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Does Powerset make Sergey Bryn and Larry Page stay up at night? You’d think Powerset is the greatest thing since, well, Google, amid the hype about its still-in-development natural language search technology. The latest news about Powerset is a deal it has struck with Xerox’s Palo Alto Research Center to license a portfolio of patents and technology, which have been under development for the past 30 years.
Who knows if Powerset will be successful in creating technology that produces better results than Google, and then whether it can convince the world it’s developed a better mouse trap but it has raised $12.5-million in venture capital. For people looking to use a search engine other than Google until Powerset launches, check out Read Write/Web’s list of the top 100 alternative search engines.
Technorati Tags: Google, Powerset, Search
Written by Mark Evans on February 10th, 2007 with no comments.
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So, it’s not surprising Google is apparently coming out with a Powerpoint-like service that will complete its online productivity suite portfolio - and, more important, give it the same arsenal as Microsoft Office. The question is whether it matters? Just because Google built it, does it necessarily mean users will come?
On my computer, I’ve got Office 2003 (no plans to upgrade to Office 2007) but I’ve also got an increasing number of documents on Google Docs, Spreadsheets and GMail. The Docs and Spreadsheets documents were created so I can easily share documents and spreadsheets with other people. While Google won’t replace Microsoft Office as the “go to” productivity suite any time soon, it is a nice complement to Office given I have yet to wade into the world of Microsoft Live.
But what will it take for Google Office to take major amounts of market share from Microsoft Office? There is a lot of enthusiasm for Web-based services but it’s difficult to see many people, particularly corporate-types, abandoning Office any time soon for Google. Why should Google Office be anything different as a competitive threat as WordPerfect or Open Office, which are, in theory, easier products for many people to embrace? (One different Google Office does have over WordPerfect and Open Office: it’s free. (Update: My bad, Open Office is free too).
That said, Google Office could get some more traction if wireless networks become more ubiquitous, and the use of Web-based services becomes more mainstream. One thing I have noticed in recent months is how Google-based services such as GMail, Docs & Spreadsheets and Google News have become key parts of my computing environment.
For more, check out Paul Kedrosky, who doesn’t care Google Office may not have all the bells and whistles as Office.
Technorati Tags: Google, Microsoft
Written by Mark Evans on February 5th, 2007 with no comments.
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What's interesting about Viacom's demand today that YouTube pull all of its 100,000 or so videos featuring Viacom content is that YouTube-owner Google already has a deal with Viacom to post some of Viacom's content for free.
The difference, of course, is that YouTube content is still the unlicensed Wild West, and mostly via third parties- [...]
Written by Russell Shaw on February 3rd, 2007 with no comments.
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I’ve been playing around with an idea about the search world for the week or so but needed a hook to hang it. Fortunately, Google’s kick-ass, blow-your-socks-off fourth-quarters results are just the ticket.
So here’s the premise: as the amount of digital content increases (blogs, user-generated content, video, Web sites, etc.), it’s getting more difficult to discover new material - something that could be described as a discovery dilemma. There are for example, more than 50 million blogs but how do you find the ones that are the most appealing to you? There are search engines such as Technorati, aggregators such as Techmeme, and tools such as TheGoodBlogs. But what about other ways to discover blogs?
The same discovery challenge is happening within the music industry, which is struggling because it can’t find a way to harness P2P as a discovery tool. This is why so many people are excited about Pandora, which is using algorithms to recommend music to people, and LastFM, which is using the recommendations of other people to promote new music. Going back to blogs, wouldn’t it be great to have a Pandora or LastFM to discovery new blogs. Something that recommends new blogs based on the blogs you already read.
The video industry has an even bigger challenge because how do you tag video efficiently so people who are interested, for example, in watching Diet Pepsi-Menthos videos can finally them easily. Even the search industry is still trying to improve the quality of its results, which is why you continue to see venture capital poured into new players such as Powerset, which is trying to out-Google Google by using natural language search as a better mouse trap.
To be honest, I’m not sure I’ve done a good job articulating the discovery challenge/opportunity. All I know is it’s getting more difficult to quickly and efficiently find the digital content that meets your specific needs and interests - whether it’s text, music and video. This is probably a post I’ll re-visit as I give the idea more thought but it’s a start.
Technorati Tags: Google
Written by Mark Evans on February 2nd, 2007 with no comments.
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I’ve been playing around with an idea about the search world for the week or so but needed a hook to hang it. Fortunately, Google’s kick-ass, blow-your-socks-off fourth-quarters results are just the ticket.
So here’s the premise: as the amount of digital content increases (blogs, user-generated content, video, Web sites, etc.), it’s getting more difficult to discover new material - something that could be described as a discovery dilemma. There are for example, more than 50 million blogs but how do you find the ones that are the most appealing to you? There are search engines such as Technorati, aggregators such as Techmeme, and tools such as TheGoodBlogs. But what about other ways to discover blogs?
