siri

It seems that voice-controlled personal assistants are all the rage these days. Microsoft and Harman Kardon just revealed the Invoke Cortana speaker, Amazon put a screen on the Echo and called it a a Show, and Google just gave the Assistant more smarts, more features, and more places to be on. But one of the inherent drawbacks of relying on voice as a medium is that no one really speaks the language in the same way. Yes, we're talking about accents, which has tripped up many personal assistants. Years after their initial debut, how far have these AI-powered agents come along? The folks over at WIRED made some rather comical tests to find out.

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It's become clear in the last few years that Apple is doubling down on its focus on Siri, with recent advancements including the use of AI and other technology that allows the assistant to do more with data from users. In what's likely a part of that effort, it's been revealed that Apple has acquired Lattice Data, an AI and machine learning company that specializes in "dark data," or unorganized information like images and text.

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We've been hearing about Apple working on a new addition to the iPad Pro lineup — one with a 10.5-inch display, to be specific — for some time now, and June's Worldwide Developers Conference is expected to be when it will finally be unveiled. This comes from the latest report by Ming-Chi Kuo, the well-regarded KGI Securities analyst with a solid track record when it comes to Apple.

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In a recent interview with Apple's Phil Schiller, the SVP of Worldwide Marketing shared some thoughts on the state of voice assistant-powered home speakers and how they could be improved by screens, possibly hinting at Cupertino's own debut of a device to compete with the Amazon Echo and Google Home devices. There have been rumors for weeks now about Apple unveiling a Siri-powered connected speaker at WWDC in June, and Schiller's comments seems to indicate that the company has been thinking about a device for some time now.

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Last week, we heard that Apple could introduce a Siri-based smart speaker as early as June. Today analytics firm KGI is saying that it expects the same reveal, along with making some predictions about what kind of hardware we'll see in it. Get ready to potentially spend some money though, because if there's one theme to KGI's predictions, it's "premium."

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With both Amazon and Google tapping their smart assistants for smart speakers, it seems like only a matter of time until Apple enters the fray with Siri. Indeed, previous rumors have suggested we may see a Siri speaker launch before long, and now reports are saying that Apple might reveal it before the end of the year. Specifically, Apple could be ready to introduce this speaker by the time its Worldwide Developer's Conference rolls around in June.

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HTC's announcement of its U Ultra and U Play phones, and consequently the revelation of its Sense Companion, may have you cringing at yet another AI-powered, disembodied, virtual assistant. But HTC's spiel has a nugget of sense. AI agents today are so bright they can tell jokes or even hold conversation, whether with humans or with each other. But when it comes to actually assisting us humans to get things done, they're not that smart yet and need more than a little nudging to work. If these assistants are to be the way we interact with our devices, our homes, and our digital selves, they need to be able to do a bit more, and soon. Here are some things these virtual secretaries and butlers need to be able to do in order to really make a significant impact in our modern lived. Not all of them even require substantial advancements in artificial intelligence.

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Apple's AirPods are a wireless tour de force, streamlining the Bluetooth process in a way that no other accessory has done before, but there are still rough edges in everyday use. As I found in my full AirPods review, although the cable-free earbuds get the fundamentals right, you should still expect some frustrations along the way. Luckily, there are a few easy things Apple could do to fix that: read on for my big AirPods complaints, and how they could be addressed.

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Confirming what most have already guessed at this point, Samsung shared that its next flagship, which will undoubtedly be called the Galaxy S8, will have an AI-powered digital assistant, but significantly different from Samsung’s obsolete and underpowered S Voice. This new assistant will be the fruit of Samsung’s acquisition of Viv Labs, which was formed by the a co-creator of Apple’s Siri. But while that’s pretty much a given, the biggest question is how Samsung plans on differentiating itself from the increasingly competitive market.

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Microsoft's messaging and video calling platform Skype has released two updates heading into the weekend, one each for the Mac and iOS. The first isn't technically an update, but a brand-new app for the desktop: Skype for Business, the platform's service that focuses more on inter-office communication and productivity, along with heavy Office integration. The second is an update the regular Skype app on iOS, which introduces the ability to send messages by dictating them to Siri.

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Today Elgato showed the Eve Light Switch for the first time, connecting to Apple devices with HomeKit. Using Apple's HomeKit, Elgato puts Siri in control of the lights a user has at home. Unlike other similar systems, this switch puts the control at the switch instead of the plug. In this way, the user is able to control all lights in their home, not just the lamps. There's also Elgato Eve Energy for lamp-lovers.

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It would appear that Apple thinks the development of its cloud services could be more efficient. Anonymous sources close to this issue have told Bloomberg that Apple plans to unify its cloud development teams in the same space, potentially making the production of services like Siri, Maps, iCloud, and Apple Music easier for everyone involved.

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