I was an early adopter of Google and their products as soon as they came on board. So this post may seem one sided. That is why IMO begins its title.
We are all seeing Google vs Apple vs .... But what the general population is failing to look at is what Google is trying to build. Their ecosystem is starting to really come together in ways that people and businesses alike can do almost anything an operating system has to offer on the web. That is their goal. By adding a mobile platform that can adopt all of these technologies in a similar fashion you now have the ability to actually have a convenience of being away from your computer and be almost as productive. It goes to show that Google is trying to build a web friendly environment that can adopt all of the favorite things you like about the web and most of what you like about you personal computer.
To start with lets look at Google's search engine. Google was started as a web experience improvement company. They saw a way to improve search and search habits. They brought more meaningful advertising to companies by search habits so your search shows a more relevant company selling a product similar to the topic you are looking for. Instead of someone paying a premium price to always be at the top of the list with no relevance to what you may be searching for. They also have the most "keep it simple stupid" approach in their search home page.
Now lets look at Gmail. The approach here was to offer you more control over your email. Sure business had its corporate email and Office suite while we had our personal Yahoo! and Hotmail. So how could you adopt the best of both worlds. Google introduces Gmail. with tasks, calendar, and email all tied into a web mail client. They have expanded Gmail with many options. Labels(otherwise known as folders), filters, the best spam filtering, chat built in with Google Talk, and many other option under labs. It is the email client that has made the Yahoo! and Hotmail of their time to adapt to more of what people were looking for in a email client. A business option with a personal look.
Lets look at Maps now. Nothing new as there was MapQuest already on the scene when it came out. We were used to looking at Maps and getting directions but what we did not have was the ability to search for a name of a place or a product a place may sell and then see a map of the locations to find the closest one to us. This app has not changed a whole lot since its release but more and more options are now starting to exist in their layers and new labs features. What really gave this app a refresh was street view. They went across nations in vans to give you a in-depth close look at what to expect when you get to a location and what you are hunting for. Their mobile version is actually more robust than the web as of date.
Videos: Well when they first started in the video market they failed. Not miserably but could not compete with the college fan based rival YouTube. So they buy the competition. IMO it was a good move. Now we have a better option of searching for videos right out of the search box. YouTube has evolved into a video service that is a house hold name and a service that is now moving into our living rooms. The option to see user based content right on the big screen is now a reality and not a myth. So what came of the acquisition is a far better search option in finding a video right in your homepage of your browser. They did not invent the wheel but again created a better web experience.
News: Here again nothing new. They just made searching a news site and linking the content less of a task by combining the top news feeds into one location. Much like people use their personal RSS feeds. You have options to search for topics of your choice if you do not like the default layout. Again using their search algorithms you can find content specific headlines to your taste. If you need a more personal feel then you do your own homework and use their Google Reader app. RSS feeds are pulled and categorized to your specific needs in the content from websites that you visit most. So you get the content that you are looking for directly. It is almost like printing your own newspaper with the info you are most interested in.
For your office productivity needs Google offers Google Docs. Here you have a suite of apps that cater to you documentation, spreadsheet, forms, and presentation needs. Though there is a learning curve on the format side there are very similar functions in which users are used to using when creating these files. All of which give you sharing built right in to the app. Something that was tied mainly to the corporate world. The added plus to this app is the fact that your documents are available to you at any time and any where. Some have completely moved to using Google Docs over your standard purchasable applications for these added functionalities and the simple fact that it is at no cost to the end user. Though putting certain docs in the cloud has a lot of users worried about security. So the comment "user discretion is advised" need be applied here. Still Google claims its security is its main goal and we all have to be open minded and consider the risks of personal and professional docs in the open cloud. With Google Apps on the corporate side this is a little more security assured but all in all it is a very safe gamble to use this service if your contents are not a security risk for you.
