So here is one of the weirder rumors coming out of Mountain View we’ve seen in a while: as Google Operating System’s Alex Chitu reports, Google is apparently working on an app called Google Mine that is meant to help you share real-world items, such as CDs, cars, bikes, gadgets or clothes, with your friends. The service, which is apparently closely integrated with Google+, is said to be in private beta testing within Google right now.
According to Chitu, the service also allows you to catalog your belongings, review them (which could be cool for purchases) and send requests to borrow stuff from friends. There also seems to be something akin to a wish list and a feature that will allow you to share a list of items you don’t want to share but just want to give away. All of this sharing, of course, happens on Google+.
The service, the report says, is available on the web and through an Android app. The app also supposedly includes a 3D viewer that’ll show you your objects, though it’s not clear how you would get these models into the app.
Google is obviously not the only company interested in this kind of real-world tracking. Mine, a startup that launched last December and that probably doesn’t have the exact same name by coincidence, is also working on giving its users the ability to track the things they own, but with a focus on what they’ve bought online. This service, though, seems to be more focused on e-commerce than on the sharing economy.
We have contacted Google for a response and will update this post once we hear more (though chances are, the answer will be some variation of “we don’t comment on rumors”).
Update: Google has responded: “We are always experimenting with new features to help improve people’s online experience, but have nothing specific to share at this time.”