Today was a fun day.   Dito went to D.C. to visit the Google Apps Team, which was hosting an event to promote Google Apps.

Google went all out, turning a local web company’s office into a Google Playground for a day.  I did not take any pictures inside, but just visualize a Google office with bright colors all over and fun looking stuff to distract your eye. 

We wore name tags, and I heard the lady in front of me say she was from the Washington Post, so I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see an article in the paper and on their website tomorrow.  I really wanted to bump into her during my visit, it would have been great to get mentioned in that article, alas, it wasn’t my day for fame.

No, big deal.  After filling out our name tags we were directed to Jeremy who was a very friendly and helpful Googler and he answered all of our questions, with a smile.  

I told him I thought a Google Apps Task Manager would be a great addition to their current offering.  He responded that they had been getting a lot of feedback and that was what a lot of people were telling them.  We then discussed the current option of Remember the Milk and the Firefox addon that basically integrates your Google Apps Email and RTM seamlessly.  I think what I took away from the conversation is that both him and I think it would be really cool if Google launched their own variety of task manager within the Google Apps Suite. Take this with a grain of salt, but I think this app is coming soon.

I was stoked when Jeremy pulled up the Google Solutions Marketplace and suggested checking there for 3rd party solutions to some of the more specific technical problems we had been discussing.  My elation was directly related to the fact that Dito is listed in the Google Solutions Marketplace. 

We also discussed Google Accounts with Google Apps Email.  Right now, you need to sign up for a Google Account using your Google Apps Email and create a separate account for all the Google services outside of the Apps family.  This sucks and I got the feeling that Google realizes the problem and disconnect exists.  

Jeremy said they are working on ways to better integrate Google Apps Email with Google Accounts.  He said most people don’t even realize it is two separate accounts, which I am sure causes even more confusion on the matter (someone may think they lost their email or docs or calendar if they sign in on the wrong account in the wrong place, like I said, it is a little confusing).  Let’s hope we see more on this from Google in the near future.

When the conversation died down I immediatly asked for some Google Swag, and they offered up some “environmentally friendly grocery bags” and a variety of candy jars filled to the brim, for us to pillage at our will.  I normally don’t ask for swag, but hey, it was Google and I wanted something, even a crappy bag, with their name on it. 

It seemed to me that the Googlers had MacBook Pros and 30″ Apple displays.  I mention this because I am a Mac owner and I think now is the time of the Mac. 

There were quite a few people there when we came and went, leaving me to believe that this event was a success for Google in Washington, D.C.  

Thanks for having us Google, give us a call if we can help you in any way

Here are a couple more pictures from our day in the city: