TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Google ties more work tools into Gmail, aiming to get ahead of Microsoft
Change Size
Consumers using the free version of Gmail may have access to the new integrations in the future, Soltero said. (Shutterstock/File)
A
lphabet Inc's Google said on Wednesday its corporate Gmail customers would now be able to edit documents and other files without leaving the email service, as it aims to lure clients from rivals by making its tools more integrated.
The announcement was made at Google's cloud unit's annual customer and partner conference, which has been turned into a virtual gathering over several weeks because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Google has been trying for more than a decade to catch up with Microsoft Corp's Office, which dominates the global market for corporate email and document-editing tools.
Both companies have been adding video-calling features and other collaboration tools to attract new business from companies operating from home during the pandemic.
Google contends it has found an edge with potential customers by promoting Gmail as a single hub for workers to access text chats, video calls and now documents. Microsoft has limited tie-ins between its email and chat tools, Outlook and Teams.
Read also: Google Maps to alert users about COVID-19-related travel restrictions
"Microsoft is still telling you there's two separate places to check, two different habits, two inboxes to look at," Javier Soltero, a Google vice president who used to work for Microsoft, said in an interview on Wednesday.
"They are not incentivized to do a deep integration between Teams and Outlook," Soltero said, without elaborating.
Consumers using the free version of Gmail may have access to the new integrations in the future, Soltero said.
Microsoft, which has continued to post fast Office revenue growth, declined to comment.
Google on Wednesday introduced some options already on Microsoft Teams, including the ability for chat users to list an "out of office" notice and "pin" conversations to make them easier to find later.
