HP creates Gabble, the 'private' competitor to YouTube


Google, Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) may have some new competition for its incredibly-popular (if unprofitable) YouTube unit. Gabble is a new community created for private video sharing for those individuals, groups and families who may not necessarily want to show the entire world their video footage. Its creator: Hewlett-Packard Corp. (NYSE: HPQ).

Why would yet another video sharing product want to come up against YouTube, you may ask? Good question. Gabble has the apparent goal of letting those who want to post video online but who have privacy concerns about YouTube . Gabble is also provided free of charge, but only people you invite can view your videos. HP probably has the goal here of recruiting more consumers to their market share-leading PC brand to ensure Dell, Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) or Taiwan's Acer doesn't make any headway into its consumer business.

HP's biggest argument -- online video privacy -- is already offered by YouTube. But Gabble's is turned on by default. Consumers want a solution without endless settings and options, and this provides for that need. The problem HP faces is how to market this. For now, it can stick a large Gabble icon on the desktop of its laptops, netbooks and desktop PCs and instantly recruit a user base that way.

HP CTO Shane Robison indicated that Gabble, like many upcoming HP online products, is an experiment that could find a long life or an early retirement based on how many people actually start using it. With HP shares off their 52-week high of $48, services like this that keep consumers coming back and keeps HP top-of-mind can only be a good thing. That is, if successful.
Symbol Lookup
IndexesChangePrice
DJIA+65.9212,867.15
NASDAQ0.002,903.88
S&P 500+9.191,351.83

Last updated: February 13, 2012: 09:54 AM

Hot Stocks

General Electric

18.94+0.065(+0.34)

Alcoa

10.35+0.06(+0.58)

Apple Inc

501.08+7.66(+1.55)

Google Inc 'A'

612.04+6.13(+1.01)

Bank of America

8.25+0.18(+2.23)

Wal-Mart Stores

61.89-0.01(-0.02)

Exxon Mobil Corp

84.07+0.27(+0.32)

Ford

12.61+0.17(+1.37)

Citigroup

33.38+0.455(+1.38)

IBM

192.89+0.47(+0.24)

Yahoo

16.15+0.01(+0.06)

Starbucks

48.84+0.02(+0.04)

Microsoft

30.63+0.135(+0.44)

Home Depot

45.59+0.26(+0.57)

DailyFinance Headlines

Benzinga Headlines

TheFlyOnTheWall.com Headlines

BioHealth Investor Headlines

WalletPop Headlines

DailyFinance BlackBerry App

My Portfolios

Track your stocks here!

Find out why more people track their portfolios on AOL Money & Finance then anywhere else.

BloggingStocks Partners

More from AOL Money & Finance

BioHealth Investor Headlines

Page Loaded in 1329144858714 ms.