Monday, August 28, 2006
Google Keeps Busy, Releases Google Office…err, Apps
byGoogle launched what looks like the first part of its long rumored online office suite, named Google Apps for Your Domain, late last night. Currently, the service, in beta, requires filling out a short form and pleading your case to be included (which I did, though I doubt I’ll be allowed in). Once approved, you can select from Gmail, Google Talk, Google Calendar and Google Pages to build your own suite. Use as many or as few as one, it’s up to you although I’m sure that at a minimum you’ll want to use both the mail and calendar to take advantage. I haven’t visited Google Pages since it was launched but, unless it has improved tremendously, I don’t see anybody getting too excited about using it. Google Talk probably won’t fit too much into the decision process to sign up either. As expected, the service is free while in beta, but the wording is such that I’m not sure what, if any, price may be attached when it is out of beta (which in Google’s case could be years).
Without really seeing what, if anything, Google has done to integrate the four apps it’s hard to praise or dismiss what they’ve put together. Gmail and Calendar are both very nice apps on their own, but I have a feeling Talk and Pages were included because Spreadsheet and Writely aren’t quite ready to play nice with the others. Unlike most Google applications, this one has a URL (http://www.google.com/a/) that doesn’t include the name of the application, but instead just the letter ‘a’ which makes me think a shorter and more marketable name is somewhere in the future for good old Google Apps for Your Domain.
With Microsoft having trouble getting Vista out the door, and Office 2007 still on the way, Google could be making a quick first strike to take advantage of the door Redmond has left open. The price is certainly right, but Google is going to need to get companies and organizations to sign up and use it, or it won’t matter when it comes time for IT departments across the country to upgrade to the safe and “we’ve always used it” Windows Vista whenever it finally ships (minus more features every day). Google seems to squash anybody or anything it takes on, this time, though, they’re gunning at the king of the hill and might not find it so easy.
I, for one, wish them all the luck in the world.
