Google Launches Limited Version of "Google Offers" Coupon Service....

We recently found out that Google was readying a Groupon clone called Google Offers, and it looks like they've already started releasing the service (albeit in a limited format). To see offers, you can just do a Google search for coupons site:maps.google.com intitle:Google Offers to see the 41,500 results already available. If you'd like to see coupons available near you, there is an iGoogle gadget that can search by location. The deals aren't anything spectacular like Groupon or other similar services, but it's a nice gadget to stick in your iGoogle and check out when deciding where to go for lunch that day. Obviously, there will be quite a few more deals once Google officially launches the service, too. Hit the link to read more.

Google developing Groupon competitor called Offers............
Google's $6 billion bid for Groupon didn't work out, but it wasting no time preparing its own competing Google Offers local advertising product. The first hints of Google Offers came out last week. Google confirmed it, calling it a "test of a pre-paid offers/vouchers program," but offered no further details. Well, we have further details, courtesy of Google's very own search engine. (When PR fails, just Google it). There is a very simple way to get a list of active Google Offers coupons. It is kind of a back door, but if you do a search for "coupons site:maps.google.com intitle:Google Offers," you can see almost 42,000 results, most of which link to individual active coupons. For example, here is one for a free yoga class in Chicago (Groupon's home turf) or another one for 50 percent off lunch at a vegetarian restaurant in Watertown, Massachusetts. You can also add an Offers gadget to your iGoogle home page which shows offers near you.

but it's a nice gadget to stick in your iGoogle and check out when deciding where to go for lunch that day. Obviously, there will be quite a few more deals once Google officially launches the service, too. Hit the link to read more.

Update: As some commenters point out, these Google Offers look very similar to Google Coupons that have been available to local businesses as a feature of Google Places for a long time. It is possible that this is a rebranding of that feature in front of a broader Google Offers product launch. The iGoogle gadget is also new.

Update 2: I’ve been able to confirm that these Google Offers are indeed the same thing as what used to be called Google Coupons. The name has changed recently, although Google still refers to them as “coupons” on its support pages. Confusing matters even more, Google is preparing to launch a pre-paid offers product also called Google Offers which will be more Groupon-like in that the deal must be paid for in advance in order to redeem it. Both will be part of the same overall product family, but Google will presumably figure out a way to distinguish between the two.