Microsoft Buys Tellme

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Although Microsoft did not disclose how much it is spending to buy Tellme, it is one of its biggest purchases in years. Several media outlets estimated the deal at $800 million, while one Wall Street analyst claimed the purchase price topped $1 billion. Microsoft's bets on the potential of voice recognition go well beyond Tellme. The company has spent years building its own voice interface into products like Windows and Exchange Server. Speech recognition has also been a longtime priority for Microsoft's research unit. Kai-Fu Lee, the Chinese executive whose departure for Google sparked a multiple-state legal battle, is among those who have focused on voice recognition work at the company.