Web Concepts

Salesforce.com Inc.’s online software service is becoming a showcase for Google Inc.’s e-mail and other widely used applications, deepening a relationship that has spurred speculation Google eventually will buy its smaller partner.

Besides selling Google’s programs to its 41,000 business customers, Salesforce.com will integrate the suite of applications into its own service, which helps companies track and identify customers’ needs.

The agreement to be announced Monday builds upon several years of collaboration between Salesforce.com and Google, which are trying to persuade more businesses to subscribe to software services over Internet connections instead of buying programs that must be installed on individual computers.

The online approach, sometimes called “cloud computing,” represents a potential threat to bigger software makers like Microsoft Corp., Oracle Corp. and SAP AG that make most of their money from selling individual licenses and then charging additional maintenance fees.

Salesforce.com Chief Executive Marc Benioff has become cloud computing’s chief evangelist since he left Oracle to found his San Francisco-based company nine years ago. He believes his preaching will resonate even more with Google applications in Saleforce.com’s platform.

“This will make it easier for us to convince more businesses to stop buying Microsoft Office and switch to better services like this that are emerging in the cloud,” Benioff said.

The additional applications will help make Salesforce.com’s service more attractive, but “the real winner here is Google,” said Nucleus Research analyst Rebecca Wettemann. “This gives them a (business) sales channel” at no additional cost.

Salesforce.com also intends to sell customer support for Google’s applications later this year.

Reports that Salesforce.com wanted to plug Google’s applications into its service surfaced nearly a year ago, triggering chatter about a possible acquisition.

The takeover talk then cooled after Salesforce.com disclosed that it had merely retooled its service to make it easier for its customers to distribute their ads through Google’s Internet-leading search engine.

Benioff declined to comment about a possible sale to Google. Dave Girouard, who oversees Google’s applications, also declined to comment about the company’s interest in buying Salesforce.

Salesforce.com and Google have more in common than a passion for cloud computing.

Both companies have cultivated fun-loving cultures and set up philanthropic foundations funded by a portion of their profits.

And the stocks of both companies have soared more than fivefold since their initial public offerings in 2004.

With annual sales of $749 million, Salesforce.com currently has a market value of more than $7 billion.

That’s well within the means of Google, which has a market value of $145 billion and $14 billion in cash. The Mountain View-based company’s most expensive acquisition so far has been its recently completed $3.2 billion purchase of Internet ad service DoubleClick Inc.

Google’s suite of applications includes word processing, spreadsheets, calendaring and instant messaging, as well as e-mail. All the programs are hosted over the Internet, which Google views as an advantage because users can access the applications from any computer with an online connection.

But the convenience hasn’t won over most major companies, many of which worry about security issues and the ability to use the programs off-line. “There is still a big trust issue, rightly or wrongly,” Wettemann said.

Google offers free basic versions of its applications and charges an annual fee of $50 per worker for a deluxe package with more options.

More than 500,000 businesses and millions of people use the programs, according to Google. The company hasn’t specified how many of the businesses pay fees for the premium applications.

The programs haven’t been a big moneymaker so far. Last year, Google collected less than $200 million from software licensing while raking in $16.4 billion from advertising sales.

The beginning of the current year became for Google very hard. Their stocks has been raising down. For comparison the previous price was 750 USD, now it is 464 USD!!! The reason is that clicks on search advertisement were slowing down also. Now Google testing new algorithms of bringing ads to customers on their search page and analythics forecast the growth of stocks.

Internet-giant Google has started to place in a test mode on page of results of search a contextual videoadvertising. While advertising rollers are shown in the limited volume therefore see them users of Google. “Luckies” can far not all will have an opportunity to see a roller having noticed the contextual reference with the small pictogram in the form of a sign “+”, by pressing on which the small player will open.

According to vice-president Google on search services, for accommodation of videoclips from advertisers additional money will not be raised yet. To be paid, as well as earlier, should only cliques under the advertising reference. Thus paid will be even cliques on a videoclip, without transition to a site of the advertizer, informs eWeek.

