Google has purchased Clever Sense, the maker of the personal recommendation iPhone app Alfred, and this could be one of those small moves which creates a major impact on Android down the line.
The Alfred app was a location-based personal recommendation engine which helped to determine which bars and restaurants you would like. I found it to be quite good and it also had a beautiful user interface, which is also a bonus for Google. Ultimately, the deal makes a lot of sense because Google’s Eric Schmidt always like to talk about how the future of mobile computing is all about serendipity – your phone helps you discover things you want without having to input search terms – and the Clever Sense team could make that happen.
On its website, Clever Sense said:
Today, we are excited to join Google and start a new chapter in curating the world around us! Together with the Google team, we will accelerate our efforts toward this shared vision. Google helps local businesses connect with potential customers, and its worldwide presence can bring the value of Clever Sense to a much larger audience.
This is a nice move from Google but I don’t expect to see this really bear fruit for a while.
[Via TechCrunch]