don't really make any money on those things, at least yet.

[forkandwait]

Streetview is cool. I guess I am impressed by good navigation algorithms. Loons, glass, Go, lots of aerial data -- yeah, impressive, sure.

[agotterer]

And lets not forget self driving cars