|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Gates to Google: 'Your business applications stink' | The Open Road - The Business and Politics of Open Source by Matt Asay - CNET Blogs
- Bill Gates may misunderstand open source, but he's fairly accurate in his portrayal of Google's attempts to get into the enterprise. Whatever one wants to say about the quality of Microsoft's software, one can't dispute its reach. Google, on the other hand, has been king in consumer search...and that's about it.
It's a big "it" but it tends to mask Google's continual failures in just about everything else (Used many of these lately?), including enterprise applications, as Gates points out:
In terms of Google, not to overstate it, but they really don't understand the special needs of business. Today, their economic model is based on consumer search. They have done an incredible job there and obviously we're investing in challenging them in that space ...
If you've seen ... the Google tools that have tried to do productivity type things, they really don't have the richness the responsiveness. You can see that relative [to] the success they have had there. Most of these Google products, to be frank, the day they announce them is their best day and then after that ....
I really want Google to be successful in the enterprise because Microsoft needs competition. But I just can't see it. Not in the short term, anyway.
Oracle and SAP may give Microsoft a run for its money, but Google has struggled even to get people (outside Silicon Valley) to use its supposedly successful Gmail.
The good news is that Google has lots of money and lots of time to put that money to use. The bad news is that Microsoft needs competition today. Explore...
|
|
|
|
Todd Bishop Blog on Gates on Yahoo, Google and the next president
- "If you've seen ... the Google tools that have tried to do productivity type things, they really don't have the richness the responsiveness. You can see that relative [to] the success they have had there. Most of these Google products, to be frank, the day they announce them is their best day and then after that .... Explore...
|
|
|
|
Enterprise Search: Dave Girouard on Taking Google to the Corporation
- That's why Google has Dave Girouard, general manager of Google's budding enterprise business. Dave's job is pretty simple: apply to enterprise data the same revolutionary search technology that organized the Web. To do that, Google is working with business application vendors to make the data locked away inside various structured tables and proprietary software available to a simple, intuitive search engine. And in the process, Google is aiming to become the primary interface for all enterprise applications. Executive Editor Dan Briody spoke with Girouard about Google's ambitious plans. An edited version of their conversation follows. Explore...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Is Google Bashing Finally Peaking? - Seeking Alpha
- This weekend's Barron's has article by Jacqueline Doherty titled "Google's Next Stop: Below 350?" The main thesis of the article is that analysts have not reduced earnings estimates for Google (GOOG) to account for the expected reduction in clicks and corporate ad spending. The article recommends staying clear of the stock until Wall Street recognizes that Google's revenues will be hurt by an economic slowdown and management starts cutting expenditure in non-core areas. Explore...
|
|
|
|
Internet Outsider: Google v. Microsoft 3D Earth
- The big fight, here as elsewhere, is between Google and Microsoft, over who can produce the coolest 2D and 3D global mapping platforms. The startling news is that, in this arena, Microsoft appears to be holding its own. Google's new "block view" feature is cool (put yourself on map, look at buildings around you, walk down street, etc.), but Microsoft's new "Virtual Earth" project is even cooler. The latter is powered by high-res photos taken from low-flying planes, and the reported $150 million the company is spending on geospatial content is paying off (at least in the "wow" department). Explore...
|
|
|
|
Tech Beat Yahoo, MySpace and Google Get Social - BusinessWeek
- On March 25, Yahoo, the largest online destination, teamed up with two other Web titans—search goliath Google and leading social network MySpace—to form the OpenSocial Foundation. The not-for-profit, which is scheduled to launch within the next 90 days, is dedicated to preserving open source programming codes that allow Web developers to build applications that work across all major Web sites. “We believe common sets of specifications are beneficial to the developer community at large and enrich the experience of the Web both on and off Yahoo,” said Wade Chambers, Yahoo’s VP of Platforms, in a media conference call.
Google launched the OpenSocial platform in October in hopes of solving two problems created by the increasingly social Web. The first issue concerned developers. Facebook’s May decision to open up its popular real estate to applications from third parties spurred thousands of developers to create programs for the social networking site. The enthusiastic response of Facebook users to the new programs encouraged other social networks to follow suit. Soon most sites were allowing outsiders to create programs for them. Explore...
|
|
|
|
More Online Collaboration Less Microsoft Office: Google Apps Premier Edition - Robin Good's Latest News
- Google announced yesterday the release of new premier edition of its Google Apps online collaboration suite, combining GMail, Google Talk, Google Calendar. Google Page Creator, Google Startpage and Google Docs and Spreadsheets into a hosted subscription service. With 10GB of webmail storage, 24/7 tech support and a promise of 99.9% uptime, this looks set to be a valuable tool for those looking for a reliable online collaboration solution.
