Microsoft to buy voice recognition company Tellme: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

"Tellme already generates a profit, McCue said on a conference call with reporters. Raikes said the two companies investigated partnerships for a while, but talks for an acquisition intensified around December.
Credit Suisse analyst Jayson Maynard, who estimates that Microsoft paid more than $1 billion for the acquisition, said in a note to clients that the company is cash-flow positive and has annual revenue of more than $100 million."

" Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates in his 1995 book "The Road Ahead" predicted that humans would one day talk to their computers rather than have to type and Tellme fits with his vision of expanding input to more natural ways than typing.
The company also has worked on handwriting and touch technology for tablet notebook PCs."