According to 9to5Mac, several sources “familiar with the initiative” say that Apple is in talks with multiple auto makers to bring iOS integration to more cars once iOS 7 hits the mainstream. It’s said that Apple is trying to get auto makers to add native iOS integration to infotainment systems in more vehicles in time for the launch of iOS 7.

It’s not exactly certain as to how Apple wants its products to be integrated into cars, but one possibility is that users can plug in their iPhones into the infotainment system and have a redesigned version of Apple Maps show up on the infotainment display, instead of using the iPhone’s smaller screen.

Siri would also be another feature that Apple is trying to get inside of more cars. It would be similar to what Ford and Chevrolet offer, which we took a look at both recently. Chevrolet is putting Siri integration into the new Sonic, and Ford has its SYNC program, which we also took a look at during CES back in January.

[via 9to5Mac]

You’ve probably never heard of Expect Labs, but it’s a company that you should definitely keep your eye on. Intel, Samsung, and Telefonica all have invested in the small startup, and they join the likes of Google who have invested in the company in the past. Specific dollar amounts have not been disclosed as of right now.

The marvel behind Expect Labs’ Siri alternative is that the software constantly listens to and analyzes your conversations as they happen, and if it notices that you’re asking a factual question to a friend (like, “what time does the White Sox game start?”), it’ll pull up relevant information right at that moment without having to search for it.

Of course, it’s surprising why big companies are eyeing this kind of technology. More and more companies are getting into voice control software, and if it could offer something as revolutionary as what Expect Labs is cooking up, it could change the way voice control works. Of course, privacy is a big concern here, especially when the software listens in to your conversations at all times. Nonetheless, Expect Labs is looking to expand its team, and they didn’t go into detail as far as the future of the company, but it seems they have some big plans coming up.

[via TechCrunch]

Wired details the process of which Apple uses to anonymize all Siri data. Essentially, all Siri commands get sent to an Apple data farm, where Apple generates a random number that represents the user and associates the Siri commands with that random number. After six months, your random number is deleted, but the Siri data remains intact until 18 more months have passed, where the data will then get deleted.

Obviously, Siri isn’t two years quite yet, so all the data ever transmitted through Siri is still being stored, but come later this fall, Apple will begin deleting older Siri data. However, privacy advocates still aren’t happy, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) being one of them. They say that Apple’s privacy policy with Siri is still rather vague.

The ACLU says that “what you say to Siri could reveal sensitive things about you, your family, or business,” and they warn Siri-wielding folks that “Siri works for Apple, so make a note to yourself to really think before you speak.” In a day and age where privacy is a big issue, some users can still easily overlook how much data they’re giving away.

[via Wired]

Sherpa is one of the top Android apps in Spain and Latin America, and with good reason. She has some comical aspects, though not nearly as much as Siri. When first launching her, she will say something along the lines of “I love waking up to you yelling in my ear”. You can use Sherpa to navigate, search and play music for you, search up definitions and articles about a subject, read out your text messages, or any messages, and even transfer money through PayPal.

While using the app, I was pleasantly surprised by how accurate her reception of my commands were. I usually have problems with Google Voice Search horribly misinterpreting my messages, but Sherpa grasped all of my commands correctly. There are some caveats with Sherpa however. Some things she has difficulties searching up, so she will search up something related to what you want. For example, I asked her what she thought of Siri, and while she interpreted my command correctly, she proceeded to look up SiriusXM Radio.

This digital assistant is very pleasant to use. Thanks to Sherpa’s partnership with a European company with the rights to 4 million songs, Sherpa will be able to find and play most of the songs that you request. Sherpa also has many partnerships with other companies, like PayPal, Themoviedb.org, Lastminute.com, Wikipedia, and LinkedIn, expanding her abundance of features. She is bilingual, so you can speak to her in both Spanish and English. According to Xabier Uribe Etxebarria, who created Sherpa, she will learn over time, meaning the longer you use her, the more she’ll get better at interpreting what you want. Go ahead and try Sherpa out by downloading her app through the Google Play link below.

[via Google Play]

According to TechCrunch, anonymous sources are claiming that Amazon purchased Evi for $26 million. Furthermore, it’s said that all of Evi’s directors have been replaced by Amazon’s UK legal representatives, and the company’s records show that all directors have been replaced and all loans have been paid off.

Evi has been a bit of a controversial product in the past. It was pulled from the iTunes App Store for being too similar to Siri, but was later let back in. Evi works similar to Siri, where it uses a natural language search engine to find answers for questions that are asked by users. However, Evi can learn from your questioning habits and produce better answers in the future.

Back in January, Amazon acquired text-to-speech company IVONA, but that seemed to be mostly meant for Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet lineup. However, it’s a feature that we could also see in an Amazon smartphone as well. With the acquisition of Evi, Amazon may be looking to take on Apple directly, but we’ll ultimately have to wait and see what happens.

[via TechCrunch]

According to the Wall Street Journal, Yahoo wants to integrate more of its data in iOS, specifically Siri, where Apple’s voice-controlled personal assistant would call on Yahoo to report back to users on various information on the web. Details are pretty scarce at this point, but it seems that this is one of Yahoo’s strategies to be more prominent in the mobile world.

Apple has almost completely moved away from Google, so it may be a good time for the Cupertino-based company to strengthen its partnership with Yahoo, especially considering that Yahoo and Google are direct competitors. Yahoo could become Safari’s default search engine, but the company already has a strong relationship with Microsoft, so that may not happen anytime soon.

