Google Redefining Messaging

Google has refused to play catchup in the emessaging arena by introducing solutions aimed at redefining the entire messaging landscape.

In 2004, Google started by introducing the first ever free 2GB space email solution. At that time, this was more than 500 (yes five hundred) times what hotmail was offering for free and more than 200 times yahoo's 5MB. This woke the free email 'giants' up from their slumber and they quickly responded by increasing their spaces...

While Yahoo increased email space (quota) to 2GB in response, it continued to charge customers for additional space and some 'premium' service. Well google beats that by implementing a new revolution... UNLIMITED EMAIL STORAGE!!!

Well, you'll think the guys at google will stop there, haven implemented the most attracted email storage system in the market, at the best price to the consumer (FREE), but the didn't.

In 2005, Google introduced Google talk, an instant-messaging package with voice, that threaten to eliminate the business base of skype and the voice over IP base of other instant messaging vendors.

And now, Google has introduced (or better yet, integrated) Google Chat. Its a nice little trick that allows you to chat within your email box.

Like other Google packages, Mailbox chat is still in beta stage and is been gradually rolled out to subscribers, but if you have a gmail account, expect to see chat in your mail box soon.

The great thing about these neat GOOGLE tricks is that they bring together the power of some of the most interesting computing killer application into one central userland portal. This integration ensures that with one browser interface, you can send emails, chat, search email and chat conversations, arrange conversations of all types in some rational , logical fashion and initiate voice conversation, when text is not enough.

For the general user out there, these google initiatives are bringing new 'real' competition to the internet space in ways not seen since the end of the bubble-era.

The next issues will be how to address the impending privacy concerns for individual and corporate users alike, and my thinking is that very soon, google or some other vendor out there will develop some user controlled end-to-end encryption mechanism that will let the end user determine and manage their content's security in a way that snopping third parties will find hard to infiltrate.

With Google's push and increasing innovation in the messaging space, if the security (privacy) issues can be properly resolved, the days of widespread email server deployement will soon be over and email will become like most utility: Managed and controlled by some central organization and subscribed to by the rest of us, business, government and private individuals alike.