In a win-win for Google, co-founder Sergey Brin along with three other persons has been granted a US patent for a voice interface for search engines.
This essentially means if and when Google has a product to show for its patent, users will be able to phone an internet search query or say it aloud instead of typing it in - the way they do presently. Of course naysayers predict that not all patent applications necessarily translate into prospective product announcements for the company.
Alexander Franz and Brian Milch - authors of the patent application, had written about such an interface in their 2002 academic paper dubbed "Searching the Web by Voice". Brin and company filed the patent in 2001, post which Google did make the voice search feature available though briefly through Google Labs, its veritable hotbed for just-out-of-the-egg ideas.
The patent filing is reportedly worded, "there exists a need for a voice interface that is effective for search engines". The document suggests that Google will be utilizing the reams of its stored text and audio queries to enhance speech recognition and relevance.
Although analysts are betting upon the chances of search engines treating speech and speech-related issues as the hot new topic; for entities such as the US Department of Justice and others, this could well be reason for some more sleepless nights over concerns regarding individual privacy.
Google got US patent for a voice interface for search engines.
India Added 3.9 new GSM user
India, the world's fastest growing mobile phone market, added a record 3.9 million new GSM users in March, an industry body said on Saturday.
A statement from the Cellular Operators' Association of India, which represents the country's nine GSM carriers, said the past month's additions boosted the total GSM customer base to about 69.1 million.
Including subscribers on the rival CDMA technology, India added a total of 5.14 million mobile customers in March, taking the total number of mobile users to 90.54 million.
March CDMA figures were released earlier this week by the Association of Unified Telecom Service Providers of India.
India, which is Asia's third largest economy, has among the world's lowest call rates at less than 2 U.S. cents a minute, charges that have been attracting subscribers in the millions.
Competition among providers is intense with demand for mobile services growing fast and carriers have been expanding networks in rural areas where two-thirds of India's billion-plus people live.
India's top telecoms firm by sales, unlisted state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd., added nearly 1.1 million subscribers in March, raising its GSM user base to 17.2 million.
India's top mobile services firm, Bharti Tele-Ventures Ltd., also added about 1.1 million new users, propelling its customer base to 19.6 million.
UK-based mobile giant Vodafone Group Plc owns a 10 percent stake in Bharti, which is also 30.84 percent owned by Singapore Telecommunications Ltd. (SingTel).
Hutchison Essar Telecom Ltd., the Indian wireless operation of Hong Kong's Hutchison Telecommunications International Ltd., added more than 0.8 million new users in March. The firm's user base now stands at about 15.4 million customers.
Rival CDMA operators include Reliance Communications Ventures Ltd., which added 784,211 users in March taking its base to 15.4 million, while the salt-to-software Tata group's unlisted Tata Teleservices Ltd. saw its user base rise by 477,136 additions to nearly 4.9 million.
Reliance Communications also has GSM operations via Reliance Telecom Ltd. which added 103,905 users in March, raising its mobile base to over 1.9 million.
Sony Ericssons W608i anounced
Sony Ericsson widened its portfolio of 3G handsets with the launch of the K608i, a dual camera 3G Mobile Phones . The Sony Ericsson intuitive dual front camera phone design makes the handset a phone when it is vertical, and a 1.3 Mega pixel camera when it is horizontal.
According to the company sources, the K608i with an aluminum feel has a user interface that is easy to use and navigate. The camera includes an active lens cover for swift activation and extra protection. It also offers video telephony. The large 1.8-inch, 262K TFT color screen with the direct video telephony button ensures video calls are crisp and clear.
The K608i is also a music player with high quality audio, coupled with an FM radio and the ability to download full music tracks directly to the phone. Personal creativity tools allow customers to personalize ringtones, wallpapers, still shots and video footage. In addition, the K608i features a suite of business applications that manages personal information and PC-synchronization via USB or Bluetooth, making it the ideal executive work tool, providing business efficiency with high-speed access. The phone comes pre-loaded with Vijay Singh Pro Golf 2005 in 3D from Gameloft.
The features that K608i packages with it are a 1.3 Megapixel camera, Digital Still Camera user interface, 176 x 220 pixel TFT display, 262K colour display, Video recording and fullscreen playback, SMS and MMS, Wireless village, Adobe picture PC software, VideoDJ Photo light 4X Digital zoom, Macromedia Flash Lite (trademark of Macromedia), Push e-mail, Entertainment Video Call, FM radio, Media player (MP3/AAC), 32MB User Memory, Pre-loaded games, 72 polyphonic ringtones, USB support, PC synchronization and Bluetooth.
K608i is priced at an MRP of RS.10,295 and is now available in all retail stores across the country.
Google anounced new search algorithm Orian
Google has bought a new search algorithm penned by Ori Alon, an Israeli student from the University of New South Wales, Australia. Apparently they beat Microsoft and Yahoo, who were also interested in the super-advanced technique for prioritizing relevance in text-searches.
The algorithm called Orion, works out the most relevant text on which to perform a search. It only works in English and rates the text by quality of the site in which it appears. Orion will make searches less-time consuming, by working with existing search engines and expanding on their function. Moreover, instead of finding pages on the net that contain keywords, then providing links, the new search engine will provide expanded text extracts which will eradicate the need to open every link.
Orion had sparked interest from the likes of Google, Microsoft and Yahoo, with Google eventually acquiring the rights to the algorithm. Alon stated that Orion would improve the speed and focus of internet searches making it an invaluable service. As its developers say, the new search-engine tool will revolutionize the way people retrieve information from the internet. Alon further explained that, it also provides a list of terms or topics related to the original search keyword. This new tool would make net surfing much easier and less frustrating, giving information directly and immediately making it a great time-saver for users.
According to sources, it is confirmed that Ori Alon works at Google's Mountain View, California offices. Unfortunately there is no public demo of Orion, but this system is said to give users the most relevant results and a list of suggested topics that the user may not be aware of.
Panasonics Laptops Soon In India
Panasonic Systems, one of the leading manufacturers of electronic and electrical products for consumer, business and industrial use, reportedly plans to launch the ToughBook T2 in India by the end of this month.
According to the company, Panasonic Toughbook T2 is ultra portable, super slim and loaded with long lasting power. Durable, compact and versatile, it boasts of a full magnesium alloy case with a shock mounted hard drive. The Toughbook T2 comes equipped with an Intel Pentium M processor, operating at 1.2 GHz. The included robust 40 GB Hard drive gives you enough space for all of your pictures, music, home movies and all other essential data. It has the 12.1" TFT active matrix display.
The product specifications look something like this - Intel Pentium M 1.2 GHz ULV Processor, a 12.1" Screen TFT active matrix XGA (1024 x 768), 256 MB (installed) / 512 MB (max) DDR SDRAM memory, 40 GB Hard Drive, Input Device like Touch Screen, Touchpad, Keyboard, comes with integrated features like 56 Kbps Fax/Modem, Speaker and wireless LAN antenna. It weighs 2.6 lbs and includes Microsoft Windows XP Professional.
Panasonic Toughbook T2 comes with a 3 years warranty limited on parts and labor. The product will be available in India at a price of around Rs.1,60,000 excluding tax through their sole National Distributor, Third Wave Exim.