New Delhi

Two 'New Delhi' stories June 2013 - June 2014

Google Voice Search now optimized for Indian accents

Google announced on Tuesday at a press event in New Delhi that its Voice Search now supports Indian accents. Still limited to English, the company has implemented new technology that helps its software recognize commands spoken with a heavy accent. To pull this off, Mountain View worked with over 700 volunteers, collecting samples of people speaking English with an Indian accent. Some of the items rehearsed were common queries in different settings, like restaurants, busy streets and the inside of a car.

Google preparing to open ‘Android Nation’ retail stores in India

Back in February, we reported that Google was preparing to open its own retail stores by the end of the year in order to allow consumers to try Nexus, Chrome and even potentially more experimental products like Google Glass. According to a report today from The Economic Times, Google is in the process of opening new “Android Nation” retail stores in attempt to increase its exposure in India:

The US company will partner BK Modi’s Spice Global to set up the stores in various Indian cities, starting with New Delhi later this year. Like other such stores in Indonesia, each Android Nation store will promote and sell Android smartphones and tablets across multiple brands like Samsung, HTC, Sony, LG and Asus, to name a few. The first Indian store will open in New Delhi’s Select Citywalk, a person with direct knowledge of the situation informed ET. Google has been scouting for a 1,200-1,500 sq ft location for this store.

It actually won’t be the first time Google has opened up an Android Nation retail store. As noted in the report, Google also operates two locations in Jakarta, Indonesia through a partnership with Indonesian electronics retailer Erafone.

Google’s new efforts won’t just hit India, there are also apparently plans to expand into the Middle East, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Africa with the help of partner Spice Global. The company will also turn 50 of its 900 Spice Hotspots into Android Nation locations to expedite the expansion.
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