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DEL.ICIO.USGoogle, Amazon and Apple, oh my!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
What a time to return to the blogosphere and the online industry wars. Already this week:
—Google unveiled its “universal search,” which means users will be able to get search results from news, video images, local and book search engines at the same time. A senior Google executive revealed that the idea originally came from her simple question — hey, how can we give users Britney Spears photos, video and everything else in one Google search? Good question. The functionality will roll out in the coming days. Google also announced that they soon will unveil cross-language functionality, meaning search results will be instantly translated into other languages. They also are offering users a chance to play with a number of new search-related toys available at Google Experimental Labs. And the search giant also announced that they will expand their video search beyond Google Video and You Tube to other sources, including Metacafe.
Search expert Danny Sullivan has the best explanation of what Google is up to here. Google watchers like ZDnet’s Donna Bogatin offer dissenting views on the news. While she likens the Google changes to the debacle of Coke offering New Coke, she doesn’t think it will harm the search leader. Her take? She thinks users will prefer the simplicity of the old Google search.
Footnote: Yahoo has offered translation of search results in some languages for two years. They just didn’t find it a very popular feature.
— Amazon has decided to compete against Apple, launching its own music service. It will sell songs in MP3 format without the anti-copying protection used by most online music sellers. That means users can transfer music to all devices, including Apple’s iPod and Microsoft’s Zune. While Amazon has its selling expertise and music from one major label, EMI, and a bunch of independent companies, it will have its hands full competing against the treasure trove of music on iTunes..
— Speaking of Apple, a hoax found its way to tech site Engadget claiming the iPhone was delayed until October and new operating system Leopard until January. Engadget reported that they obtained a fake e-mail that actually was circulated on Apple’s own e-mail system. Apple is investigating.
We’ve been out of circulation for a couple of months, but the online wars continue. What are some important developments you’ve seen in that time that you think warrant attention? Let us know.
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