Nik Software

Google has acquired smartphone image app developer Nik Software giving the company an alternative technology to offer users that will compete with Facebook’s Instagram. Google has not disclosed what it has paid for the company.

Nik is an established player in the mobile and desktop photo editing market and develops both for the general user space as well as having products that are targeted for the professional space as well. It was founded in 1995.

The company has won a number of awards for its programs including the 2011 International Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) Best Photo Software for its Complete Collection of professional photography products, which includes Color Efex Pro, HDR Efex Pro, Sharpener Pro, Silver Efex Pro, Viveza, and Dfine.

However it is likely that the app that caught Google’s attention is Snapseed, the first one that Nik released for the mobile space. Released last year it has already gained over 9 million users and won the iPad App of the Year from Apple’s App Store last year. This year TIPA awarded the app as winner in the Best Mobile Photo App category. Google has not laid out what it is planning on doing with the company.

Google has been a very aggressive player in the merger and acquisition space over the past few years with 119 deals so far in the company’s history. This year it has now acquired 10 companies counting Nik Software. Others include Meebo, QuickOffice, Sparrow, Frommer’s and VirusTotal.