Microsoft closes Tellme deal
Microsoft said Thursday it has closed its deal to buy voice recognition specialist Tellme Networks.
Tellme CEO Mike McCue remains at Microsoft as head of that unit, working with Zig Serafin, who is the general manager of Microsoft's Unified Communications Group. The company, which reports into Jeff Raikes' business software unit, is remaining in its Mountain View, Calif., headquarters. Mountain View is also home to Microsoft's existing Silicon Valley offices.
Microsoft announced its plans to buy Tellme back in March, following months of negotiations and rumors and reports that a deal was near.
The deal could help Microsoft in a variety of areas, including mobile search, telephony and call center software. The fact that Tellme sells itself as a service, getting paid for each call its servers handle, as opposed to just selling software also may aid Microsoft in its efforts to expand into new business models.
During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley. These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft. E-mail Ina. 
