Google’s Lab Experiments: Making the Odds for Graduation
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Written By Reprise Media | May 25, 2006 | Share This
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You cannot visit a news site covering the search engine scene anymore without running smack into a new Google service announcement. Over the past few months Google has introduced Google Notebook, Google Co-Op, Google Health, and Google Finance, to name a handful. This is a direct result of their inspired corporate culture; they allow their engineers to spend up to 20% of their time working on their own projects, which can in turn be launched into Google services.
The public gets to test the products before they are ready for prime time, but because they are in “beta,” Google doesn’t have the responsibility to give out warranties or support by securing their exposure in a complete EULA (end user license agreement).
Google is still a search engine first and foremost (according to the latest Hitwise data), although they’ve added just about every type of web-based functionality you can think of, including maps, calendar, word processing, and more – all under the pretense of organizing the world’s information.
Google Labs has been a showcase for some of their creations, and is a great platform to see what the public likes and dislikes. Recently they have adapted their “labs” to show products that are still in production (or “in the lab”) as compared to those products and services which are ready to ship (”graduated from the labs”) - although some of these graduates, confusingly, remain in beta.
The only thing we know for sure is that while most of these new tools are cool, not all of them have what it takes to graduate from labs. There’s simply too much going on, without any products getting real traction.
To shed some light on these products and services I took a look at the Google Labs, examining each product and evaluating their chances on making it into the public space. Although not all products are listed in the labs area, nor is the list below complete, I have undertaken an attempt to explain and predict the future of some of the lab “students” as of 05/25/06.
Below are my odds that each of the following will “graduate” out of Google labs within the next 12 months. I will revisit this meme in exactly 1 year and see how my predictions have measured up.
1. Google Notebook
Clip and collect information as you browse the web.
Targeted directly at the likes of Myweb 2.0 on Yahoo, del.icio.us, Furl, and any other linking folksonomy site, Google Notebook is a newcomer to a crowded field. Powered by the Google name, Notebook may make it a bit easier for people to learn how to “file” and “tag” web content for later consumption. I think this feature needs some serious work to become a del.icio.us replacement, and will definitely be a student of the labs for awhile.
Odds of graduation: 1/10
Rationale: Newcomer to the market – A year’s worth of development and this product will maybehave caught up to its nearest competitor in terms of traffic and usage.
2. Google Trends
See what the world is searching for.
This feature just went live recently and therefore is probably in its first iteration out of the Google private testing area. Currently this feature shows overall trending by City, region, and language for different keywords. Much like Google finance, the interface may become more interactive as time goes on. Highlights include visual cues linked with relevant stories to show rationale for trend spikes.
Odds of graduation: 5/10
Rationale: I foresee this feature being mashed up with other Google goodies currently in development - the final product will look nothing like “Google Trends” does today.
3. Google Extension for Firefox
Add powerful new tools to your Mozilla Firefox browser
As Google rolls out new features we will definitely be seeing this one promoted more to get more people to adopt product usage. It’s a robust way to roll out new tests to a market that is willing and able to install the latest and greatest: firefox users.
This area also contains the heavily marketed Google Toolbar. I say heavily marketed because it was available for download on the Google.com page itself - not cheap real estate to say the least…
Odds of graduation: 9/10
Rationale: As previous products mature (toolbar) this area may fragment and allow certain extensions out of the lab.
4. Google Related Links
Provide your website’s visitors with links to useful information
This allows webmasters to place content keywords relevant to their own content in an easy to use toolbar. Dropdown words from each tab show “related” search terms the reader may be interested in.
Odds of graduation: 2/10
Rationale: Webmaster adoption seems to be slow on this tool. Remind me what the incentive is to place Google linked search results on my homepage?
5. Google Mars
View some of the most detailed maps of Mars created by NASA scientists
Like Google Earth…on Mars!
Odds of graduation: 1/100
Rationale: Martians have declined repeated attempts to sell them adWords.
Seriously; This feature shows Google’s “coolness” and is a great PR move. With no manned missions to Mars planned anytime soon, and the next high resolution passover years away, Google Mars may be stuck in school for awhile.
6. Google Page Creator
Create your own web pages, quickly and easily
Page Creator is a feeble attempt to recreate the Geocities community explosion that was witnessed by many in the late 90’s. I see page creator as a “try it and forget it” feature for many users, a spammer’s heaven, as well as a free web storage area for geeks.
Odds of graduation: 4/10
Rationale: This product could be spun in conjunction with a few others; Toolbar + Page Creator + Notebook, for instance, could mean a cool personally shareable data area integrated with the ubiquitous Google Account.
7. Google Dashboard Widgets for Mac
Quickly access Google products from within Dashboard
I think a sign reading “Make mac users happy” must be posted around the Googleplex for the sheer reason that they cannot afford to ostracize this group. So far not a lot of innovation in this space other than the typical web 2.0 rounded corners and some re-packaged Google features.