Essentially, it’s Yahoo that’s desperate for a strong partnership with a company that has a strong foothold in the mobile realm. Windows Phone 8 is certainly an option for Yahoo, while Android is out of the question. However, since Yahoo already has ties with iOS, further deepening that relationship with Apple makes clear sense. Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer even said herself that the company is looking for “strong partnerships.”

[via Wall Street Journal]

According to recent job listings from Apple, Siri will once again be getting a boost in abilities. The whole of iOS is also being given an overhaul of sorts – definitely a real possibility now that Jony Ive is working on the software end of things along with his role as lead industrial designer.

The next version of the software will quite likely be toned-down as far as 3D effects – Ive has been notoriously against such textures and bumps, opting instead for flat, modern design in all things. According to the same set of tips, Apple has moved a number of developers over from OS X 10.9 to iOS 7 so that they’ll be able to finish work on the system by the time the next iPhone is revealed and released.

There’s also still talk of an inexpensive iPhone hitting the market this summer. Such a phone would cost less than the current iPhone and would work with materials that allow said phone to be constructed for a cost far smaller than the iPhone 5. Plastics, that is. Multi-colored plastics at that.

Have a peek at the iPhone 5S timeline below for more information leaked, tipped, or otherwise on the possibilities this summer holds!

Such positions include a Speech Operations Engineer, who will be responsible for deploying large-scale server infrastructures, as well as a few Siri Software Engineers who will “help build out new areas of expertise for Siri, expanding the product’s capabilities for millions of users,” which suggest that further compatibility with more apps may be in the books.

There’s also a position for a Siri Integration Engineer, who will be responsible for prioritizing “incoming feature enhancements and functionality regressions that may arise, ensuring that the tickets are appropriately categorized,” which means that they would be responsible for troubleshooting new Siri features as they come along.

The Siri Interaction Designer job listing probably gives the biggest clue that Apple is looking to go all-in with Siri. This position will involve extending Siri’s “capabilities, knowledge, and intelligence.” Again, it’s not too surprising that Apple is improving on Siri, but it points to the fact that after introducing Siri in 2011 with the iPhone 4S, the company may finally be conducting a full-scale overhaul of the service. Of course, this isn’t the first job listing to hint at Siri improvements. There was a job listing back in January that would see Siri act more like a “distinct, recognizable character.”

[via Fast Company]

Zhizhen says that Siri infringes on its “Xiao i Robot” software that it had patented back in 2004, a while before Siri was developed in 2007 and released on the iPhone 4S in 2011. The i Robot software does exactly the same thing as Siri, such as responding to the user’s commands. Xiao i Robot, however, is available for both iOS and Android devices. Zhizhen says that it’s currently being used by over 100 million people in China.

The two companies went to pre-trial today to discuss the issue. Apple denied Zhizhen’s claim and asked for the case to be rejected. The court, however, rejected its request. Zhizhen’s lawyer, Si Weijiang, stated that if the company wins the case, they will ask Apple to “stop manufacturing and selling products using its patent rights.” He also stated that they will probably demand compensation from Apple in the future.

Apple had similar legal issues with another company in China. The company, Proview, claimed that Apple committed fraud when it acquired its iPad trademark. Apple purchased the trademark through IP Application Development, a U.K. subsidary, but Proview stated that the subsidary didn’t have the right to sell the trademark. Through a long, complicated legal battle, Apple finally settled the lawsuit by paying Proview $60 million. We will see how this legal battle over Siri plays out when the official case takes place in July.

[via AKP]

What you’re seeing here is the iPhone displaying a map, opening a menu, and closing a menu. This is done with the read EEG signals coming from Cash’s brain interpreted by a custom developer code made for Siri on the iPhone. With this setup, we can potentially run anything Siri can run by simply thinking of it.

Of course it’s not all that simple, and just getting this far in the project was no cake walk. With mind control used in this manner we’re still quite a few years away from creating anything that wouldn’t be simpler with simple taps or voice commands. In the future though, we might be thinking of novels and creating masterpieces in media without lifting a finger. We shall see!

ALSO NOTE: Though Cash works for Honda R&D now, he may be doing additional work on this project as his own independent masters project. Take a look at his LinkedIn profile and see what you make of it.

Then have a peek at a set of recent posts surrounding Siri and user attempts to make this ultra-popular app interface part of the greater control-all universe. With Apple’s implementation of Siri on their iPhone and iPad line, the company has over the past couple of years changed the way we see smart device control – now we’re at a point where it’s no longer easy enough to speak commands. We just want to think them.

[via Andrew Lim]

Apple is looking for a few fellows to work on in-car technology, including a software quality assurance manager, as well as a couple of people to work on “iOS Car Services.” Specifically, the manager would be responsible for “iPod/iPhone/iPad integration testing with car stereos,” something that the company is growing in, thanks to partnerships with car makers like Chevrolet, Hyundai, and Honda.

We actually got our hands on the Siri integration in the new Chevrolet Sonic a few months ago, and it allows drivers to control their iOS devices using steering wheel controls and the car’s entertainment system, allowing for hands-free operation of your iDevice. It’s a pretty cool concept that both Apple and car makers want to take advantage of.

