All summer long Google has been acquiring startups to improve upon their current apps and products they offer. Google has purchased Emu, a instant messaging with contextual intelligence in your conversations. Emu would surface its Yelp rating right within the stream of messages. Asking a friend if they wanted to see a movie on Friday? You’d be treated to a list of movies playing around you, and you could order tickets from there. Mentioning a day or date would also yield a tiny glimpse at your calendar so you could make sure you were actually free. If Google can integrate these services with Hangouts Google could become a powerhouse with Google Now.
I don’t think Google will bake these features in right away but with Google Calendar, Maps, and other services Google will want to integrate them into messaging much like they have with Gmail. A smarter way to communicate would interest Google if it also allowed them to learn more about what you talk about and plan on doing. They could better serve ads and bring in more money.
The app began life as an Android exclusive before the founding team made the call to jump ship to iOS exclusively last year. Bad news for current users, though: The Emu app will officially go dark on August 25, so wrap up those convos while you still can.
Tell us in the comments below what you think about Google buying this instant messaging service and shutting it down so quickly.