Google Apps

I have heard of "Google Apps" for a long time, but I have not tried it. Recently, I am investigating some web2.0 applications including Google YouTube, CodeSearch... Gradually, I knew more about Google Apps. It is integration of various Google Applications including Gmail, doc&Spreadsheet, GTalk... The standard edition of Google Apps is free!! And premier edition is $50 which is much cheaper than Microsoft office. As a result, it may become first choice of small companies which don't want to spend lots of money to buy MS Office. By using Google Apps, users can build web site for their companies and make use of Google Doc, GTalk, Gmail and much more applications made by Google.
However, these two rivals are not counterparts. Google Apps aims to provide a way for businesses to build applications conveniently. The end users don't need to maintain any software and hardware to run the system. The infrastructure is provided and managed by Google. In addition, all applications in Google Apps are web-based which means collaboration and communication become light-weight. In other words, users don't need to install any client-side software. This is the largest advantage of Google Apps.
But, Google Apps is not as powerful as MS Office. For example, Google Doc&Spreadsheets provides just very basic editing functionality, which may not meet requirements of advanced users. If someday Google provide its own desktop tools like MS Office, future of Google Apps will be bright.
After all, it is a good thing because Google Apps is a new choice for users. And it may benefit small companies which own limited amount of money.