By 
Our friend at Google have just posted on their blog that Google Labs is “winding down”, meaning they won’t be launching tons of cool apps and products left and right as they have been doing for oh so long. Unfortunately, this also means the end of new experimental Android applications by Google.
The move was made so that Google can focus on existing products and so that newer products get as much attention as they need to be successful. It’s a smart move considering all of the projects that have failed in the past – Google Buzz and Wave were two big ones.
All the Android apps that were a product of Google Labs projects will remain on the market, says Google, but they didn’t clarify on whether or not these would get future updates. Some older apps will be merged into existing Google products. As for new apps, don’t look forward to any of them springing up in the future – the product is pretty much shut down.
Google Labs isn’t completely dead, they’re just putting more resources into core products and other bigger projects in order to ensure they launch with the best chance of success. That means Google will still launch new services, but we won’t get access to them in the early stages as we used to, which means we won’t have new innovations to look forward to each month. And they probably won’t release things just for the heck of it anymore – they’ll be much more selective in what they choose to pursue.
Bummer? You betcha. But we understand – launching experimental products to the mass is dangerous. It’s worked for Google in many occasions, but has also hurt them a lot in others. As I mentioned before with examples of Wave and Buzz, those products left bad tastes in the mouths of users and developers before Google even had a chance to refine the services. As a result, those projects were made obsolete and closed. Not something you’d want to deal with if you were in their position either. [Google, Thanks Vlad!]
I thought that GLabs were already done by the engineers just in their spare time.
— from google labs faq
Who builds these things, anyway?
Google engineers and researchers do. Because many of these projects are supported only in their spare time, we ask for your indulgence if a demo refuses to run, or even walk quickly. In fact, every once in a while some of these demos may crash. If they do, we’ll pick them up, dust them off, and try to send them back out into the playground as quickly as possible.
—
it is sad news anyway
And they’ve moved April Fools to August 20, right? Please tell me I’m right – I’ll miss the cool stuff they build.
They may have changed April fools. Good thing its July 20th.
And on-topic. I am going to miss poking around there labs website. Kind of like the launch of the OG Nexus….so many memories!
LOOK, THIS GUY IS FROM THE FUTURE
While it is sad, I think it’s in Google’s best interest to focus on and support what they have already.
I must be the only person in the world who actually really loved Wave. Existing labs for gmail are super-useful too; I hope they don’t remove them entirely.
This actually makes me sadder than I’d have thought. Poor, poor Google Labs…
I think now days Goggle have to work on Goggle +. these matters are very off for me and most of the readers.
Google are shifting direction. It’s time to get down to business and formalize its offerings. If you think about it, this seems due given their size and position in the market. They definitely are no start-up any longer and are starting to show it.
Labs was cool.
I only hope that means they’re release the source to Google Listen – it just needs a few small additions and it’d be perfect for my needs.
That said, Labs will be sorely missed :(
Shame, loved labs, TOO
I guess that means they will never update Google Listen, maybe they will add podcasts to Music Beta.
This blunt is for you google labs