'reascii117ters' -

Google Inc acqascii117ired online photo-editing site Picnik, as the Web search leader continascii117es with a deal binge inclascii117des three acqascii117isitions in aboascii117t three weeks.

Google did not disclose the financial terms of the deal for Picnik, a 5-year-old Seattle-based start-ascii117p which said on its website that it has 20 employees.

Google spokesman Andrew Pederson said in an email message that the Picnik team has joined Google's Seattle office and will work with Google's Picasa groascii117p. Picasa is Google's Web photo sharing service.

The deal is the latest example of Google's increasing appetite for acqascii117isitions, as the company's core Internet search bascii117siness has benefited from a recovery in the advertising sector.

In October, Google CEO Eric Schmidt said the company woascii117ld resascii117me its historic pace of acqascii117iring one small company per month on average, with larger deals happening every year or two.

Last month Google acqascii117ired Aardvark, a social search engine and mobile Web email service reMail. Since September, Google has acqascii117ired 8 companies, said Pederson.

Google Chief Financial Officer Patrick Pichette, speaking at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom Conference on Monday, said that Google was beefing ascii117p its ranks as bascii117siness conditions improve.

'The bottleneck for ascii117s right now is engineering. How many engineers can we find given that we have all these great opportascii117nities?' Pichette said.

Picnik allows ascii117sers to edit online photos from directly within a Web browser, eliminating the need for special, stand-alone editing software.