Google Adds Calls to Gmail - Severn Henry

Google Inc., in its desire to characterize itself as the "go to" source for research, mail, media, and mapping, now has added a feature in its Gmail to call other people on your friend list. This service even comes complete with a dialing pad. Although Google did not revolutionize the idea of calling over the internet (I will get to that a little bit later), it certainly made a very convenient step for its users. I expect a significant increase in the company's stock, as this new tool will be used very commonly. Allow me to explain why I think Google's stock will increase.


As many of us know, Google will have competition with another company that has ruled the "call through the internet" industry - Skype. I have never used Skype, and cannot tell you the format of it, but this website has boomed in popularity over the past year (as an experiment, count the number of people on your floor who you see Skyping one of their friends and write that number a comment - I am just interested to know). Google will, at first, have a tough time trying to pull subscribers away from Skype into the Gmail calling system. I do not know Skype's calling format, but I cannot imagine a much easier format than Google's. As you can see in the photo that I have provided, you can immediately bring up the keypad to call, or even type a contact's name in the search bar. This way, if a customer wishes to ask for details or clarification about an e-mail that they are reading (ex: student to teacher, employee to boss, CEO to CFO and vice-versa), he or she can now find instant clarification. The user will not have to go to another website or pull out his or her phone to communicate and he or she can take notes about the conversation concerning an e-mail with the extra hand that before was used for the phone.