Google buys Sparrow to lift Gmail

DHAKA: Google said it had acquired Sparrow, the startup behind the well-regarded Sparrow email client for iOS and OS X, for an undisclosed amount.

Google already distributes a native iOS client for Gmail, its Web-based email service.

The company says it intends to use Sparrow’s engineers to contribute to the ongoing development of Gmail, but declined to provide specifics.

‘The Sparrow team has always put their users first by focusing on building a seamlessly simple and intuitive interface for their email client,’ a company spokeswoman said in an email, reports Information Week.

‘We look forward to bringing them aboard the Gmail team, where they’ll be working on new projects.’

Since Larry Page became CEO last year, Google has put a greater emphasis on the appearance of its products and services – design and user interface – than it did previously.

On its iTunes Store listing, Sparrow says there will be no further updates to its email client, apart from maintenance and bug fixes.

The Sparrow deal, Google’s fifth this year, comes with engineering talent that’s sure to be useful to Google.

Co-founder and CTO Hoa Dinh Viet used to work for Apple, on iCal and iSync, and for Amazon, on its Kindle e-reader.

BDST: 1447 HRS, JUL 21, 2012

Edited by Robab Rosan, Cultural Affairs Editor