Google has purchased some assets and technology of Zingku, a mobile social networking service provider. The news was confirmed by Google Spokesman, Andrew Pederson: “We have acquired a few assets of Zingku, which we believe would help us to build products, services and features that would ultimately benefit all our users, advertisers and publishers.”

Google on Acquisition Spree
For quite a long time, Google has been contemplating to conquer the mobile space. In a bid to fulfill its ambitions, the company acquired Dodgeball, a social networking service that connects people via text messages, in 2005. In July this year, Google bought GrandCentral Communications, a service that makes it easy for people to amalgamate all their phones into a single number. The acquisition of Zingku would help Google to consolidate its position in the mobile world.

What Makes Zingku Special?
Zingku is a unique service that makes social networking via mobile phone possible. By integrating the mobile phone with a customized website, Zingku makes it easy for users to create and exchange a variety of things like mobile flyers, invitations, photos, reminders, etc. Basically, the service is aimed at 18 to 28 year old youngsters. However, entrepreneurs can also use this service to ensnare their prospective customers.

To allure his clients, the business owner can create mobile flyers, and then send a zing-code to all his customers. With the help of zing-code, the customer can not only download the flyer on his mobile phone, but can also inform all his friends who might be interested in the product/service. Apart from flyers and invitations, users can even subscribe to blog feeds, which are delivered as text messages.

In simple words, Zingku is proficient in doing two things simultaneously; first, amplifying the capabilities of the mobile phone, and second, enhancing the user’s capacity to share and promote. These two qualities make Zingku an ideal candidate for acquisition.

In What Way will Google Benefit by Zingku’s Acquisition?
Zingku’s acquisition fuels the speculation that Google is developing a mobile phone called g-phone, which it intends to release in the beginning of 2008. After taking into account all the technical aspects of Zingku, experts believe that Google has acquired this service solely to reach more people with ease. Mobile phones are fast emerging as a new advertising medium, and Google is shrewd user of each and every advertising media. It seems that the online giant has focused its attention on ‘Shameless Commerce’ feature of Zingku!

Conversely, it should not be forgotten that Zingku is still in the beta stage of development. Moreover, the service is available only in US. Google, on the other hand has worldwide presence. These facts nullify the above assumption. Google has been in business for quite a long time, and it surely knows how to use Zingku to its advantage. Meanwhile, following acquisition, Zingku has shelved the new account signup facility. All the existing user accounts will be transferred to Google on October 4, 2007 . Those users who don’t wish to switch over to Google are free to close their accounts.