Google Does A Little Spring Cleaning

According to CNET Asia, Google has decided to shut down a few off their services. Did you ever use any of these?

iGoogle. This customizable home page for the Web was launched in 2005. It’s a combination of RSS reader and widget platform, and Google says the need for it “has eroded over time,” given new apps on browsers and mobile devices. Users will have 16 months to manage a transition to these new apps before Google pulls the plug.

Google Video. The search engine’s original video-hosting platform continues its long, planned glide into obsolescence. Nobody’s been able to upload to the service since May of 2009. Later this summer (August 20), Google will export what’s left on Google Video to private YouTube channels. Videos longer than 15 minutes (the usual limit for YouTube users) will still be transferred over from Videos to YouTube.

Google Talk Chatback is a text chat widget for Web publishers. Google is now pushing publishers who want that function to the Meebo bar, from the instant message company Google acquired a month ago.

Users of old Symbian smartphones will soon find the Symbian Search App for Google “retired”.

Finally, Google is discontinuing the Google Mini, a hardware search appliance for enterprises that launched in 2005. Google isn’t giving up on the concept: The Google Search Appliance is still available.

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