So, according to analysts comScore, about 20 % of Internet serfers look through monthly the order of 841 minutes of video. Almost 30 % of users look through 77 minutes of video. 54 % of the users who are on a regular basis looking through video on the Internet are remarkable that visit site YouTube belonging Google.

Meanwhile according to data of analysts IDC volume of the American market the Internet-advertising the last quarter has reached 7,3 billion dollars. It approximately on 28 % above a similar parameter for the fourth quarter 2006. Search giant Google continues to keep in sector of on-line advertising in the lead positions.

Company Google prepares for new on-line service under name Google Sites, the web-pages intended for editing.

As informs Your Search Advisor referring to the presentation lead by company Google in Ann Arbore (Michigan), development of firm JotSpot will be put in a basis of service Google Sites. We shall remind, that Google has got company JotSpot in the autumn of the last year. JotSpot specializes on development of software for creation and the publication of Wiki-pages (from Hawaiian wikiwiki - is “very fast”). Technology Wiki allows to make editing of contents through a web-interface, instantly to create references to other clauses (as existing, and on planned) and so on.

Google already offers users system Google Page Creator for editing a web-pages. This service is represented by the visual editor HTML constructed on the basis of technology AJAX and combined with a free-of-charge hosting. The new service Google Sites possessing expanded functionality, should replace service Google Page Creator. By means of Google Sites a web-developers, among other, intranetwork portals and the multiuser environments can create. Google Sites also will give to developers of a control facility projects.

Exact date of start of service Google Sites is not specified. Presumably, the service will earn in following year and will be a part of a set of on-line office appendices Google Apps.

Hearings about that Google prepares for on-line storehouse of data have again emerged on a surface: this time authoritative edition Wall Street Journal has informed referring to not specified ” authentic sources “, that Google plans to give to users an opportunity to store on servers of the company as a matter of fact the information which for today usually hold on own hard drives, - whether it be briefs, photos, music, video, etc. That access to the necessary data can be received from any computer or the mobile device.

Exact terms of start of service GDrive while are unknown: ” the persons familiar with a question “, under statement Wall Street Journal, assume, that it happens in some months. At service will be both free-of-charge, and paid versions, - the second, naturally, with more ample opportunities.

It is necessary to note, that Google starts service of a data storage in online after many competitors: service AOL Xdrive for today offers clients 5 GB disk space for a data storage in online free of charge, and for 10 dollars a month - 50 more GB. Apple iDisk offers 10-GB “increase” to a local hard disk within the limits of service .Mac (the user’s payment for use of this service makes 99 dollars a year); beta-version Microsoft SkyDrive offers 1 GB free of charge (the paid version while is not present), - and in the near future will offer 500 more mbyte for storage of office documentation within the limits of service Office Live Workspaces.

That can offer Google, is not clear yet though as fairly notices Wall Street Journal, the company already offers, through various services, decent enough space for a data storage in the Network: for example, the size of box Gmail at present makes 5295 MB, and to users Picasa is accessible 1 GB to storage of photos free of charge, for 20 dollars a year it is possible to rent 10 more GB, and for 500 dollars a year - 400 GB. Most likely, Google plans to unite all the storehouses of the user data in a single whole.

The company comScore has promulgated results of the analysis of the American market of search systems in October of this year.

According to statistics comScore the last month inhabitants of the United States have made in total 10,5 billion search inquiries. It on 11,8 % above a similar parameter for September when Americans have addressed for the help to the Internet-search engines of 9,4 billion times.

Company Google continues to strengthen the leadership in the market of search systems. In October on share Google 58,5 % from total amount of a corresponding segment had. For a month market share Google has grown on 1,5 %. And here being on the second place with a parameter in 22,9 % company Yahoo for a month, on the contrary, has lost 0,8 %. Closes a three of leaders Microsoft on which share the last month 9,7 % from total amount of the American market of search systems had. It on 0,6 % less than similar parameter Microsoft for September. The fourth and fifth places with parameters in 4,7 % and 4,2 % keep Ask Network and Time Warner Network, accordingly. For a month market shares of these companies practically have not changed.

