SAN FRANCISCO: Google Inc. Monday updated its Google Apps For Your Domain, the company's free online product, and intends to take on Microsoft Corp. in one more segment -- in the online computer desktop software market.
Since its launch in August, Google Apps is being used by several thousands of businesses and schools to offer privately-labeled e-mail, instant messaging, voice calling and collaborative calendaring features. In, addition, there are tools for webpages design, publishing and hosting using a Google Page Creator.
Google has now introduced a new start page, based on Google's custom home page. This will be a central access point for Google Apps for Your Domain.
Using Google Page Creator, one can design and publish webpages under a particular set of web addresses and any combination of GMail e-mail with a personalized address instead of "@gmail.com", can be added to this. The standard package includes 2 gigabytes of email storage for each user, customization tools and help for administrators using an email-based system.
According to Google's product manager Michael Horowitz, the company plans to include several other features in Google Apps, including Google Docs and Spreadsheets, the same tools as Microsoft's Word and Excel programs. And these services will be free.
Horowitz said there will be a premium version of Google Apps later next year intended for large businesses with special needs and based on a revenue-sharing model.
