Honestly, all this is, is a combination of products they have been testing for a while. The press release, Google Launches Hosted Communications Services with the Gmail for your domain product not just applied to gmail, but also Talk, Calendar, and Page Creator.
Google Apps for Your Domain, an expansion of the Gmail for Your Domain service that launched in February 2006, currently includes Gmail web email, the Google Talk instant messaging and voice calling service, collaborative calendaring through Google Calendar, and web page design, publishing and hosting via Google Page Creator. Domain administrators use a simple web-based control panel to manage their user account list, set up aliases and distribution lists, and enable the services they want for their domain. End users with accounts that have been set up by their administrator simply browse to customized login pages on any web-connected computer. The service scales easily to accommodate growing user bases and storage needs while drastically reducing maintenance costs.
Yea, it is cool to host these apps on your own domain, that is for sure - and it is free, for now. But there are signs that Google will be offering paid, permium services tied to this program.
Is there a premium version of this service?
Not at this time. However, if your organization has advanced needs not met by this free service, let us know and we'll get in touch when a premium service is available for your organization.
Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld, DigitalPoint Forums and Search Engine Watch Forums.