Odds of graduation: 2/10
Rationale: They may allow 1 widget into the graduating class to appease the Mac addicts that demand fair representation in this class of products (sorry, but this analogy deserves to be taken a little far).
8. Google Transit
Plan trips using public transportation (currently in Portland, OR only)
Hello, anybody home? Launch date 12/07/05 - that’s over 500 days of no real activity. I even checked the message boards on google; not much to report.
Odds of graduation: 1/200
Rationale: This program would have to ramp up to EVERY city in the US and maybe even the world before being ready to “graduate”. This does not look likely, even as its users have wanted to see expansion for quite awhile.
9. Google Reader
Use Google’s web-based feed reader to keep up with what’s important to you
A pretty, graphical, ajaxy feed reader that imitates the look and feel of gmail. Usability-wise this reader performs poorly in my book. Slow load times early on made it a “revisit in 2 weeks” link on my list – just as slow weeks later.
Competing with the likes of Bloglines, Newsgator, and a slew of online start pages including Google’s own, Google Reader may not ever see the light outside the labs.
Odds of graduation: 1/10
Rationale: Slow. Poor GUI. NOT easy to use for beginners. Well, at least it has a blog.
10. Google Web Accelerator
Save time online by loading web pages faster
Since I have never used this product I cannot comment in depth. To me this looks like a great gimmick Google could use to index the entire internet. Early problems, however, indicated that Google committed a MAJOR faux pas when their automated “accelerator” did not identify itself in content management systems where users were logged in (like when you’re logged into your website or blog) and the “accelerator” deleted all the content inadvertently due to indexing buttons like “delete” or “delete all” – a true case of “whew, thank god we put this out in beta” for Google.
Odds of graduation: 7/10
Rationale: They need a “software” solution to graduate this year to prove to consumers (and now stockholders) that it’s business as usual at the Googleplex.
11. Google Ride Finder
Find a taxi, limousine or shuttle using real time position of vehicles
Awesome idea. Poor execution. GPS enabled buses and cabs?!?!? Very 21st century – too bad there is no way to contact them, make a reservation, or hail one of these vehicles without a mobile “ride finder” app. In hand.
Odds of graduation: .5/10
Rationale: WHO USES THIS?? (seriously, if I am wrong and there is a person\town\city that uses this feature I apologize in advance – but after my non-scientific polling, I cannot find anybody aside from those covered in the actual map area)
12. Google Suggest US + Japan
As you type your search, Google offers keyword suggestions in real time
Google Suggest is currently being sued. But thankfully not by me, so I can comment 
Google suggest takes what users have entered previously to try to determine what a searcher is looking for.
Odds of graduation: 8/10
Rationale: Technology seems pretty buttoned up and should be a choice for users to integrate into their personal search page (this may be the case already). This product is very old yet finished – seems like a good candidate to me.
13. Froogle Mobile US | Froogle Mobile UK
Search for products from your mobile phone using Froogle
Froogle Mobile has been a “student” now since 2/24/04.
Odds TBD – due to my lack of solid access to the Mobile Froogle UK data.
14. Google Sets
Automatically create sets of items from a few examples
Enter a few terms…get “like” terms in return. Cool for looking for similar areas of interest or topics similar to what you are searching for. Little to no innovation in this space since its inception 5/20/02 but hey – what’s to improve?
Odds of graduation: 3/10
Rationale: Copyright on the bottom of the page hasn’t even been updated since © 2002 and therefore may have been forgotten. It may be renamed Dr. Google Sets as it is well on its way to a doctorate at this rate.
Recent Graduates of Labs
1. Google Video
2. Personalized Search
3. Personalize your homepage
4. Google Maps
5. Google Scholar
6. Google SMS (US) | Google SMS (UK)
7. Google Desktop
8. Google Groups 2
9. Web Alerts
10. Search by Location
11. Google Glossary
12. Google News Alerts
Interesting note: Froogle.com is currently in beta but is NOT listed in the labs area or the graduated labs area…strange. Gmail (also in beta) is also NOT listed in either location. Perhaps these two services are in Google Grad School…
Disagree with my predictions? Let me know in the comments below!
Eric Friedman is a Client Services Manager at Reprise Media
Topics: Featured Item, Google |
A few things where I think you have misjudged matters:
1// Google Reader is a pretty solid product in my opinion. It is certainly very useful when mashed together with Google().()com/ig. I would say it will definately “graduate”.
2// Google Sets isn’t leaving labs. That is clearly not even a service. Maybe the technology will (or even already has). But the service itself. . . no.
3// Google admitted that Google Ride finder did not work.
4// Google Web Accelerator is poor. I think that will need a major overhaul before ever moving on.
P.S. I can’t read your blog in the default. The contrast of colours is awful. And your comments form just rejected my comment as it had two dots in a row. WTF?