Google files patent for voice search; a blow to Promptu, V-Enable?
 |
| (from V-Enable’s homepage demo) |
Google filed a patent for voice-activated search five years ago, and it was finally awarded yesterday.
Wonder what this means for start-ups like Promptu, of Menlo Park, or V-Enable, of San Diego, which also have developed voice-based search technology, for mobile phones?
Less than a year ago, Promptu’s parent, AgileTV, raised $22 million in venture capital, though its business model extends beyond voice search. More vulnerable is V-Enable, which focuses entirely on voice search, and several weeks ago announced it had raised $6 million in venture capital.
Next Story: Google Calendar unleashed
Previous Story: The secret Narus spy software at Folsom Street
About the Author, Matt Marshall
Matt launched VentureBeat in September of 2006, with the realization that no one else was covering the entrepreneurial and tech innovation scene with the velocity or depth that he was. Prior to founding VentureBeat, he covered venture capital for the San Jose Mercury News from 2001 to 2006. In 2002, Matt was awarded "Journalist of the Year" by the Northern California Society of Professional Journalists. Prior to working at the Merc, he was a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal in Bonn, Germany from 1995 to 1998, and a writer for the Washington Post in 1994. Matt holds a PhD in Government and an MA in German and European Studies from Georgetown University. In addition to VentureBeat, Matt is also the Executive Producer of DEMO, the leading launchpad event for emerging technologies.
