Digital News Report – Google periodically ends features and tools available from the company. This round of cuts are for the Code Search, Google Buzz, Jaiku, iGoogle’s social feature and University Research Program using Google Search.
The Google Code Search and the API will be shut down on January 15, 2012. This tool was to help programmers search for source code.
The Google Buzz and API for it is going to be shut down in only a few weeks. Google Buzz was to help share interesting stories and information on the web. Since the roll out of Google+ they are suggesting that these users will be serviced by using the new social networking website. You can still see the old posts by logging into Google Profile, then you can use Google Takeout to download the information.
Jaiku was another social networking product that Google will close down on January 15, 2012. Jaiku was a tool that would let users update their friends of what’s knew with them. Google purchased Jaiku in 2007.
Google’s iGoogle will still work, but they will no longer have the social feature, which will let other iGoogle participants to talk with each other. This feature will stop on January 15, 2012.
On the same day in January next year, Google will no longer provide API access to academic researchers with their University Research Program.
Today is the last day for Google Labs. Boutiques.com and Like.com will become Google Product Search for shopping. These end dates were all announced earlier.
By: Victoria Brown
Science and Technology Reporter