Google and Salesforce expand alliance against Microsoft

I’ve been quite interested about this war on the web between mircosoft and google. If you noticed from my last post that Both google and mircosoft are both trying to dominate the world wide web. We’ll see who wins

Google and Salesforce.com, two of Microsoft’s most conspicuous rivals, are expanding a 10-month-old collaboration in an effort to accelerate their sales of customer management and office software to businesses.

The two companies were to announce Monday that they had integrated Salesforce’s customer relationship management software and Google’s suite of office productivity applications, which includes e-mail, word processing and spreadsheet programs, into a single software package.

Like most of the software the two companies create, the package will not require a download or installation, but rather will be delivered as a service over the Web.

The offering will compete with Microsoft’s customer relationship management software, which is integrated with its Office suite. The alliance could help Google, whose productivity programs are used largely by individuals, make inroads into businesses, where it is seeking to challenge Microsoft’s multibillion-dollar Office franchise.

Already customers of Google’s and Salesforce’s programs can use them side by side. But Dave Girouard, Google’s vice president and general manager, said the integrated offering would bring users new functions.

For example, users would able to keep track of e-mail sent to a customer right on that customer’s sales record, and a group of people collaborating on a sales account would be able to communicate by instant message with one another, he said.

“In the history of hosted software to date, applications could be like islands,” Girouard said. “They don’t really work together seamlessly. This is a first of its kind.”

Microsoft, which dominates the productivity software market but is a smaller player in customer relationship management software, or CRM, brushed aside concerns about competition from the Google-Salesforce alliance.

“Salesforce has belatedly recognized that it is important to link CRM apps to productivity tools,” said Brad Wilson, general manager for Microsoft’s customer relationship management unit. “It has been core to our product since we launched five years ago. It validates our strategy.”

Google and Salesforce, two of the most important proponents of the idea of delivering software as a service over the Web, have grown increasingly close over the past several months. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend, so that makes Google my best friend,” said Marc Benioff, chief executive of Salesforce.

When Google introduced its package of productivity applications in February 2007, Salesforce was one of the few large companies committed to using the software. In June, the two companies began integrating Google’s AdWords advertising technology into Salesforce, and in November, Salesforce joined OpenSocial, an alliance of companies then led by Google that was establishing standards for creating applications for social networks.

Salesforce for Google Apps, as the integrated product is called, will be available to Salesforce customers at no additional cost, starting Monday.

« Previous post Next post » April 11 2008 Microsoft Live Maps Drinks Google Maps’ Milkshake

Last night, Microsoft pushed out a ton of new features to Windows Live Maps, including a face-lift to some of its 3-D cities (Las Vegas, Dallas, Denver and Phoenix), the ability to export your collections to GPS devices and GeoRSS feeds (which means I can make custom maps for my Dash GPS), support for 3D-map video tours, better directions and traffic information, and also one-click directions that change the route on a map based on what direction you are coming from.

But there was one feature that really caught my eye. You can now import KML files into Live Maps. KML stands for Keyhole Markup Language, and it was invented by Keyhole, the acquired startup behind Google Earth that is now part of Google. KML has become a standard for describing maps hosted on the Web.

What this means, though, is that Live Maps can now drink Google’s milkshake. Because all the customized maps that people have made and share on Google Maps can be grabbed as a KML file. So now Microsoft can benefit from all that work done by Google Map users by simply slurping all of those maps into Live Maps.

Of course, this is a two-way street, since any customized map on Live Maps or in Microsoft’s Virtual Earth can now also be exported as a KML file. Google can take out its straw and slurp right back from the Live Maps glass. The difference is that Google’s glass is a lot more full and is more yummy because so many more people have created customized Google Maps than customized Live Maps.

So right about now, Microsoft is wielding an old wooden bowling pin, wiping its chin, and ranting, “I drink it up!”

Japanese-Style Keyboards Look Almost Too Good for Typing

These traditional Japanese-style keyboards are a class apart from the grey or white boringness of the average keyboard. As well as looking different, and neat these devices are even handmade for that extra “creative” touch. The gold one’s damn attractive and would look cool on many a desk: but not the green “kara kusa” one… that just looks like a typing nightmare. That attractiveness costs, mind you, as they’re available for $154.90. Except the gold “Zip-Ang” one, which is a whopping $214.21. [Akihabaranews]

Space tourism is just two years away thanks to new rocket-powered plane

Wow , The advances in technology ! … I don’t know whose willing to spend 50,000 to go to space except maybe the rich folks.

