In a scant number of years, Google has morphed from a laser-focused, nearly blank page in a browser to a host of products and services that own increasing amounts of PC and device real estate. They also increase the amount of time users spend with Google and the dependence beyond basic search — as well as the opportunities for Google to touch users with advertising, product announcements and the like. The new products announced today illustrate that to varying degrees:
— Google Desktop 4 Beta: Speaking of real estate plays … Google Desktop now includes Google Gadgets, those little modules that live on desktops and perform various useful/entertaining tasks a la Apple, matching the Yahoo push fueled by Konfabulator. Developers can roll their own but options already up there include media players, stock info, news and weather. Google Homepage modules can be added.
— Google Co-op Beta allows providers to identify content with labels or links and places the results in the relevant search queries for users who subscribe to the content. No charges to become a provider. Of course, the adjacent ads would be reaching an even more targeted audience and could be more valuable to advertisers; the providers also will be reaching a self-targeted group instead of having to wait for them to visit their sites. Google seeded Co-op with providers including dining service Open Table, National Geographic, news aggregator digg, the Wine Spectator, and Fandango. Also included: Time Inc.’s people and SouthernLiving.com and numerous health sites including Mayo Clinic, Harvard Medical School, the CDC.
— Google Trends is a DIY zeitgeist, checking global search patterns and producing usable charts as long as a search term has been used enough to create viable data. Here’s a sample.
— Google Notebook, described as an “interactive scratchpad) doesn’t go live until next week but literally is a place to collect notes without leaving the browser. Notebooks can be shared or kept private.
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