All in Google
Google is the search giant. We know this. They also have a slew of productivity tools that help with email, writing, calculating, translations, analytics, RSS feeds, etc. Their productivity offerings are just as good as their search offering. Simply put, they're good.
However, Google as had two attempts at social media -- Google Buzz and Google Wave. Now, it could be argued that Google Wave is a productivity tool, but in my opinion, it's a social application for groups, business teams, friends and family. It makes communicating happen in real-time and social. Thus, why I categorized it as "social media."
Last week, Google announced that they were relaunching Google News in a better format with enhanced customization, discovery and sharing. The redesign was the biggest change since the launch in beta in 2002.
The feedback was good, but some folks wanted parts of the old Google News back.
Google Voice was a popular "I want it" service when it launched and it has grown more since it was open to the masses. If there's any sign that Google is dedicated to the product it's in the form of reports that the company is testing a desktop-based version of the service at their HQ, i.e. Googleplex.
TechCrunch is reporting that Google has been internally testing a desktop Google Voice application, which is mostly due in part of its acquisition of Gizmo5 last year.
Google launched Buzz, their social media service that's tied into GMail, a few months ago with some fanfare and loads of fizzle. Privacy quickly became a concern with users and as a result, the company tweaked the settings.Despite the bumps in the road, Buzz seems to be puttering along and Google isn't ditching it.
Evidence of that is the fact that Buzz is now available through the mobile version of GMail.
Google and Apple making loveGoogle today blogged their plans for to support the iPad, announcing that they will have a handful of nuances that will make services device ready, so to speak.
The first tweak is via an experimental user interface for Gmail based on the HTML5 mobile web app developed for the iPhone and Android. It will feature a two-pane view with a conversation thread listing on the left and message pane on the right (screenshot below), according to Mashable.
It was also announced that several Google services will ship pre-installed on the iPad as apps.
I've spent about 45 minutes messing around with Google Buzz. I'm on just about every social media service that is available. I use a ton of apps for both PC and Mac. I also have used a ton of apps on the Blackberry and iPhone. Long story short, I know way too much about social web services and technology.
So, when Google Buzz opened the door to me, I jumped right in. Here are my initial thoughts:
Techcrunch is reporting that Facebook is in the trenches and just about to attack the messaging beach front, a move that will be debated as a Gmail killer.
I don't think it'll happen and here's why.
First off, Gmail has taken over the email world. Due to it's funcationality, accessibility and all around smartness, Gmail quickly squashed Hotmal and Yahoo mail (and others). Users are widely embedded with the service, me included.
While Facebook is the online gateway to information for 350 million plus users, Gmail still has a strong following in my opinion -- so much so that users won't take the initiative to move over to Facebook. Now, if somehow Gmail will be able to work inside of Facebook, that'll be a game-changer. However, I highly doubt that will happen.