A rocket-powered plane that will allow tourists to travel in space is in development and will start flights in two years.

Plans have been revealed for ‘Lynx’, a two-seater ’space taxi’, which will be capable of flying 37miles above the Earth from 2010.

Flights will cost passengers £50,000 for a journey in the rocket-powered vehicle that is intended to operate like a normal aeroplane by taking off and landing on runways.

It will reach twice the speed of sound on its ascent to offer space tourists spectacular views of Earth.

The developments come just months after Richard Branson unveiled his Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo, a six-passenger space tourism vehicle, which might start flight tests later this year.

Developed by US company XCOR, Lynx will be roughly the same size as a private jet and it will run on kerosene and liquid oxygen.

‘Future versions of Lynx will offer ever-improving capabilities for scientific and engineering research and commercial applications. ‘The spaceship, roughly the size of a small private airplane, will first take off in 2010 and will be capable of flying several times each day.’ Lynx will have a pressurised cabin but the pilot and passenger will wear helmets and pressure suits for safety.

Test Your Breath online

From Canada, test your breath using the mike of your PC or just typing in what you just ate. Silly. But viral!

http://testyourbreath.ca/

Video: Lenovo’s Ideapad U8 MID teases with Intel’s Atom

Oh my. Look at what Lenovo is cooking up with the help of Intel’s newest Atom processor. Unveiled at Intel’s IDF in Shanghai, the new Ideapad U8 device features a 4.8-inch touchscreen display and bullseye, optical mouse for (supposedly) one-handed operation while surfing the web over EDGE or 3G data — presumably China’s TD-SCDMA. The device also features “Live GPS,” hand written note taking, and support for MS Office applications. We’re guessing it’ll also make a phone call or two with that 12-key numeric pad. And with Intel calling this a MID, don’t expect to see a Microsoft OS riding that Atom, this pup’s looking Linux to the bone. Check the video after the break.

Curved iMac has your back…

Many things come to mind when I imagine new features that might be useful on my Mac; a touch screen, integrated 3G connectivity, pop-out remote control, integrated LCD projector, and maybe even a ninja bear defense radar system… I had an incident, let it go. Designer Nuno Teixeira believes every computer should be two faced and with more curves. I dated that girl for a while and it was a hot nightmare, but his “iView” iteration of an Apple’s iMac definitely has a lot more appeal. Taking a cue from the 1950’s CINERAMA wrap-around movie theatre screens, this iMac iMock-up features a giant curved screen(for better orientation to the natural curvature of the human eye) and a second built in LCD screen on the back(useful for students and graphic designer.) While shooting for the stars, Nuno also included two webcams(front and back). The likelihood this will ever be made? 0%, the likelihood I would really like one of these? 100%

Designer: Nuno Teixeira

Samsung-built, Google-branded Android phones due later this year?

According to man-about-town, Robert X. Cringely, Samsung is readying not one, but two separate Android-based phones, one of which is due in September, with another model following around Christmas. If you believe what you read (and what his tipster says), these phones will not be labeled Samsung, rather they will be released as Google-branded gPhones. The model released in the Fall will be a “higher-end” model which apparently looks “somewhat like a Blackberry Pearl” but with a screen that flips and “a keyboard for texting” (though to be honest, that description makes little sense, as the Pearl has a keyboard). The second device will be a cheaper model (under $100), and will likely be released after the holidays. Of course, right now this is just speculation — given the large gap of time between now and September, these plans could be completely rearranged or nixed altogether… even if they are accurate.

Beatboxing with Tele2

Surprisingly fun sampler concept for Tele2 in Sweden. An almost real dog is beatboxing and you can tell him what to do. This results in your own doggy style beatbox. It’s in Swedish, but you will get the message. Agency is Forsman & Bodenfors.

Lenovo X300 vs. Apple MacBook Air… Fight!

var digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/gadgets/MacBook_Air_vs_Lenovo_X300_fight’; As long as Lenovo is drawing a direct comparison between their own X300 and the MacBook Air, we thought we’d go ahead and put them side-by-side for you. So dear reader, how do you define perfection?