Google Keeps the Pressure on Microsoft

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They always say competition is good for everybody, and so far that seems to be true these days. Since Google launched Gmail (beta version) several of the top free e-mail providers have made changes. Be it better SPAM filters, or in most cases a larger e-mail limit. Gmail can now import contacts from e-mail providers like Yahoo Mail, Outlook, Hotmail, and so on. Because of Gmail Microsoft itselft has had to trimmed its Hotmail fees, and increasing the amount of free Hotmail storage.

In the continuing tit-for-tat battle between Google and Microsoft over free e-mail, Google has again upped the ante. In an announcement posted to its Gmail beta Web site last week, Google informed testers it had added three new, requested features to Gmail. You asked. We said they were coming. And now, they're here," the Google notice said.

The three features are:

Import contacts: Gmail now allows users to import their e-mail name lists from Yahoo Mail, Outlook, Hotmail and other competing e-mail services to Gmail "in just a few clicks."
Signature options: Gmail allows users to automatically add a customized signature to the end of all outgoing messages.
"Safari" browser support: Gmail is providing compatibility for Mac OS X "Safari" users running versions 1.2.1 and higher.

Via its beta-testers site, Google has told testers it is working to add other requested features, too. Among those upon which the company is working are a plain HTML version of Gmail, as Google is hoping, but not promising, to add include the ability to send messages with HTML formatting, and POP3 client access. When asked whether Google had more features targeted specifically at winning accounts from Microsoft, a corporate spokesman declined to comment, citing the fact that the company is in a quiet period. Google announced last months its plans to go public.

News source: Microsoft Watch

Updates

According to the article at MSNBC, the new iPod will also contain the following features:

Longer battery life (50%) through more efficient method of power conservation.

Increased averaged play time, now at 12 hours.

Multiple On-The-Go playlist support

Ability to delete songs off the playlist

Users will now be given a choice to play their tunes at 25% slower or faster.

Lower price: $399 for 40GB, and $299 for 20GB. The 15 GB model has been discontinued.

Personally, I am hoping that some of these new features will be made available to existing users through firmware updates. I guess we will just have wait and see...

#1 Varsity on 20 Jul 2004 - 14:42

And the winner is...

US!

(4 replies) #2 SimNet on 20 Jul 2004 - 14:44

hmm competition is always going to be there but those 'features' sux i could ive without them they should put something new and different

#2.1 MegaManXcalibur on 20 Jul 2004 - 15:31

Well they were the most requested features so I guess most people decided thats what they wanted. If you have some features you want just send them in and maybe they will be added at some later date.

#2.2 Surr3al on 20 Jul 2004 - 16:28

These are new and different... hotmail doesn't have signatures, as far as I know and the import ability is by far much better than hotmail's or yahoo's.

#2.3 MR_Candyman on 20 Jul 2004 - 17:19

hotmail's had signatures since at least microsoft acquired it, if not before then.

#2.4 Surr3al on 20 Jul 2004 - 20:31

Ooo, you're right. I never saw the signatures option before... and I have looked. Guess I always gave up too soon.

(1 reply) #3 Mr. PC Doctor on 20 Jul 2004 - 14:47

Oh Geeze, this is crazy, lol.

I hate Hotmail. Spam, spam, spam from M$. Too little storage (still) Ugly girlish interface... blocking gmail invites.

You know M$ won't hit 1GB... I'm almost sure of it.

#3.1 elliotng on 20 Jul 2004 - 16:12

i receive my gmail invite thru hotmail

(1 reply) #4 gregstar05 on 20 Jul 2004 - 14:53

i like hotmail, but i am seriously considering switching to yahoo cause its a lot bigger in storage and i cant be f..ked waiting for hotmail to put their storage up to 250mb...and yahoo has more features...and more built in features, that makes it better...all i can say about google mail is, YUCK! it wont beat yahoo mail, or even yahoo as google is a search engine, not a mailing program...its only another scheme to get ppl to give them money n media coverage. ggrr

who else agrees

#4.1 Xtreme $niper on 20 Jul 2004 - 15:02

I dont agree with you. Google may be a search engine but thats how Yahoo started off too before it went into its other services. I do agree that Hotmail sucks, and Yahoo mail is great. But Gmail is great competition as soon as it goes public. And they're whole invitation thing was the smartest thing a company has ever done because it created a lot of hype. How is google looking for ways for people to give them money when they dont even get money off anyone for it. They barely even have ads on the page.

