The big three ought to listen: photo search-site Riya has developed a technology that lets users find photos across the Web by recognizing similarities in images. How? The technique relies on hundreds
of algorithms that look inside each photo, breaking it into grids to identify the similarities between objects. That way, the software is able to examine the quality of each face and turn it into an
equation that has about 2,000 parameters that identify noses, chins, and foreheads by dissecting the amount of space between a person's features. The software also reads text within images, such as a
sign on a T-shirt in a photo. One analyst noted that image search could appeal to stock image companies like Getty Images or Images.com. Riya launched in March and already has more than 7 million
searchable photos. Users can tag their photos, too, categorizing them by family member. Google and Yahoo both have their own image search; Yahoo most recently bought photo-sharing site Flickr. This
could mean that Microsoft is next in line to upgrade its image search. It might want to look at Riya.
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