If only Dr. Evil had the GeoEye-1!

Google announced that SMS capabilities will be implemented in Gmail for all users.  You can activate the plug-in from the Labs panel under Settings.  Once activated, you will be able to send SMS messages from Gmail to anyone with a SMS capable phone from the Chat tab on the left.  Costs are associated with the mobile service provider and not with Google.  This is certainly good news for the lazy bastards that wished they could SMS in Gmail or those with the irrational fear of typing on a cellphone.

For the regular folks that have no problems keeping SMS and emails separate, this really isn't that exciting.  But what it does signal is the merging of the mobile and desktop markets.  With Google's continued quest for domination by releasing Gears, Apps, Chrome, and Android, this latest effort brings home the eventual reality of a Google OS.  It's conjecture at this point obviously, but those who have been keeping up with Google since its IPO can't seriously be dismissing such a possibility.  It's a natural expansion of their business and follows the path that started with a search engine.  Certainly there are more things to building an OS than a search engine, SMS, and browsing but Google isn't flying under the radar anymore.

With the successful launch of Android and many other manufacturers jumping on board, I wouldn't put it past Google to launch a mini-tablet or netbook in the next two years with a customized Android platform as its OS.  More competition is certain good for the consumer and it's also good for creativity.  If Apple didn't launch the iPhone, smart-phones wouldn't have made such strides today and we would all have been satisfied with using our Blackberry 8700-V5 still.