While the service doesn't as yet feature a PowerPoint presentation style application, Google Apps Premier edition may well pose a challenge to Microsoft's Office suite, and will be sure to have shaken up the people behind the similarly featured Zoho Office. Given that a years subscription to the service costs a mere $50.00 per user, and features the capability to use your own custom domain, with connected user accounts, this is certainly an affordable alternative to existing office collaboration and communications tools. Explore...
|
|
|
|
Microsoft’s Battle Plan for War on Google and Apple
- As you know Google has been eating Microsoft’s lunch in the public sector almost as bad as Apple has been embarrassing them in the arena of public perception with the Mac vs PC ads targeting Vista’s “perceived shortcomings” (You have to admit that those ads are funny!). Neither one is yet dominate among SMB or retail consumers but the battle for market share is setting a stage for a real all out turf war. Explore...
|
|
|
|
Where's my Google PC? - By Paul Boutin - Slate Magazine
- For a sneak peek at the future of computing, go to YouOS and click "Try a Demo." Your browser window turns into a desktop of its own, with sub-windows for e-mail, chat, and Web browsing. There are also links on the YouOS desktop for a sticky-notes program and a rich-text editor. But these programs aren't on your hard drive—they're running somewhere in the vast unknown Internet.
YouOS is the fledgling startup of four recent college grads with a bit of angel funding. Its simplicity makes it a great demo. Anyone who logs on can instantly spot the big idea: You don't need Windows! You don't even need a PC! You can login and work from anywhere using any gadget with a screen and a keyboard. Explore...
|
|
|
|
Google Maps Categories: Will The Pain End Soon?
- The categorization system is meant to support the variety in user expectation due to topic and geography and will improve over time through usage. He offered up the example of the different intent of the search "Chinese Restaurant" when searched for in NYC and Beijing and the need to develop categorization technology that could take that difference into account.
They have been using different providers of the same data and the categories in use came from one of many providers and web sites. Their end goal is for it to be very open and for there to be a competition between sources to provide the most probable categorization of any given business. Explore...
|
|
|
|
Google Office vs. Microsoft Office: What's the end game? | TalkBack on ZDNet
- "Google will distract Microsoft?
True. They can do it, but distracting is not a wise strategy alone.
If they want to be successful they should put a really cool application out there.
One poor end user experience and you lost him. Businesses do not have many shots.You can revise your strategy, but you cannot just launch products for distraction only.
If end user sees no value in adopting the new cool applications, Google will lose its competitive advantage, which is "everybody's high expectations". Explore...
|
|
|
|
Google Desktop vs. Windows Vista Desktop - The Google - Microsoft face off transitioned to the Windows Vista desktop... - Softpedia
- The Mountain View company has established a strong foothold in the Windows operating system with Google Desktop and is not going down without a fight. Still the evolution of Windows Vista can deliver sufficient leverage and incentive for users to ostracize Google from the desktop.
Make no mistake about it, Windows Vista and your Windows Vista desktop is a battleground, and both Microsoft and Google are hard at work expanding and protecting their territory. Do you have to take sides? Which one will you choose: the default configuration of Windows Vista, or enhancing the operating system with the Google desktop? Can you have the best of the two worlds? Explore...
|
|
|
|
Google Scoops Microsoft: Delivers Mesh First | NetworkWorld.com Community
- But the future's not all doom and gloom just because of Google's progress in bringing unplugged versions of cloud apps to users. Microsoft would be smart to be extremely observant about the end user experience, user feedback and usage patterns of Google Doc users, and then plow that knowledge back into Windows Live and other Microsoft Mesh efforts.
The consequences of Google's unplugged capabilities will be significant -- I think we'll see a large advances in the acceptance and use of Google Docs now that they have unplugged capabilities. Why buy Word, Excel or PowerPoint for the home or second computer if you really don't need it? As Google perfects and deepens its unplugged app capability, the real threat to Microsoft is now out playing on the field. Don't underplay the importance of Google's announcement -- what sounds like a feature, is really a huge enabler for Google's cloud app strategy to take on Microsoft. Explore...
|
|
|
|
Google Brings Offline Access to Docs and Apps - washingtonpost.com
- Google is rolling out a much-awaited feature for its hosted applications: the ability for people to use them even when they aren't connected to the Internet.
The first application to get this offline access will be the word processor, said Ken Norton,Google Docsproduct manager. "The design goal is to create a seamless experience, with or without an Internet connection," he said.
Over the next three weeks or so, Google willturn on the feature for all word processor users, giving them the ability to view and edit documents while offline. During the same time period, Google Docs' spreadsheet will gain offline ability for viewing, but not editing, documents.
Google Docs' third component, an application to make slide presentations, will remain for now without offline access. However, Google has plans to extend the offline access to it and to other hosted services in the Google Apps suite, of which Docs is part. Apps also includes Gmail, Calendar, Talk and others. Explore...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Redmond | Feature Article: Google's Secret Weapon
- The search giant is always careful to squelch speculation of any looming clash of the titans. When Google added a presentation app to its online office suite, for example, CEO Eric Schmidt adamantly stated it was not a rival to Microsoft Office.
Others -- like Raven Zachary, research director of open source with The 451 Group -- beg to differ. "There's a need by Google to displace Microsoft Office's dominance to support Google's [Software as a Service] office suite offering," he says. "This is straight-up competition."
