One of the larger Google rumors right now is that the search giant is preparing a full-scale storage backup solution for consumers (and possibly businesses) that backs up data over the Internet as opposed to local storage like hard drives, USB keys and CDs and DVDs. It's dubbed, for now, as Google Gdrive. That's all good and fine, and I am a firm believer in backing up all computer data at regular intervals in order to thwart disaster. Anyone who has had a hard drive crash can relate.

But, will customers trust Google for all their personal data? Many already do, with Google's Gmail. Customers put frighteningly sensitive and proprietary data in email systems all the time, and Gmail is no different. However, would you send sensitive information like medical records, tax returns, credit card digital statements and other personally-identifiable information to an unknown remote location hosted by Google? Google's upcoming Internet storage service will need industrial-grade encryption that is super-simple use if they have a chance to make the service work. Sending unencrypted data to be stored on Google servers is just a little too much for most of us I think.

For GOOG investors, the question about this potential new service is how the search giant is going to monetize it? If Google is going to "subsidize" the massive storage requirements that a system like this would need (just like the Gmail accounts that each have multiple gigabytes), will it do that with search ads like it has been doing? Is this viable long-term? Questions that Google investors must be asking is how the company is going to pay for all these new, fancy products without draining the billion-dollar cash war chest is has built up. This is yet another reason for Google to diversify its revenue base from search ads, unless it thinks this strategy will last forever. Inquisitive investors want to know, Google.

Google shares closed at $424.56 today, a rise of $6.36 or 1.52% over Monday's close. With the only big news of the day concerning Google was a capital expense of opening a 1,000-seat customer assistance center in Michigan, apparently that assisted in Google shares climbing today to the tune of over 1.5%.

It's good news when you think about it -- Google's AdWords program, the search text ads you see when searching at www.google.com (and millions of other sites that partner with Google) are responsible for almost all of Google's revenue -- billions of dollars per year. This kind of exposure needs some support, yes?

With competitor eBay having some dissension in the ranks and with Google's Checkout system poised to *finally* challenge eBay's PayPal unit (although not on eBay itself, since it's banned the Google Checkout service), Google's momentum can be felt in almost every corner of the Internet these days. One thing that is incredible entertaining to watch is the "me too" product back-n-forth I keep seeing with Microsoft and Google. This is a game of "winner takes most" (not all), so keep your eyes peeled -- like crispy carrots -- to Google's foray into the nooks and crannies of every computer.

With the pending release of the Google GDrive online storage service, and with Microsoft's Live Drive also stepping into the foray of online storage as well, it seems that Google and Microsoft are flanking themselves in a perpetual game of one-upsmanship that continues unabated right now. Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, but this is getting ridiculous.

It seemed, in a sense, that Microsoft was there first in some areas: Word Processing, Spreadsheets and Presentation software for the masses. Yes, to be 100% accurate, Lotus 1-2-3 and others has conquered their respective arenas before Microsoft showed up and gave it to the masses, but I'll digress. Then, Google comes along with a highly-innovative Internet search product that blows the doors of off competitors Yahoo! and Microsoft -- and earns billions for Google (and still counting).

Then Microsoft hires Ray Ozzie to re-invent the software giant in the consumer space into another Google (web-based, well, everything), just as Google buys Writely to compete with Microsoft's Word product, then releases Google Calendar to semi-complete with Microsoft Outlook and Google Spreadsheet to semi-compete with Microsoft Excel.

This is a maddening case of cat-n-mouse and local-install-n-web-based service and product offerings, and it's pitting two giants against each other in very serious and funny-to-watch ways. We're going to round 13 here, folks. Stay in your seats.