The search engine company Google acquired Jaiku, a Finnish community service, in October, a transaction that led to Jaiku transferring from Finland to California.

"We are looking forward with enthusiasm to the coming months, when we will enter a phase of expansion developed in association with Google" says Jaiku.

Jaiku is a community service that is used via a mobile phone or the Internet. Its operating idea is based on presence. The usability of the service with a mobile phone separates Jaiku from many Internet communities.

The service makes it possible to send information about your own movements or actions to other Jaiku users. Updated information is transferred to pals belonging to the same "community".

Suited to Google

Petteri Koponen and Jyri Engeström set up Jaiku in the summer of 2006. It acquired its first users in the autumn of the same year. In the spring of 2007 Jaiku had 40,000 users.

The fact that Jaiku has ended up at Google is considered to be something of a surprise. "We happened to be doing what Google is interested in at this moment," Engeström explains.

Google is one of the world's most productive Internet companies. This year it has acquired several companies operating on the Internet.

>> www.jaiku.com

Jaiku, which had its headquarters in Helsinki, transferred to the United States in October.