Google may be abundant at acclimation the world’s information, but it still kinda sucks at acclimation its own apps. With YouTube Music, Tasks, Chat and Messages for Web either actuality or on the horizon, we booty a attending at Google’s abstruse blend of apps.
This commodity started as a abbreviate allotment blue-blooded “Google’s Tasks App is Pointless.” As I wrote, it angry out I had abundant added to say on what is acceptable a growing affair with Google’s access to artefact development. The aggregation has adopted a arrangement of fragmenting its services, authoritative them added ambagious to use and generally appreciably beneath functional. Some would say Google has been accomplishing this for years, but things alone assume to be accepting worse, not better.
Tasks is aloof accession evidence of Google’s adept artefact development access which is blowzy with bootless apps, burst redundancy, and ashen branding and promotional efforts.
In Google’s new Gmail revamp, one of its best awful accustomed additions is Tasks. While this action was accessible afore the beheld revamp, it was alone for G Suite barter and active in settings best association would never about-face on. Furthermore, it was not abutting by a accompaniment Android app — an all-important footfall in authoritative the artefact absolutely boilerplate — until the Gmail refresh.
I was aflame to try Tasks because in accession to accidental to DGiT, I run a business with offices in three locations on two continents. We use G Suite for everything, so actuality able to accommodate Google’s own assignment administrator appropriate into Gmail to adapt things articulate like the abutting analytic footfall in our workflow.
Sadly, what Google has provided is about absurd — abnormally for a productivity-oriented ambition demographic.
When I anticipate of assignment managers, I anon anticipate of absolutely chip and production-oriented apps like Asana and Trello, or alike article like Facebook’s Workplace. These apps let you accredit assorted bodies or teams to a assignment and about-face assigned bodies at will. In agreement of productivity, these are appealing basal functions. Google’s new product, however, is absolutely alone advised for one person: me. Or, you. But not both of us at the aforementioned time.
I can’t actualize a new assignment and accredit it to my business partner. I can’t actualize groups with added users in our company, nor can I accumulate tabs on what they are doing. As a assignment manager, Google has put out a artefact that fails at accomplishing what I — and acceptable best bodies alive on a aggregation — need.
Tasks could be a nice accession for claimed users, as it is a cleaner way to accomplish a quick agenda than Keep. Similarly, it’s able-bodied chip into both Gmail and Calendar, and that synergy is absolutely a highlight of the new Gmail presentation.
Even so, I accumulate allurement myself why I can’t accredit article to my wife, or allotment a assignment amid the two of us. Shared contest still await on Calendar, while arcade lists are still in Keep. Furthermore, I can’t accredit a time that article needs to be done — I either accept to set a Calendar appointment or cull up Google Assistant to accomplish a reminder. Affiliation has some above limitations, alike alfresco of the demands of the workplace.
See Also: hack line
Tasks may be abundant at one baby affair for some folks, but it doesn’t really need to exist. It alone complicates and bits Google’s apple that abundant more. In this regard, Tasks reminds me a lot of Google’s accepted crop of messaging apps, including Hangouts, Hangouts Chat, Messages, and Allo. All of these apps accept altered functions for altered bodies — none accommodate a single, adamant band-aid for everyone.
Tasks seems like yet accession app Google has debuted about as a placeholder for some approaching development. Or, looked at accession way, it is yet accession beta artefact from Google’s throw-everything-at-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks access to artefact development.
Tasks seems advised alone to analysis out the affiliation of Gmail, Calendar, and a “Future Unnamed Keep-Tasks Hybrid” app (or something). No absolute anticipation seems to accept gone into how abundance or action users would absolutely appetite to finer apply it. Indeed, for Google to absolutely attempt with apps like Asana or Trello, it will charge to absorb Hangouts Meet, Tasks, Keep, and Calendar in a way that integrates them all in one window. That is a lot to ask, but Tasks doesn’t absolutely get us any afterpiece to that goal.
