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Google is making a play in the mobile photo search market with the purchase of Neven Vision. Separately, Google launched its previously announced Wi-Fi service network ahead of schedule in its hometown of Mountain View, Calif.
The Neven Vision buy is designed to give Google's free photo-organizing software, Picasa, a mobile shot in the arm. Neven Vision confirmed the acquisition, saying Google was attracted to the company for its expertise and innovation in mobile visual search and facial recognition technology.
"Neven Vision comes to Google with deep technology and expertise around automatically extracting information from a photo," wrote Picasa Product Manager Adrian Graham in a blog entry on Tuesday. "It could be as simple as detecting whether or not a photo contains a person, or, one day, as complex as recognizing people, places and objects. This technology just may make it a lot easier for you to organize and find the photos you care about."
Google did not reveal the financial terms of the deal with Neven Vision.
In June of this year, IDC named Neven Vision as one of the top 10 wireless entertainment companies with potential to make a significant impact in 2006 and 2007.
In other Google news, the company launched its GoogleWi-Fi service in Mountain View, Calif. The company says it has installed radios on lampposts to enable the GoogleWi-Fi wireless signal to be broadcast throughout the city. The free service is available to city residents, businesses and visitors.
"We think successful mesh wireless deployments will promote competition, create cheaper access alternatives and (if done correctly) foster open, standards-compliant platforms for content and service providers to showcase their applications without the hassle of the traditional walled-garden approach," wrote Product Manager Minnie Ingersoll on the Google blog this morning.
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