blending the mix

Thanks to Steve Clayton for the hat-tip of Jon Ive’s amazing design work put together by Edwin Tofslie.(via core 77)

This is awesome and goes right to the heart of why people perceive Apple as a superior software manufacturer. The vehicle which carries Apple’s software LOOKS infinitely better than the grey PC boxes!

Tags: apple, ive, microsoft

thanks enzo for the image

Steve Clayton (via David Brain) gave me the heads up on this fantastic presentation by Ian Thomas of Microsoft’s Digital Advertising Solutions’ team (link HERE to the slideshow presentation if the embedded script doesn’t work!) It is as succinct an example of what this new online environment is all about as you will ever see - IMHO!

Tags: web2.0, microsoft, blogging, digital, advertising, slideshow, presentation

Just what IS Google playing at.

With over 10 years to catch up on Paypal and Worldpay, does Google think that it can dominate payment systems too?

OR like with its office suites of products, is it just ensuring it has a presence in the field to build its experience?

Search domination is one thing, but in the other fields such as word processing (google docs), shopping search (froogle), email (Gmail - although to a lesser extent), news and images - they are way behind everyone else. Do they honestly believe they have the capability to catch-up, match, then beat microsoft, kelkoo, yahoo, bbc and flickr anytime soon or is there a matter of pride at stake here?

Why are they doing it?

It is crucial for Google to have a presence in other markets or else its virtual monopoly is wasted. And this is the crucial point by UK Consumer Marketing Chief, Obi Felton:

"The starting point is our core products,"

By offering a payments service too, Google is the conduit for the shop search, product search and now the payment.

With 75% dominance of UK search that is an awful lot of shops and products people are searching for - and it makes perfect sense. You wouldn’t take your car to a drive-through car wash and have to drive elsewhere to the next stage would you?

Interesting too is that user’s trust in Google is such that almost 60% of users who didn’t find what they wanted first time round in tests, thought they had typed the search query incorrectly.

So, all in all, it is quite a move for Google…using its trustworthy name to enter a new market rather than trading-off its technological expertise and capabilities. My only question is this:

What happens to Google’s reputation when fraudsters attack it as much as Paypal is attacked now? Is their search reliability and credibility likely to be affected too?

Tags: paypal, google, googlecheckout, gmail, flickr, google checkout, internet, yahoo

My Sony laptop is on the verge of packing in, after years and years of (ab)use it is at death’s door.

The CD drive does not allow me to burn back-up discs anymore and it is pot luck as to whether or not it will work from one day to the next.

So, I am offering a unique opportunity to sponsor ME.

Apple, Microsoft, Dell, or indeed any company willing to provide me with a half-decent laptop will have their name mentioned as part of my email signature.

In ALL communications in which I participate and which requires me to use the laptop (pretty much all the time!), I will apply the following signature text for a full 12 months (and I WILL provide weekly evidence of this):

Paul Fabretti

Director

Written on an Apple Macbook Pro by Company X.

Or

"Written using the latest Dell Precision M90"

or whatever suits the company providing it! You get the picture!

I may even think about something that sounds good too!

I am a minimum 3-times a day, 3-blog blogger with a (growing) average 800 unique visitors per month (ok, not a lot but growing all the time!). I am an active member of linked-in, openbc, ecademy as well as the pinkomarketing wiki and google group.

I am also an eBay (UK) Gold Power seller. A link to the company providing my laptop will also be included in ALL my eBay auctions.

Some will no doubt snigger at the visitor numbers (and advertisers may balk at the numbers!) but I am an extremely active member of the communities in which I mix, and present you with an opportunity to touch business professionals deeper than any banner ad would.

If this is of interest to you and you would be able to provide me with a laptop, I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Tags: ebay, Dell, Apple, Macbook Pro, laptop, pinko marketing

I have recently recieved confirmation from Yoah Bar-David, CEO of iRows, that Google has in fact NOT bought irows.

Google, as Steve Rubel reports, is building its own online spreadsheet software called Google Spreadsheets which is rumoured to have been designed by a former 2Web employee, John Rochelle). Stephane Rodriquez gives a good review of the implications of  Google Spreadsheets suggesting he knows more than he is letting on! Bien ecrit Stephane!

As for iRows, it looks to be making great advances integrating into daily life (surely the most crucial part of any new app.?), with a salesforce.com version rolling out a few weeks ago and are, according to CEO Yoah, working closely with web-application companies to ensure proper integration of iRows with other online office suite application.

As Google is trying to be all things to all people, I sometimes wonder if it can be all of those things successfully all the time. Is it sufficient for the success of the product for people to assume, that because it is Google and it is free, that it will meet their needs?
Having used iRows I can (for the moment) say that it is the best online spreadsheet product on the market at the moment and with further dedication into its development, it will only improve and become more and more like the FULL Microsoft Excel it wants to be.

Can Google honestly say that once launched, they will continue to invest in and develop Google Spreadsheet to the same levels that iRows have/will?

Beware of strangers offering free gifts…

Technorati Tags: iRows, Google, irows, Google Spreadsheets, Microsoft, Excel

I received a simple but cryptic message last night confirming that Google has indeed bought iRows and will be making the announcement TODAY, 6th June 2006.

I seem to remember when Google bought writely, there was a heck of a lot of buzz surrounding what was going to be next in the online office suite and irows looked like the perfect target. Quite why this has taken such a long time to be announced is a surprise, but it was only a matter of time.

That said, with Microsoft’s new Office 2007 beta suite looking prettier than ever, I am beginning to wonder what, apart from online storage, will the impending Google Suite have to offer that Microsoft don’t?

Technorati Tags: Google, iRows, irows, Office 2007 beta, Microsoft

Keen to ensure that any IE7 Beta users (like myself) don’t feel the need to move over to “the dark side” I noticed this, the first tie I went to the google search home page: