Google Join the Console Market

Save on Delicious

Sparked by rumors of Apple launching a videogame console with its next Apple TV, Google has its own console in the works. 

Or so the Wall Street Journal and Forbes are reporting. Spokespeople for both Apple and Google declined to comment on the console rumors. Rumors claim that Google plans to make a videogame console and wristwatch that will be powered by an Android operating system. The company is also rumored to be working on a new version of the Nexus Q, which was never commercially released. The release date for at least one of these supposed products is this fall. An Android console might threaten sales of Nvidia's Shield and its rivals though it is yet unknown if any of these companies will be brought in to work with Google on this console. Xbox and PlayStation would most likely not be affected by Google's console because it is unlikely that Google would target core gamers. For Google, it appears, Apple is the real target. 

Google TV may be the launching point for the console, though it has not taken off yet. With some Android games already available on Google TV and the progress with HTML5 within Chrome, many speculate that this will lead to console gaming from Google. The real question is: will Google follow through? For now, this is a war of speculation of nonexistent console versus nonexistent

Retweet this story

Google to Acquiring WhatsApp for close to $1 billion

Save on Delicious

According to a new report from Digital Trends, software giant Google is currently negotiating a deal to acquire WhatsApp for "close to $1 billion."

The deal began "four or five weeks ago," the article reports, with sources suggesting that WhatsApp is "playing hardball" and holding out for a higher price.

Aside from some legal controversy in Canada surrounding the app's privacy methods, WhatsApp has been a tremendously popular and well regarded service. Google has approached WhatsApp before, so this deal closing soon would surprise few. The acquisition would also help solve mobile messaging for Google, which Digital Trends describes as a "huge, gaping hole in Google’s mobile strategy."

Facebook acquired Instagram for $1 billion last year in a similar deal. But one key difference is that WhatsApp is fully monetized. It's a paid app that regularly tops app store charts in dozens of countries, which helps drive revenue of up to $100 million annually, Digital Trends estimates.

Retweet this story