Google Moves Into Our Daily Lives

OK, so Google’s already in our daily lives isn’t it? It’s hard to deny the impact of a company when their name becomes part of the English vernacular. In fact, the Merriam-Webster Online dictionary defines Google / Googled / Googling as using “the Google search engine to obtain information about (as a person) on the World Wide Web”.

More than just search though, Google is becoming a force in mainstream applications that affect our lives away outside the computer or mobile devices we’re used to. Consider Google TV. Announced in May of this year, Google TV promises “the best of TV and the best of the web in one seem-less experience”. By integrating the Google Chrome browser into the TV, users can quickly and easily switch between television and the web. Your TV is no longer limited to just showing video, but instead can be a photo slideshow viewer, a gaming console, a music player and more. And of course, Google has obtained the support of leading manufacturers like Sony, Logitech and Intel to make Google TV a reality in the not-so-distant future.

And how about one of our other favourite/necessary pastimes; driving? In recent months, both OnStar (General Motors) and SYNC (Ford) have announced plans to allow drivers to select a destination on Google Maps and then send the turn-by-turn navigation directions to their vehicle. Once in the vehicle, the driver confirms the request to download the Google Maps destination into the vehicle. The optimal route is calculated by Google using the latest available traffic information, downloaded to the vehicle and navigation guidance begins. Far from a pipe-dream, this capability will be released to the marketplace this summer.

Finally, Google Living Stories is a pilot project in presenting news, in conjunction with the New York Times and the Washington Post. The idea is to present complete coverage of an on-going news story prioritized and organized in one URL. Each story has an evolving summary of current developments as a well as an interactive timeline of critical events. And updates to the story are highlighted each time you come back, and older news is summarized.

So while Google continues its mission to own the web, it’s also moving away from the computer to touch more aspects of our lives every day. And if what we’ve seen from them so far is any indication, we can expect a steady stream of innovative products and services in the future. Bring it on!

-Paul