Siri

Meet the voice of Siri

Apple’s Siri voice assistant is now two years old. Susan Bennett claims she recorded the now-iconic vocals back in 2005.

iOS quick tip: Turn on spoken notifications

While not exactly part of Siri, it is her voice that speaks to you. Spoken notifications come in handy for hands-free situations where you can’t pick up your phone, like driving, riding a bicycle or working out at the gym.

Apple’s Siri assistant coming to 2 Chevy cars in 2013

The automaker isn’t adding Apple’s service to any high-end models just yet, but two smaller cars aimed at buyers on a budget. To use it, owners will need an iPhone 4S or iPhone 5 running iOS 6 that can connect to the car’s infotainment system.

Siri will now take you shopping with Apple Store app

Apple has integrated its assistant with the Apple Store app. Users can ask for details about Apple products and the results will be brought up on screen via the app. It shows us Apple is thinking about using Siri to better connect users with its products.

When is iCloud going to be more reliable?

The scope of the task before Apple’s internet services division is especially obvious this week. In the midst of news that SVP Eddy Cue would be assuming responsibility for Siri and Maps, the iCloud service he oversees experienced its third outage in a week.

Google muscles in on Siri with voice-enabled iOS Search app

Google is releasing an updated search app for iOS devices that allows users to ask their questions by voice and get quick responses, many of them spoken back to users. It doesn’t replicate everything Siri does but it also provides more answers.

My Siri wish list: 5 things I want to see

Movies and restaurants are a good start, but I wish Siri could tell me what concerts are happening in my area, or give me information about my device, have more specific voice control actions, and even help translate conversations into foreign languages.

Personal assistant Android app Maluuba tries to out do Siri

Maluuba, a new voice-activated personal assistant app, is trying to give Siri and Google Now a run for their money by combining slick natural language processing with a wide array of services. The startup has raised $2 million from Samsung Ventures.

10 new iOS 6 features iPad users should know

iOS 6 isn’t just for the iPhone. Apple included some fun new features in its new mobile operating system, available today, for iPad users. Here’s a look at the new stuff you’ll get: Siri, a clock app, FaceTime everywhere, Facebook integration and more.

Another Siri cofounder says goodbye to Apple

Adam Cheyer is reportedly the second cofounder to split from Apple in the last year. The news of his departure comes on the eve of the introduction of a new iPhone and the rollout of updated iOS software, which will include major improvements to Siri’s software.

Martian watch brings Siri and voice calls to your wrist

A number of connected watches have hit — and been funded on — Kickstarter lately, but the newest doesn’t just show information from a smartphone; it works as a hands-free speaker phone. The watch also supports voice commands so you can use it directly with Siri.

Lexee gives devs a new Siri-like tool for apps

Developers are getting another Siri-like tool to embed speech-enabled virtual assistants in their apps. Lexee, a new product from interactive voice response provider Angel, offers an SDK for iOS and Android users. Lexee has a point and click system for building conversation flows and user analytics.

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Why LTE in the iPhone matters

LTE will have an enormous impact on mobile data’s future. But if Apple, the maker of the world’s most popular smartphone, isn’t on board, that progress could be impeded, and, worse, the industry could actually start regressing.

Will iPad’s voice dictation feature be replaced by Siri?

It seemed a bit strange that following Siri’s debut in fall 2011 the iPad introduced five months later wasn’t equally equipped with the voice-assistant technology. But there are whispers that will change later this year, and Siri will debut on the new iPad.

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Next-generation TV remotes and interfaces

The Internet is expanding the amount of available content at almost incomprehensible rates, but the difficulty of navigating through all of that content has quickly soured the TV-viewing experience. To understand why the problem of easy access to content is so difficult to solve, it is essential to first consider the major players involved in the system and where their interests lie. This research note examines the current state of the market, which companies matter now, and which matter for the future.

If you want to build the next Siri, ai-one wants to help

Artificial intelligence has to be a siren’s song for application developers that want to strike it rich. It enables revolutionary apps suchs Siri, but it’s also very difficult to do well. A San Diego-based startup called ai-one wants to change that by giving apps brains.

Quarterly Wrap-up

Mobile Q1: The fight for spectrum goes to Washington; the tablet wars continue

But we also saw some new developments in recent months. Android tablets began to steal market share from Apple’s iOS, thanks largely to the success of Amazon’s Kindle Fire. And the mobile advertising industry got a shot of validation with the wildly successful initial public offering of Millennial Media, which became the first sizable mobile ad firm to go public (rather than being acquired).

Dolphin Browser adds Sonar: Useful voice search

Dolphin Sonar is now part of the popular Dolphin Browser for Android, making it easy to search the web, share links or open specific web pages by speaking. I tested Sonar and see much to like now, and in the future, thanks to web services.

