Google reportedly acquires natural language processing startup Wavii

Word that Google has snapped up natural language processing startup Wavii first came from TechCrunch, and now the Wall Street Journal is chiming in with its own sources claiming the deal has in fact been struck, and that an announcement is imminent. In its current form, Wavii parses a personalized news feed and distills text into a summary for the top stories, similar to Yahoo's recently-purchased Summly. TechCrunch reports that Apple and Google were locked in a bidding war for the outfit, but the web titan ultimately won with a bid in the neighborhood of $30 million. According to the WSJ, the fledgling firm's talent will join Page and Co.'s web search team, which means the language detection technology may bolster its Knowledge Graph, giving users better results (and direct answers) for their queries. As language recognition permeates Page and Co.'s projects, Google Now and Google Glass could potentially benefit from the acquisition as well. Mountain View has yet to acknowledge the reported purchase, but if the tea leaves are being read correctly, expect that to happen soon.

Source: TechCrunch, Wall Street Journal

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By: Unknown On 9:55 PM

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LG's latest smart TV Magic Remote can control other devices, understand natural language

We've seen several iterations of LG's Magic remote since it was first introduced in 2010 with gesture control, as it added a click wheel and a mic for voice control (QWERTY for the Google TV), and LG has announced it's returning with a new model at CES in a few days. The new Magic remote keeps all of those features and adds on with universal remote capabilities that let it control other hardware in your home theater, and improved software with Natural Language support. That means you can just say the name of a program or a channel, and see it automatically pop up on the screen. The design of the hardware itself has also been tweaked, with repositioned buttons and, on the premium version that ships with higher end TVs, a smaller model with backlit keys. We'll surely give it another hand waving, command shouting demo once we're in Las Vegas, until then you can just check out another pic and a press release after the break.

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Filed under: HD, LG

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By: Dilusha On 12:58 AM

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Softbank will offer satellite phones for use during natural disasters

Japanese mobile service provider Softbank announced today that it will sell satellite phones that can be used during tsunamis, earthquakes, or other events during which traditional mobile phone service may be unavailable. The carrier has partnered with Dubai-based Thuraya, a satellite phone and service provider, to sell satellite-based phones to its home market. Softbank, which is in the midst of a $20.1 billion acquisition of US carrier Sprint, has been slower than other Japanese carriers to restore critical mobile services after natural disaster-caused outages. Satellite phone sales will primarily target essential services such as government officials, energy providers, and local media, though private citizens will be able to buy the phones through retail outlets in order to stay connected during critical events. No word yet on price, though Japanese consumers can expect these phones on the market by February.

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Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Via: Computerworld

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By: Dilusha On 2:47 PM

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