时间:2026-08-21 19:43:11 来源:网络整理编辑:綜合
Snapchat is continuing on its quest to redefine mobile.The mobile storytelling app is acquiring Vurb
Snapchat is continuing on its quest to redefine mobile.
The mobile storytelling app is acquiring Vurb, a search and discovery app, for $100 million in a cash and stock deal, according to The Information.
First, it was disappearing messages. Then, it was vertical video. Next, Snapchat could bring more to search.
Founded in 2011, Vurb attempted to make search more mobile-friendly, digestible and shareable by converting results into mobile cards. All within one app, users could search for a place, see the related information and save it for later or send it to a friend. Other categories included movies, TV, video and music.
SEE ALSO:Instagram Stories doesn't mean Snapchat will disappearThe ambitions were clearly to take on search giant Google. Vurb is “very different than traditional search with 10 blue links," founder Bobby Lo told TechCrunchlast year.
For Snapchat, Vurb's technology could align with its own ambitions to capture more eyeballs and ad dollars from Google, Facebook and other apps through improving third-party content and personalization. The news comes shortly after Facebook's Instagram released a nearly identical copy of Snapchat's core feature, Stories.
"I don't think this is about any old mobile search engine," Ian Schafer, CEO and founder of ad agency DeepFocus, told Mashable in an email. "The experience / place nature of Vurb seems to fit nicely into the technological direction Snapchat is heading toward."
"I don't think this is about any old mobile search engine"
That includes deep-linking to other apps and sites, as demonstrated by Snapchat's ticket purchasing ad for X-Men: Apocalypse. Vurb is connected to Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic, Google Maps, Netflix and Uber, for example.
Snapchat is also interested in selling and showing ads based on object recognition, as revealed in a recent patent application.
"A search engine geared around place-based intent like Vurb would help take Snapchat closer to that vision when paired with their already impressive visual recognition technology," Schafer said.
Not unlike Foursquare's pitch, Vurb recommends services that are "personalized for you in one simple app," according to its website. Those recommendations are based on interests, trending topics, time, weather and locations, the website reads. That idea could soon be matched with Snapchat's abundance of photos and videos.
Snapchat hasn't been shy about acquisitions. Earlier this year, the company acquired Bitmoji for $100 million, which it recently integrated into the app. Snapchat spent $150 million on facial recognition app Looksery to support its lenses technology last year, TechCrunchreported.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
TopicsGoogleSnapchat
Fake news reports from the Newseum are infinitely better than actual news2026-08-21 19:40
Apple's AirPods might one day help you hear better2026-08-21 19:30
WWDC 2023: Apple adds new mental health features in iOS 172026-08-21 19:18
Can Blackpink's Jennie save 'The Idol' from itself?2026-08-21 19:16
We asked linguists if Donald Trump speaks like that on purpose2026-08-21 19:08
How to recycle Amazon packaging (yes, all of it)2026-08-21 18:55
'Quordle' today: See each 'Quordle' answer and hints for May 72026-08-21 18:03
Stunning James Webb Space Telescope photo shows bending of spacetime2026-08-21 17:44
Pole vaulter claims his penis is not to blame2026-08-21 17:12
Scientists detect building block for life on Saturn's moon Enceladus2026-08-21 16:57
Fyvush Finkel, Emmy winner for 'Picket Fences,' dies at 932026-08-21 19:39
Summer solstice: How to see Mars and Venus in the night sky2026-08-21 19:34
Drake and The Weeknd's AI song 'Heart On My Sleeve' is scary good and totally fake2026-08-21 19:26
How to check air quality on Google Maps2026-08-21 18:57
PlayStation Now game streaming is coming to PC2026-08-21 18:50
Elon Musk apologizes to Haraldur Thorleifsson, the Twitter designer he publicly mocked2026-08-21 18:43
Google Authenticator fixes its most annoying flaw2026-08-21 17:44
'Quordle' today: See each 'Quordle' answer and hints for June 192026-08-21 17:43
Major earthquake and multiple aftershocks rock central Italy2026-08-21 17:42
3 ways to improve your child's mindfulness2026-08-21 17:08