siri

Siri may be known for her (possibly even his) sometimes amusing, sometimes cheeky responses, but when it comes doing useful things, she/he/it turns out to be a less capable conversation partner. Sure, she can do some things but only if you ask Siri the right way. And even then, she/he/it can only carry a dialogue only so far, refusing to continue listening even when you're not yet done talking. And at times all that she does is bring up a web search result. These are the limitations that Viv, an up and coming personal assistant, is promised to overcome. And its creators are no other than Siri's creators as well.

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The Internet of Things may be the Wild West right now, but if Apple has its way, HomeKit-enabled devices like August's new Smart Lock 2nd generation will tame the confusion. It promises to act as your virtual doorman courtesy of the soothing tones of Siri, though at $229 it's not an inexpensive upgrade.

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While the long rumored, full-fledged TV service from Apple has to come to fruition, leaving cord-cutters hopelessly tied to their cable services, the fourth-gen Apple TV has made a small towards watching live television. On Friday the set-top box began notifying users via a splash screen that there's a new "Live Tune-In" feature which enables to jump right to a live TV feed in certain apps.

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Some iPhone and iPad users swear by Siri, praising how the smart assistant has made their digital lives a tad more convenient. But such convenience comes at the price of granting Siri access to your device and app information. When left unchecked, this could lead to some troubling circumstances. Take for example this recently discovered flaw that would let unauthorized people access an iPhone's contacts and photos even from a locked screen. All because Siri might just be a tad too eager to help anyone who asks.

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Siri has always been a great help on iPhones and iPads, so naturally Apple fans want her to be everywhere. So far, however, the company has not budged to make Siri available on the desktop. Perhaps it's just waiting for the proper hardware pieces to fall in place. If so, then maybe Intel's new partner could very well make those wishes finally come true. With Sensory's TrulyHandsfree speech recognition, any Intel current and future Intel system-on-chip could, in theory, have always-on speech recognition.

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It's 2016, and that means Apple is gearing up to announce this year's update to its OS X operating system for the Mac. With the last two years seeing a lot connecting and cross-over features between OS X and iOS in the form of Continuity, how could Apple build on that for another year? It seems that virtual assistant Siri is the next logical step, especially after the fact that Microsoft's Cortana has migrated to the desktop with last year's release of Windows 10.

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If there was one negative aspect about the new Apple TV that users discovered at launch, it was limitation on performing searches and entering text with the set-top box's included remote. Fortunately, Apple soon released the tvOS 9.1 update late last year improving voice search capabilities with Siri, and another update is on its way that will allow users to take advantage of dictation for text entry via the remote's mic. But the next big advancement that Apple has planned is using an iPhone to replace the remote altogether.

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Apple is addressing one of the latest Apple TV's biggest headaches, with a beta of the newest version of tvOS for the set-top box previewing an extra Siri feature. Currently available to beta testers and registered developers, tvOS 9.2 beta 3 includes a number of hotly-anticipated features like homescreen folder support, but it's one simple usability fix that is likely to interest users the most.

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Shouting back at the TV used to be frowned upon; now, with the fourth-generation Apple TV, Apple is positively encouraging it. The Cupertino firm's take on the future of the living room has released Siri from its iPhone and iPad prison, while a new remote, access to the App Store, and beefier specifications promise a slicker and more flexible experience. I've been living with the revamped set-top box for the past six weeks, to see just how much of an upgrade this is.

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Apple just released tvOS 9.1 for the new fourth-gen Apple TV this week, not only allowing users to take advantage of the Siri Remote's voice capabilities for searching music, but also making the device compatible with the Remote app for iOS. The latter means that users can enter text and navigate menus on the Apple TV from their iPhone or iPad. However, since Siri is already built into the iPhone, what about an iOS Remote app that took advantage of voice input just as the Apple TV's physical remote does?

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Apple CEO Tim Cook, along with iOS voice assistant Siri, have appeared in a new video for the Cerebral Palsy foundation's 'Just Say Hi' awareness campaign. The initiative has released a number of PSAs with celebrities promoting the message that the best way to communicate with someone with a disability is to talk to them like any other person, or 'just say hi' to start a conversation.

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The "6s" in its name might suggest that the iPhone 6s is a small bump up from the iPhone 6, but names can be deceptive and Apple wants to make sure you understand what that means. As part of its "not much has changed" reverse psychology marketing campaign, Apple has released two new video ads for the iPhone 6s. One capitalizes on the fact that now, Siri can be activated hands-free at any time. The other focuses on just how powerful the new smartphone really is.

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