The same discovery challenge is happening within the music industry, which is struggling because it can’t find a way to harness P2P as a discovery tool. This is why so many people are excited about Pandora, which is using algorithms to recommend music to people, and LastFM, which is using the recommendations of other people to promote new music. Going back to blogs, wouldn’t it be great to have a Pandora or LastFM to discovery new blogs. Something that recommends new blogs based on the blogs you already read.
The video industry has an even bigger challenge because how do you tag video efficiently so people who are interested, for example, in watching Diet Pepsi-Menthos videos can finally them easily. Even the search industry is still trying to improve the quality of its results, which is why you continue to see venture capital poured into new players such as Powerset, which is trying to out-Google Google by using natural language search as a better mouse trap.
To be honest, I’m not sure I’ve done a good job articulating the discovery challenge/opportunity. All I know is it’s getting more difficult to quickly and efficiently find the digital content that meets your specific needs and interests - whether it’s text, music and video. This is probably a post I’ll re-visit as I give the idea more thought but it’s a start.
Technorati Tags: Google
Written by Mark Evans on February 2nd, 2007 with no comments.
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If you thought Firefox - the Web browser - was doing well, check out the organization behind, the non-profit Mozilla Foundation, which reported via CEO Mitchell Baker’s blog it made a profit of $44.7-million in 2005. Most of the $52.9-million of revenue was made from “search engine relationships”, which means Google paid Mozilla a whack o’ cash for making it the default search box within Firefox, which has about 10% of the browser market. The profit will go into a “reserve fund” but you have to wonder how an organization that had operating costs of $8.2-million is going to deal with such a large amount money. Maybe it can purchase a bunch of those $100 PCs - or do they now cost $150? - or build some high-speed wireless networks in less-developed countries. For more check out, GigaOm.
Technorati Tags: Google, Firefox
Written by Mark Evans on January 4th, 2007 with no comments.
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Why is it that Google is held to such high standards? Blake Ross (a Firefox co-founder and Google employee) wrote a lengthy and critical post a few days ago suggesting Google was being evil by trying to cross-promote some of its other products from its search results page. This prompted TechCrunch to pile on that Google has become arrogant, and that Google needs to do a better job of meeting its “Don’t Be Evil” corporate motto (editor’s note: Can someone please put “Don’t Be Evil” out of its misery?) and it has to “stop treating the outside world with disdain”. Michael Arrington even suggested Google facing a tipping point where public opinion of it could change.
I realize it’s a quiet time of the year when inspiration for blog posts is difficult to generate but, come on, suggesting Google’s could fall from grace because it’s arrogant is a huge stretch. Google’s a business; it’s not a public service to provide the world with superior search. It’s has a dominant position, it has a $140-billion market cap and a few billion dollars of cash collecting dust in the bank. And, more important, it has a search engine far better than anything else out there…at least for now.
So what does a company with market dominance, financial clout and serious strategic ambitions do now? It pushes forward and leverages its position as aggressively as possible to capitalize on the window of opportunity. Sure, it will piss people off along the way who don’t agree with its strategy, modus operandi, new services of the way its two co-founders behave publicly. But that’s how a business operates - not every company can be as altruistic and non-evil as Craigslist.
The fact Google has a growing number of critics, who are more than happen to jump on any mistakes or mis-steps, is a fact of life when you rule the roost. Unless another search engine starts to rival Google, or Google starts to make egregious blunders (or the stock plummets amid disappointing financial results), there’s no tipping point on the horizon.
For more thoughts, check out Ars Technica and Allen Stern, who longs to be a “Googler” one day.
Technorati Tags: Google
Written by Mark Evans on December 31st, 2006 with no comments.
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Flush with Wikipedia’s success and obviously not busy enough with Wikia, Jimmy Wales now has ambitious (fooldhardy?) plans to create a new search engine called Wikisaria to take on Google and Yahoo (with some financial assistance from Amazon and a few Silicon Valley investors). “Google is very good at many types of search, but in many instances it produces nothing but spam and useless crap. Try searching for the term ‘Tampa hotels’, for example, and you will not get any useful results,” Wales told the London Times. (Actually, if you do a Google search of ‘Tampa Hotels” you get some solid results - the first one being Tampa Guide - so perhaps that’s not the best example of what Wales wants to do, as well as a sign his PR folks need to do a better job).
So how is Wikisaria going to be different than Google? Well as Time Magazine made clear earlier this week, Wale is depending on “you”. Huh? Rather than use mathematical algorithms to come up with the best search results, Wales wants to use the Wikipedia model and have humans actively involved in creating the best search results. Sounds a lot like Prefound, et al are trying to do so perhaps Wales has different tactic.
As much as user-generated content was one of the major themes of 2006, Google’s continued dominance of the search market continues to be one of the most compelling elements of the Web’s evolution. What almost as fascinating is there are no lack of people and investors willing to take a crack at building a better mouse trap. Let’s see how Mr. Wales - and Amazon - make out. For more, check out Deep Jive Interests (who believes Wales’ ideas shouldn’t be quickly dismissed), Mathew Ingram, Peter Cashmore and Niall Kennedy.
Update: Just thinking about a comment I made about Wales’ PR people. It’s two days since the news emerged, and the story is still atop Techmeme. Maybe his PR folks knew what they were doing.
