It appears that Google is readying their new social network, Google+, for business enterprise users. Currently Google+ is not available for Apps users.
In the Web 2.0 Summit this week in San Francisco, a Google spokesperson acknowledged that their business, cloud suite would soon have Google+ as an option. Also, the company accidentally leaked the most recent design of Gmail, which will be a central part of the Google+ experience.
Enterprise customers may be a sweet spot for Google with their new social network, as Facebook seems to lack a certain acumen for business customers and the work lives of people–perhaps Google can find a work / life balance that is neither Facebook nor LinkedIn.
The Blackberry maker, RIM, saw it’s share of the North American mobile market fall to 12% this second quarter.
Their next launch of Diablo may push the limits of what the video game business can be–by allowing the exchange of digital goods for real-world currency. Diablo III will break the lines between virtual and real video game economies. Until now, gamers have only purchased digital goods for real currency–not having played the role of merchant with real-world money. This will certainly have an impact on the existing shady, black-market sites that deal in virtual goods, which can lead to the expulsion of a player or account–if caught. Also, we can expect the IRS to take a serious interest in gaming with the investment of real-world dollars.