In numerical expression company Google has processed 6,2 billion the search inquiries made by Americans in October. For Yahoo and Microsoft the given parameter makes, accordingly, 2,4 billion and 1,0 billion inquiries.

By the way recently little-known American company Jarg has submitted the claim against Google having accused the search giant in illegal use of the patented technology. It is a question of the patent behind number 5,694,593 from 1997 in which the description of a technique of search and extraction of the information from the greater distributed databases contains. Jarg demands from Google payment of indemnification which size is not specified.

Google has announced the Android Developer Challenge on web application development for Android mobile platform. The operation system Android was represented by Google last week. In a basis of Android was placed the Linux kernel with open code. And access to mentioned platform will be given to telecomunication companies and device developers in according to Apache license.

There will be two stages of Android Developer Challenge contest. Outsourcing developers must to develop custom application for Android. From Jan 2 to March 3 there will be an acceptance of applications. Authors of 50 the most interesting applications will get 25K USD. At the final TOP 10 authors of custom software develpment applications will get 275K USD. And the next ten places will get 100K USD. The second stage of Android Developer Challenge contest will be after official releases of new mobile devices with Android mobile platform.

Google company has officially informed about their new development of mobile platform for portable devices. By all accounts there were some suppositions that Google was going to enter a mobile market. And some months ago Google started to negotiate with the major mobile companies in the USA such as T-Mobile and Sprint Nextel. They said about a possibility to set a up new operational mobile system on portable devices.

Now the preliminary information about Google’s entering to mobile market has been confirmed. The operational system was developed on the Linux kernel and called Android. It is supposed that new cell phones with Android mobile OS will released in next year.

Together with the announcement of Android there were organized a new alliance Open Handset Alliance. In a membership of Alliance are included 34 companies among them are Broadcom, China Mobile, HTC, Intel, KDDI, LG, Marvell, Motorola, NTT DoCoMo, Samsung, Sprint Nextel и T-Mobile.

On the Internet there was a next portion of hearings about plans of company Google on an output on the market of mobile communication.

In the middle of this week a number of network editions have informed that the search giant negotiates for cooperation with large American operators of cellular communication. Under an available information Google discusses an opportunity of preset of the software on the mobile phones offered by the telecommunication companies. Thus Reuters marked, that in negotiations takes part Verizon Wireless whereas, according to Wall Street Journal, discussion is conducted also with Sprint Nextel.

Now Reuters also has confirmed that Sprint Nextel considers an opportunity of installation of some appendices Google and other developers on the portable devices. It is not excluded also, that Sprint Nextel will begin sales of communicators working under control of operational system Google. On hearings, this program platform constructed on the basis of kernel Linux, the search giant will present within two nearest weeks.

Referring to own sources, Reuters emphasizes, that negotiations between Google and operators of cellular communication are conducted actively enough and can be soon completed. While, however, not absolutely clearly, on which conditions the telecommunication companies will work with Google. It is not excluded, that Google will offer OS to operators of communication free of charge, paying back charges due to display of advertising to displays of mobile devices.

In the Worldnet the serious sensation has inflamed in connection with that company Google without any explanations has unexpectedly lowered index PageRank for of some known a web-sites.

Technology PageRank is applied to sorting search results by inquiry of the user. Work of system PageRank is based on the account of quantity of references to the given page from other sites. Thus the weight of the reference from page with high rating PageRank is more, than at page with a low parameter. PageRank - not unique, but very important way of definition of position of a site in results of search Google.

Back Internet users have started to notice some time, that index PageRank for many visited resources has sharply fallen to two-rub items. In particular, value PageRank has gone down for such known sites, as Engadget (with 7 up to 5), AutoBlog (with 6 up to 4), Washington Post (with 7 up to 5), New Scientist (with 7 up to 5), Forbes (with 7 up to 5), Seattle Times (with 6 up to 4) and many other things.

Many observers and bloggers tend to opinion that Google has lowered rating PageRank for those resources and news editions on which pages paid references are placed. Besides come out with assumptions, that Google modernizes technology PageRank. However in this case there is a question why index PageRank has been lowered only for certain the Internet-resources. In company Google on a situation while in any way do not make comments.