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Topic: Google

Google enters spring cleaning mode by dropping several services

Summary: Google is slashing a lot of programs and services this spring, but maybe trimming out some of the extra fluff will allow for more resources to be dedicated to projects like Google+ and Google Play.

Rachel King

By for Between the Lines |

When Larry Page stepped up to the CEO gig at Google last year, one of his pledges was to trim some of the fat at the company.

Continuing along that path and in the spirit of "spring cleaning," Google has announced a laundry list of products and services it is cutting soon.

A full list with details is available on the official Google blog, but here's a snapshot of some of the changes that might affect you the most:

  • No more support for Google Sync for BlackBerry, starting June 1.
  • The mobile web app for Google Talk is being shut down.
  • Starting today, the Picasa Web Albums Uploader for Mac and Picasa Web Albums Plugin for iPhoto will no longer be available to download.
  • No more updates for Picasa for Linux.
  • The Google Flu Vaccine Finder has been retired, with anyone interested in this being redirected to the HealthMap Flu Vaccine Finder.

Yes, some of these items might be things you'll miss. But Matthias Schwab, director of Cloud Services at Google, explained in a blog post that "making changes to products or services is hard, but we do need to maintain our focus if we are to do important things that matter in the world.

A goal here, Schwab continued, is to improve the overall user experience for Google users. Thus, less really could be more in this case if Google can dedicate more resources to bigger projects, like Google+ and Google Play (and maybe even Google Drive), and make them better over the course of the next year.

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Topic: Google

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14 comments
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  • Spring cleaning?

    Is that what we are calling when a company abandons its software and those who use it? I thought the correct term was abandonware?
    Your Non Advocate
    Reply Vote

    • precisely

      Had this been an announcement from Microsoft these comments would already be full of proclamations that MS is failing and going out of business any day now.
      bitcrazed
      Reply Vote

      • Well they had a record quarter and they fixed the lumia issues quickly

        But no mention of that will be found here either!

        Those "in the know" have decreed that you are to love Apple but hate MS...er, I mean M$. Apple$ are only to be loved.
        otaddy
        Reply Vote

      • Don't hate MS. I own an XBox 360 and for what I use

        otaddy
        it for it serves me well enough. Not a fan of google nor android it's child. Anything that works hand n hand with sales gives me the creeps as the saying goes you can not lye with dogs and not expect to have flee's and SALES is soooo very fleezy:P

        Pagan jim
        James Quinn
        Reply Vote

  • No more updates for Picasa for linux

    wah...wah... but I thought google loved linux....loooved linux
    otaddy
    Reply 1 Vote

    • Last time I checked...

      ... Picasa wouldn't work for Linux at all. Not available for your OS, it said. So, *updates*?? Don't you need to actually have something out there in order for it to be updated?
      Robynsveil
      Reply Vote

  • So what tells me the next service I'm going to use ...

    ... from Google will always be available to me. I cannot have mission critical processes based on Google's services.
    themarty
    Reply Vote

    • Don't build your sandcastles on Google's beaches is the lesson here

      Your service can be washed away at any moment.
      Your Non Advocate
      Reply Vote

  • It's free

    You can't argue about free. If someone leases free stuff, they can at any point, terminate the lease. Having data on your own hard drive is the most critical step you can take. As wonderful as the cloud is, the ownership of your data is priceless. The cloud, for my purposes, is good for backup and storage of "nonessential" stuff but if you have r.i.d (really important data) then don't that stuff in a stranger's backyard.
    rgor@...
    Reply Vote

    • Don't care.

      Google is evil.
      thenonhacker
      Reply Vote

    • Not a good argument.

      Web Apps providers are making us believe that it's better to move our work from desktop to Web, therefore they have a responsibility to keep those Apps up and running for those who do, and give them a reasonable alternative when they terminate the services.

      Can I use Google Docs to run my business? I don't know. Will it be there in two years? Word will be on my computer in two years. In fact, I know a business that has had the same Word since 2002.

      Besides, Google apps are not free.
      themarty
      Reply Vote

  • Reminds me of...

    This reminds me of that Googlighting spoof Microsoft released.
    You use something you love today, tomorrow it may be different or completely gone.
    DreyerSmit
    Reply Vote

  • "The mobile web app for Google Talk is being shut down." - try Trillian

    "The mobile web app for Google Talk is being shut down."

    FYI, if you want a good replacement, try Trillian. I've been using Trillian for a while now, and it works great :). They have iPhone, Android, and Blackberry versions (I use the iPhone version).
    CobraA1
    Reply Vote

  • Using Google Less and Less

    This week I realized I've been using Google much less. I've found so many good substitutes, many for the same subscription fee or less, that have taken the place of Google. My Google inventory isn't much more than YouTube... very surprising to me.
    Fyrewerx
    Reply Vote
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