Cell Phones, Billboards Play Tag. Hyperlinks are spreading to the real world. A new infrared technology allows mobile-phone users to point and click their phones at a museum exhibit or outdoor advertisement to link to relevant websites and downloads. By Lakshmi Sandhana. [Wired News]

Autonomy (Nasdaq: AUTN) announced the purchase of a small company called Virage (Nasdaq-SCM: VRGE) which they apparently intend to integrate with their existing Dremedia division.  Dremedia  software  uses  Autonomy's Intelligent Data Operating LayerTM (IDOL) technology and enhances it by providing a technology platform that automatically analyzes, understands, and manipulates video and audio content.

Acquiring Virage adds a software product suite that covers the creative side of video production, Internet publishing and webcasting. Virage is headquartered in San Mateo, California, and was established in 1995. It's products include:

• VS ProductionTM for professional video production
• VS PublishingTM for developing content into compelling Internet programming
• VS WebcastingTM for planning and producing interactive, live and on-demand webcasts

The company has ~400 customers including: Cisco Systems, Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, Harvard University, NASCAR, Oracle Corporation, Pfizer, the United States Senate, Xerox and others. www.virage.com.

Here's an article in The Register about the acquisition. Autonomy swoops on Virage. Video Play [The Register]