Google acquires Bitspin, makers of beautiful Android alarm clock app Timely

Maverick Jester

Maverick Jester

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Google has reportedly acquired Bitspin, the Swiss company best known for its beautifully designed Android alarm clock app Timely. Bitspin announced the move this week in a blog post, seeking to assure users that the acquisition won't mean Timely is winding down anytime soon: "For new and existing users, Timely will continue to work as it always has," the Bitspin team's blog post reads. That's good news for those Timely fans like The Verge's Dan Seifert who found the app's "clean design and fun animations make it a joy to use." And given Google's precedent for acquiring and killing off or neglecting beloved services, the assurance of continued operations is certainly a welcome one. Timely is available for free on Google Play, and all previously paid in-app purchases for new themes have been made free (thanks LinkDJ!).

Update: Sources with knowledge of the situation have confirmed to us that Google did acquire Timely and plans to keep the app available for free indefinitely, including premium clock faces.
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Source.

This can only be a good thing, especially for Android transitions and animations...
 
I vaguely recall paying for Timely via the Play store some time back when I first used it. Awesome app, used daily, sync's between al devices in the household.
 
Gamer said:
I vaguely recall paying for Timely via the Play store some time back when I first used it. Awesome app, used daily, sync's between al devices in the household.
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Thought so, yes, I bought the premium features.
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Bleh, enough about the app :p

The main reason I posted this is because this seems to be another acqui-hire by Google. And the timing of the buyout coupled with the latest transitions API push from Google, and it points to them focusing on a UI element that has for a while not been worked on enough, and what adds that extra bit of polish to iOS.
 
Maverick Jester said:
...API push from Google, and it points to them focusing on a UI element that has for a while not been worked on enough, and what adds that extra bit of polish to iOS.
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I think this demonstrates one of Android's strengths when compared to iOS quite clearly: its more open architecture allows developers to play more, and Google can see what tweaks to the OS are really popular among consumers. By staying more open, they've created a very effective feedback forum.
 
Tacet said:
I think this demonstrates one of Android's strengths when compared to iOS quite clearly: its more open architecture allows developers to play more, and Google can see what tweaks to the OS are really popular among consumers. By staying more open, they've created a very effective feedback forum.
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Agreed. What's also appreciable is that they willingly want to transmit the feedback into the OS.

Now if only they would allow the status bar toggles to be user customisable by default, it would be an absolute win...
 
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