the ryan king

It seems Google has released a new product called Google Desktop Search.

First some great insight courtesy of Googleblog:

Considering how important the information on your own computer is, it’s always been a bit strange that you could find what you were looking for more easily if it were hidden on a website in Irkutsk than in a corner of the hard drive sitting right in front of you….

Once again, great insight, but not new. I heard this exact same idea expressed by Steve Jobs at WWDC 2004. I’m not saying that Google is copying from Apple, but they wouldn’t be the first. More from Googleblog:

Google Desktop Search will retrieve your email in Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express; files in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, and text; your website history in Internet Explorer; and your instant message chats in AOL Instant Messenger. In other words, if you’ve seen it on your computer screen, Google Desktop Search can likely help you find it. Simply put, it’s like a photographic memory for your computer.

This implementation sounds very familiar to Spotlight, Apple’s new search technology in Tiger.