Google Office vs. Microsoft? Maybe

Is Google Gears really the ace in the Google Office hole? Is the Google-centric initiative the one missing piece in Google Apps vs. Microsoft Office aimed at sealing Google's winning productivity applications fate?

Popular perception portrays Google's announcement of Google Gears earlier this week as putting the Google vs. Microsoft Office battle in high gear, but the real test begins today, as Google Apps goes "For Fee," although with a still "limited time" free trial offer.

What is Google Gears? What is its real-world significance? What is the Google Gears impact on Apps vs. Office?

I analyzed the issues yesterday:

Google vs. Microsoft Office: Game time Google Gears: NOT ready for prime time Google: Tough love for Microsoft Google’s love hate relationship with the desktop

The Google Apps Premier current payment position:

$50 / user account / year Limited time offer: Free 30-day trialYou will be asked to provide a credit card number to sign up for Google Apps Premier Edition. However, you can cancel at any time before the end of your free trial and your card will not be charged.

Apparently, then, Google is today busy ringing up $50 credit card charges for the hundreds? thousands? tens of thousands? hundreds of thousands? millions? of Google Apps Premiere prior "free-trial" users, those that didn't "cancel" by yesterday that is.

NOW, Google must REALLY stand behind its product. Will Google do a better Google Apps job going forward?

Google says it is serious in the Apps game. But talk is cheap, so is Google Apps.

Google nevertheless will have a lot more riding on Google Apps success than the $50 tickets it apparently will be ringing up today:

With Google, you can afford to provide each and every employee with the tools they need to succeed.

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