Technorati Tags: Google, Jimmy Wales, Wikipedia
Written by Mark Evans on December 24th, 2006 with no comments.
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It's still early days but I think Google's move into the radio advertising business could revolutionize (or perhaps evolve) the way the industry does business. In a test project, Google is providing 20 AdWords customers with access to more than 730 stations, which run ads in more than 260 U.S. markets. The AdWords system is linked through Google's dMarc, division, which was acquired for as much as $1.13-billion earlier this year (it was Google's biggest deal before YouTube came along). According to CNet, the 20 selected customers will see a new "audio ads" tag when they log into the AdWords system, which allows them to bid on air spots and target their ads by geography, station type, listener demographics and time of day. Given that the radio business has operated in much the same way for decades, Google is trying to implement a huge new approach to selling advertising. It could be the wave of the future or it could fall flat on its face. Nevertheless, give Google credit for trying something that could potentially be extremely disruptive. As well, the beta test and Google's deal with BSkyB are more evidence of the company's strategic thrust into new markets beyond the online paid-search business.
Written by Mark Evans on December 9th, 2006 with no comments.
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I was watching a YouTube video (another funny take on Weird Al's Canadian Idiot) last night, which made me wonder how and/or if Google Video and YouTube are going to co-exist.
Let's start with YouTube given it's more popularity (23 million unique visitors a month can't be wrong, right?). Obviously, Google is probably going to implement AdSense throughout YouTube as a way to generate revenue. There will also be high-revenue banner ads to capitalize on the traffic. Then what? Does Google create a YouTube Premium section for people who want to download/buy videos such as TV shows and movies? If so, how would this affect YouTube's image/mojo given it's the place on the Web to access free video, albeit most of them amateur productions that leave much to be desired. If YouTube tried to make money from selling videos, would this potentially drive people away.
Then, there's Google Video, which has been a modest success since its launch. After all, Google would not have bought YouTube if its video strategy didn't need a $1.6-billion jump-start. Does Google stay upstream by mostly focusing on the sale of TV shows and movies, or does it continue to attract user-generated content as well.
Assuming YouTube pursues a premium strategy, and Google moves deeper into the user-generated content world, at what point will the two services start to look the same? If that happens, does it really matter as long as both businesses as thriving?
News: Google has signed a deal with BSkyB that will see Google provide its user-generated video, e-mail, search and targeted advertising tools to customers of BSkyB’s broadband internet service. “This is a really, really big deal for us,” said Google CEO Eric Schmidt. “If it works, it will become our most lucrative deal from the get-go.”
Technorati Tags: Google, Video
Written by Mark Evans on December 8th, 2006 with no comments.
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Google has its hands in lot of different pies these days but an area that doesn't get a lot of attention is its relatively small investments in start-ups. Perhaps the highest profile investment is FON, which is trying to build a global Wi-Fi network. Google's most recent investment is Meraki Networks Inc., which is developing low-cost products and services to deploy wireless networks. Meraki is an off-shoot of MIT's Roofnet project.
Written by Mark Evans on December 2nd, 2006 with no comments.
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In what may be a first for Google, the company has decided to shut down one of its sideshows/experiments - Google Answers - after more than four years. Is this a new strategic direction for Google and/or a sign of the times that some projects should die a quiet death if they’re not working well? If this is Google’s new approach, you wonder how long it will be before Okrut and Froogle are pushed out of the portfolio. Who knows, maybe this move suggests Google will be more pragmatic about rolling out new services rather than slapping stuff on the wall and seeing if it sticks. While Google gets points for experimenting with all kinds of different things, its less-than-stellar success into new markets (Google Spreadsheets, anyone?) has arguably damaged its reputation as an innovator more than it has produced tangible benefits. Update: Rex Hammock has a theory why Google Answers failed: Wikipedia.
Written by Mark Evans on November 30th, 2006 with no comments.
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After a brief one-week hiatus (did you miss us?), Kevin Restivo and I are back with another Talking Tech podcast. Obviously, the story of the week was the launch of the Nintendo Wii, which had people lining up in the middle of the night outside stores for the "privilege of buying one - a supply-demand phenomena I have a difficult time getting a handle on. Speaking of supply and demand, Google shares cracked through $500, and with people like Jim Cramer frothing at the mouth, is it only a matter of time before $750 starts to loom on the horizon? (Motley Fool has a column looking at whether it's time to buy, sell or hold) Kevin and I also get into the wireless market in the wake of a two-part feature run by the Globe & Mail, which looked at Canada's lucrative market where the players are filling their boots amid a rational pricing environment and limited competition (can anyone oligopoly?). Finally, we touch upon the steady growth in the popularity of podcasts - according to the Pew Internet and American Life Project study more than 17 million people downloaded a podcast in the six months ended Aug. 30, compared with 10 million in the previous six month period. Obviously, Talking Tech must be a factor in this growth...:)...if only!!
Written by Mark Evans on November 26th, 2006 with no comments.
