Google Acquires Its First Ever UK Startup. Visual Search Engine Plink.

News just in that Google has acquired its first UK startup, a visual search engine for the mobile called Plink.

Founded by Oxford University PhD students Mark Cummins and James Philbin in 2008, Plink’s first product was PlinkArt, a mobile app that allows its users “identify almost any work of art just by taking a photo of it.”

The Guardian reports that the app was brought to Google’s attention during the Android Develop Challenge in December last year, an initiative to promote innovative new applications for Google’s mobile platform, when the pair won $100,000 – Plink’s sole funding to date.

The two founders say they will continue to work on improving visual search, primarily on Google Goggles, the Internet giant’s visual search project (video demo below). The acquisition price has remained undisclosed.