Swype Android keyboard out of beta, available in Google Play Store for $0.99

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Swype’s Android keyboard is finally out of “beta” phase and now available to the masses. Swype, a Seattle-area startup that was acquired by Burlington, Mass.-based Nuance  for $102.5 million back in October 2011, has arrived in the Google Play Store. Previously, the keyboard that allows you to form words by dragging your finger from letter to letter… Read More…

GeekWire Radio on stage: Here is our broadcast from Seattle’s Pioneer Square

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Technology was the central topic, naturally, as we recorded the GeekWire radio show for the first time in front of an audience this week, at the HUB Seattle in Pioneer Square. But two unexpected themes also emerged from our guests — teamwork and trust. Our first guest, startup vet Mike McSherry, talked about the importance… Read More…

Lineup for the live GeekWire Radio Show: Mike McSherry, The Icarus Kid and more

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Each week, Todd Bishop and I get together to talk about all things geek — revisiting the top news stories, profiling our favorite apps and sharing opinions on the ever-changing  tech industry. Typically, this discussion takes place in the cozy studios of our radio partner: KIRO FM. But next week, we’re trying something entirely new,… Read More…

A Siri for advertising: These mobile ads talk back to you

Mike McSherry (Photo via Karen Ducey)

Publishers are struggling to make money on mobile, a challenging scenario given that more folks are now consuming news and information on tablets and smartphones. But a new ad unit from Nuance, a leading speech recognition company, could change the way you interact with ads on your device. Appropriately dubbed Nuance Voice Ads, the new… Read More…

U.S. Patent chief: New patent reforms are like an ‘intricate Swiss watch’

USPTO director David Kappos speaking at the University of Washington. Photo: Debbie Woo

At the GeekWire Summit on Wednesday, former Swype CEO Mike McSherry received the loudest applause of the day when he strongly suggested that the best way to fix the mobile industry would be to abolish the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Obviously, when you have the entrepreneurs and innovators who are supposed to be benefiting… Read More…

Mobile vets: Windows Phone is great, but it has a long way to go to catch Apple and Android

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We brought together some of the top thinkers in the mobile industry Wednesday afternoon for the GeekWire Summit in Seattle. And while much of the chatter on the panel had to do with the newly-released iPad and the dominance of Android, the panelists nearly all agreed that Microsoft finally has developed a mobile operating system… Read More…

GeekWire Summit: Facebook, T-Mobile, Swype and more join lineup of speakers

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We’re gearing up for our big GeekWire Summit, the inaugural half-day conference March 7 in downtown Seattle. Last week we announced the participation of former Microsoft chief software architect Ray Ozzie, Hulu CTO Richard Tom, and UW computer science luminary Oren Etzioni. Today we’re pleased to announce more industry veterans who will be sharing insights from… Read More…

Newsmakers 2011: Swype’s Cliff Kushler and Mike McSherry

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Swype revolutionized the way millions of people input text on Android devices, with the simple swipe of a finger. Founded by Cliff Kushler and led by CEO Mike McSherry, the Seattle company’s technology almost magically reproduced text as users moved their fingers across letters on touchscreen keypads. Plenty of people took notice, and as a… Read More…

Hey Seattle, here’s why we’re so gosh darn awesome (Part Two)

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Last week, the Washington Technology Industry Association posted some short videos of Seattle area entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, journalists (including yours truly) and others talking about what makes the region’s tech sector unique. We posted the videos under the title: “Hey Seattle, here’s why we’re so gosh darn awesome.” Now, the WTIA — in advance of… Read More…

The inside story of how a Seattle angel investor discovered Swype

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Guest commentary from Bill Bryant: I have been in the software business for more than 20 years now, spanning some 25 companies (including such notables as Netbot, Visio, Qpass, Isilon, Medio, and more recently Opscode, Winshuttle and Z2Live).  Across those companies, there have been exactly two times when I was completely awed by a technology… Read More…

Swype CEO on acquisition by Nuance: ‘It is a great outcome’

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Swype built a powerful technology that allowed mobile phone users to input text with the swipe of a finger rather than a tap, speeding up the way millions of people crafted emails and text messages. And while the Seattle company was on a path to top 100 million installations this year, the Swype team felt… Read More…

Nuance to acquire Swype for more than $100 million

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Nuance has agreed to purchase Seattle startup Swype for more than $100 million, according to GeekWire sources. The news was first reported in Uncrunched. We’ve reached out to executives of the company for comment, and will update the post as we learn more. A GeekWire source with knowledge of the deal confirmed the acquisition, though we… Read More…