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Vic Gundotra post hints Snapseed for Android may be close, bring Google+ integration
When Google bought Nik Software, there was some worry that Snapseed would go the proverbial dodo's route and fade into obscurity as part of a larger Google app. We won't see that ignominious end anytime soon if Senior Engineering VP Vic Gundotra's photography is as valid a clue as it looks. On an evening flight to Baltimore, Gundotra posted a view of the setting sun to Google+ using Snapseed -- a rather unique achievement given that the existing, iOS-only app doesn't know the social network exists. Knowing the executive's usual choice of smartphone, the public use could be the hint of the already planned Android port getting close to launch, even if there's no way to know exactly when and how the image editing app could arrive. Let's hope that Gundotra's post is more than just a fleeting glimpse of a product that gets shelved later on.
Vic Gundotra says Nik's 'high-end tools and plugins' will survive. Snapseed? Maybe not.
After Google effectively killed Sparrow's apps when it purchased the company (they're still available and supported, but don't expect much future development) there was some worry about the future of Nik Software. Well, Vic Gundotra took to Google+ to salve some of those fears. Earlier this week I proudly welcomed +Nik Software to Google. They've been making pictures more awesome for 17 years, and we're excited to bring Nik's expertise to the entire Google+ community! I also want to make something clear: we're going to continue offering and improving Nik's high-end tools and plug-ins. Professionals across the globe use Nik to create the perfect moment in their photographs (e.g., http://goo.gl/aDtkO), and we care deeply about their artistry. There is one bothersome caveat in that quote: "high-end." Gundotra may be promising a future for Capture NX and Efex Pro, but it's clear that the popular Snapseed doesn't fit that description. Now, he has not expressly announced the death of the Instagram competitor, but it seems to us that the writing is on the wall. The Android camera app may already have a set of friendly filters, but it lacks the simplified sharing and marketing buzz of Facebook's recent acquisition. Don't be surprised if the Snapseed team simply gets folded into Google+ or Android while its creation slowly withers and dies.
Google acquires iOS photo app Snapseed
Snapseed is a popular iOS photography app around here at TUAW -- not only have we spotlighted it a few different times, but the app also won a coveted Apple Design Award back in 2011. And now here's news that Google appreciates the app as well: The ad and search giant has acquired the developer of Snapseed, Nik Software, and reportedly plans to use the company and its technology to update its own photo editing and sharing tools. Nik also provides a number of excellent and popular plugins for other popular photo editing tools like Aperture, and for now, those plugins remain available for sale on the website. Presumably, that won't change, but we'll see what happens in the future. It sounds like Nik is still figuring things out post-acquisition, so any changes to Snapseed or those plugins are still yet to be determined. [via The Verge]
Google buys Snapseed developer Nik Software, raises the eyebrows of Instagram shutterbugs
Google makes a lot of acquisitions, some of them more important than others. Its latest purchase might skew towards the grander side, as it just bought imaging app developer Nik Software. While the company is known for pro photography apps like Capture NX and its Efex Pro series, the real prize might be Snapseed, Nik's simpler image tool for desktop and iOS users. Both Nik and Google's Senior Engineering VP Vic Gundotra are silent on the exact plans, but it doesn't take much to imagine a parallel between Facebook's buyout of Instagram and what Google is doing here: there's no direct, Google-run equivalent to Instagram's social photo service in Android or for Google+ users, and Nik's technology might bridge the gap. Whether or not Googlegram becomes a reality, the deal is likely to create waves among photographers of all kinds -- including those who've never bought a dedicated camera.
