Google just can't seem to floor 'em any more with its new features. The latest to debut to a lukewarm reception: Google Finance. (eWEEK)Can Google still innovate like it used to? A growing number of voices doubt it.
Take for example the reaction on March 21 when Google switched on Google Finance, a Web site to gather real-time personalized financial news and information such as like stock performance and financial reports.
Not a lot of people liked it. Typical of the scores of commentary to follow is this one: "Google does well, not great, but well," David Jackson wrote on The Internet Stock Blog, after giving Google Finance a quick tryout.
These are so-so ratings that highlight a broader point. As many critics now believe, Google Finance is part of a string of recent features from Google that have failed to live up to expectations, or in some instances match competitive offerings.
Taken in total, that leads many to question whether Google's lost its cutting-edge development chops, which is a major advantage that it has over competitors.
These doubts may be an indication of difficult times ahead for the world's leading Internet search provider. Without head-turning applications, Google is going to find it tough battling against leading Internet portals Yahoo and Microsoft's MSN, or so goes some of the Google commentary surfacing in reaction to Google Finance.
Read the full story on eWEEK: Google Struggles to Find Its Edge