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What is it with all the "seasoned" people and the Internet? Larry King has never "done" the Internet, President George Bush has used "the Google" and Senator Ted Stevens, who believes the Internet is "a series of tubes". Obviously, I'm taking a tongue in cheek approach given what these three gentlemen have in common is they are more than 50-years-old and far from Web savvy. That said, this is the reality for many senior executives in the media industry (music, movies, newspapers, television, radio) who are trying to make strategic decisions to deal with the Internet's growing influence. How can someone make an intelligent move or understand what smart underlings are telling them if they don't have an intimate understanding of the Internet and/or use it regularly? It's like getting into a car and hoping you can make your way home along the super-highway if you've never seen a car before or taken lessons. You could make a good case there's a serious leadership void when it comes to the media and the Internet because the people in charge are ill-equiped to act effectively. Now, you know why the music industry has been flailing for years while hoping to use a traditional tool - lawsuits - to blunt the Internet's affect on business. For more insight on this fascinating issue, check out On Disruption, which always offer excellent insight, and Deep Jive Interests, who talks about how offering free television programming on the Web is driving people back to TV programs.
Written by Mark Evans on November 23rd, 2006 with no comments.
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With a stock now trading at more than $500, a market capitalization of more than $150-billion, a cash-cow advertising business, billions of cash in the bank, the world's leading search engine, and ambitions to get into other markets, there is really no limit to how large or powerful Google can become. But is Google's dominance and its aggressive plans good for the Internet? Is it healthy for one player to have so much power and influence? The San Jose Mercury has an article that asks the question whether Google 2.0 is a friend or foe. Among the critics quoted is Jeffrey Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy, who says "Google has this imperial digital ambition that frightens me." For a take on Google's OS plans, check out Read/WriteWeb.
Written by Mark Evans on November 23rd, 2006 with no comments.
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Wow.
Google shares cracked through the $500 barrier for the first time today, hitting a high of $505.72 in mid-morning trading. Google's market capitalization is $153.5-billion. According to Bloomberg, there are six other companies trade above $500, including Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and Washington Post Co.
So what does $500 mean other than being a really, really big number? For one, it provides Google with the "currency" to make a major acquisition, although the biggest deal made by Google so far is the recent $1.6-billion purchase of YouTube. For some perspective, Google's market cap is larger than eBay ($47-billion), Yahoo ($36.7-billion), IAC/Interactive Corp. ($10-billion) combined. $500 also makes a lot of smart institutional investors, who shunned Google's $85 a share IPO, look pretty silly. (Can anyone believe Google was forced to drop its IPO pricing to $85 to $95 from its original goal of $108 to $135?!) I guess The only downside about $500 is it's an expensive stock to purchase, which could see Google to do 10:1 or 5:1 stock split.
Written by Mark Evans on November 22nd, 2006 with no comments.
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If you're looking for a job at Google in Waterloo, Ont. (or RIM, Sandvine, MKS, etc.), head down to the Playdium in Mississauga, Ont. on Nov. 22 when Communitech's holds a talent recruitment event from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Among the guest speakers are Roger Skubowius, Google's manager in Waterloo; John Baker, president and CEO with Desire2Learn; and Iain Klugman, president and CEO with Communitech. "There's no stopping Waterloo Region's incredible growth," Klugman said. "Our tech community is in high demand for key talent, from small entrepreneurial tech ventures to tech juggernauts like RIM." Tags: Google, Waterloo, Communitech
Written by Mark Evans on November 17th, 2006 with no comments.
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Written by Skype Journal on November 13th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Skype and VoIP and News and Google and Reviews and ebay and skypeout and skypejournal and observations and stories and fun.
To be honest, the headline in today's New York Times "Newspapers to Test Plan to Sell Ads on Google" puzzled me at first blush. So, let me get this straight: Google, the world's leading online advertising company, is going to get into the declining newspaper advertising market? It seemed like a strange development at first glance, but really not so strange after taking into account the newspaper market is still worth $48-billion despite the dark cloud hanging over the industry. As a result, Google will test a plan that will see it become a middleman to help companies place newspaper ads. It should come as no surprise that the big newspaper chain, Gannett, the Tribune Co., The New York Timesy, the Washington Post and Hearst, have agreed to a three-month test given the newspaper industry is suffering from declining paid circulation and advertising as the Web gains more momentum. The question can Google be the newspaper industry's salvation? If the newspaper market is shrinking, how can it be attractive? Truth be told, Google, isn't looking to do newspapers any favours; it's simply using its brand and clout with advertisers to diversify its advertising "engine" to markets where it can generate more business - be it newspapers, magazines, radio (dMarc) or the Web. For newspapers, they clearly need any help they can get to adjust to the new media landscape. Before anyone gets too excited about Google's newspaper strategy, what ever became of its thrust into magazine advertising, which you hear nothing about these days?
By the way, despite all the hue and cry about the decline of newspapers. the New York Times' Sunday newspaper still remains an impressive beast - huge, chalk-a-block of advertising, lots of great stories.
Written by Mark Evans on November 6th, 2006 with no comments.
