According to News.com, Microsoft has stated that by the end of the year they will launch a desktop search tool to compete with Google's Desktop search (and their own junkie windows search).
Hmmm, I think I have heard of this one before. This past summer Microsoft announced that by the end of the summer they would increase the storage capacity for Hotmail in response to Gmail... well we are now deep into Fall and hotmail still has not upped their capacity.
Microsoft has lost all credibility around hitting ship dates, so I wouldn't hold your breath on this one.
Friday, October 22, 2004
Saturday, October 16, 2004
Google Desktop Search - Changing Mass Market Behavior
A lot has been written about Google's desktop search, but many writters focused on the obvious short term implications and not on what Google is trying to accomplish in the LONG RUN and how this application fits into that strategy. So, let me take a stab at articulating what Google is trying to accomplish.
As I have written about in the past (See my posting on how Google could topple Windows)Google wants to create a massive network computer that is the platform... essentially completing the vision of McNealy and Ellison, making the network the computer. Given this long term goal, how does Desktop search fit in? The critical aspect of Google's desktop search is that the only way to access the search app is through the Google WEB interface. The company could have simply created a desktop app to present the results, but they made the decision to put the desktop search results within the browser. They did this because it helps to train computer users that if they want to find personal content just go to Google.
It is very hard to change the behavior of consumers. In talking with TiVo execs they told me that they were surprised how hard it was to get people to change their TV viewing habits. They called this the inertia in the market... that consumers would just go on doing what they were doing, even if there was a better approach. By creating a desktop search application that works through the Google interface, the company is investing early (before their huge network computer is ready for the masses) to change market inertia.
Just think about it, if you are always connected to the net do you care where your files are stored (assuming privacy/security is addressed)? Heck, in using the desktop search application I am already ready to unload some data onto the Google network just to make it accessible in other places.
As I have written about in the past (See my posting on how Google could topple Windows)Google wants to create a massive network computer that is the platform... essentially completing the vision of McNealy and Ellison, making the network the computer. Given this long term goal, how does Desktop search fit in? The critical aspect of Google's desktop search is that the only way to access the search app is through the Google WEB interface. The company could have simply created a desktop app to present the results, but they made the decision to put the desktop search results within the browser. They did this because it helps to train computer users that if they want to find personal content just go to Google.
It is very hard to change the behavior of consumers. In talking with TiVo execs they told me that they were surprised how hard it was to get people to change their TV viewing habits. They called this the inertia in the market... that consumers would just go on doing what they were doing, even if there was a better approach. By creating a desktop search application that works through the Google interface, the company is investing early (before their huge network computer is ready for the masses) to change market inertia.
Just think about it, if you are always connected to the net do you care where your files are stored (assuming privacy/security is addressed)? Heck, in using the desktop search application I am already ready to unload some data onto the Google network just to make it accessible in other places.
Sunday, October 10, 2004
Is MSN asleep at the hotmail wheel?
It has been over 180 days since Google announced Gmail. That means any company in the web based email business has had 180 days to react. It didn't take long for most... Yahoo! responded quickly and raised the capacity of Yahoo! mail accounts from 4 MB to 100 MB. Microsoft also announced that by the end of the summer they would raise the hotmail storage limit... well it is now October, clearly in the middle of Fall, and my hotmail storage is still a lowly 2 MB. I hate my hotmail account, with all the junk mail I get to that account it is constantly filling up, and I have to check it all the time just to make sure something that is important doesn't bounce.
So what are the boys in Redmond up to? Are they asleep at the hotmail wheel? I will tell you this much, I am ready to shut down my hotmail account because it is just too much of a pain to deal with compared to Yahoo! and Gmail. Why can't a company that dumps Billions into R&D with little to show for it pour some resources into being competitive in the web-based email market.
So what are the boys in Redmond up to? Are they asleep at the hotmail wheel? I will tell you this much, I am ready to shut down my hotmail account because it is just too much of a pain to deal with compared to Yahoo! and Gmail. Why can't a company that dumps Billions into R&D with little to show for it pour some resources into being competitive in the web-based email market.
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
How to get your Gmail Atom Feed
So I noticed that icon for my Gmail ATOM feed went missing yesterday, but yet the feed was still active. I assume this means that all of you who never saw the feed can probably get yours anyway by adding the following feed to your news reader.
https://gmail.google.com/gmail/feed/atom
I am currently using FireFox's "Live Bookmark" functionality for this. Let me know in the comments if this works for you in other aplications.
https://gmail.google.com/gmail/feed/atom
I am currently using FireFox's "Live Bookmark" functionality for this. Let me know in the comments if this works for you in other aplications.
Monday, October 04, 2004
New Gmail functionality signals a Google Browser
The Gmail team over at Google has been busy lately. Today they have added two pieces of functionality: (There might be more additions but I haven't seen them yet)
1) Improved contact management
2) Atom feed for your email
The Atom feed is what has me VERY intrigued. While many will look at this little feed as just a feature for ubber geeks, I view it as a major signal of Google products to come. Follow my logic for a second:
Gmail is a great application but it has a major drawback... you can only access it if you are online. This means that you can't make Google your primary mail application because if you find yourself without an internet connection, you can't email... Well inserting an Atom feed is a first step in fixing the connection problem. Using this feed Gmail users can now pull down their Gmail to a local client application. The feed today contains only summary information, (like subject, who the message is from, etc.) but there is no reason this can't be expanded to contain the full text of a message.
So, now that we know you can pull down part of your Gmail messages into a client application should we assume that Google will stop there and let random applications handle the user experience or do we believe that Google will want to have an application that controls that user experience? They will want to control the user experience, that is for certain.
So now I believe that Google will want a client application to help manage email that can be brought to that client in the form of an Atom Feed. Well, lets see... recently there was a high profile application that launched with the ability to pull such a feed... it is called FireFox.
Therefore I believe it is just a matter of days or weeks before Google announces their own browser based on FireFox that has built in support for Gmail. I am sure that any Google Browser will have additional functionality than just Gmail integration, but this is a big first step.
1) Improved contact management
2) Atom feed for your email
The Atom feed is what has me VERY intrigued. While many will look at this little feed as just a feature for ubber geeks, I view it as a major signal of Google products to come. Follow my logic for a second:
Gmail is a great application but it has a major drawback... you can only access it if you are online. This means that you can't make Google your primary mail application because if you find yourself without an internet connection, you can't email... Well inserting an Atom feed is a first step in fixing the connection problem. Using this feed Gmail users can now pull down their Gmail to a local client application. The feed today contains only summary information, (like subject, who the message is from, etc.) but there is no reason this can't be expanded to contain the full text of a message.
So, now that we know you can pull down part of your Gmail messages into a client application should we assume that Google will stop there and let random applications handle the user experience or do we believe that Google will want to have an application that controls that user experience? They will want to control the user experience, that is for certain.
So now I believe that Google will want a client application to help manage email that can be brought to that client in the form of an Atom Feed. Well, lets see... recently there was a high profile application that launched with the ability to pull such a feed... it is called FireFox.
Therefore I believe it is just a matter of days or weeks before Google announces their own browser based on FireFox that has built in support for Gmail. I am sure that any Google Browser will have additional functionality than just Gmail integration, but this is a big first step.
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