Sorry, Santa. According to Google, December no longer exists. STORY HIGHLIGHTS A buggy app in Google's new mobile operating system omits the month of December One headline asks, "Is Google the new Grinch who stole Christmas?" The company is looking into the problem (CNN) -- Is Google in a hurry to get 2012 over with? Probably not. But that didn't stop the snarky headlines after it was discovered that a buggy app in the new version of Google's mobile operating system omits the month of December. The People app lets users bookmark friends' birthdays and other important dates on a calendar. But some users of Android 4.2, the system's newest update, are complaining they can't note December dates in the app because its calendar skips from November to January. December simply does not exist. The Internet's reaction was swift. Why is Google being investigated? Google results can go 'completely wrong' "Is Google the new Grinch who stole Christmas?" posed CNET, a tech-news site. "Sure, the month of December can be expensive and stressful, but Google apparently has an app for avoiding it." Added Business Insider, "The new version of Android thinks there are only 11 months in a year." And Engadget said the Android bug "makes end-of-year birthdays even less bearable." Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. But a post on an Android troubleshooting board indicated that the company is looking into the problem. Android 4.2 is found on a handful of devices, including Google's Galaxy Nexus phone and Nexus 7 tablet. The bug does not affect the Calendar app in Android 4.2 -- nicknamed Jelly Bean -- where December is still alive and well. So maybe Google isn't worried about that Mayan apocalypse after all.

Viggle is taking over GetGlue, a smaller but better-known rival.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — The social TV space has been percolating for the past year or two, and its first big merger is here: startup GetGlue has been acquired by lesser-known Viggle.

Viggle (VGGL) will buy GetGlue for $25 million in cash and about 48.3 million shares of the company’s publicly traded stock, worth around $53 million at Friday’s closing price. Viggle will run both brands and continue to employ GetGlue’s 34 employees. GetGlue founder and CEO Alex Iskold will take a senior executive position and a board seat at Viggle. (Time Warner, CNNMoney’s parent company, is a GetGlue investor.)

Social TV software — also known as “second screen” apps or even the clunky phrase “simultaneous viewing” tools — taps into TV viewers’ use of mobile devices while they watch their favorite shows. More than a dozen startups have popped up to take advantage of the trend, with each platform taking a slightly different approach.

Viggle, which bills itself “the first ever loyalty program for television,” awards users points for “checking in” through an app when they watch TV shows. The app uses audio fingerprinting tech to identify automatically which show a user is watching.

Then, Viggle users can cash in points for gift cards from partners includingBarnes & Noble (BKS, Fortune 500), Best Buy (BBY, Fortune 500), Chili’s, Apple’s (AAPL, Fortune 500) iTunes and more.

GetGlue offers a similar check-in system, though its platform particularly highlights social interactions and a personalized TV guide. GetGlue, which launched in 2007, says its user base is now at 3.2 million.

Viggle’s platform currently has 1.2 million users. Its parent company was founded in June 2010, but the TV check-in service didn’t launch until January 2012.

Combining forces could prove a good move for Viggle and GetGlue, as the social TV space has already killed off some of its would-be contenders. BeeTV, a “hub” for social TV viewing, folded one year ago, a few months after check-in site Philo sold itself to social ad company LocalResponse.

Even for the startups that survive, it can be tough to carve out a workable and profitable niche. The buzzy company Miso, which launched in 2010, has switched its approach several times over the past two years. Last December Miso unveiled SideShows, a feature that let networks or fans to create their own second-screen content.

But Miso’s users didn’t take to SideShows, and this month the company pivoted yet again. Its new Quips app lets users save their favorite TV show moments and share them with friends on social networks.

Still, both big companies and new startups continue to invest in the space.Yahoo (YHOO, Fortune 500) purchased check-in service IntoNow in April 2011 for an undisclosed sum. British startup Zeebox landed on U.S. shores in September with partnerships including Comcast (CMCSA), NBC Universal, and HBO, which is owned by CNNMoney parent Time Warner (TWC, Fortune 500). 

Sorry, Santa. According to Google, December no longer exists. STORY HIGHLIGHTS A buggy app in Google's new mobile operating system omits the month of December One headline asks, "Is Google the new Grinch who stole Christmas?" The company is looking into the problem (CNN) -- Is Google in a hurry to get 2012 over with? Probably not. But that didn't stop the snarky headlines after it was discovered that a buggy app in the new version of Google's mobile operating system omits the month of December. The People app lets users bookmark friends' birthdays and other important dates on a calendar. But some users of Android 4.2, the system's newest update, are complaining they can't note December dates in the app because its calendar skips from November to January. December simply does not exist. The Internet's reaction was swift. Why is Google being investigated? Google results can go 'completely wrong' "Is Google the new Grinch who stole Christmas?" posed CNET, a tech-news site. "Sure, the month of December can be expensive and stressful, but Google apparently has an app for avoiding it." Added Business Insider, "The new version of Android thinks there are only 11 months in a year." And Engadget said the Android bug "makes end-of-year birthdays even less bearable." Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. But a post on an Android troubleshooting board indicated that the company is looking into the problem. Android 4.2 is found on a handful of devices, including Google's Galaxy Nexus phone and Nexus 7 tablet. The bug does not affect the Calendar app in Android 4.2 -- nicknamed Jelly Bean -- where December is still alive and well. So maybe Google isn't worried about that Mayan apocalypse after all.