Google has bought a texting app that matches a virtual assistant with instant messages, mining text conversations to send reminders to the user about important dates- potentially serving relevant ads too.
Emu fills a gap in Google’s arsenal, as it already mines search terms and emails for ad targeting, but not yet chats.
The service works for texts and chat apps in much the same way that Google Now mines user data in searches and Gmail to produce relevant information and reminders.
For example, a message mentioning a restaurant would come with the Yelp score attached, or an incoming message asking “dinner Friday?” would show the user their agenda for that evening, along with a button to add the event to their calendar.
The purchase could see Google integrate these features into Google Hangouts, the default IM service on Android devices and Gmail.
Besides restaurant reviews and agendas, the app supports reminders from messages, both time and location-based. It can show movie times and even allow you to set restaurant reservations right from a message.
Emu has announced that the app will be shutting down August 25, which is standard procedure for Google’s “buy and integrate” strategy.
Emu, which has been subsisting for two-and-a-half years on venture funding, doesn’t insert such ads today.
The Emu buy is part of a much larger trend to monitor and thus profit from new chunks of people’s lives.
Foursquare just rolled out a new version that, by default, tracks your movements continuously, negating the need for a “check in” button.
As people shift their computing to smartphones and other mobile devices, chatting — short, immediate, and part of phone culture for decades — has become more popular.
Watch this video showing how Emu works below: