Is Google Jazzing Up Its Email CROWN JEWEL?

Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) is hoping to give its Gmail service a new push by acquiring e-mail productivity app developer Sparrow for an undisclosed amount. Sparrow’s $9.99 app lets users of Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone and Mac computers streamline their multiple email accounts in one place. While the app is compatible with Gmail, it currently does not work on smartphones using Google’s Android operating system.

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“We care a lot about how people communicate, and we did our best to provide you with the most intuitive and pleasurable mailing experience,” Sparrow chief executive Dom Leca wrote on the company’s website. “Now we’re joining the Gmail team to accomplish a bigger vision — one that we think we can better achieve with Google.”

Leca thanked several Sparrow investors, including former Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) employee and current Path chief executive Dave Morin. The chief executive said its service will still be available to users, though a message on Apple’s iTunes says there will be no new features released for the app.

Originally started as a side project, Sparrow was downloaded 42,000 times in just five days when it launched in 2010. According to the Paris-based company’s website, it has five employees, including cofounders Leca and Hoa Dinh Viet.

“The Sparrow team has always put their users first by focusing on building a seamlessly simple and intuitive interface for their email client,” a Google spokeswoman told Bloomberg. “We look forward to bringing them aboard the Gmail team, where they’ll be working on new projects.”

Gmail’s number of total unique visitors rose 17 percent in June compared to the same month last year to reach 277.6 million.

Shares of Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) finished Friday at $610.82.

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