14 DAY TRIAL // On Monday, the search giant Google managed to acquire DoubleClick, a company that is able to improve the advertising platforms and offer more information about the customers' actions. Although DoubleClick attracted more important investors such as Microsoft or Yahoo, Google was the lucky one that bought the firm for $3.1 billion in cash, almost twice the amount of money invested for YouTube. As you know, the online video sharing service YouTube was acquired in October 2006 for $1.6 billion. Although the Google rival didn't confirm the competition for the acquisition of DoubleClick, Microsoft and Yahoo expressed their concerns regarding the new Google brand saying that it might provide a too much information about the user, reducing his privacy.
"This proposed acquisition raises serious competition and privacy concerns in that it gives the Google DoubleClick combination unprecedented control in the delivery of online advertising, and access to a huge amount of consumer information by tracking what customers do online. We think this merger deserves close scrutiny from regulatory authorities to ensure a competitive online advertising market," Brad Smith, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Microsoft Corporation, sustained in a statement published on Monday.
On Tuesday, Google was again the main subject in the Redmond-based company because the search giant officially announced its plans to develop a PowerPoint "killer", the presentation tool designed by Microsoft. As you surely know, PowerPoint is an important part of the Office suite and, along with Word and Excel, forms one of the most popular applications in the entire world. The upcoming Google product was rumored a long time ago when documents containing information about a potential presentation tool were discovered on the Internet. At that time, Google refused to comment the speculations, but confirmed them now, saying the presentation solution will complete the Office solution that currently includes Docs and Spreadsheets.
The upcoming Google solution, codenamed Presently, will represent an important part for the Microsoft Office battle because numerous users might be attracted by the freeware license. Although it's not quite clear if Google plans to release two flavors of the presentation tool, freeware and premium, one thing is sure: it will contain the same functions as the other two products included in the suite. Docs & Spreadsheets are two freeware services, accessible through a simple web-based interface and with a single Google account. The main advantage in the battle with Microsoft? They allow users to store their files online, making the product accessible from any location without having to transfer the files.
Microsoft announced on Wednesday that the company signed a deal with the PC producer Lenovo meant to expand the software giant's services into the Asian market. At this time, Lenovo already owns a research center in Beijing, but it seems that the new office will try to build Microsoft mobile solutions as well as to develop new projects based on the company's products. Although Microsoft partnered with one of the largest firms in the country, the move is somehow similar to the ones made by two other giants, Google and Yahoo that recorded several attempts to conquer China. This country is a huge IT market and you know it because there are numerous Internet users continuously looking for powerful solutions. The search giant Google tried to expand its solutions in China but, every time, the company encountered several problems such as Baidu's domination.
"Today's announcement signifies another step in Microsoft's continuing efforts to build stronger collaborations with local partners, and foster a flourishing innovation ecosystem in China," Microsoft Chief Research and Strategy Officer Craig Mundie said in a statement according to News.com. "By combining global PC and leading software companies, this joint innovation center will help Lenovo enhance competitiveness for Microsoft-based products and maintain a leading position in the IT industry," Lenovo Chief Technology Officer George sustained according to the same source.
The company released on Thursday a new trial for Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, a platform that provides numerous utilities such as calendar, e-mail and messaging tools. The 5-days trial will be hosted by Unisys, offering several antispam and antivirus utilities accessible through a PC, Internet or from any mobile device. If you want to register for the beta stage of the program, you should follow this link and fill in the form published by Microsoft.
"You can create a temporary account to experience the features of Exchange Server 2007 which will stay active for 5 days. Your account will be pre-populated with sample messages, calendar appointments and a voice message to help you have a rich experience. You will be able to send and receive mail, schedule meetings, and adjust your options. You can access your account via Outlook Web Access, Outlook, or an Exchange Active-Sync compatible application," Microsoft said.
Microsoft started the week with Google-related comments and ended it just like the search giant because the company was sued on Friday by Fort Worth, Texas-based Vertical Computer Systems, a firm that filed a patent infringement complaint at the US District Court in Texas. According to News.com, the company accuses Microsoft that its .Net technology is infringing its patent, refusing to provide additional details about the lawsuit. As you might know, the search giant Google was also sued for patent infringement, iLor LLC accusing the company for illegal use of the "method for adding a user selectable function to a hyperlink."
I admit that Google is often sent to the court while Microsoft likes to spend its time at home, but the similarity completes the battle between the two companies, battle which started through the Office suites. At this time, Google and Microsoft are surely the most powerful firms that are fighting to conquer the Internet users with an Office solution because Google prepares to launch Presently, while Microsoft already debuted Office 2007.
