Google Buys Drone Maker Titan Aerospace

garymortimer (1882326) writes "Google has acquired drone maker Titan Aerospace. Titan is a New Mexico-based company that makes high-flying solar powered drones. There's no word on the price Google paid, but Facebook had been in talks to acquire the company earlier this year for a reported $60 million. Presumably, Google paid more than that to keep it away from Facebook. 'Google had just recently demonstrated how its Loon prototype balloons could traverse the globe in a remarkably short period of time, but the use of drones could conceivably make a network of Internet-providing automotons even better at globe-trotting, with a higher degree of control and ability to react to changing conditions. Some kind of hybrid system might also be in the pipeline that marries both technologies.'"

Comments

Re:Why in the FUCK

[wagnerrp]

It's cheaper to send a couple drones up to tirelessly update the aerial photography in Google Earth than manned aircraft.

Re:Live Google Maps?

[Marxist Hacker 42]

We'll also assume you're not interested in continuously updated images of empty ocean.
 
I think the families of Malaysian Flight 370 might have something to say about that.