Monday, April 14, 2014

"Google buys Titan Aerospce and joins Facebook in the drone wars" (GOOG; FB)

Google sure does own a lot of dual use (military/civilian) stuff.
From Pando Daily:
 drone
Google has agreed to acquire the drone-maker that Facebook was reportedly courting earlier this year. The company, Titan Aerospace, will continue to operate from its New Mexico office.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The Wall Street Journal reports that Titan Aerospace’s drones will be used to improve Project Loon, the company’s attempt to use aerial vehicles to deliver Internet connections in far-flung corners of the world. They will also be able to take high-resolution images, offer access to voice networks, and carry other atmospheric sensors.

The acquisition comes shortly after reports that Facebook also expressed interest in Titan’s drones but ultimately chose to create a team of engineers who used to work at NASA and the Ascenta drone startup. That team provides the foundation for Connectivity Lab, a group at Facebook dedicated to connecting more people to the Internet in partnership with the Mark Zuckerberg-backed Internet.org nonprofit. It intends to use drones the same way Google does....MORE