How Evi spent a weekend in App Store limbo

Every now and again, Apple reminds the mobile world that developing for iOS includes going through the harrowing and sometimes mystifying App Store review process. Evi, a voice-recognition search app, thought it was a goner for coming too close to Siri until Apple changed its mind.

SpeakToIt: A personal assistant for older iPhones, iPads

Siri is hot, but the software is exclusive to the iPhone 4S; iPads, iPod touches and older iPhones need not apply. The situation provides an opportunity for developers on non-Siri devices, and SpeakToIt Assistant, a $1.99 app, is one of these. How does it stack up?

For Apple, iCloud is just the beginning

Apple CEO Tim Cook said iCloud “is not just a product, it’s a strategy for the next decade.” What will that mean for a company trying to lead us all into the post-PC world? We look at possible future applications of cloud-based services from Apple.

Will Apple put Siri in everything?

Patently Apple has dug up a detailed patent for Siri, which goes into a lot of depth about potential future uses, including for online shopping, as a travel service, and as part of a car navigation system or the car’s entertainment system.

A Siri for other phones? Nuance brings Dragon Go to Android

There are a lot of bad Siri imitators in the Android Market, but Monday night a pretty close approximation to Apple’s now-iconic personal assistant will be available. Nuance Communications is launching an Android version of Dragon Go, it’s voice-powered semantic search app.

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2012: Data, spectrum and the race to LTE

The past year in mobile has been even more eventful than most of us would have predicted. Our appetite for mobile data grew dramatically; Google’s Android continued its march to worldwide dominance; Amazon joined the tablet bandwagon; and AT&T tried and failed to acquire T-Mobile USA, among many other things. All of that activity lays the groundwork for a very promising — and very challenging — 2012. This research note serves both as a review of the major trends and events of 2011 as well as a forecast for the coming year. Companies mentioned in this report include Millennial Media, Quattro Wireless and Samsung. For a full list of companies, and to read the full research note, sign up for a free trial.

Siri, where did my mobile ad revenues go?

Are Google, Yelp and Facebook scared of Siri? If they aren’t they should be, as should any mobile website, service or app that depends on advertising. Siri is the first user interface that shifts our attention away from our phones’ screens, but it won’t be the last.

Five big things to watch out for in 2012

What kind of amazing new things are going to happen in tech over the next 365 days? Digital design agency Fjord got out its crystal ball and let us have a preview of its annual prediction of the most important themes in tech next year.

How Siri could help boost location-based services

Mainstream mobile users have been slow to embrace location-based services. But location apps could really see a boost through the smart use of voice activated AI systems like Siri, which can help users more easily unlock the world around them.

Siri could become a political minefield for Apple

Apple addressed criticism on Wednesday night that Siri, the virtual assistant built in to every iPhone 4S, couldn’t retrieve information about abortion clinics when asked. Apple’s response is basically that Siri is a beta product, but that won’t be enough to sidestep the service’s political ramifications.

IOS 5.1 beta hints at iPad 3, iPhone 5 and new Apple TV

The iOS 5.1 beta software from Apple was released Monday afternoon for developers, and while at first it didn’t appear to add much, investigations by users have produced a few interesting tidbits about what’s new. Most interesting of all could be references to the next iPad.

Behind the sensor web lies a cloud

Call it M2M, the Internet of Things, or a web that talks back, but once we start connecting devices and sensors we’re adding complexity to a system that’s already highly complex. Axeda wants to deliver a cloud with the intelligence capable of managing the connected world.

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Themes for a connected world: GigaOM RoadMap review

The GigaOM RoadMap conference on Nov. 10 gathered leaders and visionaries to discuss how, thanks to technological and generational shifts, society as a whole is becoming more connected — not only in the media we consume and the social networks we use but also in the way we interact with devices and manage our resources. This research note takes a look back on the event in order to analyze this new era of connectivity across various industries, from Jack Dorsey’s idea of becoming “more human,” not less, to the concept of “invisible technology” and data, the fuel of the new century. Companies mentioned in this report include Airbnb, Netflix and Twitter. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial.

My Own Private Internet

Trapit, a discovery engine for Web content from the group behind Siri, launches to the public today. The company describes itself as “Pandor…

Why we need to take computers out of computing

Computers — the boxes that we consult — are wonderful, but they take away from what it is to be human and to really connect with one another, so the challenge and opportunity that lies ahead is how to get the computers out of computing.

Get a taste of Siri on OS X with Nuance’s Dragon Express

Nuance, the maker of industry-leading voice-recognition tech, released Dragon Express via the Mac App Store on Thursday. The app is basically a streamlined version of Nuance’s powerful Dragon Dictate software, and it brings some features that Siri fans might appreciate to OS X computers.

