Vlingo
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Speech recognition technology |
| Founded | 2006 |
| Founder | Mike Phillips, John Nguyen |
| Fate | Acquired by Nuance Communications in 2012 |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Products | Vlingo intelligent personal assistant app |
| Parent | Nuance Communications (since 2012) |
Vlingo was a company specializing in speech recognition technology, founded in 2006 by industry pioneers Mike Phillips—who later co-founded and led Sense Labs, Inc as CEO—and John Nguyen. The firm gained prominence for its intelligent personal assistant app, Vlingo, compatible with smartphones running Symbian, Android, iPhone, BlackBerry, among others. In 2012, it was acquired by the leading speech recognition corporation Nuance Communications.
Application and uses
The Vlingo app utilized a natural language user interface to respond to inquiries, offer suggestions, and execute commands by integrating seamlessly with multiple applications. As a pioneer in speech-to-text innovation, Vlingo implemented adaptive hierarchical language models that enhanced accuracy by learning individual users’ speech patterns and search behaviors. This advancement allowed users to perform texting, searching, and smartphone navigation without manual input.
Boasting a user base exceeding 5 million, Vlingo established strategic alliances with companies such as Yahoo!, Samsung, RIM, and Nokia. It came pre-installed on Samsung Galaxy S2 devices and partnered with Samsung to create the S Voice assistant for subsequent Galaxy smartphones. Additionally, Vlingo’s technology underpinned early iterations of Apple’s Siri before Apple’s acquisition of the latter.
Acquisition
Nuance Communications, a prominent software enterprise, pursued the acquisition of Vlingo from its inception; however, initial offers were declined by Vlingo. As Vlingo’s market presence expanded, Nuance initiated several patent infringement lawsuits aimed at destabilizing the company, which led Vlingo to respond with counter-litigation. After three years of legal proceedings, Vlingo prevailed in the initial trial. Subsequently, Nuance increased its acquisition proposal, which was accepted by Vlingo’s board. The acquisition was finalized in December 2011 under undisclosed terms.
Privacy violations
In January 2012, AndroidPit disclosed that Vlingo was transmitting user information—including GPS locations, device IMEI numbers, contact directories, and stored music titles—to Nuance without adequately informing users through its privacy policy. Reports also indicated data being sent to servers linked to the dhs.gov domain.
Vlingo admitted that inconsistencies or outdated elements in its privacy statements resulted in insufficient user notification and committed to revising these policies. The company attributed some excessive data transmission to software defects and promised timely corrections to resolve these issues.
Awards
Recipient of the 2008 Local Mobile Applications Developers Award from AT&T.
Honored with the 2008 Best Mobile Application award by Speech Technology Magazine.
Recognized as one of the region’s “Best Places to Work” by BBJ in 2008.
Featured among the “Fierce 15” Wireless Companies of 2008 by FierceWireless.
Chosen as one of ten “FiReStarters” at Future in Review 2008.
Awarded the 2008 “Northeast 100 Top Private Company” distinction by AlwaysOn.
Acknowledged as a “Top Emerging Mobile Player to Watch in 2008” by IDC.
Winner of the 2009 Must Have Utilities App of the Year from Ovi Daily App.
Named 2009 “Blackberry Rookie of the Year” by Handango.
Awarded the 2009 Mobie Award for “Best Speech Recognition.”
Recipient of the 2011 Mashable Award for Most Innovative App.