And let?s not forget TeleAtlas: But this is for a slightly different reason. Google used to rely on TeleAtlas for mapping data, but it decided this fall that it would go it alone. Now Google relies on public data, StreetView and user-generated content, controlling the entire process. Google?s user-generated map efforts have been so successful that the company has been able to create street maps in developing countries where no professional ones existed before, like in India and Vietnam.

The cloud OS startups: Jolicloud and Good OS wanted to take advantage of the increasing interest in netbooks (the cheap laptops that are used mainly to access the web). They created operating systems that were dubbed ?cloud OSs,? to reflect a shift away from applications on your computer and towards applications that run in the Internet cloud. Then Google announced its own operating system, Chrome OS, which is launching next year on select netbooks. And while Jolicloud said the news ?validates? the market, this is one area where I?m betting startups will have a particularly steep uphill climb. I?m fine using a website from a company I haven?t heard of, but trust and name recognition mean a lot more when it comes to something as crucial as an operating system.