Let’s face it, Orkut has been so sluggish in progress that it doesn’t even seem like a Google product any more. When Facebook does something new, Orkut takes at least a few months to realize that they should do it as well.

Adding to that list is Orkut’s recent announcement of a redesign. They claim that the new design will have:

• Fewer pages and hence a faster browsing experience.
• A clean and simple interface.
• Greater personalization by choosing a color theme.
• Larger pictures and targeted friend suggestions.

The list hardly contains anything that we have not already seen at Facebook. The new interface seems to be better but can it save Orkut from further losing its market share to Facebook, MySpace and Bebo? I think we’ll find that out pretty soon. As of now, the version of Orkut is invitation only which means that only a friend who is using the new version can invite you to it.