Google to retire Blogger & Picasa brands in Google+ Push

Google intends to retire several non-Google name brands and rename them as Google products, Mashable has learned.The move is part of a larger effort to unify its brand for the public launch of Google+, the search giant's social initiative. Blogger and Picasa aren't going away, of course — they're two of Google's most popular products. Instead, according to two sources familiar with the matter, Google intends to rename Picasa "Google Photos" and Blogger will become "Google Blogs." Several other Google brands are likely to be affectGoogleed, though YouTube may not be rebranded. The technology giant shut down Google Video, its failed web video service, in May. The move isn't without precedent; Google acquired JotSpot in 2006 and rebranded it as Google Sites in 2008. In 2007, Google acquired VOIP platform GrandCentral and relaunched it as Google Voice in 2009. Picasa and Blogger were also Google acquisitions, although both companies have been part of the Google empire for far longer. Picasa was acquired in 2004 and Blogger was acquired in 2003 and is one of the top 10 most visited websites in the world. Although the rebranding could upset some existing customers, it also gives Google the ability to completely integrate both services into Google+. The transition from Picasa and Blogger to Google Photos and Google Blogs will occur "in a month to a month and a half". The date aligns with the likely public launch of Google+. It is expected that, the public debut of Google+ on or before July 31. The date is important because it's the day all private Google Profiles will be deleted. Google doesn't want to have private profiles after the public Google+ launch. Instead, the company is likely to encourage users who want more privacy to use Circles to cu [...]

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