Nokia has recently announced the acquisition of the context-aware social-activity service Plazes. Under the agreement, the Finnish giant will acquire all assets of the privately-owned start-up company of 13 people with its principal operations in Berlin.
By acquiring Plazes, Nokia will be able to extend its context-based service offering with social presence and time-based activity planning features. Plazes adds the elements of “place” and “time” to social networking through features that allow people to alert friends of their activity and location; review their own and others’ past activities; share their experiences and make plans with friends, who are then able to respond with comments and suggestions as well as their own location information.
The deal is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in Q3 2008. After it’s completed, Plazes will become part of Nokia’s Services & Software unit and will most likely find its way place in Ovi.