Posted by Harry McCracken
Thursday, September 23, 2004, 08:23 AM (PST)
Word on the Web is that Google may be thinking of releasing a Web browser--possibly one based on the open-source Mozilla code. The company now owns www.gbrowser.com, a URL that would certainly make a logical companion to GMail's home at www.gmail.com.
cwilli note: I just recently got an invite for Gmail. I must say I love it! I get 1 GIG of storage for email for FREE!!!! The sad part is my non-techie wife was the one who invited me. How in the world did she get an account before I did?
With the introduction of GMail, the recent purchase of photo software company Picasa, and other moves, Google is clearly branching out from its traditional role as the Greatest Search Engine on Earth; there's also been talk of it releasing a hard-disk searching utility of some sort, which would pit it more directly against Microsoft in the world of systems software.
What Google does, it usually does not just competently but inventively--GMail proved, to my surprise, that you can still build a better browser-based e-mail client. But I do worry a little bit about cool companies that try to do everything; it's tough to do that and do everything well.
That's one of the lessons of the portal wars of the late 1990s, when search engines such as Yahoo, Lycos, and Excite reinvented themselves into one-stop megasites that were often hit-or-miss in terms of quality. When Google came along and did great Web searching, pure and simple, it quickly became the gold standard in its category. If GBrowser does come to be, it'll be interesting to see if it's simply a rebranded Mozilla with a few minor tweaks, or a truly innovative product. Stay tuned...
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Posted by cwilli at September 23, 2004 03:05 PM | TrackBackHmm.. Interesting.
Mozilla Firfox already had a built in google search at the top, so I am also curious as to what they plan to do.