Will Google Buy AOL?

Google's recent bid to provide free WiFi for San Francisco, and its raising a $5.3 billion war chest from stock offerings make clear it has big plans ahead. It's next logical move: Buy a stake in AOL and use the flagging service as a launching point for total Internet (or is that world?) domination. It's clear from Google's myriad plans, ranging from building the world's largest core network, to providing free WiFi, to developing an online payment scheme and more, that free search was just the company's starting point.

Google is after much bigger fish. Buying all or part of AOL would be getting the Big Kahuna. The buy would give Google access to even more Internet users, provide it with a massive content and services platform, and allow the company to build a bridge to the huge world of Time-Warner content.

Just as important -- it would halt rumored Microsoft plans to make an alliance with AOL.

Five years from now, Google with dwarf Microsoft. And one key signpost along the way may be a purchase of all or part of AOL.