In the latest tit-for-tat move among IT giants, Google's launch last month of Google Talk, an instant messaging service that supports voice calls, was quickly followed by Microsoft's swoop to acquire voice-over-IP firm Teleo.
Sneak wonders where the current rivalry between the two firms will lead. First Google launched a free email service with gigabytes of storage, prompting Microsoft to upgrade Hotmail to match. Then, when Google introduced its Google Earth and Google Maps tools, Microsoft responded with its own Virtual Earth. That’s not to mention Microsoft's attempts to compete with Google’s world-beating search service with its own MSN Search.
If Microsoft's case of Google envy continues, Sneak fervently hopes that Google decides to bring out a stripped down office productivity suite that doesn’t stagger under the weight of its own widgets, a desktop operating system that doesn’t take 15 minutes to boot or shut down, and a browser that isn’t inherently insecure. Maybe then Microsoft will feel compelled to do likewise.

01 Sep 2005