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Elmo From Sesame Street Is Today's Google Logo

MOUNTAIN VALLEY, Ca., Nov.8 (TOTI) --

Elmo, the adorable red Muppet from Sesame Street, represents as today's Google logo.

The series of Sesame Street Google logos has ran all week in celebration of Sesame Street's 40th anniversary. Other Sesame Street characters
featured as Google's logo include Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Bert and Ernie and Oscar the Grouch.

Elmo performs Elmo's Song

Elmo was first created by Jim Henson in the 1970's and was known as Baby Monster before he was officially named Elmo.

Sesame Street premiered on PBS on November 10, 1969 and still airs on the public broadcasting channel today.

Oscar The Grouch From Sesame Street Is Today's Google Logo

MOUNTAIN VALLEY, Ca., Nov.7 (TOTI) --

Oscar the Grouch joins his pals Big Bird, Cookie Monster and Bert and Ernie as one of this week's Google logos.

Oscar is best known for living in a metal trash and loving trash of all sorts. As his name suggests, Oscar can be grumpy at times but that doesn't make
him a bad character.

One of his favorite songs is I love trash.

Oscar from Sesame Street Sings 'I Love Trash.'

The run of Sesame Street Google logos coincides with Sesame Street's 40th anniversary. Jim Henson created the characters for the children's show in the 1960's. The program still airs on PBS today.

Bert And Ernie From Sesame Street Are Today's Google Logo

MOUNTAIN VALLEY, Ca., Nov.6 (TOTI) --

Google has been celebrating the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street this entire week. The childrens show first aired on PBS on November 10, 1969.

Today, November 6, Google features Bert and Ernie as their logo. The two are fast friends and are always eager to play games and read books. Ernie also has a great fondness for his Rubber Ducky because he makes bathtime so much fun.

Like the rest of Sesame Street characters, Bert and Ernie were created by Jim Henson.

Ernie sings Rubber Ducky

Cookie Monster was featured as Google's logo yesterday and Big Bird was featured as their logo the day before.

Sesame Street still runs on PBS, as it has since 1969.

What Sesame Street character would you like to see next as Google's logo?

Droid joins 'Google phone' army in smart phone war

by Glenn Chapman SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) --

A Motorola Droid smart phone goes on sale Friday, joining the growing ranks of smart phones on the open-source operating system backed by Google.

With Droid, which will work on the Verizon telecom network, Motorola is taking on mobile devide powerhouses such as Apple, Nokia and Research in Motion (RIM).

"People are gravitating to Android phones because they are different and trendy. Droid may be the new 'in' phone," said analyst Rob Enderle of Enderle Group in Silicon Valley.

Taiwan-based HTC brought the first Android phone to market late last year.

Google chief executive Eric Schmidt recently proclaimed that the smart phone market was on the cusp of an "explosion" of Android devices.

Market tracking firm Gartner agrees, predicting that there will be at least 40 models of Android phones within a year, and that they will be the second place mobile platform by the end of 2012.

Reports surfaced on Thursday that Verizon is poised to add an HTC Android phone to its stable.

"In a few years Android will be the second most popular smart phone running neck-and-neck with Apple," Gartner analyst Van Baker told AFP on Thursday.

Apple iPhones have become coveted devices since they were introduced in early 2007.

Verizon and Motorola have managed to create a marketplace buzz with mysterious video featuring fighter jets releasing metal pods that slam like meteorites into forest, sea, and prairie.

The pods crack open to give glimpses of Droid devices, then end with a cowboy uttering "What in the world is that?" and a message that proclaims Friday the "drop date."

Verizon poked at Apple with 'iDon't' advertising highlighting things iPhones lacks, and US newspapers on Thursday sported full-page ads heralding the Droid's arrival.

Droid devices are likely to pose more of a threat to Blackberry smart phones made by Canada-based RIM than they are to iPhones, according to analysts.

"It's not an iPhone killer," Gartner vice president of mobile computing Ken Dulaney said of Droid.

"This is really about changing the mix at Verizon. It will be some attack on RIM."

Blackberry devices dominate the Verizon network, and the Droid offering will give subscribers a tempting alternative to RIM devices.

Meanwhile, iPhones in the United States are serviced exclusively by telecom colossus AT&T, which has no Android smart phones on its network.

"Droid is not going to draw anyone away from AT&T to Verizon," Dulaney said. "It will keep people at Verizon from going to AT&T and keep some people from going to Blackberry."

US smart phone users get discounted prices on handsets in exchange for signing multi-year service contracts with carriers.

Breaking contracts typically results in hefty fees, a fact likely to discourage people from switching to Verizon just to have Droid phones, according to analysts.

"RIM is likely to get hurt in Verizon and lose a lot of business," Baker said, suggesting subscribers will be lured to Droid handsets while not having to change carriers.

Droid is built with a slide-out keyboards, which appeal to smart phone users prone to typing as is the case with Blackberry devotees, said Dulaney.

RIM is rising to the challenge with the release later this month of a Bold 9700 smart phone.

"The Bold 9700 is outstanding," Dulaney said. "For those that like keyboards it is top-of-the-class."

Blackberry devices appeal to a "different class of user" that likes typing and demands a secure network for taking care of business or other sensitive matters, according to the analyst.

"(US President Barack) Obama is not going to be using iPhone," Dulaney said. "There isn't security in iPhone and Android is a little weaker with support."

Microsoft may end up a victim of Android's success, with the Google software supplanting the Redmond, Washington technology giant's mobile operating system as an industry standard.

"Android is taking the place of what Microsoft wanted to be, the licensed operating system for smart phones," Dulaney said.