The job listings suggest that Apple is looking to bolster its efforts on in-car integration with iOS and Siri, and it looks like we should be seeing more car manufacturers jump on board with the initiative. Just this week, Ferrari announced a partnership with Apple that would see the car maker put two iPad minis in the back seats of its FF Coupes.

[via AppleInsider]

Both the Chevrolet Sonic and Spark allow their MyLink system to attach itself to your iPhone via Bluetooth. From there you’re using your steering wheel voice activation button to notify Siri you’d like to make a command. This button is a toggle switch, meaning you can press once to start a session with Siri, then press again to stop your chat.

With this connection, you’ll be able to access your phone’s calendar and make appointments on the fly, make voice calls, access your contacts, and play music. You’re able to instantly switch sources for your music between AM/FM/XM radio to iPod mode for music from your iTunes library. All of this is done while the display of your phone is kept in sleep mode automatically so you’re not distracted by it constantly flickering on and off when you chat – makes sense!

For those of you that own a 2013 Chevrolet Spark or a 2013 Chevrolet Sonic already, you’ll be able to upgrade your MyLink radio for Siri integration starting in March. All vehicle purchases made after this point will have the upgrade right out of the box. If you’d like to connect to MyLink with your iPad, you can do so, but you do need an internet connection if you’d like to use Siri – keep that in mind!

[via Chevrolet]

To recap, if you’ve been wearing your Apple rumor tin-foil hat: speculation around an Apple-branded smartwatch reawakened over the weekend, with both the WSJ and NYT chiming in with sources claiming a digital timepiece accessory was in testing. Adding to the intrigue is the suggestion that Apple is already talking production plans with long-time manufacturing partner Foxconn, and that the wrist-worn gadget is believed to use a special curved glass display.

That curved display – which has already seen connections drawn with Corning’s Willow Glass, a super-thin, super-flexible material that could feasibly be used to produce wraparound devices – would be a slick differentiator, given we’re still generally waiting for the technology to reach the mass-market. Other smartwatches, such as Pebble, have curved fascias but the displays themselves underneath are flat.

There’s always been some degree of excess bulk, then, balancing the desired usability of a larger screen with the aim of making as small a watch as possible. Pebble is one of the best designs for that we’ve seen so-far, but it’s still not tiny, and that could dissuade less geeky users from wearing it.

With a curved screen, however, Apple could wrap its iWatch around the wrist, rather than have the display sitting atop it in one lump. That’s not to say the likely form factor will be akin to the eye-catching render above by ADR Studio, twisting fully around the wrist. Instead, it’s far more likely that Apple might form a partial loop from Willow Glass, hugging the edge of the wrist to minimize bulk, with a more traditional strap arrangement closing the remaining gap.

Having clever friends in the components and manufacturing industries is a good start, but it takes more than slick hardware to get people to buy your gadget: you need solid functionality if you want users to ditch their existing watch and strap on an iWatch instead. Apple’s two strengths there are the tight control it has over the iOS architecture, and the only-partially-tapped functionality offered by Siri.

Ruling iOS with an iron rod has paid dividends for Apple, enabling the sort of smooth user-experience only really delivered when hardware and software are carefully tailored to each other. When you’re talking about adding another persistent wireless connection – even if it’s Bluetooth 4.0 based, the most power-frugal iteration so far – you’re also adding another potential source of battery misery. It’s the same issue that has left previous smartwatch attempts dumped, unloved, in desk drawers.

If, however, Apple can effect that sort of continuous connectivity without necessarily wiping out the iPhone’s battery life, that’s one considerable reason to opt for the official accessory. An own-brand iWatch would also be able to bypass the data access frustrations that have made companion apps, such as the software iOS users must run in order to use Pebble, such a tricky business. Apple is cautious with what third-party developers can get their digital fingers into, but its own coders have no such limitations.

Once you’ve got that tight integration, Siri steps in. Apple’s voice control system is already making inroads as a safer way of using a phone or tablet while in the car; divorced from the iPhone or iPad itself, it could be even more useful. Pebble, Sony’s SmartWatch, and other models all suffer the same problem: they’re useful for showing you information, but not so great at letting you react to it.

So, you can can generally see emails, calls, messages, and other alerts come in, but if you want to do anything especially meaningful with that information, you’ll need to get your phone out of your pocket. With remote Siri access baked in, however, Apple’s smartwatch could bypass the limitations of its display and/or physical controls, and allow you to respond to new data by voice.

It’s broad two-way interaction that is Apple’s real advantage here, though the possibility of course don’t end there. The onboard Nike + iPod functionality built into the iPhone could obviously be expanded with wrist support, both collecting pedometer and other information, and displaying your fitness progress in a more persistent way. Then there’s the possibility of apps on your wrist, a small secondary display for third-party developers to experiment with.

Apple undoubtedly plays with prototype designs all the time, and not everything makes it to stores. The company is also known for waiting until there’s a wide market, not necessarily a small quorum of geeks, to sell to. So far, the smartwatch audience has been a small one, but with a little Siri and some styling magic, Apple could blow it wide open.

[Image credit: Just Design Things]

With the federal government now pushing to reduce distracted driving, automakers are rushing to add new technology to their vehicles. One of these new technologies is Apple’s Siri Eyes Free technology. We looked at the Siri Eyes Free system in the past in the Chevrolet Sonic. Automaker Honda has now announced that some its Honda branded vehicles and Acura vehicles will get Siri Eyes Free technology in 2013 models.

