Rumours began last summer that Google wasgearing upto take on Facebook with a big social product codenamed “Google Me” (Tech site RWW has established the name of the product to beGoogle Circles). While no such fully formed product has emerged since, we’ve heard word today that it’s scheduled to launch at this year’s I/O developers’ conference on 10 and 11 May.
While Google CEO Eric Schmidtsuggestedin September last year that a ‘social layer’ was coming to all the company’s products, it’s yet to materialise.
That said, many of its products have had social features added in recent months.Place reviewsin Google Maps,personalised news,increasingly social search resultsand experiments withFoursquare-like featuresare just some of the examples of late. Throw in theacquisitionof socially focused apps developer Slide back in August 2010, and it’s clear that the company is planning a more social future.
So, could the service launch at I/O? For the past two years, Google has made big product launches at the conference. Two years ago saw Wave make its debut and last year, Google TV was unveiled. That said, Wave has since been effectively mothballed, while Google TV is yet to make a real mark. If “Google Me” does show its face this May (not necessarily under that specific name), the company will surely be hoping for ‘third time lucky’.
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We’ve contacted Google for comment.
UPDATE:A Google spokesperson tells us: “We do not speculate on rumor and speculation”.
UPDATE 2:Technology blog Read Write Web has established the name of the product to beGoogle Circles
Story byMartin SFP Bryant
Martin SFP Bryant is the founder of UK startup newsletter PreSeed Now and technology and media consultancy Big Revolution. He was previously(show all)Martin SFP Bryant is the founder of UK startup newsletterPreSeed Nowand technology and media consultancyBig Revolution. He was previously Editor-in-Chief at TNW.
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