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Editorial: Where is Google heading in the Future?

By: Robert Thomson Click author's name for more of his/her articles

Google started many years ago as a simple search engine that wasn't promising at the time, but that was featuring a great technology called BackRub. Basically, the algorithm counted the number of links pointing BACK to a site and sorted them after numbered criteria. The more backlinks a website had, the more important it was considered by Google. Then, they named this algorithm the PageRank.

What I'm trying to point out here is that Google is omnipresent nowadays (it's even a word in the dictionary). It's the most popular search engine but not only. It also offers various services, from web based e-mail to complex website analytics, from a simple image search to a powerful way to make money as a publisher. All of them start from the search as a key feature.

Lately, Google is trying to extend itself over various fields of activity. Television, radio, hardware (the Google phone) and so on. As a matter of fact, I can truly say Google is one of the most popular names online. The question is, where are these market-conquering actions heading to? They're now one of the fastest growing companies on the market. But is this enough for them? Is Google slowing down? No, and that's exactly why Google is a top notch company now, constant development.

Constant development is also the factor that's driving Google into new markets such as written press and radio advertising. In my opinion conquering new markets like these and launching new services represent the key to success in today's competitive business environment. Based on what I've just said I think that Google will become even more successful in the future and that its from is climax.

There were rumors about Google developing a Google phone some time ago. If they're true, that's a big step: Google will no longer provide software, but they'll do the hardware as well. Apple will launch iPhone in a month or so, Microsoft has plans to do a Zune Phone, so that's were the market tends to go, but will it be a right decision for Google? It's a big step towards monopoly and what a monopoly.

Google, as many other companies today, is trying to cover as many ground as possible, in all directions, so tomorrow we just might see the 'Ads by Google' label on our car's display as we try to get instant online directions.

What is certain is that Google will keep expanding and being a huge part in the development of the internet. Either by creating new ideas, or by buying the companies that create fresh concepts, Google will never stick to just a handful of areas. It may focus more on some, and less on others, but its expansion seems, at least for the time being, unstoppable.

Just think, if in eleven years Google went from the small project of two Stanford graduates to one of the most respected and well-known names in the online industry, there is no telling when or if it will ever stop growing.

I, personally, see the evolution of Google in a simple way: it will continue to expand online, but the main challenge will come when it will be launched in other, more "real" fields. The first big challenge will be the Google phone, which has already got people talking, even though little details are known about this mistery device.

We may only guess what the future has instored for this online giant, but one thing is for sure: it will not fade from history, and from public eyes, nor it will stop growing anytime soon.
How about you? Where do you see Google in the next years?