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Google adds "Discussions" into its cloud-based word processing service, Docs-- a shared commenting system some describe as a less complicated Google Wave.

The comment/chat feature allows multiple users to edit a single document (even simultaneously). Users can also invite new collaborators by simply putting their email address in a message-- while the system sends email notifications when one receives a reply to a thread or comment. Separate chat can also go on while users edit the document in question.

Google says the system should speed up document group editing-- and should roll out to all Gmail and Google App users within the next few days.

It reminds us a bit of what Google Wave was supposed to be-- the real-time chat and group editing system launched in beta in 2009. It was however found too complicated, and Google retired it (putting most of its code as open source) in August 2010.

Go Introducing Discussions in Google Docs

HP CEO Léo Apotheker outlines the company's strategy for the future, in his first major speech since taking control-- with the announcement of the company's shift towards cloud-based ambitions.

The company is set to open what it calls "the industry's first open cloud marketplace", combining the consumer app store with an enterprise application and services catalog.

It also has data center plans for developers and business customers-- where they build and host internet-based applications within both public and private clouds.

WebOS will also feature heavily-- HP wants to sell 100m webOS-enabled devices a year; including PCs, tablets, smartphones and printers, aiming for both consumer and business markets.

Finally for the business side HP will make use of its latest acquisition, analytics platform developer Vertica-- a "big data" appliance combining HP computing power with real-time analytics. Similar to Oracle's data-storage appliance, the solution will offer a number of delivery options-- appliance, software and cloud.

HP remains the world's biggest PC seller, and a leading printer, commercial computing system and technology service supplier-- even as it faces stiff challenges from the likes of IBM, Oracle and Cisco.

Go HP Sets Strategy to Lead in Connected World with Services, Solutions and Technologies

Microsoft's gesture-sensing 360 console  add-on, the Kinect, enters the Guinness World Book of Records-- not for being the device most likely to cause its users to make fools of themselves, but as fastest selling CE device ever. So far, at least.

Beating even the continually fast selling iDevices, the Kinect sold an average of 133333 units a day W.W. in its first 60 days of sale-- a total of 8m units sold from 4 November 2010 to 3 January 2011.

Microsoft has every reason to be happy with the Kinect-- as one of its most successful recent offerings, Microsoft even warned of unit shortages in January. The device even moved beyond gaming, with features like control-free Hulu and the promise of PC support. It also proved popular with the hacker community-- so much so that Microsoft is now releasing a non-commercial SDK for the Kinect this spring (no doubt after watching any of Kinect hack videos available online, which entertain and amuse in equal measures).

Go Kinect Confirmed as Fastest-Selling CE Device

Canalys estimates a Y-o-Y growth of 14% for the W.W. PC market-- with much of the growth coming from tablet device shipments.

The analyst predicts tablet shipments will grow to 52m in 2011-- with Apple, predictably, taking the winner's crown, as it accounts for over 75% of tablets (leaving 12m units' worth of shipments to be split between other tablet vendors).

The "traditional" PC companies (Microsoft, Intel and AMD in particular) are to lose market share to Apple-- especially with the iPad2's launch.

Canalys sas that ultimately tablets are disrupting the traditional PC market in 2 ways-- customers are extending their existing hardware's life (as they prefer tablet usage) and hindering the notebook segment's growth.

The analyst estimates that for every 10 tablets sold this year W.W., 5 netbook/notebook sales will be lost-- across both consumer and enterprise markets. This trend will occur particularly in European territories like UK, Germany, France, the Nordics and Benelux.

Overstocked retail channels in much of W.Europe will hinder notebook growth-- even if predictions say notebooks will still grow by nearly 8% W.W., thanks to the ongoing Windows 7 refresh.

Netbooks however will decline by 13%-- to 34m units.

Meanwhile the markets in the Middle East and North Africa are currently at a virtual standstill due to the current political revolutions and protests-- and there's no telling how long such disruption will last. Japan's recent natural disasters could also cause some short-term disruptions to the supply chain, but it will take weaks to assess the damage and its consequences.

Go Canalys Predicts 14% Growth in PC Market for 2011