Everybody expected a new product to come out of Google, but I don't recall anyone predicting that this week's effort would be Google Page Creator.
According to the home page: "Google Page Creator is a free online tool that makes it easy for anyone to create and publish useful, attractive web pages in just minutes." The main attractions are:
No technical knowledge required Edit your pages right in your browser 100 megabytes of free storage space Free hosting on your own site at http://yourgmailusername.googlepages.com
"Google Page Creator is still in an early testing phase" and you need a Gmail account to use it. However, current functionality (the FAQ says you can't create sites, though you can create as many pages as you like) means it's pretty much limited to information, personal and vanity pages.
Don't rush: the site also says: "Due to heavy demand, we are unable to offer new accounts for today."
The unofficial Inside Google and Google Blogoscoped have more details.
Dave Winer comments: "Where is the Mind of Google these days? Seems to be back in the mid-90s, re-discovering Geocities. Give me a ring when there's at least some rudimentary content management in there." Have a look at this comment inside Google Page (168K GIF).
