Comments on: Google downsizes, cuts Jaiku, Google Video, and more

By: Counsel

Counsel — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:16:28 +0000

Sad to see such sites/software as Jaiku and GrandCentral go to the tank.

I’d love to know / hear how the developers of those apps/software feel about their time at Google and whether their new jobs (if they still have them) is better / more rewarding than the job they had when they were with their original development (software/site/etc…).

By: Krubuntu

Krubuntu — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 10:39:46 +0000

Alas, it was inevitable but at least Notebook is a tool I use hourly (as do many of my peers) & Google Video did have some advantages over YouTube. Maybe they should actually start charging for some of the more useful services that everyday people use like Goog-411. I use 1.800.GOOG.411 three times a week minimum and it’s more acurate than the “real” 411. They give you the option to have your listing sent via sms to your mobile (just like 411) for free but perhaps they could charge a nickle for it. Or even charge for the call itself; last I called 411, $1.59 showed up on my bill so Google could charge, say, $0.29 per call & like regular 411, offer more info per call like weather forcasts, stocks, news headlines, lotto results, etc. If they give you inaccurate info, your next call would be free. If a million people used this today, that would be approx. $290.00 a day & they would still be great competition for 411 and I for one would continue to use it as I feel it’s totally worth $0.29 & it’s easy & accurate. Just my $1.59 worth.

By: backbeat

backbeat — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 22:29:35 +0000

@Cindy: Tech [nor the real world] doesn’t operate in a vacuum. Just ask the tech sector analysts.

Rockin’ In The Free World

By: jimmykicks

jimmykicks — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 22:24:25 +0000

I will be sad to see Google Video go. From my understanding, it had much different content than YouTube (Full-length documentaries, for instance)

By: Cindy Sheehan

Cindy Sheehan — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 21:30:29 +0000

Wow,hey backbeat, “No Blood For Oil!” Oh, this is a tech site and not a political blog? Whoops!

By: thegeniusfiles

thegeniusfiles — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 20:25:37 +0000

These sound like good choices to me. Google should have done this awhile ago, but the ‘googleuphoria’ gave them some room to coast. What Google needs to do is integrate its product line so that the notions of Docs, Gmail, etc just go away and become different views of the core brand which is Google. Google has become a verb in contemporary speech. That’s enormously powerful and Google should stop diluting it with confusing side projects. That is what got Yahoo in trouble, and AOL before them.

By: xmxpro

xmxpro — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 18:14:51 +0000

Are they still working on Grandcentral?

By: Who?

Who? — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 17:47:44 +0000

I wonder if Google is regretting paying so much for YouTube. Hahahahahaha.

By: RS

RS — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 17:38:10 +0000

@Elia Freedman – I would imagine videos uploaded to Blogger would start to be routed to Picasa at some point.

By: Dtest54

Dtest54 — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 15:43:31 +0000

haven’t used or heard of alot of those.

Google Video should have went away after they bought youtube.
Its a sign of the times, I like the idea that this could mark the low point of the recession.

By: jp

jp — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:59:04 +0000

haven’t even heard of most of those services anyways

By: backbeat

backbeat — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:57:20 +0000

Corps as bloated as Google have no choice but to trim some fat. It’s inevitable. Given that today’s unemployment is at double-digits when the under-employed and those who have run out the unemployment insurance are included in the DOLs figures, This nation is essentially in a genuine depression.

The DOLs methods are accounting for true unemployment changed only a few years ago in order to disguise the facts of our economy, in order to falsely continue consumer confidence. I’m hopeful that integrity where these matters are concerned are restored on 1/20. We deserve much better than government-supported mirages.

By: tblack

tblack — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:44:05 +0000

yahoo should take over now

By: Elia Freedman

Elia Freedman — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:42:54 +0000

Hi good folks at BGR. Google Video is linked to Blogger — any videos uploaded through Blogger are uploaded to Google Video. Is there any word on what will happen to all the videos uploaded through Blogger?

By: Unal

Unal — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:41:57 +0000

But google notebooks is related to google toolbar with Bookmarks… does it mean that we lose all our bookmarks?

By: Likeabite

Likeabite — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:31:58 +0000

I’d like to say I’m surprised but I’m really not. Every company’s meeting a similar fate. What I am surprised about is how Google is eliminating some of their offerings but yet releasing new ones like their new blog transferring tool (forgot the name)…interesting.