First it was Apple. Then Microsoft does Vista. And now Google with Google Desktop.
What am I talking about? A focus on visual appeal. I’m sure there are tons of cool new tweaks to Google Desktop 5, but the thing Google is hyping the most is the new “blending” feature of the application. It’s not quite transparency — think of it like a chameleon. Aside from the cosmetics, not much else changed.
Google Desktop is a great application, yet Google still fail to utilize its full potential. There are four things still holding it back:
- Direct integration with Gmail so that I can read and write emails without ever leaving my desktop. They would send as soon as my Internet connection is up and ready, of course. This means off line composing would be possible. Currently, I have to open Gmail in a browser (lame).
- Direct integration with Google Calendar. I mean an actual client-side interface: not that hokey short-cut-to-a-web-page crap. I would create and edit the task on my machine, and it would sync it as soon as an Internet connection is available. Again, offline managing is possible. Currently, I have to open Google Calendar in a browser (lame).
- Direct integration with Google Reader and Personalized Homepage. I happen to have quite a few RSS feeds I watch on the Personalized Homepage that don’t get imported into Desktop by default. It should. There is a huge disconnect between Google Reader, Personalized Homepage, and Google Desktop Web Clips – yet they all serve the same purpose.
- The ability to have floating gadgets without having the sidebar enabled. When I like one or two of those widgets, I don’t want to have an entire edge of my screen taken up by a bar full of tools I don’t use. Google should learn a thing or two about widgets from Yahoo and Apple (think of the widget hide key).
In short, Google needs to think of this as a stand alone application rather than a short-cut key to its online tools. I know they do it because easier since they already have working web interfaces, but the reality is that there are advantages to a client-side installed application that are being overlooked. This includes slicker effects, not needing to load up another program (IE/Firefox), and not having to load an entire website to do a minor task. Oh, and not having to wait for stuff to load.
I do happen to use Google Desktop at work, where I have three 1600×1200 screens (so I can afford the screen real estate). And I do admit that once you start using it, it is actually quite useful. I use the to do list the most, but the scratch pad and web feeds are very useful as well. If either of these tools involved opening up a web browser, I would have never even bothered.
Perhaps the single most under-appreciated feature of Google Desktop is its ability to port your gadget settings from one machine to the next. So when I edit my to do list, make notes on my scratch pad, set my preferences in the weather widget, and then I go to my home computer: it’s all synced.
Nevertheless, such features don’t mean Google has to resort to web interfaces to do desktop functions. Google leverages the web well, but it utilizes the power of the desktop poorly.