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Google's shopping trip through the Web 2.0 start-up market continued with the purchase of Wiki maker Jot.com. In the scheme of things, it's chump change for Google but it does put the spotlight back on Google's online application suite, which will come as little surprise to anyone when it's eventually launched one day. Jot.com is a nice addition because it brings a collaboration tool into the mix. The purchase got me thinking about what people are currently doing to cobble together an online office suite. Since I started working from home (and I can't be too effusive about not having to commute anymore!), I've really got into Web-based tools. This includes Skype, Google Talk, Writely, Yahoo Mail, PBWiki, along with Flock and Firefox. I'd be curious to see what other tools are people are using. Tags: Google, M&A
Written by Mark Evans on November 1st, 2006 with no comments.
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One of YouTube's most compelling features are clips of the Daily Show and the Colbert Report. Well, it looks like Comedy Central has asked YouTube to take them down, and YouTube has complied. Boing Boing reports that if you do a search for the Daily Show, you get this message: "This video has been removed due to terms of use violation." If all the good stuff on YouTube is being removed until the video sharing service gets a copyright license, does this mean there are fewer reasons to even visit YouTube? It could not be long before you may have to pay for all the good stuff on YouTube such as the Daily Show - or, perhaps, see a lot of advertising to support a "free" model.
Written by Mark Evans on October 29th, 2006 with no comments.
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After being called out on a post I made about the Maclean's story, The Internet Sucks, I promised to read the story and invited its author, Steve Maich, to provide a guest post. In the spirit of conversation (Shel Israel would love that concept!), here's my take on the Maclean's story and Steve's response. (Note: Steve and I worked together at the National Post for several years. He's not only a good guy and fine writer but a good goaltender as well.)
Here's my post:
So, I bought a copy of Maclean's this morning, and read the cover story - The Internet Sucks. In fact, I read it twice just to make sure I digested the overall thesis. All I can say is that its author, Steve Maich, and I will have to agree to disagree. To me, the article is far too unbalanced - focusing on the bad aspects of the Internet such as pornography, content pirates, academic plagarists, fraud artists and sexual predators. There's no discussion about how the Internet has made the world a much smaller place, and how it's fundamentally changing how we live, work and play.
I'll admit the Web is far from perfect and it's certainly not the utopia that people envisioned. But it's a lot more than just a breeding group for criminals. It may simply come down to philosophical differences. I see the Web glass as half-full with enormous upside; Maich sees it as half-empty. For example, he dismisses Google's purchase of YouTube as "the latest step in our long descent into cyber-madness" without taking into consideration the acquisition could position Google as one of the leading players in the online video distribution business. He laments the fact newsrooms around the world are shrinking because sites such as Google News and Yahoo! News are taking readers and advertisers away. However, Maich fails to consider the idea the Web is forcing everyone to change how they do business. If the Web is becoming the way to consume news, perhaps newspapers needs to stop publishing news, and focus on producing analytical stores that go beyond the news if they want to survive and thrive.
To be frank, I think the story - while thought-provoking - is not objective enough and fails to provide any pro-Internet voices.. I'm not suggesting it's without merit because it does put the spotlight on some very troubling issues. And to be sure, it's healthy to have pragmatic, rational discussions about the Web rather than being part of the hype machine. If, at the end of the day, the Maclean's story forces people to discuss the Web's direction and impact, that can only be a positive. But it doesn't mean I agree with its tone, slant or thesis.
And here's Steve's take on the story:
Yes, yes, unbalanced. I hear that a lot. I plead guilty.
The story is an argument, a point of view based on facts, and hopefully one that people will find thought-provoking.
In writing this article I was taking on a fairly established bit of conventional wisdom – specifically that the Internet is a profoundly beneficial advance for society. You hear that all the time. There are entire magazines like Wired, and thousands of blogs built around that very premise: information technology is wonderful, all hail the Web. I hardly think the world needs me to go through the basics of why people like the Internet, just to satisfy some shallow nod to journalistic balance.
You and I both know the difference between a news story and an opinion piece – and so do our readers.
It isn’t my job to be “balanced”, it’s my job to tell you what I think and why I think it.
But this is devolving into a boring debate about the proper role of a magazine writer, rather than a discussion on whether or not the Internet Sucks.
A side note – this wasn’t a huge part of my story, but let’s address Google/You Tube for a second.
The success of the transaction hinges on a series of assumptions that I consider faulty. These include: the assumption that You Tube will remain an attractive means of sharing video once advertising is integrated into it; the assumption that major entertainment companies will be willing to provide their content to Google/You Tube on commercial terms that allow the latter to make money; and the dual assumptions that a) the Web is indeed going to become the dominant medium for distributing video, and b) that You Tube will be the dominant platform. (Are you still using the same search engine you did in 1996?)
There’s no need to re-hash the main elements of the article here, since it’s now available online, but the key points are these:
Crime: Rampant.
Destruction of intellectual property rights: epidemic.
Elevation of the level of political discourse: I think not.
The economic model – A trillion dollars later and still largely unproven.
But there is one point on which we can agree. You say the Web has huge upside. It does indeed.
