Google is close to completing a deal to buy Viewdle, a Ukrainian maker of facial recognition technology that automatically tags photos, a person familiar with the deal told Cnet. The acquisition, which has been in the works for more than a year, is expected to close this week, the person said. Google and Viewdle declined to comment. Viewdle's technology provides a way for users of Google+, Android, Picasa and other services on a range of devices to automatically tag photos of friends. Viewdle's SocialCamera app automatically tags Facebook friends and the company has released an Android game called Third Eye. The Google deal was started with talks between Motorola and Viewdle before the handset maker was acquired by Google last year, according to the source. The purchase price is toward the high end of a USD 30-45 million range, the report said.
