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Microsoft purchases company that gave Stephen Hawking a voice

Softonic Editorial Team

Softonic Editorial Team

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Many of you may not be familiar with SwiftKey: it’s the name of one of the most famous predictive keyboards installed on smartphones across the globe, and also the name of the company that was recently acquired by Microsoft for the jaw-dropping sum of $250 million.

Founded in 2008 by two Cambridge University graduates, SwiftKey, is a UK-based artificial intelligence company that has the ability to predict the next word a user wants to type. 

Microsoft purchases company that gave Stephen Hawking a voice

“Our mission is to enhance interaction between people and technology. We think these are a perfect match, and we believe joining Microsoft is the right next stage in our journey,” said SwiftKey’s founders Jon Reynolds and Ben Medlock to the BBC.

In addition to having created a very famous keyboard, SwiftKey is also the company behind the same software used by Stephen Hawking’s wheelchair.

The acquisition is said to mark the beginning of Microsoft’s new strategy focusing on mobile technology, however as opposed to focusing on the hardware (such as their current Windows Phone), they aim to concentrate more on software that can be used on various devices from other leading brands.

Source: BBC

Softonic Editorial Team

Softonic Editorial Team

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