It appears that Honda’s adoption of this technology was last minute; support isn’t baked in as a factory installed option. Honda is offering Siri Eyes Free support as a dealer installed option on the 2013 Accord and on the Acura RDX and ILX models. Honda also says that later this year iPhone owners using iOS 6 or higher will be able to use Siri to perform a number of tasks in the vehicle.

Honda isn’t clear if these tasks are something special that it has cooked up or if these features are basic Eyes Free capabilities such as sending text messages, making phone calls, and playing music. Honda says that it has reengineered software and its vehicle infotainment systems to integrate Siri Eyes Free using its Bluetooth HandsFreeLink onboard microphone and speakers.

[via Honda]

The update for the Fandango app brings an interesting new feature to devices running version 6.1. The app is now integrated with Siri allowing users to purchase tickets using their voice via the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch when running iOS 6.1. To use the new voice purchase feature, users push the Siri button and ask the virtual assistant to “Buy Tickets.”

Users can also ask Siri find a specific movie, nearby theaters, or specific show times. The app then gives users the option to purchase tickets. The app also allows the users to add their Paperless Mobile Tickets to Passbook so you can scan the screen of your iPhone or iPod Touch at the theater without having to bother printing tickets out.

Fandango also talks a bit about its success during 2012 with mobile ticket sales. The company reports that mobile sales were up 171% year-over-year accounting for over 30% of all Fandango ticket sales. Total downloads for the Fandango app across all platforms passed the 31 million mark. The app is currently one of the top 10 free entertainment the App Store According to Fandango.

[via Fandango]

New photos from the incoming Steve Jobs biopic are showing us what John Gad looks like as Steve Wozniak, with Time Warner Cable accusing Netflix of discriminating against its customers today. Carrier-specific Galaxy Nexus phones are getting updates to Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean save for Verizon’s version, while Sony showed off the construction of products that were new to CES in a five-minute video. King.com has unseated Zynga for the top spot on Facebook’s charts, and 13-inch Retina MacBooks are now available in Apple’s refurbished store.

Dish network is asking the FCC view SoftBank’s deal with Sprint as “unripe for consideration,” and Sony announced that Classic White PS3 bundles will be making their way to North America on January 27. Speaking of the PlayStation family, we learned today that the PS Vita can only hold 100 apps, even if there’s room on the memory card for more. Google CEO Larry Page talked about what kind of influence the company has over Motorola, while in the same interview talking about why Google may not exist if it weren’t for Nikola Tesla.

Skype said today that it isn’t helping Facebook with its new calling service, while a new patent suggests that Google Glass could be outfitted with laser-projected keyboards. American Airlines unveiled a new look today, and Temple Run 2 was busy burning up the iOS App Store’s free chart just hours after release. NASA says 2012 was the 9th-warmest year on record since the 1880s, and Valve has announced that it will be showing off a virtual reality port of Team Fortress 2 at GDC 2013. Finally tonight, Don Reisinger asks if Apple doubt is beginning to creep in. That does it for tonight’s Evening Wrap-Up, we hope you enjoy the rest of your night everyone!

9to5Mac stumbled upon the job posting and saw that the company was looking for someone to help improve Siri and evolve her into more of “a distinct, recognizable character.” The company is looking for specifically for a creative writer skilled in character-driven dialog, and this new employee will help out existing Siri content, as well as “develop and write original dialog to support new Siri capabilities.”

Siri is still in beta mode, per se, so Apple is no doubt looking for more fresh blood to bring onto their campus to help improve on the voice service. And while Siri is good at her search capabilities and helping folks easily find out the information they need, Siri’s quick wit and clever dialog is just as important — her ability to resemble human characteristics is one of the key element that makes Siri special.

The job description doesn’t look to demanding, however, but Apple does want someone who is both proficient in English and character-driven dialog, as well as familiar with software engineering tools. We’re guessing Apple will get a lot of resumes sent their way for this position. After all, Siri is one of iOS’s biggest features, and Apple is betting big on it for the future.

[via 9to5Mac]

Just as college is a time of BYOB (bring your own beer), the 2013 Sonic is Bring Your Own Siri (BYOS). Bluetooth hooks up the in-dash entertainment system – which focuses on a large touchscreen in the center console – with your iOS 6 device, whether iPhone or iPad, and, once they’re paired, you get all the usual media streaming and hands-free calling. That’s hardly new, but the Sonic is the first to borrow Siri to take responsibility for road use.

Hit the button on the steering wheel and Siri fires up as normal: you can access almost all of the features you’d use regularly, so you get speech-triggered calling of people in your phone book, the ability to listen to and respond to messages, and ask what’s on the calendar for today. However, Chevrolet has sensibly left out anything that would require too much attention being paid to the iPhone’s display, so that the driver can keep their eyes on the road.

The system is called “Eyes Free” and it basically leaves the iPhone or iPad’s display turned off. It makes no difference to Siri’s usability, but it does mean that the sort of queries that would normally trigger a web search don’t work when you ask them via MyLink. Otherwise, all the prompts are fed through the car’s speakers, and a microphone suspended above the driver proved capable of picking up our voice even with background noise.

