Tags: Microsoft

Google has had a meteoric rise to stardom. I remember an article I saw in PC World Indian Edition in the year 1999 which mentioned this small startup with a funny name. I passed it on like yet another search engine which were booming in those days. Who could have thought that day that in the coming years it will reach such massive heights that companies like Microsoft and Yahoo! would find it tough competing.

They have come a long way since then. Now they have an arsenal full of utilities for the common netizen. They have added loads of additional services to their search engine, they have introduced web search tools like the Google Toolbar and Google Deskbar, and they have launched non search related services like Orkut and GMail! So, what’s next for Google? What is there to conquer now? What fields can Google set its eyes on? I am in no position to guess what Google has on its mind but I have given some thoughts on what I would like to see Google get into!

Obviously, the list is not a mind boggling one. It contains most of the existing competition’s services, nothing revolutionary. But Google would do well if it starts competing with competition where it hurt them most and they have started doing that with GMail!

So here are my 5 ideas that are not necessary innovative but might make it big, if implemented the Google way!

Desktop Search

Yeah, I know rumors are already out on this one that Google is indeed working on a Desktop search bar! And in fact I am eagerly waiting for it to come out. Desktop search if implemented well can make life so much easier for any one as Microsoft search tools in my opinion suck badly. Google has succeeded in mastering searches on the web. Whether it is for web pages or for images, Google rock. It even searches for content in PDFs and many other file formats. It simply keeps me amazed on what else is left! If Google can indeed make searching for local files as simple, fast and amazing, it could give Microsoft some nightmares. Of course, Google would have to find a way to record all the stuff on the hard disks and do that continuously. Microsoft’s indexing service take lot of resources when I turn it on. So, if Google manage to get a local indexing service that run as well as its online spiders does without really slowing down the computer that could revolutionize desktop searching. Who would have thought that searching online would be faster than searching on your own PC? Well, that’s what is true today. And Google with its experience can change that!

Desktop GMail

GMail is currently under testing phase. But it is looking pretty hot. Fortunately I got into GMail test phase through a friend and boy, I was impressed. But at the moment it is not very clear whether Google is planning to offer the service with POP or IMAP support. Now, both of these services may render the Google’s Adsense technology useless which is actually paying back to Google. So Google just might have to find a way to provide some kind of a tool to the user to access GMail when he is on the move or he is offline. And if Google can come up with something neat (which can include the ads in the software interface) and it works, that just might get GMail loads of more hotmail and yahoo converts!

Update: Google started nicely with a small and nifty utility in GMail Notifier.

Google Messenger

Yeah! I know there already are loads of messengers and protocols around and we don’t need a new one. But a Google powered messenger that might login to other protocols just might get people to get this probable new unified messenger. Google can incorporate its tools like searching, Orkut message notification and of course GMail notification to it and make it a luring option for the users.

Update: Google when it acquired Picasa, got hold of Hello… Which is a very good base for a great Instant Messenger and very competent in the current form…

Google Browser

Another funky concept! Why not release a browser of your own? Use Mozilla engine, add all the Google tools inbuilt to make it totally googl33t and offer as a free download. Since people already love Firefox for its engine and Google for its capabilities, this looks like a worthwhile product in itself.

Google ISP

This almost might sound crazy. But this is something that directly collides with Yahoo!, MSN and AOL heads on. And people do have a soft spot for Google nowadays (no matter what they say about the Google policies about Orkut and GMail). It has a good reputation, incredible brand value and it can get into ISP business, it can do well. And if somehow they can come out with some business plan to offer free internet services with some kind of advertisement modules incorporated in form of the service toolbar or taskbar module, it can be a killer. A farfetched idea? Maybe, but Google has done stuff people would have never thought of! And they might do it again…

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