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Google
to offer free email in fight for web supremacy - 2nd
April 2004
(Credit:
The Sydney Morning Herald)
Online
search engine leader Google Inc plans a free email
service providing 250-500 times more storage space
than market leaders Yahoo! Inc and Microsoft Corp,
delivering the latest challenge in a fierce fight
for web supremacy.
But
there's a catch to the new service announced today
- Google's computers will scan emails to deliver targeted
advertising.
Google's
service, called Gmail, will offer one gigabyte of
storage space, roughly 500,000 pages of email.
Gmail
users will be able to receive up to 10 megabytes in
a single email - more than the free services of Yahoo
and Microsoft's Hotmail allow to be stored in an entire
mailbox.
Gmail
also will enable its users to type a keyword into
a built-in search box to find information contained
in their emailboxes within seconds.
"We
think email is one of those things that is not as
useful and as well organised as it should be,"
Google co-founder Larry Page said today.
"People
have been asking us to do this for a long time."
Officials
at Yahoo and Microsoft's Hotmail division declined
to comment on Google's announcement.
Yahoo
and Microsoft recently announced plans to challenge
Google's dominance in internet searches. Google's
technology is behind nearly four out of every five
web searches, and the privately held company has recently
unveiled a series of improvements to protect its turf.
Google
hopes to turn a profit from Gmail by programming its
computers to dissect the topics being discussed in
the emails and delivering text-based ads related to
the subjects. For instance, an email discussing an
upcoming concert might include a link from a ticketing
agency.
"I
don't think [the ads] will be annoying at all,"
Page said. "We think this will give us a business
model that will work and allow us to provide a high-quality
service."
Links:
Google
Gmail
Yahoo!
Hotmail
Microsoft
Corporation
Articles
When
will spam be banned?
Paying
for email
ACCC
Joins Global Fight Against Spam
Internet
Safety and Responsibilities
Interviews
Steve
Outing, Senior Editor, E-Media Tidbits, Poynter Institute
Greg
Tingle - Director, Media Man Australia - 25th February
2004
Bob
Bemer - "The Father of the Internet"
Profiles
Google
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