There is a bit of Google in everyone's life!

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Warning:The following article on technology is just from a layman's point of view.To be specific,it's from a commerce student who knows a bit of technology to survive.No algorithms,no stats.Plain,simple language.

It all started with an argument(No.Not Google).My brother was of the opinion that Google will one day be in a position to hold the world ransom to the information it possess, as people are getting addicted to Google and it's products day by day.That only transformed into a louder and an argumentative session(but I didn't budge)

Little did Larry Page and Sergey Brin know that their research project in 1996 would enrich internet experience across the globe for ages to come and that their company would turn out to be one of the largest and the most valued ones across the world.

An average user who logs onto the net experiences Google at least once in every session. A grandfather sitting in front of his computer looking at his new born grandson is using Picasa. Gmail is one of the fastest growing web based email site,which also offers personalized email for free.A person new to a place uses Google maps to go around.Friends can spot your location through Google Latitude.Google Scholar is adding scores of eBooks everyday for easy reference.People use YouTube to share,view and explore videos which are added every minute at an amazing rate.A mobile freak is using the latest Android OS developed by Google on his mobile or table(and soon on his PC).People write stuff on Blogs and people read them. An entrepreneur uses GoogleAds to promote himself.Google Earth is being used to map the world,enabling people to get a bird's eye view of the world they are living in(it was very helpful during the recent Tsunami in Japan).People connected and re-connected through one of the first and most famous social networking sites, Orkut(For most, it was the platform to get to know about the very existence of Facebook.Trust me).The search engine is used so extensively that people stopped thinking and started looking for instant answers.Google Chrome is touted as the world's fastest and lightest browser, now found next to the Internet Explorer icon on every computer. Google talk for live video and audio chat and Google Docs for viewing a document without downloading it and also to create live polls!

The larger penetration of internet has made this even bigger.Mobile versions of the websites and customised applications have made it accessible and a whole lot easier.An average GPRS phone can open Google on the mobile browser and enable search.Google even customizes the websites for mobile viewing so that we can access it conveniently.A light weight,no frills application for Gmail is available for many mobiles which lets you access your mail conveniently.There is also a mobile YouTube and a Picasa application.Google Maps on the phone doubles up as a mini GPS device.

And the best part?You get the whole package for nothing but an ID!

Things don't come easily.A lot of innovation has gone into making the above and is still going into getting new products out.Google, with around 25,000 employees across the world, is rated(and invariably is) as one of the world's best companies to work with.

Bouquets come with brickbats.Google's concept of page rank to search web has come into such harsh criticism that many websites which might serve our query are eliminated from the initial results.It is also being criticized for infringement of others' IPR by compiling information.China recently banned Google as it was posing a threat to local search engines.Google Maps were criticized for their images of highly secure and sensitive locations.

Despite all odds, Google still stands to be a powerful tool for internet users across the globe.It has had its fair share of ups and downs and criticisms all through the journey. Its unofficial tagline says,"Don't be evil!" So if we want the global village to be the best to live in, why be evil? Face it,today,every individual has to thank his stars for being born in a generation that uses Google at every stage.Imagine what we would do without Google. How would I have written this article and how would you have read it!

P.S:I'm not, in any way, connected to Google nor is Google to me. After all they're Google. They don't need any publicity or marketing of any kind. All this is the result of an argument and my experience of Google. 

---> KN