Other tech companies should be very worried about Google. The future of tech will only work with lots of data (emails, contacts, calls, location etc.). Google is best placed to take advantage of this. People have been giving Google this info for years. Even if Apple or Microsoft came up with a great new email system and people started switching it's only one part of the puzzle. If ordinary users like this contextual future Microsoft and Apple look screwed (unless Apple is working on something secretly). And I say this as a Mac user and an iPhone user/developer.
It seems that Mr. Kurzweil has become very influential at Google. This is indeed the future that he predicts, and i can understand why google want's to be a part of that !