Last November, rumors circulated that Google had purchased facial recognition company Riya. (Giga Om and Search Engine Watch). The deal was not cheap at a rumored $40 million. If that transaction went through it's not obvious as Riya's whois information remains shielded via Domains by Proxy. Regardless, it's worth checking out the software, as it returns a unique viewing experience, kind of like the comments in Flickr photos only done automatically.
The new rumor: Google will shortly purchase Santa Monica, CA based Nevenvision.com, a company that has also created facial recognition software. Neat as such software is, I suspect the real power behind Nevenvision is the commercial applications they have already put in place using their image recognition software. Not some "2.0" company whose product might have a use somewhere, Nevenimages has technology that will not only help Google Images but transform how Google interacts with consumers and brands.
Nevenvision will do for mobile what Applied Semantics did for content ads. It will push Google ahead of others and could very well have Google earning more through mobile applications in foreign markets such as China than they do via PC based web efforts. One read through of Nevenvision's (confusing) product description for consumers shows how, "Shoot the CD cover of your favorite artist and get a sample MP3 or ring tone or enter to win concert tickets. Shoot an ad in the newspaper and get a coupon or product information." This is powerful stuff that not only fits well within Google's mission but can actually make them money.
Note - if this rumor proves true, this is pretty much a one off. As much as I like to see my subscriber numbers increase, it's time to get back to what I actually know - lead generation, incentive promotion, domain monetization, ad networks, arbitrage and a smattering of email.
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