Google Close To Striking Buyout Deal With Facial Recognition Company Viewdle

Facial recognition seems to be all the rage these (depending on who you ask, at least), and now it seems that Google wants a slice of that pie. CNET is reporting that the big G has almost closed on a deal to buy facial recognition firm Viewdle, and that the buyout could close sometime this week. Google has reportedly been working for a year to purchase Viewdle, and if that's true, then its clear that Google really wants to add Viewdle's facial recognition technology to its portfolio.

Viewdle's offerings are centered around using facial recognition tech to tag your friends in pictures. Hearing that, it's obvious why Google wants to purchase Viewdle, as Google could use that technology with both Google Plus and Android. Facebook is already using facial recognition to make tagging friends in pictures easier, so Google may be looking at this Viewdle purchase as a way to give Facebook a run for its money.

While that's probably the direction Google will go once it owns Viewdle, it wouldn't be that hard to imagine Viewdle's technology implemented in Google Glass. There we'll probably see more functionality beyond simply tagging friends in images, but facial recognition and Google Glass seem like another obvious match. We shall just have to wait and see, provided Google wants to talk about its plans for Viewdle once the buyout has been finalized.

That could potentially happen as early as tomorrow. The sources CNET spoke to said that Google was paying somewhere between $30 million and $45 million for Viewdle, which would be a steal for Google if it means adding facial recognition to its arsenal. Keep it tuned here to SlashGear, because we'll be bringing you more details as this story develops.

[via Android Community]