Ever felt trapped in ‘Planet Microsoft’? Condemned to running Microsoft Windows, Outlook, Instant Messanger, and Office? Well it seems Google may have created an easily accessible alternative…
With their eye’s set on the small business market, Google has created a number of free online applications including; Google Calendar, private labelled email, IM and a tool to design and build your own company website. Its all hosted by Google, so there’s no hardware or software to install or maintain.
I realise that it’s not the first time that alternative free programs have been available (the Open Source community has been developing free applications for years), but unlike Google they haven’t had the exposure to get a real foothold in the market and bite a sizeable chunk of the Microsoft pie.
Already a Google Calendar user, I can see huge benefits in being able to access all of my applications online, but whether people will turn to online versions of applications they are already familiar with – only time will tell.