Yahoo! and eBay announced months ago that Yahoo! would be supplying targeted advertisements throughout the eBay auction network. This week, eBay turned to Yahoo!'s largest competitor to team up for point-to-point Internet calling from eBay auctions direct to customers.

Part of what makes eBay culturally different from a face-to-face auction is that both buyer and seller remain mostly anonymous. Will the potential to click an icon on an auction page to speak directly with a buyer or seller destroy a little of that culture?

This is an issue that's been talked about very little with all the eBay partnership hubbub recently -- but it's a big one from my perspective. Cultural norms and customs across Internet communication boundaries and means are a little different these days. We all web surf in relatively obscurity (at least we think we do, which is important), and it's odd to me that eBay's Skype Voice-over-IP product and Google's Talk IM program will make customers start talking to each other. Voice is one thing -- but even IM is the same. We want to IM with friends and family (and business associates) -- but how about when a strange person IMs you about an eBay auction? Is the eBayer ready for this?

So, I am a little skeptical of the whole "pay per call" situation being drilled by some of the web's largest properties. I hope I'm wrong on this one, as opening up communication across global lines can probably do nothing but help civilized individuals (and companies to individuals) communicate better and prevent misunderstandings. I'm just not sure the world is ready for a change like that -- at least now.

As our site certainly reflects, everything new Google product launch seems to be associated with its ability to "kill" the competition. Putting a "G" in front of anything seems to strike fear in the hearts of investors in competitors, from eBay to Microsoft to AOL. But does Google actually succeed in slaying the knights of Yahoo! with its quiver of wildly-aimed product arrows? An analysis by BusinessWeek suggests, not so much.

Google Talk, for instance, was widely acclaimed as a fearsome challenger to MSN Messenger, AIM, and Yahoo! Messenger. But today, a little less than a year after its launch, the messaging program ranks #10 according to comScore Media Metrix. Social networking site Orkut, hugely popular at launch, is now at less than 1% share in that space (and much though I drooled for an invite, I visited the site once in the past year, although I've frequented many other social networking spots). Google Finance, Google Spreadsheets, and Google blog search have definitely not yet made their home in the "win" column.

The Google new product development process is described by Marissa Mayer as "try a bunch of ideas, refine them, and see what survives." And those that "survive" don't just live, but thrive; Google Maps is now #2 only to Mapquest, and Google News is (in my opinion) the best news search tool available, anywhere.

The big question BusinessWeek asks (and one that no one else is asking right now): does Google even know how to develop a product? The magazine says many of its new services lack "stickiness" and aren't really those that "people want to use." For a company whose product announcements are widely feared and its investors, them's fighting words. Will Google prove to be a conquistador or a schoolyard bully, great at making threats, but quivering inside for fear some competitor might actually stand its ground?

This rather interesting blog post from Search Engine Watch accumulates some evidence that Google could be gearing up to launch an Internet telephone service. What is the investment community to make of it?

Like all rumors, there may be just a shred or a whole pile of truth to this. But if Google is entering the Voice-over-IP market (VoIP) to potentially compete with services such as Vonage (Blogging Stocks' Tom Taulli posts about its IPO here) or eBay's Skype, investors should pay close attention.

It has been in the news recently that Google plans to implement "click to call" features in its AdWords program. That would allow potential customers to click to actually call a Google AdWords advertiser instead of going straight to a website. That would improve conversions I would think. Perhaps Google will be adding VoIP capabilities to its Google Talk instant messaging service -- which has yet to gain any ground against competitors like Yahoo! Messenger and AOL Instant Messenger.

Perhaps Google plans to actually launch a VoIP service to compete with established players in the marketplace? This seems less plausible (where's the revenue model). But don't put it past Google. It's known for launching services that aren't monetized yet and then figuring out a way to generate revenue. Wait, where has that happened outside the search arena for Google? It hasn't yet -- but that hasn't stopped Google from launching services left and right.

Some of us know the Nokia Internet tablet product, model 770. This device was released last year as an easy (and very portable) way to surf the web from home or work -- or in public if that's your thing -- using built-in wireless Internet access. This product was a precursor to the Microsoft UMPC (ultra-mobile PC) that was announced just a few months ago. These devices have very limited utility for everyday computing tasks, regardless of hardware specifications, because they lack a full-fledged keyboard -- a dealbreaker for many. But these devices do have their place. Or at least, I think they do.

Nokia has just announced that Google Talk -- the instant messaging program from our Google friends -- will come pre-installed on an updated version of the Nokia 770 Internet tablet. This is the first time Google Talk will come pre-installed on anything, so it's more or less of a feature debut than anything. Competing instant messengers from Yahoo!, ICQ, AOL Instant Messenger and MSN Messenger come pre-installed on millions of cellphones these days -- in addition to computer use -- so why would Nokia pre-install Google Talk now, at this time?

First of all, it highlights Nokia's ties to the hottest Internet company right now -- Google. Secondly, Google may be trying to get customers to use its IM program more as wireless Internet use becomes more common in public areas. Of course, there are constant rumors that Google wants to continue opening up WiFi hotspots around the country.

While folks won't take their laptop to dinner and a night out, they may take a small internet tablet (or a WiFi cellphone). Google may be planning to be the IM program of choice as WiFi-type consumer connectivity becomes more common in public. Should investors take note of a seemingly-insignificant development like this? I would have to say yes.