Google unleashes a personalized home page

Google Inc has announced that it will be soon launching a personalized home page on the lines of the ones currently offered by MSN and Yahoo!

The home page will include integrated features like integrated features its e-mail service Gmail, news, weather, stocks, driving directions and movie listings.

This service will allow users to set their home page according to their liking, for example, if news from CNN is what you want first thing in the morning, then that is what you will get by choosing the same below the query box on Google.com. Google demonstrated this service at a press meet held at its Mountain View, Calif, headquarters.

Google chief executive Eric Schmidt was quick to point out that Google is not planning a portal, "It's not a portal. It's a personalization tool," he stressed. As of now, Google will not put its advertisements on these personalized home pages, but it did not rule tem out in the near future.

Google has been working on this project called 'Fusion,' which seeks to fuse a wide range of subjects on its personalized pages, these include feeds from BBC News, The New York Times, technology website Slashdot and its own Quote of the Day and Word of the Day slots. Till date, Google has been providing specific services, like its e-mail or the search tool. With the launch of the personalized home page, Google enters into direct competition with rivals Microsoft and Yahoo!

Marissa Mayer, Google's director of consumer products was at pains to point out that Google remained your basic search tool, but had decided to venture into this area as it felt the need to develop a "critical mass" of products that present helpful information to visitors. "We really hope to have this not necessarily be a platform ... but rather to help users navigate the Web better," Mayer said. She added that Google would shortly offer the capability for the personalized Google page to add universal RSS feeds. "Our philosophy is we want to get people off the Google site," Mayer said.

Google has always maintained that it was not interested in becoming a portal but would rather play the role of a director gently guiding users to their chosen destination. At the press meet, Google also previewed a new version of Google Earth, which includes technology from Keyhole. The Keyhole database boasts of highly detailed maps and satellite imagery. Google Earth will allow users to search and access this database.

The personalized home page is currently available as a beta at www.google.com/ig

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