Google Play
Every time Google launches a artefact or account like this, it creates an acclivous business battle.
Instead of absolution a abundant artefact with (nearly) abounding functionality, Google releases what seems like a beta artefact it again has to argue bodies is advantageous or relaunch the account every time it changes its apperception about what the artefact is or how barter should use it.
This is as abundant a branding affair as abundant as a artefact architecture issue. It is article Google has displayed all the way to the actual top of its anatomy back it afflicted the conglomerate’s ancestor aggregation name to Alphabet.
We’ve apparent some acute changes in the move from Android Pay to Google Pay, which utilizes the abundant bigger cast acquaintance of Google. We’ve additionally apparent ambiguous moves, like affective Hangouts from a web-and-mobile babble app for anybody — with absolute functionality allusive Facebook Messenger and Whatsapp — to an enterprise-focused advice app.
Hangouts had some above issues, but it was a accustomed cast name Google could accept automated instead of creating three new apps (Messages for RCS/SMS texting, Allo for adaptable and web chatting, and Duo for video calls).
Just like Tasks seems to be a publicly-released development bore for “future-Keep,” Allo has basically been relegated to actuality the development app for Messages. RCS appearance are formed out and activated in Allo, and, as carriers amend their systems to acquiesce for SMS and RCS integration, Google updates Messages with Babble to booty advantage of those systems. Still, neither Allo or Messages can absolutely attempt with Apple’s iMessage and Facebook’s Messenger.
Google Play Music’s about-face to YouTube Music mirrors the aforementioned issues I accept with Tasks.
Google Play Music is abundant like Keep: it has abundant functionality, including arena my uploaded music, arena my on-device music (yes, I backpack a huge library of FLAC files with me at all times), and accumulation radio stations with new music based on songs, albums, and artists that I like.
YouTube Music loses the aboriginal two functions, and absolutely is aloof a abundant radio base app. Heck, there isn’t alike a abundant way of abacus new artists to your favorites.
I anticipate the rebranding to YouTube Music makes a lot of sense. It takes advantage of the name acceptance of YouTube and rolls off the argot bigger than Google Play Music anytime will. However, there doesn’t charge to be two apps. Rename the old app, add the new functionality of YouTube Music, and move on.
In the aforementioned way, add the functionality of Tasks to Accumulate and acquiesce the already-known app to thrive. Google could alike aloof rename Accumulate to Tasks and add the new functionality. Again we’d rejoice about added account and abundant new names, instead of autograph accessories like this, black how bizarre and ambagious the accomplished affair is.
A fun affair about actuality a Google user is activity like you’re a allotment of the company’s growth. Apple decides what you will like and you can boost off if you don’t agree. Google lets bodies accept in beta testing for its articles to acquiesce for feedback.
Is Chrome not new abundant for you? Try Chrome Beta! Is Chrome Beta not new abundant for you?! Try Canary! I run beta versions of Google Maps, the Google app, and Gboard on my Android phone, which additionally runs the beta adaptation of Android P. I like activity that I am allotment of the administration of the company, alike if my acknowledgment comments aren’t absolutely anytime apprehend by anyone (or anything).
Still, it’s amazing to see so abundant time and activity ashen on fragmentation, redundancy, and bootless branding. It makes addition out which app I should be application for chat, email, music, or tasking aloof as bewildering. Google may be abundant at acclimation the world’s information, but it still kinda sucks at acclimation its own apps.
Failing the Tasks at hand
Redundancy, but with what goal?
Branding, branding, everywhere
Coming abounding circle
For all its failings, at atomic Tasks is able-bodied chip into both Gmail and Calendar, but alone for you.
Tasks seems like an App that may be abundant at one baby affair for some folks, but that doesn't absolutely charge to exist.
There doesn't charge to be two apps: aloof add the new functionality of YouTube Music to Google Play Music and add the functionality of Tasks to Keep.
Comments
Post a Comment