But for the past 15 years the debate about the Internet has been dominated by discussions about the POTENTIAL of the Web, rather than the REALITY of the Web as we know it today. And the only way the potential will ever be realized is if we talk honestly and critically about the reality.
Written by Mark Evans on October 27th, 2006 with no comments.
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It has been a challenge but I’ve tried not to jump on the bandwagon when Google unveils yet another tool (e.g. Google Spreadsheets, Google Base, etc.) but I have to admit the news about its newest creation from Google’s R&D lab, Google Custom Search Engine, is pretty cool. Basically, Google has rolled out a service that lets you define the Web sites you want included in a search. So, for example, if you’re really into food, you can use tags to create a personalized vertical tool that only searches food-related sites. And there’s more: Google has also created a way to place this search widget on a Web site or blog so it can be offered to visitors with the same interests. While many of Google’s new tools have been uninspiring or simply duds, DIY search is newsworthy because it’s all about vertical search, which has been getting more attention as people look for tools to make search even more effective and productive. Now, Google DIY is interesting but I wonder if it’s a sign of things to come from Google about its vertical search plans. For example, what if Google launched Google Travel Search for people interested in booking trips and learning more about the world around them. This would be a great way for Google to establish a huge foothold in the travel business if advertisers embraced it as an effective way to reach consumers. The same approach could be used for real estate, automobiles, consumer electronics, sports, etc. Maybe Google Custom Search Engine is a Trojan Horse that gets people turned on about vertical search. Once people like it, Google will simply roll out its own vertical search engines as a way to expand the market. For more, check out GigaOm and Matt Cutts, who provides a nice overview on Google DIY’s features.
Written by Mark Evans on October 24th, 2006 with no comments.
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TiVo "moment" would refer to a tv show scene, or even a microsecond burst of something so compelling, that the frame(s) are worth playing over and over again over your TiVo PVR.
Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction comes to mind.
But now, with CBS and other providers licensing content to the to-be-acquired-by-Google YouTube, those freeze-frame moments are [...]
Written by Russell Shaw on October 22nd, 2006 with no comments.
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More evidence of the Google Juggernaut comes from an
eMarketer report that the search behemoth will account for 25%, or $4-billion, of the U.S. online ad market this year. That's truly impressive and explains why Google sports a
market capitalization of
$128-billion. Another way to look at the eMarketer report is there will be $12-billion of non-Google ad revenue this year for the rest of us. In the scheme of things that's a lot of money, and that total will climb as companies allocate more of their ad budgets to the Web. The key question is where this money will be spent. Google will clearly get more than its fair share, while portals such as Yahoo, AOL and MSN will thrive as well. While I'm now clearly biased after joining b5media but you have to believe blogging/new media content networks will also emerge as viable advertising vehicles. The market received a nice vote of confidence earlier this week amid
reports Sequoia Capital (those VCs who invested in YouTube) is putting $5-million in Sugar Publishing, which operates four blogs. This comes on the heels of b5 raising
$2-million from J.L. Albright and Brightspark.
Bottom line: if you believe in the theory a rising tide lifts all ships, Google's success is a positive development if puts the spotlight on the online ad market and encourage more companies to spend more.
Written by Mark Evans on October 19th, 2006 with no comments.
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Last week, as the "GooTube" moniker began to be applied to Google's acquisition of YouTube, I posted that there actually is a "GooTube."
Founded a year ago by Internet marketer Eric Watson, it provides a search engine for glue-related tube type products. Keep in mind that Eric secured the gootube domain a year ago, [...]
Written by Russell Shaw on October 17th, 2006 with no comments.
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Mark Cuban may have missed the mark when he refused to believe Google would buy YouTube but now that the deal's getting done, his unorthodox stance on the $1.65-billion marriage shouldn't be ignored. His post today - somewhat hard to find amid the blogosphere tsunami unleashed yesterday - raises an excellent point: with YouTube poised to become of the Google empire (and bidding a champagne-drenched farewell to its status as a scrappy, peoples' champion start-up) how long will it take before Google's major rivals (e.g. Fox, which owns MySpace, which also delivers a lot of video) unleash their legal hounds on YouTube? After all, Google will be a major player in the video business so why would content owners let it use unlicensed material to support the YouTube's growth. The other side of the coin is Google may be content to deal with any content issues if that's what it takes to own the world's biggest online video brand. Two other points before you go onto to read everything you ever wanted to know about YouTube: 1. YouTube was started in 20 months ago; it raised its first round of VC last November, and talked about an IPO a few months ago. It's been a wonderful, wild ride from Chad Hurley and Steven Chen; and 2. Sequoia Capital, which also had a major stake in Google, could see its $11.5-million investment in YouTube be worth as much as $500-million. Sweet.
Update: Nice to see the New York Times has finally caught up to me - :) - with a story about how Sequoia was the only VC to back YouTube. It is interesting that Sequoia was able to corner the deal, particularly when YouTube raised a second round after it had gained some serious traction.
Written by Mark Evans on October 10th, 2006 with no comments.
