This week in technology, Google decides to radically restructure as a company. Also, there’s a sale on Dyson fans, Apple’s giving away headphones to those buying new computers, and video games become part of the main event.

Google isn’t Google anymore

The easy joke making the rounds this week is whether Google’s promise to not be evil was being rescinded because of a massive restructuring of the company.

Larry Page didn’t comment on that in his letter published on Monday, in which he lays out the new company, Alphabet that he and cofounder Sergey Brin will run.

The idea, writes Page, is that Google has become a bit too big to manage, and with a bunch of projects that kind of go in different directions. So each of those projects is becoming a company unto itself, and Alphabet is going to be the one ring to rule them all.

Sundar Pichai will become the new CEO of a “slimmed down” Google, which will still include the Google Play Store, YouTube, and Android.

Ventures getting their own CEO and leadership include:

• Calico: a biotech company researching aging and extending life
• Google Ventures: venture capital investment for seed and growth stage projects
• Google Capital: late-stage growth funding
• Google X: the innovation lab, where work on the autonomous car, a drone delivery service (Wing), and Glass are being developed
• Next Labs: home automation, including the connected thermostats and smoke detectors

Investors seem to be happy about the move. But there is a danger. The creative energy that came out of the skunkworks and research projects within Google likely helped spur the more present day (mundane?) business initiatives like search, ads, and maps. Separating the various business units means there will be less cross-pollination.

As much as Google is different, there may be some business challenges that just require traditional solutions.

And if there’s a potential hitch here, it’s that Alphabet happens to be the name of a BMW subsidiary which owns the domain alphabet.com. A BMW spokesperson said the company is “not planning to sell the domain.” Whether Brin and Page’s new company infringes on any BMW trademark will likely be up to a court to decide.

Save $100 on a Dyson fan

Until September 3, you can get a slick Dyson fan for $100 off the normal price.

I’ve been using a Dyson Cool 12-inch desk fan for a while and it’s awesome. It moves air without sounding like an airplane because there are no blades. The Dyson fans use the inventer’s “Air Multiplier”: technology, which uses an airfoil to flow air at me.

A press of the remote and the fan will rotate on its pedestal, and this latest iteration of the fans is quieter and uses 40 percent less electricity than the first one. It’s just as easy to clean as ever.

At the sale price, the desk fan I’ve been using is only Cdn$250. It’s a bit more expensive than you’ll pay for a fan from a warehouse store, but the design and functionality are worth the premium, I think.

Apple’s giving away headphones

Every year, Apple encourages students — and parents of students — to get Mac computers for the return to class with a promotion of some type. The past few years it’s been an iTunes or App Store gift card.

This year it’s a pair of Beats Solo2 On-Ear headphones, a Cdn$ 220 value. If you want the wireless version of the Solo2s, you just pay the difference, which is $110.

That’s in addition to saving up to $250 with education pricing that Apple offers to all students and teachers.

Evil Geniuses win The International video game tournament

For those of you who don’t think competitive video gaming is worthy of your attention, last weekend a team of five players took home US$6,634,661 by winning The International.

The Evil Geniuses, an American team, captured the purse by playing Dota 2, a multiplayer online battle arena game (MOBA) developed and published by Valve. More than 11 million people play Dota 2 every month.

The final tournament included 16 teams from around the world and was held in Seattle at KeyArena, which seats more than 17,000 people. And it was sold out. For comparison, a sold out Canucks game is 18,900.

Vancouver’s Kurtis Ling, known by his gaming handle Aui_2000, is a member of that winning team. He’s been gaming full time for about three years, and making a living off it. Last weekend he earned a million plus dollars.

This highlight video shows the path the Evil Geniuses took through the bracket to the final.