Blogger was added to give the public a free platform to post their views, ideas, or anything else. It is a no brainer approach for you to share your content with the world. You can design a page to your likings and put out information on your views of anything you want. It can be used as your voice to the world. Not a new concept and probably not the best but guess what it is all built around your Google experience. Its a platform for you to put your thoughts and views out there for the public to see. Mine is based on technology since that is the field I am most prominent in. Here I can write about anything I want and anyone interested can see my views on a specific topic. Not only is it a chance to put my views out there but by using Google adsense I can actually gain some income from it if the blog becomes popular. So Blogger is what you want to make it. Personal to the sense that you are putting your thoughts out there for the public to see.
A newer project put out by Google is Google Voice. They purchased Grand Central so users could have their own personal voice mail service. Still growing in popularity as it was closed to invite only Google Voice not only gives you the option of voice mail but also gives you a free text messaging platform. With the acquisition of Gizmo5 we may see more features to this app but only time will tell. Here you get to pick a phone number or you have the option to import your own number and use it as your personal PBX. With options to block numbers, group your contacts for specific options and greetings, and text your contacts on any service provider for free. The most advance feature I believe is the transcription of your voice mail into text. It is not perfect but it gives you the options to see the content of a voice mail and see if it has merit for listening.
Google's latest creation Google Buzz. I know I skipped out Google Talk but as we all know it is a instant messaging client. So instead of going over Talk here I am going to voice my opinion on Buzz. What Buzz offers is a platform similar to what we have grown to use. The only difference is going to be this one is part of your ever growing Google ecosystem. Today we use the Twitters, Facebooks, and countless other social media apps to share what is going on to others on a day to day bases in almost a real time fashion. With Buzz this finally opens the door to get your Google profile as much recognition as these other options. People have rarely used their Google profile for this reason until now. Your Google profile gives the public and private people a peek into you own Google ecosystem. By adding a social platform for your profile you can now show others what you have been working on all in one location and give them up to date information that is going on in your life and specify if you want to share this to the public or just your private contacts. It is the gateway to getting you own Google domain out there finally. With the option to have all you eggs in one basket. That is how I see it being useful.
The last Google products I am going to discuss is Google Chrome, Chrome OS, and Android. The reason for this being the last portion is this actually sums up what the ecosystem is about. Google's Chrome browser has started turning heads. It is fast and is starting to gain on Firefox. I have been a very avid Firefox user since its debut. I must say that I am very hungry to see how Chrome can take over my Firefox use. I have lately made Chrome my default browser to compare my experiences with each. The most intuitive feature that has caught my attention is the separate processes per tab. One of the hugest advances I have seen that has help keep my system from being bogged down. Firefox has grown to be a very memory hungry browsing experience for me. The fact that web pages are providing this hungry content means that browsers have to find a way to keep this experience enjoyable without over killing the computer. Though my computer is only a couple years old it has the highest specs of that time. Hand built by me I know this. So Chrome, the much awaited Chrome OS for the netbook world, and Android are the tools that are making this ecosystem a manageable reality. Google is pulling together all of these services and giving us the tools to use them in a so called Google environment. Some may say monopoly. I say it is not a monopoly for the fact that there is competition out there for each and every product Google offers. They just give you the option to keep your content in one convenient place. They do not force you to use their services nor do they block you from using other services. It is what (and I use this term loosely ) open source is all about. You the consumer unless you purchase their branded phone pay nothing to Google.
So the whole contribution of Google products Search, Gmail, Maps, News, Reader, Docs, Blogger, Voice, Buzz, Talk, Chrome, Android, and Chrome OS etc when used appropriately give you a central location to do just about anything. All of these features have functions even on a mobile platform. Google has built a option to take what ever you do on a personal computer and given you options to do something equivalent anywhere at almost anytime. The most dependable factor is connectivity. To even top that factor Google is working on making connectivity a smaller factor in the whole equation. Free WiFi in areas and their new 1Gig per household project are paving the road to a better web experience. Is that not how they started out in the beginning.
I say thank you to Google because not only have you made leaps and bounds you have made many more companies do the same to keep up with times. There is your contributing factor. Competition.