Jetpac acquisition sparks speculation over app’s integration in Google ecosystem

Photo-analysis startup Jetpac's announcement last week of its acquisition by Google has set off speculation over the use of the app by the social network.

While the concept behind application, which creates city guides was indeed novel, the utility of the guides remained somewhat questionable reports Daily Digest News.

The app's algorthims scan Instagram photos for commonalities among photos to generate top-10 lists on topics such as ''bars women like,'' or ''coffee shops popular with hipsters.''

''In the hipster category, we looked at how many more mustaches were in pictures versus the general rate of moustache wearing, and how big they are versus the normal rate of mustache exhibition,'' Jetpac founder and CEO Julian Green told The New York Times, according to the report.

''If we're being totally honest, those guides weren't all that illuminating - tapping into one wouldn't give you much more than a stream of Instagram photos and location / contact information for each hotspot,'' wrote Engadget's Chris Velazco.

However, commentators say, with Google looking to add muscle to its search-around a location feature, any addition to its data analysing capabilities could certainly prove helpful to the company. Tech 2 said it remained unclear just how Jetpac would integrate into the larger Google ecosystem.

What Google would do with the app especially with the app itself ceasing to exist post the takeover, according to one line of reasoning was that, it could find use in Google+, where loads of new photo-related features had recently been added. The app could be used in Stories for travel albums, Auto-Awesome filters, as also automatic hashtags according to commentators. These would obviously benefit much from JetPac's tech.

Another area where JetPac's algorithm could be put to use was in search results for Google Now and Google Maps, especially when it came to nearby places of interest that would align with the interests of users.

Google Now already showed users several interesting places near one's hotel when travelling. In a recent development Niantic Labs' Field Trip app was integrated with Google Now for enhanced travel features within the app.