mike_barton
Editor

A look up Google’s sleeve

news
May 8, 20062 mins

Google media day in San Francisco on Wednesday will be flooded by, well, media, so of course expectations are running high for product announcements.

RedHerring.com reports:

Some of the speculation has pointed to a new health vertical from the company, which remained tight-lipped on Monday. “Health has been an area of interest at Google for some time. We have been doing a variety of research in the health area, including how to improve the quality of health-related search results. We have nothing new to announce at this time,” said Google spokeswoman Jennifer Hakes.

Dan Schatt, an analyst at the consultant firm Celent, said he will be looking for more products along the lines of the calendar Google released in April.

Not good enough, I say.

I want some answers on all the rumor of recent years on dark fiber-free national broadband, GoogleOS, and Google Office.

And I don’t expect any tough questions for the Web darling. In a new low for CNET’s News.com, one of its reporters is gushing on today about Google’s new calendar, which does not even sync with Outlook or others yet.

Seems we’re all too happy to have a company that simply gives us what we want in a simple package. Enough already.

And just what to make of Google’s latest, the free 3D tool SketchUp? Why?

With the huge talent pool at the Googleplex and free time for each to come up with great ideas I hope the wheels are turning on the next big thing.

Or is Google getting comfortable with having no other competitors it can’t just buy and Microsoft following its every move on the pedestrian stuff it could have ticked off years ago?

What should Google be doing for the benefit of Webkind? Send your thoughts along and if I can make the media day I’ll see if I can get some answers what is really up its sleeve and put forth your wishlist.

mike_barton

Mike Barton started out in online slinging HTML for CNET.com in the late 1990s and began his editorial career at New Media magazine shortly thereafter. In his early days, he was an editor at Ziff-Davis's PC Computing and ZDNet.com before heading Down Under, where he produced and edited the business and technology sections of The Sydney Morning Herald online. After returning to the States in 2006, he has worked for IDG's Infoworld, PCWorld, Computerworld, and CSO Online. He currently edits and produces WIRED.com's Innovation Insights, and is a contributing editor at ITworld.

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