Microsoft pokes fun at Google with 'Gmail Man'

By Daniel Rubino
last updated

If you've ever attended a Microsoft conference/event, you'll know that they have a pretty good sense of humor, often demonstrated in video form.

This was no different from the Microsoft Global Exchange conference, held only last week. The video is meant to parody how Google's Gmail "rifles through your email", a not so subtle remark on Google's advertising business which shows targeted ads in your browser based on "keywords" in your email.

For those concerned with privacy, Google's whole ecosystem is ripe for criticism. If anything, this video should get folks talking a bit about such matters. At the very least, it's pretty freakin' funny.

Source: All About Microsoft/ZDNet

Daniel Rubino
Daniel Rubino
Editor-in-chief

Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central, head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007 when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and for some reason, watches. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, watched people sleep (for medical purposes!), and ran the projectors at movie theaters because it was fun.

30 Comments
  • Jesus lol, Oh man why aren't comment available? I would had being entertained all day reading those.
  • "This video format isnt supported" on my DVP. Have successfully played vids from here before.
  • It's a youtube video.
  • Have watched them previously with the WP7 plugin no problem.
  • I didn't use the HTML5 version. Oddly, people used to **** about us using the HTML5 option for YouTube, now everyone will start demanding it with IE9.
  • oh wow, MS is swinging hard.
  • I can't stop giggling.
  • Well, at least Googles worldwide programs are good... :/ Who cares about ads when you get awesome stuff in return.
  • EWWWWWWW!!!Exactly what I think when I see something from Google and their crappy design team.
  • Great. Now we just need WP7to support GMail properly.
  • That would require Google giving MS the necessary ability to utilize all the features of their specific active sync system. MS doesn't have the ability to utilize all the Gmail features because Google doesn't give them access. So if you need all the flagging ect from Gmail its probably not gonna happen.
  • At the end of the day Google makes its money from advertisement and the data it gets from its users. "Free" is not free. MS should use this in its advertising campaign. It at least makes its money from Software SALES. Selling Office, Zune Passes, XBox live Passes, Windows licenses, Exchange, SQL, etc. are all profit centers that bring in money so MS doesn't have to peek at personal data and resell it. Its a serious point and any business that is based on GMail and Google Apps should beware. Once you post it to the Google Cloud, you no longer own it.
  • gold!
  • Come on. The ads aren't really that intrusive. Gmail has the best spam protection in the business and no one else even thought of giving gigs of space until Gmail pioneered it and they had to do it to compete.I like WP7, but people who complain about a free product knowing precisely what "free" means have absolutely no excuse to do so.I have been using gmail for years and I don't even glance at the ads. **** if you use an ad blocker, you don't even see them. And if you're using it on a mobile device, they don't even affect you.It's pretty sad that Gmail allowed you to connect to your account as an exchange account long before Microsoft did with hotmail, despite the fact that Microsoft created Activesync technology.
  • Once again, the thrust of this video was for Office 365 for business, not Hotmail for consumers. Strong arguments, including privacy ones, can be made for why Office 365 is better than Gmail for your company.Had MS been comparing Gmail to Homtail, your point would have more resonance.
  • Pretty funny... Now add more integration with Skydrive and we are in business... jejeje
  • Oh yes, just in the right moment when I got an email from a email telling me to visit http://www.emailintervention.com/ (Gmail switch)
  • Contoso Ltd. Gotta love Microsoft.
  • It's almost funny, but making fun of GMail when your offer is hotmail... is like... come on...
  • If you had watched the video in its entirety, you would have noticed they are pushing Office 365 for businesses, not Hotmail for consumers.That's a big difference.
  • Actually, the Office 365 is said at the very beginning...I'm really sorry to brust your little bubble, but GMail is free... to think that Office 365 is competing with GMail (in general) is delusional.
  • Google has been pushing GMail for businesses for years. Microsoft offers 2 products (Hotmail for consumers, Office 365 for businesses) whereas Google has one product for both.I use GMail for my personal mail, but would hesitate to recommend it to a business as their primary email due to privacy concerns. SEEing the ads is not the issue. Google reading your email to determine what ad to show is the issue.If you aren't concerned about that level of privacy, then GMail is a great product. As I said, I use it all the time for personal email.We trade privacy for service all the time now. You just have to be aware that you are doing so.
  • Ehrm, doesn't anyone remember Windows Live Mail's Active Search? http://i55.tinypic.com/21oa2jq.jpgSure, you could turn it off, but if the idea of contextual ads in e-mail is so stupid, then don't copy it.Still preferring Hotmail over Gmail, though. I trust MS more than Google when privacy is concerned.
  • For the 3rd time, this is comparing Office 365 vs Gmail for businesses, not Hotmail for consumers.The Office 365 and Live Mail teams are different and have different priorities, hence the different attributes with their products.
  • The Office 365 team is laughing at a feature which the Live team designed (too). It's the SAME COMPANY.
  • Good. I don't like google anyway
  • I prefere Gmail, which at least has a great spam filter than the terrible Live/Hotmail, where honestly I receive 3 or 4 mails for **** enlargement pills every day.MS has to face the truth.Ads in Gmail never annoyed me (I actually never even noticed them !)Spam in Hotmail annoys me everyday.
  • It's not about spam, it's about privacy. For those who don't believe it - here's an experiment. Disable your adblock, type 2-3 e-mails with "Viagra" somewhere in them, and watch google ads the next day. What they are trying to sell you now ? Yup, we're there.
  • Not sure why this is being compared to Office 365 as Gmail is a free service that can be used for business, but is still free. Meanwhile in the options menu, you can turn off the keyword based ads with a simple click if it's that big a deal to you.
  • "got his nose in ever colon" HAHAHAHA