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Mark Cuban really doesn't like the idea of Google buying YouTube. His latest rant, which not surprisingly includes the word "moronic", hammers the point that YouTube's appeal is largely based on its ability to offer unlicensed content - a gig, he contends, that will eventually disappear when the lawsuits starting flying. Perhaps YouTube sees the writing on the wall, which would explains the potential deal with Google. But maybe YouTube's M&A appeal has more to do with its strong brand and the Web's ability to deliver content to anyone at anytime. As for whether YouTube is worth $1.6-billion, I would argue it's worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it. Was Cuban's Broadcast.com worth $5.7-billion when it was acquired by Yahoo in 1999? Were any of the $1-billion+ acquisitions made by Nortel during the telecom boom worth it? Is the bag of organic milk you bought yesterday worth $9? Where there's smoke, there's fire, which means YouTube is in play - and the investment bankers are already counting their commissions and placing their orders for new BMWs. Maybe YouTube's copyright issues will be a factor in the final price but I think many of Cuban's arguments - while passionate - won't be a consideration at all.
Written by Mark Evans on October 8th, 2006 with no comments.
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The Wall Street Journal's online edition has just posted a story attesting that You Tube is in talksto be acquired by Google.
Said to be at a "sensitive stage," the negotiations are reportedly in the $1.6 billion acquisition range.
I would not be surprised. In fact, I openly speculated on such a move in an earlier [...]
Written by Russell Shaw on October 6th, 2006 with no comments.
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Ever wonder how you get the hype machine going in the tech world? Well, getting coverered by Venture Beat (here and here) appears to be one way to do it. Evidence: Powerset, a yet-be-launched search engine that promises to use natural language and artificial intelligence to build a better mouse trap than Google. Two days ago, I saw a Venture Beat story and wrote a post about the prospects for new search engines to emerge. Today, the hype about Powerset has caught fire on the blogosphere. How did this happen? Does Powerset have savvy PR experts? Does Venture Beat (or maybe it's me?!) have that much of a following? Are people simply hungry for an alternative to Google? Anyway you want to explain it, it's a good day for Powerset and its investors, who include Esther Dyson and Reid Hoffman.
Written by Mark Evans on October 5th, 2006 with no comments.
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There's a lot of buzz this morning about the launch of Google Gadgets - a collection of 1,000 mini-services (Javascript) that you can put on your Web site or blog. Frankly, it's much ado about little (although anything Google does tends to be a big deal). I went through the Google Gadget menu, and there were, at best, a handful of services one would describe as compelling or must-have. Of course, others such as Fred Wilson will likely spend most of the day pimping up their blogs with new widgets. Another player in the widget/gadget game is Widgetbox.
Written by Mark Evans on October 4th, 2006 with no comments.
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Fortune magazine has a cover story on Google - as if Google really needs yet another cover story but that's another rant for another time. Anyway, the story, "Chaos @ Google", gives some high profile to Canada's Shona Brown, Google's senior vice-president for business operations, who is described by Fortune as "Google's chief chaos officer". She offers up a great quote: calling Google the "ultimate petri dish" for her research into business theory. Nice profile for Brown, who was recently in Canada where she discussed the company's plan to establish a 200-person R&D centre in Waterloo, Ont. What's also interesting about the Fortune story is the first anecdote/quote features Sheryl Sandberg, Google's vice-president, global sales and operations, who makes a multi-million mistake only to be complimented by Larry Page. When was the last time two women executives from a high-profile high-tech company were so prominently feature in a major business magazine? Put this attention alongside the healthy media focus on Marissa Mayer, Google's vice-president, search products and user experience, and you have a company that is hiring clearly hiring very smart women and doing a good job giving them a healthy profile.
Written by Mark Evans on September 25th, 2006 with no comments.
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Canadian Mike Pegg has emerged as a mover and shaker within the Google Maps community through his popular blog, Google Maps Mania. To find out more about how Pegg got involved with Google Maps and why he started his blog, I did a Q&A. You can find it here.
Written by Mark Evans on September 18th, 2006 with no comments.
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This is a bit off my beat, but newsworthy enough to report, IMHO.It seems that in the last several days, an inordinate ratio of spam seems to be seeping thru to my Gmail Inbox. Most are still being caught in Google's spam filter, but as a percentage, more of this crap seems to be getting [...]
Written by Russell Shaw on September 16th, 2006 with no comments.
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Found an interesting company that can do VoIP over EVDO, a popular high-speed data network used by Sprint, Verizon, and other mobile carriers.
PeerMe, today launched its free service designed to allow users of
Sprint EVDO mobile phones to make free unlimited calls. They currently offer a PocketPC and Windows Mobile 5 version of their client.
