Despite Profits from the Static Web, Google Pushes Dynamic
Posted on 18. May, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey in Features
Today it was announced that Google is acquiring the Norwegian firm Global IP Solutions, which focuses on VoIP and videoconferencing solutions. I have been thinking recently about Google’s foray into the web as a media-rich dynamic platform, and it seems almost as if the company is focusing on a “change or die” mantra when it comes to the static web, a place where for the past decade Google has made immense profits.
The Google I/O conference, which kicks off tomorrow, is a great example of this, coupled with the fact that the Global IP Solutions acquisition is clearly aimed towards collaborative resources that extend way beyond just chat and email. The challenging thing for Google is going to be indexing and advertising these types of features, something that is at the very core of its business model.
As anyone who uses YouTube knows, it isn’t exactly intuitive to find the videos that you are looking for. That problem has been addressed somewhat this year, but I still find the UI a bit cumbersome to navigate. With that being said, though, YouTube has enjoyed a tremendous boost in advertising, which bodes well for the original purpose of Google buying it back in 2006.
But how does Google go about keeping track of videos hosted on other sites like Hulu, Vimeo and Justin.tv? How does it make a profit from its foray into VoIP? Only time will tell, but it will take innovation to make sure that the free model persists in these areas. It’s clear that a continuation away from the simple text that oddly enough Google has turned in a cash machine will proceed as newer platforms like Android and Chrome OS offer a new way to enjoy Google’s low-cost applications and services.
One Response to “Despite Profits from the Static Web, Google Pushes Dynamic”
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Maxyashunin
07. Jun, 2010
All the industry is talking about Google aim to control all major VoIP technologies. Its intention to buy GIPS seems quite reasonable then. The other aspect is what it means for the current GIPS customers. Let’s not forget that some of them are direct competitors of Google. It’s not unlikely they will have to be satisfied with limited maintenance or no support at all. Google will for sure use VoIP as a platform in its Android OS, Google Chrome and very likely in its Google Apps. Google will require all GIPS’ expertise and engineering resource to support its VoIP strategies.
On the other hand there is SPIRIT DSP which has been successfully competing with GIPS over all these years and now stays the only independent VoIP technology company on the market. SPIRIT is famous for its dislodging GIPS from Skype and was listed among the Top 10 VoIP leaders by FierceVoIP (http://www.fiercevoip.com/special-reports/top-10-voip-leaders). Today SPIRIT offers its VVoIP platform on a variety of desktop and mobile platforms, supporting not only Google’s Android but iPhone, Symbian, Windows Mobile (http://www.spiritdsp.com/press/videoconferencing-on-mobile-platforms.php). SPIRIT is proud to offer a video server (http://spiritdsp.com/press/Video-server-1000-channels-release.php) with 1000-channel capacity. Now SPIRIT is the #1 choice for service providers, application developers, and telcos that are deploying voice and video communication services.