By Jimmie Geddes email: j.geddes@mobilenapps.com | Jan 24, 2013 12:08 PM EST
Amazon marches to the beat of its own drum when it comes to Android. It uses its own interface on top of Android on its Kindle Fire tablets and now it is choosing to use its own voice recognition software in its acquisition of IVONA Software.
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Amazon announced that it has acquired IVONA Software a leading text-to-speech technology company. Amazon already uses IVONA's technology in "Text-to-Speech," "Voice Guide" and "Explore by Touch" features on its Kindle Fire tablets.
The move highlights Amazon's continued key efforts to differentiating itself from other Android manufacturers by using its own innovations and not depending on Google to implement features it would like to offer in its Android devices. For instance, Amazon does not use Google's Play Store on any of its Kindle Fire tablets; instead it has its own Amazon App Store for its Android ecosystem. This acquisition also appears to confirm that Amazon will not be using Android's built-in Google Now voice recognition engine in its Kindle Fire tablets or rumored future smartphone.
Amazon has found great success with its Kindle Fire tablets and its focus on completely redefining the Android UI has completely paid off and it is now one of the top players in the tablet world. The key to growth is unique innovation and Amazon shows no signs of slowing down in that area.
Here's the press release:
Amazon.com, Inc. today announced that it has acquired leading text-to-speech technology company IVONA Software. IVONA delivers world-class technologies that power the "Text-to-Speech," "Voice Guide" and "Explore by Touch" features on Kindle Fire tablets. Additionally, IVONA delivers text-to-speech products and services for thousands of developers, businesses and customers around the world.
"IVONA's exceptional text-to-speech technology leads the industry in natural voice quality, accuracy and ease of use. IVONA is already instrumental in helping us deliver excellent accessibility features on Kindle Fire, including Text-to-Speech, Voice Guide and Explore by Touch," said Dave Limp, Vice President, Amazon Kindle. "The IVONA team shares our passion for innovation and customer obsession, and we look forward to building great products to deliver world-class voice solutions to customers around the world."
"For more than ten years, the IVONA team has been focused on creating innovative text-to-speech technologies," said Lukasz Osowski, CEO and co-founder of IVONA. "We are all thrilled that Amazon is supporting our growth so that we can continue to innovate and deliver exceptional voice and language support for our customers."
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