With a starting price of $12,995 (including destination fees) the 2013 Spark is hardly going to be a Corvette – it’s not even Impala level, the 2014 model year of which will debut Chevy’s next-gen MyLink system in the spring of 2013 – in fact, it’s really just a container for mobile Siri use. By offloading the more advanced functionality to a smartphone (which many buyers will already have) it helps keep the Spark’s price down by not needlessly replicating features; it also means there’s no need to sync your phone with the car to have your contacts on both, and since we generally upgrade our phone more frequently than we do our car, it’ll be easier for Chevrolet to tweak MyLink to support whatever new Siri functionality Apple has in the pipeline.

There’s also a new Eyes Free mode, which keeps the iPhone’s screen turned off and relies solely on voice feedback from Siri, so that the driver can stay focused on the road ahead. That also means that the sort of complex queries which would usually trigger a web search won’t prompt to look online.

In order for it to work, the iPhone or iPad must be running iOS 6.0 or above; then it’s a case of pairing it via Bluetooth with the MyLink system. The steering wheel “Voice” button triggers Siri from that point on.

Chevrolet Spark iPhone Siri integration demo:

However, there’s a more complex Chevrolet MyLink system incoming the following year, and which will debut in the new Impala. The next-gen system has a choice of four menu themes – contemporary, edge, velocity, and main street – for its standard 4.2-inch display or optional 8-inch touchscreen, and can hook up to ten external devices, use its own natural voice recognition system for calls, navigation, media, and more.

There’s a 60 station favorites system which spans AM/FM/XM radio, contacts, destinations, music, and other media, and support for both Bluetooth and USB smartphones. Connected versions will add city-level weather reports, and OnStar will spread from the traditional blue button to an on-screen dialog too; six months of premium Directions and Connections will be included. A microphone is suspended above the driver to avoid confusion from road or engine noise.

Chevrolet 2014 Impala with next-gen MyLink demo:

The Chevrolet 2013 Spark with Siri will go on sale early in the new year, priced from $12,995, while the 2014 Impala is due in the spring, priced from $27,535. The next-gen MyLink system will also be available in other 2014 model year Chevys, including full-sized trucks, SUVs, and the Corvette.

That framework is still in early testing, however, as is Siri support. The latter – familiar from the iPhone and, more recently, the iPad – would rely on the same servers as Dictation in OS X 10.8, though Apple could well choose to limit it to certain generations of Mac hardware.

Siri for the desktop has been well-requested since the digital personal assistant was first launched, though it’s perhaps only with the most recent update that it really grows in relevance for Macs and MacBooks. In its latest iteration, Siri gained the ability to open applications, something which could help cut down on mousing across OS X.

Exactly when OS X 10.9 may hit public Macs is unclear, though a Q1 2013 developer preview is likely if Apple follows the same sort of timescale as it did with Mountain Lion. That could then run up to a public release over the summer.

Google’s Search app has long been available on iOS, but they recently just added Voice Search, meaning that iOS users could take of advantage of Google Search in a Siri-like environment. However, users couldn’t make it their default voice search service, so holding down on the home button would still bring up Siri, while users would still have to open up the Google Search app to use that voice search option.

However, if your iOS device is jailbroken, you can install a tweak from Cydia called NowNow that completely replaces Siri with Google Voice Search. However, there are a couple of caveats. Google Voice Search doesn’t integrate with Apple’s built-in iOS app, so you won’t be able to set alarms, leave reminders, or call someone using Google’s option.

Then again, Google Voice Search has proven to be a lot faster than Siri at finding out stuff, so if speed is important to you, this little tweak may be just what you need. It’s absolutely free, so you have nothing to lose but a little bit of time. The tweak is available in the Cydia store via the BigBoss repository.

[via AppAdvice]

Martin Reddy is currently the CTO of ToyTalk and was also (in addition to working at Pixar) part of the team building geospatial visualization technology at the Artificial Intelligence Center at SRI International. SRI is the group that created Siri, the personal assistant software that currently lives in the iPhone and the iPad. This team also has Renee Adams, currently ToyTalk’s head of operations – Adams worked for several years at Apple working on logistics and retail operations. ToyTalk’s “Senior Speech Scientist” is Brian Langner, Carnegie Mellon PhD.

Though that’s not the entire team they’re working with, you can start to form a picture of the final product: artificial intelligence for kids. And not just that – applied to the toys that the kids own and play with on the daily. Have a peek at the trailer they’ve created to see what they’ve been cooking in the lab.

Sound like a strange enough situation to be excellent to you? We’ll be finding out more on this app – and the ecosystem that surrounds it – sooner than later! Stick with SlashGear to see the whole situation unfold as it unfolds – it’s going to be a good time!

There’s also the ability to check the weather from a location simply by asking for it, to look up local businesses and landmarks, and to find places to eat and make reservations there. Dragon Mobile Assistant can also use the same website search tools as in Dragon Go!, querying information across more then 200 sites.

A “Driver Mode” adds complete hands-off control to the app; you can wake it by saying “Hi Dragon” and have voice prompts to guide you through the different levels of functionality. Text-to-speech also reads out incoming messages.

You’ll need an Android 4.0 device or above to use Dragon Mobile Assistant, and currently the app is only available in the US. Nuance says it will be broadening availability and adding functionality before the end of 2012.

Now he’s at Apple, and he has just as important a role there serving as the guy in charge of Siri, which is need of a leader after Siri co-founder Adam Cheyer left in search of greener pastures last month. Siri has undoubtedly changed the way people use their iPhones, but there’s still plenty of work to be done on the voice recognition service. That’s where Stasior comes in, and there isn’t any question that Apple will put him to work improving Siri almost immediately.

