Waka-waka, Maka Maka

Though most assumed Google would spend some time sulking after the Microsoft-Facebook deal, the search giant has instead unveiled plans to take Facebook head-on.

Codenamed "Maka-Maka," according to TechCrunch, Google plans to add a social matrix atop its applications, from Gmail to Google Maps. Google will also incorporate "activity feeds" (a la Facebook's "news feeds"), using the same engine that powers Google Reader.

And like Facebook, the search giant plans to open its back-end to developers — starting with social network Orkut, and ultimately spreading to all things Google. It's even taking it a step further by making those third-party apps compatible with non-Google parts of the web, such as competing social networks.

At Maka-Maka's core, Google sees the entire web as its playing field, instead of limiting social features and user apps to a closed-in social network.

It must first, however, work to match what Facebook has built. In the six months since Facebook originally opened its back-end, over 4,000 third-party apps have landed on the site.