Google has dropped its publishing payments platform ‘One Pass’ and its Blackberry sync tool as the internet giant continues to focus on core products in its battle against the likes of Facebook, Apple and Microsoft.
The move forms part of as part of CEO Larry Page’s ongoing ‘spring cleaning’, which also saw its Google Related browsing assistant, the mobile web app for Google Talk and a number of Picasa photo sharing services.
US-based flu vaccinations maps tool was also moved to HealthMap Flu Vaccine Finder.
In addition, a Patent Search homepage devoted to intellectual property registered with U.S. regulators was being re-directed to the main query engine at google.com.
“Spring has now arrived and we’re ready to close or combine another round of products. Focus is crucial if we are to improve our execution,” said Matthias Schwab, Google cloud services director, in a company blog post.
“We have so many opportunities in front of us that without hard choices we risk doing too much and not having the impact we strive for.”
One Pass fails to take off
One Pass let publishers set prices for online articles, with Google getting a 10 percent cut of revenue as opposed to the 30% bite that iPhone and iPad maker Apple Inc. takes out of transactions in gadget applications.
One Pass features, and users, were being shifted to a Google Consumer Surveys service, according to Schwab.
One Pass, which failed to catch on since it launched in February 2011.
Blackberry users advised to switch
BlackBerry users that already have the sync application installed will still be able to use it, but the application will not be available for download after 1 June.
Schwab encouraged users to switch to Google Apps Connector for BlackBerry Enterprise Server or the BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS). Via BlackBerry setup, users can automate email, calendar and contacts sync for Google.
“These alternatives offer a better overall experience, as you can sync your email messages, calendar and contacts through a single service,” he said.
Research in Motion (RIM) declined to comment on the announcement.
Page has made it a priority to get rid of products that are performing poorly so resources can be focused on more promising offerings.
In the last six months, the web giant has closed over 15 products and services in an effort to bring more focus to the business.
Google’s axing of products began in October 2011 with many of its social networking applications, including Buzz and Jaiku, as well as its testing service Labs, all being shut down.
Google continued to shut down its social portfolio the following month, retiring services such as Knowl, Wave, Friend Connect and Gears – to make room for Google+.
This year’s product culls tend to be less geared towards Google’s social portfolio, with the web giant appearing to focus on retiring support for its competitor services.