As much as Google works to downplay that competition in public, in private it is well aware that Microsoft has spent $6 billion acquiring the digital advertising company aQuantive Inc. to spearhead its attack on Google in its home market. History shows that Microsoft doesn't rest until it owns any sector it enters, so peaceful cohabitation is hardly an option.
Against this complex background, Google's bevy of Ph.D.s came up with the perfect solution: a way to fight Microsoft without appearing to do so. Open source lies at the heart of that strategy. Explore...
|
|
|
|
Google News faces Microsoft rival | Tech News on ZDNet
- Microsoft on Tuesday began testing a new online news aggregation service, as part of its growing search rivalry with Google.
In conjunction with its own MSNBC news site, the software giant is creating a page dubbed "Newsbot" that will draw news headlines from more than 4,800 other sites, in a manner similar to the Google News service. Explore...
|
|
|
|
Microsoft and Google Grapple for Supremacy - New York Times
- The Microsoft- Google rivalry is shaping up as a titanic corporate clash for the ages.
Skip to next paragraph
Multimedia
Video: Microsoft Versus Google
Graphic: Past Corporate Clashes It may not turn out that way. Markets and corporate fortunes routinely defy prediction. But it sure looks as if the two companies are on a collision course, as the realms of desktop computing and Internet services and software overlap more and more.
Microsoft, of course, is the reigning powerhouse of computing and Google is the muscular Internet challenger. On each side, the battalions are arrayed: executives, engineers, marketers, lawyers and lobbyists. The spending and competition are escalating daily. For each, it seems, the other passes what Andrew S. Grove, a founder and former chairman of Intel, calls the "silver bullet test" of strategic competition. "If you had one bullet, who would you shoot with it?"
How the Microsoft-Google confrontation plays out could shape the future of competition in computing and how people use information technology. Explore...
|
|
|
|
Microsoft's Rivalry with New Age Google in the New Millenium
- With Google's whole portfolio of products now starting to come into direct competition with Microsoft, Bill Gates has attempted to catch up in the search game. Microsoft has spent over $150 million on its Underdog search project, in hopes of gaining ground on Google. While far behind, the company is hoping that their efforts will pay off in limiting Google's domination of the search engine market.
Moving forward, Google's top managers discussed a range of new initiatives the company hoped to embark on in a recent conference call that comprises of additional desktop search features to be launched in the United States and around the world. Yet, many investors and Google watchers are still very unsure what direction the company is taking and where they are focusing their resources. It is obvious that there is a major buildup of manpower and resources, but onlookers are still confused as to what new product or initiative they may be used for. To put it simply, David M. Garrity, a technology analyst for Caris & Co. in New York, suggests that "'Until such time as they know what the whole house is going to look like, they're not going to reveal the blueprint." Explore...
|
|
|
|
Google Docs Aims At Microsoft Office Live With 'Gears'
- Google (NSDQ:GOOG) took an important step forward Monday in its rivalry with Microsoft Office Live, reporting that Google Docs will allow users to edit word processing documents offline.
Google said users of its Google Docs word processing application can use Google Gears to save and then edit documents without being connected to the Internet.
"Cloud computing is great, but you need the cloud to make it work," Philip Tucker, software engineer, Google Docs, wrote in a Google blog. "On an airplane, on the shuttle commuting to work, or at home when my cable modem goes down, I want to work on my documents. And, until now, that usually meant saving a copy and editing on the desktop.
"Now there's a better solution. With Google Docs offline, I can take my little piece of the cloud with me wherever I go," Tucker added. "Once enabled, I have a local version of my document list and editors, along with my documents." Explore...
|
|
|
|
MSN Announces Investment in Search Technology: Personal Search Tool for Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 Is Added to MSN Search Arsenal.
- REDMOND, Wash., July 16, 2004 ? MSN today announced that it has acquired Lookout Software LLC, bringing additional technology and expertise to future search efforts by MSN. Lookout offers the critically acclaimed Lookout personal search tool for the Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 messaging and collaboration client, which provides fast searching for e-mail, files and desktop data within Outlook. This investment builds on several significant product improvements and milestones reached by the MSN Search team recently, including changes to MSN Search that increase the relevancy of many results by up to 45 percent. Explore...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Microsoft, Yahoo agree on buyout price | InfoWorld | News | 2008-04-01 | By Galen Gruman
- After much internal debate and industry speculation, Yahoo today agreed to be acquired by Microsoft, adding $2.6 billion to Redmond's original offer of $44.6 billion on Jan. 31.
The agreement was reached near midnight last night, thus closing a contentious quarter for the Web company, one rife with in-fighting and power jockeying since Microsoft's initial offer.
Of the agreed $47.2 billion, $10 billion is in cash and the rest in stock, with $1.12 of Microsoft stock being swapped for each share of Yahoo stock, roughly a 12-cent-per-share premium over Yahoo’s $29.05 closing stock price on Monday. Explore...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
