Jan 7, 2006, 10:09 GMT
Las Vegas - Internet firm Google on Friday stepped up its challenge on tech titan Microsoft, announcing plans for a video and television Internet service and a package of programmes that could break Microsoft's stranglehold on the world's personal computers.
Larry Page, co-founder of Google, gives a keynote speech at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada 06 January 2006. Page revealed a new service that will give consumers access to many features in one software download called Google Pack. Page also revealed an agreement with CBS and the National Basketball Association to provide video downloads of TV shows and games for a fee. EPA/BARRY SWEET
The initiatives were announced Friday night by Google co-founder Larry Page at the closing keynote address of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, a huge industry confab that drew 150,000 to the desert gambling city. The event is generally seen as setting the tone for the year in technology.
Microsoft's Bill Gates opened the show for the 10th year running, but in a sign of Google's growing influence it was Page who got the last word with a speech that was a major draw for the trade show attendees.
Page's unveiling of the Google video store underlined what has emerged as one of the show's major currents: the shift to providing television and video content over the Internet, rather than merely over cable and satellite.
The shift is due to the rapid spread of broadband, wireless technology and cheap media storage. It means that companies like Google and Yahoo, already the most popular gateways to the Internet, could take a central role in helping people find and view the programmes they want.
Yahoo chief executive Terry Semel said earlier Friday that the new Yahoo Go services would link televisions and cellphones to personal computers to offer unprecedented flexibility and opportunities for users.
'For many, many years, we grew up where somewhere else was the programmer. That dynamic has completely changed,' Semel said.
The Google video service will allow content providers to post their videos for downloading on the company's online store. Providers will decide on pricing and levels of copy protection, but all video would be viewed via Google's own media player.
Initial providers include giants like CBS and the National Basketball Association and minnows like independent film producer- director Ben Rekhi, who is distributing his independent thriller 'Waterborne' via the Google video store for 5 dollars per download.
'It lets anyone sell video,' said Page. 'The content producers decide what to charge.'
The initiatives offer a serious challenge not only to Microsoft's ambition to dominate Internet TV and by extension the digital living room but could also close the gap on Apple's iTunes store, which has taken an early, yet far from insurmountable lead in offering web users videos for download.
The other major initiative announced by page was the Google Pack, a group of programmes for personal computers that will be available free to Internet surfers, and which could take over much of the personal computer's functions from Microsoft.
'Google Pack is quite exciting,' said Page during his keynote address at the show. 'It's as easy as going to the Google home page.'
Included in the package are Google's desktop search feature, plus the Firefox browser, antivirus software from Norton, a media platform from Realplayer and Adobe Acrobat's document reader.
'This is a direct action to challenge Microsoft,' said Forrester analyst Josh Bernoff. 'Google is saying: we can manage the browser and other elements of the computer desktop experience better than you.'
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