Ok, if anyone can do it, they can. Keep in mind, Kai-Fu Lee, who is the president of Google China, used to work for Microsoft on speech technology. The patent covers voice interfaces for search engines, suitable for cell phone users. But Google doesn’t necessarily have a product in the works using the technology.

Conversing with computers, long the preferred mode of interaction between man and machine in science fiction, just moved closer to reality. Google Inc. on Tuesday was granted a patent for a voice interface for search engines.

Then again, it might just be a pipedream. Google spokesperson Barry Schnitt issued this characteristically opaque comment on the company’s plans: “Like many companies, we file patent applications on a variety of ideas that our employees may come up with. Some of those ideas later mature into real products or services, some don’t. Prospective product announcements should not be inferred from our patent applications.”

Here is the link to the full story.

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