All Things D points out that Stasior’s new gig at Apple could amount to much more than just leading the continuing development of Siri, however. Given his history as a search executive at Amazon, it’s quite possible that Apple views Stasior as someone who can help the company even the odds against Google when it comes to search advertising. He’ll probably do quite a bit to help Apple in the search space with his work on Siri, but it may not be long before Stasior is looking at broader list of duties at Apple.

For the moment though, Stasior be primarily focused on Siri. Siri is already a great program, but Stasior can definitely help improve it. We’re looking forward to seeing what, specifically, Stasior will be doing at Apple, and this will certainly be an exciting time for all of the Siri addicts out there. Stay tuned.

This report does mention Maps as a sore point amongst fellow reviewers they’d spoken with, but they themselves have made it clear that the app was “competent enough” for a free app included with the phone. They note that their auto experts have tested the app, and that “they describe the app as relatively streamlined, and concluded that it generally provides clear guidance, including voice and on-screen directions.” They also noted that “more often than not, our testers found Flyover delivered rather intriguing 3D representations that bring a map to life.”

With a boosted set of abilities with its Siri voice assistant as well as 4G LTE capabilities and a larger 4-inch display, this device is what Consumer Reports calls one of its most rated phones ever. For those of you wondering what the top phone on the Consumer Reports rating list is at the moment: it’s the Samsung Galaxy S III. Samsung and Apple continue their litigation against one another in several sectors, with the most recent being suits surrounding not one, but both of the phones just mentioned.

You can have a peek at our iPhone 5 review right this minute and learn the full extent of Apple’s push to create, once again, the best iPhone ever. This update to the iPhone line has spurred millions of sales in its first week and will certainly continue to be a hot seller throughout the future. As far as companions go, it would appear that an iPad mini might be joining the party soon – stay tuned to our Apple hub for the full detail wave!

[via Consumer Reports]

The list begins with turn-by-turn navigation covering everywhere from the USA to Israel to Hong Kong and back again. New Zealand is included, as is the UK, and Sweden and Romania get to join in on the fun as well. Siri support for international destinations – a list of compatibility, that is – has been revealed and updated with Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, UK and the USA on the list. Siri Twitter integration and Facebook integration have been listed too with 14 countries on the list.

Dictation support has been extended to a list of 15 countries, while Siri restaurant reservations are currently set for Canada, Mexico, and the USA. Siri’s sports support – new to iOS 6 also – will be appearing in the USA, UK, Mexico, and s list of 12 other countries. Siri Movie Information will be popping up in 13 countries while Siri Movie Reviews will be in Australia, Canada, the UK, and the USA. Movie Showtimes will be in Canada, the UK, and the USA.

The USA is the only region to be included in the full list of iOS 6 features at launch time, with 3D Buildings being the only item that the UK is not included on – otherwise its the UK and the USA on ever single list. Have a peek at our Apple portal for more information on the devices and services launched this week, and don’t forget to check our our iPhone 5 hands-on as well – with more on the way!

This device has an on/off sleep/wake button on top, a 3.5-mm stereo headphone jack at the bottom near two speaker grills and a Lightning connector. It’s got three microphones for HD recording, and two buttons on the left, one for turning the volume up and one for turning it down. Of course, the iPhone 5 also comes running iOS 6, which boasts a number of improvement and new features, including Apple’s new Maps app, Facebook and Passbook integration, and new Siri functionality (which includes support for additional languages). NOTE: Check out our full hands-on with the iPhone 5 soon in our Apple portal!

That A6 chip lends to “twice the CPU and graphics performance,” and that 8-megapixel iSight camera on the back comes with a sapphire crystal lens that not only provides “a crystal clear” image, but is also more durable than standard glass. The iPhone 5 takes advantage of Apple-developed single-radio LTE, and also has dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi support at its disposal. Even though the iPhone 5 comes with a brand new Lightning connector, users will be able to connect to legacy 30-pin devices through the use of a special adapter, so Apple has you covered there. On the front we also have a “FaceTime HD” 1.2-megapixel camera, capable of shooting in 720p.

So there you have it, the iPhone 5 is actually a thing and it’s already taken up residence on the Apple’s homepage. It’ll go up for pre-order later this week on September 14, and then Apple is set to begin its worldwide roll out of the new phone on September 21. Like iPhones in the past, this one comes in three different flavors: 16GB for $199, 32GB for $299, and 64GB for $399 (with a two-year agreement of course). Tell us – are you picking up the iPhone 5 next week?

To top things off, the iPod Touch comes with the same sapphire lens cover that the iPhone 5 is equipped with. The camera on the back support 1080p with image stabilization, while the FaceTime camera on the front can shoot in 720p and makes use of Apple’s facial recognition. The new iPod Touch will come in a variety of different colors – aluminum, black, red, blue, and yellow – and each one will come with a color-coordinated wrist straps that you can attach to the back of your device to keep it secure while using it as a camera.

Finally, in one of the most important announcements during Apple’s presentation, Siri is coming to the iPod Touch. The addition of Siri is bound to move some units this holiday season, so we’re going to go ahead and say that putting Siri on the iPod Touch is a winning idea for Apple. Have a look at our liveblog of Apple’s event for as-it-happens coverage, and also be sure to stop by our Apple portal to find more in-depth posts on Apple’s big announcements.

