Alert Blog Reviews

According to TechCrunch sources , Google is nearing the final stages of an agreement to acquire DocVerse , real-time Microsoft Office collaboration software company founded in 2007. Sources say the purchase price is $25M. The acquisition seems to make sense as Google and Microsoft square off for battle . The DocVerse website bears the title tag “Make Word, PowerPoint and Excel Work Like Google Docs.” Although Google Docs can already import Word, PowerPoint and Excel files, and already offers the real-time (or pretty close) collaboration, they could certainly improve, especially in the file conversion area. However, we can’t tell yet whether this will be enough as a competitor to Microsoft Office. Microsoft already has a stripped-down, cloud-based version of Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote in testing with some Windows Live SkyDrive users, with public rollout to come in the next six months. Although the initial version of Word didn’t have real time collaboration, Excel did, and they hope to add more collaborative features in 2010. (And the online apps integrate with their offline counterparts, updating off- and online versions simultaneously.) On the other hand, as TechCrunch points out, this purchase will give Google Docs a direct connection to Microsoft Office documents. This could also become a feature for Google Wave, although Google recent bought a company (Appjet) with similar software (EtherPad), which they may integrate with Wave. They’ve already opened up the software code. What do you think? If the deal goes through, how will Google use DocVerse? Pilgrim’s Partners: SponsoredReviews.com – Bloggers earn cash, Advertisers build buzz!

Read the original post:
Google to Acquire DocVerse

I still have no clue how to use Google Wave . Not that I’m stupid, I’m just not motivated to invest the tremendous effort needed to learn the new interface–especially when not all of my friends have invites yet. Still, it helps to see a real-world use of Google Wave–at a conference no less. Instead of using Twitter–and hashtags–attendees at the recent Ecomm conference were given Google Wave accounts. The resulting collaboration gives me a better feel for at least one practical use of the new service. Take a look: Of course,  I see one immediate problem. Where’s the opinion? What I love about conference Tweets–and blog posts–is reading the opinion that’s thrown in with the coverage. The above Google Wave example seems just a little too sterile for my liking. Anyhow, I’d better get on the Google Wave soon because, apparently , Google has aspirations of taking the Google Wave "look and feel" and making it uniform across all of its apps.

Read the rest here:
Google Waves Goodbye to Conference Twittering

Google Wave, an instantaneous/asychronous communication app (Okay, it’s IM+email) has been in beta testing for nearly a month . In that time, we’ve seen a couple “apps” developed for it (although they were really just stripped down browsers that helped Wave to run a little faster). But these pseudo apps were so well received, apparently, that Google is ready to talk about an app store for Google Wave at the Google Wave Google Technology User Group in London yesterday. What kind of apps would they add to email+IM? Says TheNextWeb: Already, independent software developers have built and tested Wave applications that handle such tasks as teleconferencing, videoconferencing, and multiplayer gaming, but while the Apple App Store sells software only for the iPhone and Touch, a Wave marketplace could stock in-Wave applications, along with desktop applications, browser extensions and a world of devices, from laptops, phones, tablets and more with built in Wave support. Earlier this month, Wave co-creator Lars Rasmussen told Business Week , “We’ll almost certainly do a store.” That’s been upgraded to “definitely.” The Wave API has long be available, but support for a store would help developers make money off their efforts. (In the same BW article, Rasmussen mentioned revenue sharing with developers.) TheNextWeb is very excited about Google’s prospects with apps in both Wave and Android, going so far as to say, “Despite Apple’s success, it is undoubtedly Android who will win on numbers, with developers swayed by Google’s open source values and the openness of the platform as a whole. With an app store specifically for Google Wave however, the potential for something as great, if not greater then than the iPhone App Store is a distinct possibility.” It’s a possibility, of course, but as things stand now, that’s going to take some time. ComputerWorld says Android devices currently make up 2% of the smartphone market, with Nokia’s Symbian OS running on about half of all smartphones. The iPhone is currently #3 in the market, after Nokia and Blackberry. These issues of scale are currently not enough to entice most of the iPhone developers I know to learn yet another programming language. By 2012, however, they may change their tune—ComputerWorld says the iPhone will slip—oh, wait, no, remain at the #3 OS slot. Symbian will slip to 39% dominance and all of the various Android devices will just edge out Apple for the #2 slot—by 0.8% of the smartphone market share. That’s awfully precise for a 2012 prediction. (Should we pull out our “Year of the Mobile” sign again?) Considering that right now the iPhone has over 100,000 apps and Android . . . well, doesn’t, perhaps it’s a bit soon to be calling the iPhone out of the game. Who knows what Apple will do next? What do you think? Is the iPhone on the way out, and is a Google Wave App store evidence of that? What apps would you like to see for Google Wave?

Read the original post:
Google Wave to Get App Store, Kill the iPhone?