Imagine if this walking robot had Siri!

I’ve written about robots powered by smartphones and the web, so you’d think I’d be comfortable seeing a new robot video. I saw one today showing the PETMAN, and I’m actually torn between amazement and fright. Then again, he might make for a good personal assistant.

How Siri could revolutionize the 911 system

Health care policy analyst John S. Wilson believes that Apple’s recently released voice technology can revolutionize the 911 system. With its natural language processing, contextual search and ability to carry out tasks, Siri has the potential to better equip first responders to save lives.

A voice-controlled future is finally upon us

Science fiction writers and futurists have long imagined a world in which we control everyday devices with our voice. That future seems a little bit closer to reality with the news that Apple’s Siri voice control technology will likely power its long-rumored iTV device.

Appsfire taps Siri for voice-activated app discovery

Siri isn’t available to developers, and there’s no guarantee it will be. But it hasn’t stopped developers from tapping its power. Appsfire, an app discovery service, has created a little hack that allows iPhone 4S users to find apps with their voice.

5 things my 4-year-old taught me about technology

The good thing about being a parent is that it’s okay to be an old fart. Your kids will keep up with tech, and they’re already exploring it in fundamentally different ways. Observe them closely, and you’ll learn quite a bit about the future of technology.

iPhone accessory review: Ford Fiesta and Microsoft SYNC

After I wrote my recent article about Bluetooth integration with car audio, Ford contacted me about the Microsoft SYNC system. I took it for a test drive (literally). A new Ford may just be about the best (and probably most expensive) iPhone accessory out there.

Siri’s co-founder leaves Apple on “amicable” terms

In addition to the apparent acquisition of Yahoo’s former head of Global Data Center Infrastructure, Apple’s recent staff shifts apparently also include the departure of one of Siri’s co-founders. Don’t worry, though, the iPhone 4S’s personal assistant remains in good hands.

What comes after Siri? A web that talks back

Siri may be the hottest personal assistant since I Dream of Jeannie, but Apple’s artificial intelligence is only the tip of the iceberg as we combine ubiquitous connectivity, sensor networks, big data, new AI and programming into a truly connected network.

Speech smack-down: Siri vs. Android Voice Actions

New hardware helped Apple sell 4 million iPhone 4S handsets over the weekend, but Siri, the personal assistant software, may be the most groundbreaking aspect. Here’s a closer look at the difference in voice command and intelligence between the two largest mobile platforms: iOS and Android.

Vlingo enjoys a Siri boost: voice actions up 50 percent

Vlingo, a voice recognition start-up, isn’t sweating the introduction of Apple’s Siri voice action and AI system. In fact, the start-up saw its best week last week with five consecutive days of record usage with voice actions up 50 percent daily over the previous high.

Here’s a trend to watch: Innovation, made in Russia

Siri, watch out: Apple’s personal assistant is getting competition from a Russian startup, whose founder is currently touring the Valley as part of a roadshow for Russia’s Skolkovo IT park. I met with him and three other of the Skolkovo startups this week, and left impressed.

Siri isn’t search technology, but it can still hurt Google

Though Steve Jobs said he didn’t consider Siri a search company, but instead an artificial intelligence company, the rollout of Siri on the iPhone 4S can serve to divert some search traffic away from Google, which could eat into Google’s mobile revenues.

Apple’s next iPhone is all ears

The next iPhone’s biggest difference, according to an extensive profile by 9to5Mac, may not be any hardware feature. Instead, the Siri-based “Assistant” system-wide software coud steal the show. Assistant could make talking to your phone as natural as touchscreen based controls are now.

Google vs. Apple: The acquisition showdown

Apple and Google have both picked up multiple smaller companies in recent years, and even some larger ones like Motorola(s mmi), and both can afford to grab more. It can be hard to keep straight who bought what when, but this graphic should set things straight.

For Google, the Cloud Is Its Mobile Future

If there was any doubt that mobile and the cloud will eventually converge, Google is putting it to rest. The company today showed off two applications that leverage Google’s back-end infrastructure and its Android OS to bring a powerful new mobile user experience.

Why Apple Would Buy Siri

Apple has apparently bought Siri, as documented in a FTC file flagged by Robert Scoble. Siri makes a really cool, almost magical tool that could easily be core to the iPhone experience.

Siri: Make Artificial Intelligence Your Slave

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic,” said Arthur C. Clarke. And that’s what Siri, a new virtual personal assistant that’s going live in the App Store tonight, is going for. At the least it will be an excellent party trick.

Web Tech Startup Siri Gets $8.5 Million

San Jose, Calif.-based startup Siri has raised $8.5 million in a first round of funding from Menlo Ventures and Morgenthaler Ventures. The s…