The Google Counteroffensive

After the Internet offensive launched by Microsoft a few months ago, it's Google's turn now to sound the battle horn and flood the market with new products.

The Mountain View announced yesterday no less than four services and applications, which add to the already generous offer.

The four products are: Google Co-op, Google Desktop 4, Google Notebook and Google Trends.

"Google Co-op and the other new services announced today combine the power of Google's technology with the context, knowledge, and unique expertise of individuals. As a result, users can find the information they are looking for, no matter how specialized or specific, faster than ever," said Jonathan Rosenberg, senior vice president, Product Management, Google Inc.

Google Desktop 4 Beta

Announced today in seven international languages, English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Dutch, and Brazilian Portuguese, Google Desktop 4 offers another way for users to improve their search experience, by personalizing their desktops with the introduction of Google Gadgets (Google's version for widgets).

These gadgets are mini-applications that reside on users' desktops and deliver a variety of personalized information such as games, media players, weather and news.

Another excellent feature is the network administrators' option to disable Search Across Computers on both the consumer and enterprise versions of the product at the network level by simply blocking access to a specific URL.

Google Desktop 4 Beta has been certified by Softpedia as being 100% FREE and is available for download here.

Google Co-op Beta

Google Co-op is a new concept and represents a community where users can contribute their knowledge and expertise to improve Google search for everyone. Organizations, businesses, or individuals can label web pages relevant to their areas of expertise or create specialized links to which users can subscribe.

Once a user has subscribed to a provider's content, all of that provider's labels and subscribed links are added to the user's search results for relevant queries. These contributions serve as meta information that helps Google's search algorithms connect users to the most relevant information for their specific query. Users interested in contributing can get started at http://www.google.com/coop.

For example, a doctor can label web pages related to arthritis, and users who subscribe to that doctor's information will receive options at the top of the results for more specific information such as "treatment," "symptoms," or "for health professionals" when they enter a relevant query.

The new service can be accessed here.

Google Trends

Available here, the new service coming straight from Google's Labs uses Zeitgeist, the list of the most popular terms searched on Google, to help users find facts and trends related to Google usage around the world. Google Trends enables users to learn how popular a particular search term has been on Google in time and see the relevant news articles that ran on that subject.

"For the first time ever, Google is making it possible to sift through billions of search queries from around the world to see what people are thinking about," said Marissa Mayer, vice president, Search Products and User Experience, Google Inc.

Google Notebook

The last service launched by the Mountain View company is called Google Notebook and, as the name suggests, it's an interactive scratch pad for every website a user visits, offering a single online location to collect web findings without having to leave the browser window.

Moreover, the information stored on Google Notebook can also be shared with other users. This service will be available starting next week at this address http://www.google.com/notebook.