Google better keep an eye on MSN

I just saw this post on Alex Barnett's Blog. Some interesting developments:

Internetnews.com:
"MSN Messenger 7.0 will also introduce the concept of shared search on the IM client. Using integrated MSN Search capability, users will be able to search and share results of search queries while having an IM conversation. According to Holden, MSN did a lot of research into how people use PC-to-PC calls and they specifically looked at upstart VoIP vendor Skype.
...Microsoft claims that over 2.5 billion instant messages currently traverse the MSN Messenger network every day. The service also boasts over 155 million users each month. "

Also, MSN Spaces is out of beta. From PC Magazine:
"Spaces hasn't changed all that much from its initial beta release, but there have been two noticeable improvements. You now get 30MB of photo storage space — up from a mere 10MB. Plus, there are now over 50 new "themes" you can use to define your blog's basic look and feel."

Infoworld:
"Over 4.5 million people have already signed up for the free service, Microsoft said. "

I've written about how impressive Google is in the past, and they certainly continue to be impressive. Although if you take a look back at the innovators (like Netscape) it's very hard for them to continue to lead. I'm sure the folks at MSN are not thinking that Google's dominance is out of reach. All I can say is watch out Google. MSN has some deep pockets and lots of smart people.