Google acquires Angstro to bolster social networking push

Google continues to build up its portfolio of social media properties with the acquisition of Angströ, a startup dedicated to building applications that integrate with social media networks like Facebook and Twitter. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Angströ developed apps designed to "unlock the power of your social graph"--solutions include tools to discover new photos on Facebook, leverage LinkedIn profiles to enhance caller ID, add links to Twitter and create a real-time social address book. "While our work here may be done, the struggle for open, interoperable social networks is still only just beginning, and I'm looking forward to working on that in my new role at Google," writes Angströ founder Rohit Khare on the firm's blog.

The Angströ acquisition represents Google's latest move into the social networking realm: In recent months, the digital services giant has invested in social gaming juggernaut Zynga and scooped up social media solutions providers Jambool, Slide and Aardvark. Google is widely expected to unveil its own social networking platform, reportedly dubbed Google Me and developed to combat the continued growth of Facebook--since news of the initiative first surfaced in late June, Google execs have since issued a series of non-denials, further igniting industry speculation on what's to come.

Google is no stranger to social networking. Google Buzz launched in February 2010--a mobile version of the service integrates Gmail with social networking features, allowing users to post status updates and comments directly from their smartphones. Google Buzz additionally leverages location to identify places in the immediate vicinity; users can select those sites to add as tags to their posts, or read what others have posted about a particular landmark. Prior to Buzz, Google entered location-based social networking with Latitude, a friend-finder solution introduced in early 2009. More than a million mobile subscribers signed up in the first week, and in May 2010, Google said Latitude now tops 3 million active users, adding that more than 8 million users have signed up since the service went live.

For more on the Google/ Angströ deal:
- read this New York Times article

Related articles:
Google Maps for mobile tops 100 million users a month
Google Maps for mobile 4.4 adds updated Place Pages
Google: Android searches up 300 percent over first half of 2010
Google Search for mobile gets a makeover
Google introduces Place Pages for Mobile