My thoughts on Google Calendar and Web Office
Written by Richard MacManus / April 13, 2006 5:59 AM
/ 12 Comments
Tonight Google unveiled its online Calendar. As usual whenever Google releases a product these days, it prompted me to ponder the Google Office :-) I'm convinced it's around the corner, so I decided to check Google's progress on this 'Moby Dick' - the Great Web Office! More on my ZDNet blog, but here's the table I came up with:
| Web Office Element | Does Google have it? | Status |
| Yes - Gmail | The best and most innovative web email system around. Gmail recently turned 2 years old, so it's a mature and dependable product (despite still having the 'beta' label!). | |
| Calendar | Yes - Google Calendar | Brand new, but looking good and playing nicely with Gmail already. |
| Web processing | Yes - Writely and whatever else Google has been cooking up behind closed doors | Early stages - Writely was the best of breed among web-based word processors in my recent review, but it's still very early in the innings for word processing on the Web. |
| Spreadsheet | Not that we know of | There are some great solutions on the open market currently: JotSpot Tracker, NumSum, iRows. Perhaps a Writely-like acquisition is on the cards from Google in this space, unless Google is working on their own app. |
| Presentations (i.e. Powerpoint competitor) | Not that we know of | I didn't uncover many web-based presentation apps in my Best of Breed post, but I was informed afterwards that a few folks are working on it. |
| Database (i.e. Access equivalent) | Maybe - Google Base? | Google Base is Google's growing database of structured data, so it's not beyond the realms of possibility that they'll use it for this purpose in a Web Office suite. |
| Web design | Google Page Creator | Well, it's a start… |
| Project Management | Not that we know of | Your guess is as good as mine. |
| RSS | Google Reader | A solid product that will likely be integrated into Gmail at some point - as Yahoo has done with RSS and Microsoft will in Vista. |
| Desktop management | Google Desktop | OK not technically an 'office' application, but Google Desktop - which integrates search on the Web with desktop - will be a key part of any Google Web Office system. |
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Dont forget www.dabbledb.com for online database tools.
Don't forget Tasks/Todos. Maybe you file this under project management, but in my mind they are two separate tiers of functionality. Outlook's Task list handling is pretty nice once you spend some time to customize it.
For online spreadsheet, you may take a look at EditGrid - http://www.editgrid.com.
Good stuff here, Richard.
But a question on the following:
"Brand new, but looking good and playing nicely with Gmail already."
Do you see specific integration of Calendar in your Gmail inbox? I saw a link from Calendar into Gmail but nothing vice versa. Also, I'd like to see more than just a link (perhaps a monthly calendar showing in the sidebar). I'm sure that is coming, just wondering if you saw that already.
I still dont get why Google Base is equivalent to database. Can you use it for your own private purpose? Can you query it?
Geez Richard, you're stretching it for quite a few of those. When will people understand that the status of Office is an utterly boring topic, unworthy of all the falderol that is written about it?
As far as power point style presentations go, let's not forget Thumbstacks (http://www.thumbstacks.com/) developed by my buddy the Boy Genius (aka Duncan Werner) from PubSub. Duncan set thumbstacks up at the perfect time...if google really is building this web office, I think it could be a prime aquisition target.
Also for what it's worth, I think that instant messaging is also a key part of the web "office" (because at least in our office we use IM everyday) and I think meebo might also be a target for google.
I posted some thoughts about this on my blog a few weeks back, might be interesting read for you: http://www.browserlessweb.com/?p=3
Ken, yes there's more that can be done with gmail integration. But there is initial connection betweenn the two -- as Techcrunch wrote: "Gmail recognizes when messages include event information, so when you get emailed about an event, you can add it to Google Calendar with just a couple clicks. Google Calendar links on the right side of the Gmail page."
I'd also add the interfaces are very similar, so the addition of links will only be the final touches to that.
Jay -- yes good points. I did say "maybe" :-)
Paul - why is office such a boring topic? MS Office is one of Microsoft's biggest revenue earners!
Thanks everyone else for the product suggestions, I'll check into all those.
Office is boring because Microsoft has the desktop market cornered, and Google is NOT, despite all the wailing by the haters, going to try to knock them off. Listen to Schmidt et al when they say they will not do a Google OS or a Google Office. They mean it. And even if they do, it would fail.
Spend your time arguing about something meaningful.
Monty, yes MS has the *desktop* market cornered. Perhaps you've not been listening, but I'm talking about a *web* office. It's a new (pardon my use of this word) paradigm.
And since when does anyone listen to what tech CEOs say? Everyone knows that a denial from a CEO means a) nothing, or b) the exact opposite will occur.
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