The Google Space takes shape

Back in April 2004 I wrote about Other uses for the Google Operating System, or the Google Space when Gmail (Googles mail service) was first in limit release, and now this week we have seen a) a major update to the Google Desktop and b) the launch of Google Talk.

Googles Desktop is important because it includes sidebar a place where a panel on your desktop provides convenient, one-glance access to all sorts of personalized information including: Email (Outlook) integration and offline Gmail searching, API support, better encryption, QuickFind, and the abliity to add / build more plug-in’s.

Google Talk is a IM (Instant Messaging) and Chat VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) client. It uses the standard Jabber / XMPP protocol for authentication, presence, and messaging, and all you need is a Jabber-compatible IM client (like iChat) and a gmail account. Here’s 2 review’s : 1 and 2.

The supplied Google Talk client also works with your gmail email account, and the Google Desktop sidebar includes a Google Talk plug-in. The circle is complete.

Where is this all going? Does the Gdesktop (GTop?) become, more and more, your integration place. Is this the rise of the WebOS as Jason Kottke talks about. And Yahoo’s buy of Konfabultor leads to the same place.

Looks like we are moving from a OS-centered to a network-centered world. Can this be good for MicroSoft?

More :

• Speculations on the Google Wallet
• August 2009: How Google beat Amazon and Ebay to the Semantic Web
• Dare Obasanjo : The Evolution of AJAX: Jason Kottke Beats Me To The Punch