Google Labs Gets Unplussed

Pssh, now that Google has their hip social network who needs those nerdy developers over in the Labs?

Google is shutting down Google Labs, the website that helped develop and refine such landmark programs as GMail, Google Maps, and Google Alerts (that last one ESPECIALLY for some of us). The web company posted a statement on their blog titled "More wood behind fewer arrows," explaining many of the experiments available on Google Labs would be available in other products that that company is currently developing. Labs' impact on the web can't be overstated – they released Google Docs in 2006 – and the loss of such a great forum of public innovation kinda smarts, too, but we'll get over it. Google Maps alone is enough of a reason to forgive any of the Benevolent Overlord's transgressions.