After Yahoo! and Microsoft both came out with big announcements, Google just couldn't sit still. So, they came out yesterday with a big press party to let the press and everyone know that they are still focused on search. I call bullshit. Google's focus today is on making their site more sticky -- and search is not sticky. Google's focus is on building a portal and they are lifting the blueprint from wherever they can. Don't believe me? Let me name off a few Google "search focused" products. Gmail, Google Desktop, Google Calendar, Picasa, GTalk, Google Earth, and more. Jeremy has a good point about a PR-piece about Google Desktop 4. They spew on about how it "improves search", but when you read it...There's nothing to be said about search in the press release. Take a look.
Google Desktop 4 gives you another way to improve search, by personalizing your desktop. New "Google Gadgets" deliver an array of information--ranging from games and media players to weather updates and news--straight to your desktop.Yay! The game of Tetris straight on my desktop will lead me right to that piece of info I was looking for about the Nintendo DS Lite. Yea, right Google. Focused on search is the last thing you're doing nowadays.