iand.net

Google Page Creator has just launched. You get 100Meg of space, a basic web page creator and a page manager to arrange your site. No mention of bandwidth restrictions either. Not a replacement for having your own web host but if you setting up a smallish site, say for a local group, it’s not too shabby especially as it’s free although you do need a GMail account (I’ve 100 invites just in case someone still doesn’t have one). Crashed once though while I knocked this up.

Google’s been busy - Google Talk has been unleashed and an update to Google Desktop. The Talk application allows anyone with a Gmail account to talk to one another or just IM as per any of the other IM apps. Free, simple and open source as it’s built on Jabber protocol. Nice.

Google Desktop is more than a simple upgrade. They’ve dropped the ‘Search’ from the title and now include a Sidebar that similar to the sidebar that was once in the Vista beta’s and can be picked up as freeware elsewhere. The desktop search is also more refined, popping up in a small window similar to MSN desktop search. Nice. The sidebar is pretty ugly though. Although it can check your Gmail account, weather, has a quick launch window and can check stocks and shares it’s all been done before and clutters up the desktop. I prefer to use just a search entry box and see the results.

What’s frustrating is that there is a lot of duplication between Google, Yahoo, MS and others all clambering for the same market. Where’s the originality? Kottke article expands on this some more - WebOS anyone? Maybe one day but the confusion between what the big players offer, an increasing lack of trust in web browsing and e-mail never mind web apps and the 80-85% userbase who will never switch from IE 6 makes me think that MS will be in control for the foreseeable future and that a suite of web apps may be useful but will never truly replace desktop apps. And remember - as a company gets bigger it gets all the more hated.

Woo hoo - to celebrate the anniversary of the first lunar landing (assuming you believe it happened) Google Moon has been born. Nice. Zoom in close for a detailed picture of what’s on the surface at the moment.

I registered for a Google Maps API key earlier this week - I’m full of idea’s about how to use the maps, some just for fun but others for (admittedly small) bundles of cash. My first stab was to map out the speed camera’s in Scotland. This looks to be working well although needs some tidying of the shadow graphic. A more complete example can be found here (thanks Henry). Well worth a dabble if you find maps and satellite images interesting.

What a stunning program - view anywhere on the earth from your pc. Plan routes, jump to exotic places, see terrain. Amazing. Downloads for the program had been suspended but are now open again.

Only disappointment is if your area (i.e. Glasgow) doesn’t have high res images. But it will eventually. Google really is taking over the world.