What’s next for Google?

     With the increase in cell phones that are capable of browsing the web, it is natural to expect that not only will there be more data available on the web, but that new phones will be created to keep up with the demand. The new generation of “smart phones” will have numerous applications to use, other than simple email, instant messaging, or online banking. The Apple iPhone (and iPod Touch) is the American market leader in smart phones, while Palm and Blackberry follow with respectable levels of success. Google, best known for its search engine, is now attempting to break into this market by introducing an operating system called Android which will be loaded onto the Motorola Tao smart phone. Apple has such a chokehold on the American market, however (due largely to iTunes), that many in the industry feel others have an uphill battle. One of the main areas of concern is that, in order to gain a larger share of the market in the next few years, Google (et al) will have to differentiate itself from its main competitor. Specifically, it would help them tremendously if:
1) the price of the phone was lower than the iPhone, and
2) if there were more choices of service providers (iPhone works only with AT&T).
     Once a new set of phones are available, they will then have to keep up with the ever-increasing amount of content that is available. Interestingly, many of the results we get now from doing a search do not include most of what is known as the “deep web”, which is not always as accessible as one might think. The “deep web” includes much more detailed information and web pages, which are not usually included in standard search engine indexes. These search engines are continuously enhancing the methods they use to sift through the web for information, hoping to get more “deep web” content, but the success of these upgrades has yet to be proven. Google dominates the search engines, but Microsoft and Yahoo reached a deal recently where the two companies will team up in an attempt to beat Google at its own game. In fact, Microsoft has created an entire advertising campaign around their new search engine “Bing” (which will “power” the Yahoo engine) which points out how searches often return ineffective results. Bing purports to do a better job at finding more useful information, supposedly from areas that Google can’t or won’t reach. However, one possible outcome of more effective search tools may be that the very sites currently “hidden” will require fees or authentication for access to all of this additional content. Whether that will help or hinder the process remains to be seen.
     Further, accessing all of the content that is out there will be even more difficult because of the amount that is continuously added. The Google book project “Google Library” would increase this by a level of magnitude not seen before. The project basically creates a registry for books from all across the world, like an online card catalog, and would include books that are out of print. Google is currently scanning thousands of books to be made available as digital copies, and the project has the support of numerous libraries and universities from around the world such as Columbia University, the New York Public Library, the Bavarian Library (in Germany), and Keio Library (in Japan), among many others.
     Critics of this project (including Microsoft and Yahoo as well as European firms) are concerned that this violates copyright laws, but Google points out that entire books would not be viewable from the site – only bits and pieces of it. The digital copies would be off-limits unless someone wishes to download or print the book. They would then be assessed a fee to do so, similar to Amazon’s Kindle. It is interesting to note that the loudest naysayers are simply rivals (such as the European book registry), but long-time Google rival Microsoft has raised the largest stink, both in the US and in Europe.
     The objections that have been raised regarding copyright laws are not only inaccurate but miss the point entirely: writers and their progeny for under-copyright works would still get paid, and this project would streamline and centralize books from all across the globe, adding immeasurably to the amount of books available to everyone.

Sources (from hyperlinks):
- Amazon.com. “Kindle: Amazon's 6" wireless reading device (Latest Generation)”. Amazon.com, Inc. 1996-2009.
- Coursey, David. “After 2 billion downloads, can the iPhone be stopped?” PC World, September 28, 2009.
- Europeana, “portal”, n.d.
- Google, “Google Books”, 2009.
- Kellogg, Carolyn. “Postponement for the Google books settlement”, Jacket Copy, Los Angeles Times, September 25, 2009.
- Oreskovic, Alexei and Rigby, Bill. “Microsoft, Yahoo in 10-year Web search partnership”, Reuters, July 29, 2009.
- Reinhardt, Andy . “Google books fight heats up in Europe”, Business Week, September 22, 2009.
- Smith, Heather. “Google book-scan project challenged in French court (update 4)”, Bloomberg.com, September 24, 2009.