With the worst of the economic downturn abating, Google, which stopped buying up small companies a few months ago ostensibly because prices were too high, is back scouting deals again. Google CEO Eric Schmidt told Reuters TV that he expects to close a small acquisition a month. He described the purchase as "in lieu of hiring." "There may be larger acquisitions," he said, "but they really are unpredictable." The news has the odds makers out laying bets on what might interest Google.