Nokia to buy travel social network Dopplr

Nokia has acquired Dopplr, a London-based social network focused on traveling, TechCrunch reports, based on information reportedly passed on by an anonymous source close to the deal. The deal continues Nokia’s fierce acquisition strategy, which has already rolled up small companies like Plum, Bit-Side and Cellity just in the last year.

Clearly, neither of the companies involved have confirmed the financial terms of the deal, however the TechCrunch post estimates the purchase price at 10 – 15 million euros — or $15 – 22 million taking exchange rates into account. Dopplr, backed by the Accelerator Group and a long list of angel investors that includes Del.ico.us founder Joshua Schacter, was in the middle of raising a first round of venture funding.

Dopplr is one of many travel sites that have tapped into social networking features to recruit new users and keep them loyal to the brand. On Dopplr, jet-set users can connect with one another to share their travel plans. This comes in handy when you want to send your itinerary to a group of colleagues or family members. It can also highlight which friends live in (or who are visiting) the cities or regions you are traveling to in case you want to contact them ahead of time for a visit or a place to stay. You can subscribe to your friends’ travel plans to stay up to date with them.

Dopplr is in a crowded field of tough competition. Sites like TripIt, and TravelMuse, and TripMate have introduced a social aspect to travel, itinerary creation and sharing. For this reason, it’s unclear why Nokia selected it from the bunch. Maybe its top-tier investors made a difference, or the character of its userbase (primarily affluent, frequent travelers). There’s also no word on how the company will be folded into Nokia’s offerings. Perhaps it will be offered as an application in Nokia’s mobile application store, Ovi.

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