This looks an interesting acquisition, and the real-time aspect is going to be of interest to many developers.

Today we extend a warm welcome to Firebase, who is joining the Google Cloud Platform team. Firebase makes it very easy for developers to build mobile and web apps that store and sync data in realtime.[url]Google Acquires Firebase Which Helps Developers Produce Better Real-Time Mobile Apps[/url]

With Firebase, developers are able to easily sync data across web and mobile apps without having to manage connections or write complex sync logic. Firebase makes it easy to build applications that work offline and has full-featured libraries for all major web and mobile platforms, including Android and iOS.