Depending on an individual’s needs or goals and needs of a business determines the selection of software application and productivity tools. Whether an individual uses word processing application to compose class assignments or a business uses word processing to compose letters, a system is selected to accommodate objectives.
Microsoft Office (MO) long held the primary choice of such usage as other applications had phased out in its inability to provide services needed with the evolving needs and available conveniences of this technical era. MO’s suite includes applications that assists in composing professionally written correspondence such as letters and resumes from Word; creations of flyers and certificates from Publisher; slideshow presentations from Powerpoint, calculations and a user-friendly layout to analyze the information in Excel; and Access, which allows one to create databases and manage information. MO has the tools necessary for a smooth personal and business operation where information retrieval is easy by being saved to the hard drive or removable devices.
However, Google has embarked upon the barrier to entry with its Google Apps (GA). Although, the service is fairly new, it already has accumulated many former MO users as GA offers the same features of MO, but on a widened scale at a much more affordable cost. GA’s word processor, spreadsheet, Gmail, calendar and web page creator are direct competitors to MO’s Word, Excel, and Microsoft Outlook. GA may not have an application named Access or Powerpoint, but there are features available to allow one to produce similar end results by sharing the information online that can be accessed and edited all in real-time with the capability of instant online conversation.
GA offers a large amount of storage, strong spam filters and a calendar. It also has a chat feature built in, so it is not necessary to load another program for instant communication. It is convenient and most likely uses fewer resources, which are important when using a budget computer with lower computing capabilities. Google is geared to competing fiercely with MO, so it may not be long before comparative resources and performance levels exceeds the rival application. The unfamiliar applications are equipped with on-training sessions and video clips with and without sound capability for an easy transition.
Users of the Gmail account within GA claim that spam filters block 99% of the spam that usually makes it to your inbox. This convenience allows one to retaining an old email account without burdensome unwanted emails. Emails are tabbed into a thread for great organization, old emails are able to be archived, and all emails are online and even accessible by a mobile phone.
Gmail and Yahoo mail beta along with AOL mail to make up the vast majority of the 500 million or so web mail users around the world. Overall, web users prefer Gmail over all other web mail applications because the speed is consistently faster. They offer more features and more storage. But, Yahoo offers more mainstream Outlook-like user interfaces. If one is are looking for speed and tagging, then Gmail is a better choice. However, if one is looking for something that is closer to Outlook, then Yahoo mail is better.
The following are some comparisons of Gmail and Yahoo Mail:
GMail Yahoo Mail
Users 51m 250M
Storage 2.5Gb+ 1GB
Free Yes Yes
Search A B+
Speed A B+
“I’ve used GMail for a couple of years after using Yahoo! GMail is faster than Yahoo! and other email sites. The interface is easier to use and the inbox updates automatically. Spam very rarely gets through to my inbox, while my Yahoo! inbox was full of it,” exclaims a content Gmail user.
Smaller businesses with more simplified day to day tasks will benefit more from GA. The lower fees are important to this type of business and they most likely do not need to have strong presentation software. Although they need a good database, smaller businesses can handle their needs with a spreadsheet in GA. The spreadsheets can be networked to coworkers who can share the same online copy of each document, spreadsheet or presentation. All revisions are saved and recoverable.
The fact you must be on the internet to use GA is definitely a disadvantage when in an airport or if service is temporarily interrupted. The other applications are on your computer and used anywhere you have power. An offset to this is the Enterprise-class service, which are managed 24/7 by Google and phone support is available for critical issues. But who wants to wait while going through another avenue to pull up information that is wanted immediately? The idea of not having information and business secrets to be accessible at any time seems to be a great release of power.
It is clear that GA is significantly faster, has mounds and mounds of infinite space for storage that is added to when deemed necessary, less expensive than MO and Google is geared towards customer intimacy. Google encourages customers to offer their input on services they’d like to have which is not currently available. Google considers the information with available technology while working to improve its services. Google also takes into consideration the love of personalization that people enjoy in their messages and pages. They’ve added new emoticons and a wider array of colors.
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5 comments:
I had no idea that Google was that much of a competitor with Microsoft. I guess I just assumed it was only a search engine until we started this class and I got a gmail acocunt. I still had no idea that it had all of the other options that were mentioned in this post.
I had no idea that they were anything more than a search engine either. I am very surprised to learn about the Google apps. I guess I never really thought about using anything other than Microsoft office.
I too did not realize that Goole was trying to compete with MS. I know that they were trying to introduce a moible phone at one time. I like the idea of anyone who competes with MS. Competition allows for better pricing and products for consumers. Thanks for the info.
I agree that competition is good for pricing and product development, but I would have a problem using Google Apps because of the online only requirement. I use my Microsoft Office Programs all the time when I am not online and I need the information that is on there when I am not able to access the internet. I don't think that this product would be something that I would ever use.
Google is coming along and makes many developmnents. I do not think the will really rival Microsoft. It seems most people think of them when they need a search engine and that is it.
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