No sooner than MySpace India was launched, Google had introduced "OpenSocial Applications" to its popular social network, Orkut.
While Rupert Murdoch-owned News Corp got busy launching MySpace India yesterday, search giant Google went ahead with the launch of "OpenSocial Applications" on its Orkut social networking Web site; incidentally very popular in India.
"OpenSocial Applications" are developed by third-party developers, and allow Orkut users customize their profile pages with games, music, etc as also interact with buddies, Google said.
Manu Rekhi, product manager of Google (USA) reportedly said, "With over a dozen applications to choose from today and many more on the way, you can share your favorite books with other enthusiasts, tell your friends about your favorite hangouts, and even play games with them. These applications are integrated into user profiles in the same manner as regular Orkut features, such as scrapbook or testimonials."
With many of the applications contributed by Indian developers, you can expect some more of the 'desi' flavor on Orkut. One such "OpenSocial Application" is 'Hangout', which, as the name suggests, allows you to schedule an event (any event) and invite friends to it.
Meanwhile, Orkut is claimed to have an estimated over 60 lakh users in India.