This step-up of voice-enabled search will be coming to iOS via the iPhone first for the big A, but will also continue to be developed for Android as well. We had our own hands-on look at Google Now, part of the Google voice search system, back at Google I/O 2012 when it was launched. This system is available on Android devices running version 4.1 Jelly Bean now and will more than likely be coming to the iPhone in its entirety very soon.

At the moment, however, it only appears that the voice recognition element of Google’s search engine for the mobile platform will be pushed. The Google Now element, being a rather enticing bit of software for Android users on the horizon, will be staying on Google’s Mobile OS for the near future. Below you can see the Google Nexus 7 showing off Google’s new voice search abilities courtesy of Android Community.

Google mentioned once again that they’re nearing “Star Trek” software for the future, but at the moment they’re still taking “baby steps” – this projection of the future coming from Google senior vice president Amit Singhal. Have a peek above at Google Now and prepare yourself for a whole new iPhone experience as the new device appears later this year as well. Google has been booted from the basic build of the iPhone in both maps and YouTube, so we’re expecting a full frontal assault from them in the software world for iOS in the coming weeks – Google made, Google updated.

[via Mercury News]

Nina is apparently the first voice assistant service that combines voice recognition with biometrics, enabling services and companies to implement the solution and potentially serve up information or allow customers to pay bills without ever requiring a password. In Nuance’s examples, users could interact with their banks to help find the nearest ATM, or ask more complex queries regarding household insurance policies.

One banking institution is especially confident in the new functionality provided by Nina, with USAA, a bank that serves the US military and veterans, announcing a partnership with Nuance that will see the new technology used in its mobile banking app. A pilot app is expected to be unveiled in August for certain members before full fledged functionality rolls out to all USAA members next year.

Anyone else who wants to make use of Nina can do so with the release of the SDK today. It will be available in US, UK, and Australian English, and Nuance says that more languages will be coming in the future.

That will see Saga provide its own contextual suggestions in a far more intuitive and non-distracting way: popping dialogs into the corner of your eye rather than demanding that you pull out your phone. Context – or the lack of it – in the mobile world has been a running theme for several years but still something manufacturers and developers have struggled to implement, but as the number of sensors and data sources with shared personal information grow, apps like Saga promise to pull them altogether.

Initial partnerships for Saga include Runkeeper, which can provide fitness exercise patterns to the assistant app. For instance, if Saga knows from Runkeeper that a user normally runs each Tuesday, but that they haven’t so far today, it will automatically look for a suitable timeslot in the agenda and ping up a prompt to encourage them.

Future iterations of the app will allow users to share recommendations back and forth within a sub-group of their social networks, and increase the number of notifications. Currently, Saga requires users to open the app itself to see suggestions, but as the algorithms improve the company plans to push out personalized prompts. App developers will also be able to use Saga’s APIs to feed their data into the service.

Robert Scoble sat down with CEO Andy Hickl to talk Saga and mobile context, as well as what implications the app might have for wearable devices and augmented reality. “If you sign in with Facebook we understand a little bit about you, we can understand your birthday, the name of your spouse … the other cool thing is what can we tell if we understand a little about your patterns, where you go” Hickl says.

“So f I see you at a bar at 11:30 on a Tuesday night maybe a mile and a half away from your house, what can I tell about you? Well, I can tell maybe you’ve got no children waiting for you at home … the fun thing is that we use that, not to profile you, but to be able to anticipate the queries you might have.”

The app is currently iPhone-only, though with an Android version expected in August, and is a free download. As for how Saga will make money, right now there’s no monetization but possibilities include paid app functionality or sponsored results.

This patent appears to cover a method and system used to connect actual speech with recognized patterns and samples, to put it simply. The assignee here is the National Cheng Kung University and the patent was granted in 2010 on the 27th of April. The filing took place back in the fourth quarter of 2005, and the University now notes that the patent specifically refers to devices such as smartphones or tablets which use said technology.

This group also has a patent granted in 2007 which covers simply a “Speech recognition system” that works to divide speech processing into 4 modules. These modules you may recognize: system control, autocorrelation and linear predictive coefficient, cepstrum, and DTW recognition. Each of these modules have also formed an IP component on their own, and the University is coming full force at Apple for what they feel they’re owed because of them.

The second patent in question here has the University noting that, “The ’496 Patent is generally directed to a complete speech recognition system having a training button and a recognition button.” It’s likely that Apple will contend that their technology was developed outside of the devices they’re now tied to, but we’re sure there’ll be a bit of contention on whether or not the iPhone and iPad actually fit within the bounds of the patents since they’re not made primarily for speech recognition.

We shall see! Check out the timeline below for more patent wars in the Apple universe and prepare yourself for more hot action as the Samsung case ramps up here in the USA!

[via Patently Apple]

“She’s smart, intuitive, flexible” Nuance promises, “Nina just gets you.” Both iPhone and Android devices are shown, suggesting Nina will be cross-platform, and the enterprise focus is clear: ”She’s all business” Nuance insists, “Your business.”

Nuance may not be a household name – though their Dragon range of dictation software for PC and Mac is a mainstay of voice recognition systems – but the company’s technology is far-reaching. Apple’s Siri uses Nuance’s speech recognition, as does the new Dictation feature in OS X Mountain Lion, though of course heavily rebranded. Meanwhile, Google Now is based on a homegrown speech database initially helmed by Nuance co-founder Mike Cohen (and dressed up with various speech-centric acquisitions along the way).

