[jsavimbi]

It's akin to a grocer refusing cash and instead only accepting payments made with their branded store card, for the customer's benefit.

I'm surprised there hasn't been a legal challenge to this.

[taligent]

Not sure why you have been downvoted.

What Google is doing is very much reminiscent of what got Microsoft into so much trouble. Using a monopoly in one area to extend into another.

[bagacrap]

what area does Google have a monopoly in? Surely not search, email, or the browser. MS wasn't just cross-marketing, it was bundling IE and setting it as default which was unfair competition given that getting netscape required a lot more work (knowledge of the alternative, pre-broadband download and install). That plus bullying OEMs into unfavorable contracts. It's a poor analogy because Google doesn't own the web platform, and it's incredibly easy to switch services (just change your bookmarks).