IBM's New Analytics Software Interprets Slang and Even Emoticons for Better Service

Here's an example of a sentence that would be tough for most software to interpret: "The iPad's great...if you don't care about Wi-Fi. :-p" The sentence isn't actually pro-iPad; it uses sarcasm, implicit criticism, and an emoticon to convey distaste. But if, say, Apple tried to use most kinds of analytic software to glean reaction to the iPad, that would show up as positive. It says "iPad" and "great"!

IBM's new predictive analytics software scours the web for feedback on the product or...