Though the target markets are different, then, Nina is likely to be met with some degree of familiarity or recognition when it arrives this summer. Full details are in short supply, but we’re guessing Nuance will offer a white-label natural speech recognition system for companies looking to automate their customer services.

[via Stefan Constantine]

To be clear, we (and countless other online sources) aren’t referring to it as a Siri-esque platform just because it’s a mobile voice recognition system. It functions almost identically, and in fact even the voice sounds like it came from the iPhone 4S. But will having a service that tries to rival Siri be enough to keep RIM afloat? We don’t really need to answer that, do we?

Obviously, the future doesn’t look good for BlackBerry. And even though RIM has finally, after years and years and years, realized that it needs to change its strategy, it’s still showing immense weakness. Case in point – BlackBerry 10 was supposed to launch in the first half of 2012. Guess what? We’re in the second half of the year, and there’s still no confirmed release date.

[via Technorati]

Zhi Zhen reportedly filed the patent back in 2004, and is going ahead with the case as a result of Apple’s Siri language expansion in June to include Mandarin and Cantonese. A spokesperson for the company has said that it wants Apple to stop infringing on its technology and bear the cost of any legal fees.

Apple settled a case with Chinese company Proview not too long ago, paying out $60 million over an iPad trademark dispute in mainland China. Apple has also recently been sued by another Chinese company, Jiangsu Xuebao, over a Snow Leopard trademark. That company claims to have filed a trademark for the word “Xuebao”, which translate to “Snow Leopard.” The company is seeking CNY 500,000 (~$78,700) in damages and an official apology.

[via The Next Web]

“The Court’s finding that Apple will suffer irreparable harm was based on legally insufficient evidence that Samsung and Apple are competitors” Samsung’s retort suggests. “The Court’s order is inconsistent with the Federal Circuit’s directive that market share losses must be substantial.”

What Apple has not yet demonstrated, Samsung reckons, is that the substantial loss alleged is attributable to the feature said to have infringed. In this case, that’s technology covered by patent 8,086,604, “Universal interface for retrieval of information in a computer system,” which covers search and filtering systems.

“The Court’s causation finding as to the ’604 patent was erroneous, or at a minimum raises substantial questions” Samsung argues. Judge Lucy Koh, who granted Apple the preliminary injunction, has interpreted the ’604 patent as relevant to Siri, the virtual personal assistant which has been a central point of Apple’s advertising for the iPhone 4S.

However, Samsung is hoping that the appeals court will see ’604 as covering a far narrower range of functionality than Judge Koh, and says that Siri is a “different feature than the unified search covered by the ’604 patent.”

Samsung has asked that the preliminary injunction be stayed, either as long as the appeal against the decision in Apple’s favor take, or alternatively – and for a shorter period – until the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit comes up with a decision itself. Apple is yet to comment on the motion.

[via FOSS Patents]

In contrast to Siri and Samsung’s S-Voice on the Galaxy S III, the Jelly Bean voice search delivered its results almost instantaneously. Those results are presented in a clean new UI, picking out the key results and particularly well suited to navigating in those times you’re walking around and can’t poke at tiny on-screen graphics.

The voice search can even handle somewhat unusual requests. “Show me pictures of pygmy marmosets” it was asked during the demonstration, swiftly bringing up a gallery of shots that could then be tapped into and swiped through.

Jelly Bean Google Voice Search will be accompanied by the new Google now system, a contextual search implementation.

At the top of the image is a “Top Secret” stamp added perhaps for more intrigue. Then on the screen a dog named Spot asks HTC’s voice assistant questions through a series of woofs to which the app is able to interpret and respond. However, HTC then puts inserts an asterisk saying “Sorry dog fans, this isn’t real!”

So the app may not really be able to interpret dog barks, but what does appear real is that HTC is indeed planning to launch its own voice-assistant app. And that’s not too surprising either since rival Samsung recently launched it’s own Siri clone called S-Voice, while LG debuted a Quick Voice app.

[via TechRadar]

There was a minor glitch which goes to show how far speech recognition still has to go: instead of playing Game of Thrones, the speech engine tried searching for St. Louis, Missouri. The second time around, however, Audible did begin playing Game of Thrones. Users can simply speak commands as well, such as “pause” or “next chapter”, with the speech system actively listening and recognizing commands.

A video demoed the system being used for navigation as well. Once a Windows Phone 8 user had stepped into a car with a navigation app running, the Speech engine notified them of an accident and asked if they wanted to change the route. A conversation then followed with prompts and questions and the user responding naturally.

Microsoft is hoping that the ability to use the speech recognition engine within apps will sway developers towards the platform. The company even took a little dig at Siri, not surprising considering the popularity of the voice assistant.

As with Siri and S Voice, the promise is a more natural way of interacting with your phone with spoken commands, rather than the piecemeal method offered previously. So, LG suggests, you’ll be able to ask for specific videos on YouTube all in one sentence, and have the app open up complete with search results shown straight away.

There’s also control over mapping, alarms, weather, stocks and even lunar calendar checking – for the Korean market, at least – along with control over settings on the device. A new Quick Notes key is included for swifter access.

The LG Optimus LTE II will get Quick Voice in July in Korea, though there’s no word on when phones outside of the country might also add the voice command system.