Google Buys Zingku Mobile Social Networking

Google is apparently buying assets of mobile social networking service Zingku, maybe to bolster features of an upcoming Google phone?

Internet giant Google appears to have acquired something from mobile social networking outfit Zingku—although whether that means the entire company or just selected assets and technology remains unclear.

Zingku is a mobile social networking service which enables users to share photos, information, polls and other bits of data (like blog enteries) that can easily be transfered to via instant messaging, text messages, and/or a Web browser, with the idea of integrated users mobile activities with a personalized Web site. Users can select to have information shared with a circle of friends, or expand that out to friends-of-friends. Zingku’s technology doesn’t require any special software to run, and has been operating in a private beta mode for some time.

Zingku says it has suspended new account signups pending the Zingku acquisition, and, unless users opt out, will transfer existing user accounts to Google on October 4.

It’s not clear whether Google’s interest in Zingku comes from a desire to create innovative featured for the much-rumored Google phone reportedly in development, or whether Google also wants to tap into the “shameless commerce” aspects of Zingku’s service in which merchants could offer Zingku users access codes to special services and offers, which in turn could be shared with friends.