(3 replies) #5 LAD on 20 Jul 2004 - 14:57

For all the people who bitch at either of these services: if you don't like it, don't use it, simple as that. They are FREE and nobody is forcing you to use it. If you want something better, spend some actual money for a paid-service!

#5.1 em_te on 20 Jul 2004 - 15:12

What if bitching about it causes them to improve their service? Won't that be a plus for everyone?

#5.2 LAD on 20 Jul 2004 - 15:27

Right!

#5.3 Surr3al on 20 Jul 2004 - 16:25

Right now, for me GMail is beating any pay service out there.

(1 reply) #6 AV0X on 20 Jul 2004 - 15:01

Greg, hotmail will start offering 250MB of free space next month - Yahoo only offers 100mb.

#6.1 Xtreme $niper on 20 Jul 2004 - 15:03

Yeah but that doesnt counter the fact that hotmail still sucks. Its bad enough that we're waiting this long, but in the end Yahoo is probably going to boost they're storage up afterwards as well.

(2 replies) #7 o83zero on 20 Jul 2004 - 15:04

AventureMail is the best. MUCH nicer interface and more storage

#7.1 mancini76 on 20 Jul 2004 - 17:15

Aventure needs to go back to allowing attachments for me to use that account again

#7.2 Ferghal on 21 Jul 2004 - 00:14

Aveturemail is just Hivemail, which I suppose can be hacked or something on those lines since the code is open to anyone who buys it, I dunno. But something on those lines

(1 reply) #8 lotus22 on 20 Jul 2004 - 15:04

you have to make you own list to import to google...

hotmail and yahoo won't let you export..

So it's not just a few clicks.

#8.1 Wildcard on 20 Jul 2004 - 15:21

Yahoo
Addresses-> View Contacts -> Import/Export

Looks like a few clicks to me ?

#9 OSUKid7 on 20 Jul 2004 - 15:20

POP access would be good, but IMAP access would be great.

#10 linuxbox on 20 Jul 2004 - 15:30

I have 25 invites at one points but okut is sueing google

(1 reply) #11 Randall_Lind on 20 Jul 2004 - 15:37

A person here gave me a invite. I have to say no sub folders is a little hard to get use too. I do like the labels and archiveing feature.

I still think making folders would be better. Labels for searching is kewl.

#11.1 Surr3al on 20 Jul 2004 - 16:26

labels are folders, one you hit archive on a labeled email they go in the respective label for later viewing.

The coolest thing about gmail is it auto refreshes, so I don't have to click mail all the time like hotmail.

#12 William on 20 Jul 2004 - 17:07

the GMail introduction is making some ISPs up their capacities too. Canadian ISP Sympatico plans to up the space to 2GB!

(1 reply) #13 gflores on 20 Jul 2004 - 18:22

Anyone think Google should put out an Instant Messenger? Everyone has one now (Microsoft, Yahoo, AOL)... it's the latest fad!

#13.1 chacho on 20 Jul 2004 - 22:12

although we are talking about google, i think its too late to enter the IM market. yahoo recently made their IM program GOOD, and i want to use it, but all my friends are on AIM, and i have no choice. same problem for me with MSN as well, although i know that a lot of people use MSN.

#14 neo_joel on 20 Jul 2004 - 19:32

I dont make much of a big deal about Gmail anymore, i do have to thank them though cuz of them my ISP increased there storage limit to 2gb.

#15 tiwaris on 21 Jul 2004 - 09:39

I no more get the option to invite people to sign gmail accounts. What could be the reason? Have they stopped giving invits?

#16 Galley on 21 Jul 2004 - 14:25

#1 most-wanted feature - HTML version for Opera users
#2 - support for external POP access

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