Actually, upon further review, my excitement over PeerMe has now waned. Although PeerMe uses VoIP technology to enable mobile phone users to communicate with other mobile phone users running PeerMe for free, it appears that PeerMe doesn't allow for PSTN calling. Thus, what you get with PeerMe is simply a PC-to-PC type service with IM capabilities. Well what's the point of that? PC-to-PC softphones and IM clients are a dime-a-dozen. How is PeerMe going to compete with the likes of Skype, Yahoo, Google, Microsoft, and others that offer IM, PC-to-PC,
and PC-to-Phone functionality?Well, maybe I should ask PeerMe that question. In the meantime, check out what their CEO had to say. PeerMe CEO Tom Lasater says, "Sprint has the best EVDO network in the U.S., but at the same time they have the highest churn in the industry and they signed up fewer new users than any of their competitors this year. We are giving them the ability to use their technological edge to become the leader in the U.S. wireless market."
"Nobody in the cell phone industry has done a marketing campaign touting the tremendous cost savings that can result from using peer-to-peer voice on a wireless broadband mobile device. Carriers are probably scared of cannibalizing their revenues, but lets look at the real cost of offering this service. Most people pay a flat fee for what is basically unlimited talk time within the U.S., so PeerMe usage is going to affect revenue from overseas calls. The reality is that the erosion of revenue from overseas calls already happened in the 1990s. Sprint should do a massive advertising campaign touting their EVDO-enabled devices as the solution for outrageous communications costs. Sprint could not only crush its mobile competitors with this strategy, they could also blindside the DSL and fixed-line broadband industry."
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Is
Raketu the next
Skype killer? Raketu today launched a new VoIP client that also offers information and entertainment services. Raketu’s communications features include dialout calling (
rakOut) to landline/mobile phones, Instant Messaging (supporting Raketu, Yahoo, MSN, AOL, ICQ,
Google and Skype), SMS-text messaging, and file transfers/sharing.
Raketu's information features include news, sports, weather, stock feeds, and an advanced internet and travel searching facility. Raketu’s entertainment features include a podcast reader/player, games, and a full featured multi-media player with karaoke. Raketu supports
click-to-call, click-to-im, click-to-sms, global online presence, and enhanced social networking features. I even noticed the software supports plugins,
including games such as the classic Battleships game. I guess this would be Web 2.0 meets VoIP 2.0. Still missing some of my "cool" features for the
perfect unified communications client.In any event, Raketu’s peer-to-peer (p2p) technology allows high quality VoIP calling and they claim the highest call-completion, without the security issues associated with supernodes (i.e. Skype) and other traditional p2p technologies. And unlike other p2p communications providers, Raketu does not use your computer for other users’ communications.
According to Raketu, "More exciting services are planned for the coming months when Raketu will launch in-bound calling, advanced voice mail, large conferencing, and more. Today, Raketu provides the most comprehensive integrated communications, information and entertainment tool available, providing more options, more control, and more personal activity features than any other service."
Raketu runs over any internet connection including <gasp> dialup.
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Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on September 12th, 2006 with no comments.
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Global IP Sound (GIPS) today announced the availability of version 2.0 of its iSAC codec. iSAC 2.0 is now optimized for use in hardware devices. This solution allows the makers of IP phones, gateways and chipsets to deliver products that offer the same high quality voice experience that users of software-based VoIP softphones have achieves using GIPS' voice platform. (i.e. GoogleTalk, Skype, AOL are all GIPS customers.)
The latest fixed-point version of the GIPS iSAC adaptive VoIP codec, part of the GIPS Soundware voice processing software suite, is designed to deliver wideband quality in both low- and high-bit rate applications. Several IP-chipset manufacturers including Texas Instruments will incorporate GIPS's iSAC 2.0 codec into their VoIP solutions.
"As a leading enabler of wideband telephony solutions, we realize the importance of technologies that facilitate high quality voice communications," said Fred Zimmerman, executive director, VoIP customer premises solutions, Texas Instruments. "The addition of GIPS' wideband codec to our portfolio further enables us to offer our customers VoIP solutions that deliver an unparalleled user experience that surpasses what callers have grown accustomed to with their traditional phone service."
iSAC was previously only available in floating point code for use in softphones and other applications running on PCs and less resource dependent platforms. iSAC 2.0 is optimized to run on chips embedded within VoIP phones and other hardware devices, guaranteeing high voice quality. This release will also be available in a low complexity version to ease the integration in resource intensive devices like mobile phones. In addition, it facilitates the interoperability of IP phones, gateways, and chipsets with the hundreds of millions of iSAC-enabled softphones and Internet-based voice services that are currently deployed through GIPS' major ISP customers such as Yahoo!,
Skype and AOL.
"The market has not only come to appreciate the benefits of wideband telephony, but prefer it over traditional PSTN" said Roar Hagen, chief technology officer, Global IP Sound. "As manufacturers begin to deploy VoIP enabled hardware, users are going to expect the same full, robust sound they are accustomed to from their softphones. GIPS is proud to be able to deliver this high quality audio on all platforms and devices."
The GIPS iSAC technology automatically adjusts transmission rates, supporting real-time multimedia, conferencing, distance learning, and multi-user gaming applications in a VoIP environment. Due to the nature of wideband audio, iSAC can deliver sound quality that exceeds that of PSTN calls by utilizing a greater range of the speech signal. The codec also handles other challenges, including non-speech audio such as music and background noise.
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