Google: All Your Base Are Belong to Us

All your bases are belong to us
All your base are belong to us

For those not schooled in the “Nerd Classics,” the phrase “All your base are belong to us” refers to the incorrect language translation of a video game’s opening screen sequence that became on of the Internet’s first memes.  In this case, the incorrect translation renders something that is supposed to be an ominous warning to a comedic punch line. Google’s announcement that they are entering the turn-by-turn mapping market is the polar opposite; something that might seem ho-hum because their announcements of free services is so frequent but is instead, rather ominous.

Why Pay Attention?

Frequent readers of this blog will know that Google applications are a common topic.  There are a couple of reasons for that.  First, most of their products are either free or a freemium model which means that organizations must consider them for IT solutions.  Second, their influence on all things Internet is so pervasive that you ignore them at your own risk.

When I first read the headlines that Google was going to offer turn-by-turn mapping on the Android platform, my original reaction was “That’s interesting; one more reason to pay attention to Android.”  However, after reading Bill Gurley’s excellent post on his “abovethecrowd.com” blog, I am blown away at how shrewd and disruptive this one move is.  This story will pass over many folks’ heads because Android still flies largely below the radar and because these sorts of product announcements are so common place from Google.

After reading this article, it’s clear that Google is well on its way to making Microsoft look like a quaint, hippy movement.

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