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Personalized portal Netvibes was one of the first applications that got me hooked on web apps in general. It was really useful, it had great community support, and it was always one step ahead of its competition. Pageflakes is a very similar (and also very good) application, but unfortunately being one little step behind Netvibes has took a toll on its traffic and its future prospects.
Now, after speculations about financial problems and acquisition, Pageflakes has officially announced they've been acquired by Brad Greenspan's LiveUniverse. The transaction was a combination of cash and stock, however the precise terms of the deal remain undisclosed.
According to the press release, Pageflakes will initially be integrated with LiveUniverse's video entertainment network LiveVideo, where users will get the ability to "remix and mashup their LiveVideo videos, photos, music, blogs and LiveShows with compelling interactive content from their favorite sites on the Web on their own “My LiveVideo” personalized page," which they can then "pagecast" within their LiveVideo network or to the entire web. Advertisers will be able to use the new platform for promoting brands, celebs and events by creating unique, interactive sites.
This move might also be partially spurred by Greenspan's headhunting ambitions, as he's got quite a team now. Besides him, it includes Dan Cohen who worked at both Google and Yahoo, Toan Nguyen who helped build MySpace, and Pageflakes co-founder Omar Al-Zabir.