Tag Archives: siri

Applications, Mobile

5 Most Creative Applications of Voice Tech

 

Twenty years ago, telling your phone to schedule reminders, open apps, and answer what is zero divided by zero was unfathomable. The average person wouldn’t believe that voice tech would become a reality.

Fast forward to the present. Speech recognition technology has been woven into our lives as personal assistants. They’ve helped simplify the way we use our phones. They’ve opened a new frontier of learning for blind people. And they’ve given our phones character, for those moments where talking to your voice assistant soothes you.

So, out of the plethora of speech recognition apps out there, what are the best out of the rest? What five apps have completely revolutionized human interaction with their phones and/or computers? Keep reading to find out.

  1. Siri

Siri, the personal assistant app found on devices utilizing Apple’s iOS was first introduced on October 4, 2011. Siri’s unveiling coincided with the release of the iPhone 4S and iOS 5.

Since that day, it has been a mainstay on all Apple devices and has spawned plenty of meme-worthy moments.  In addition, others followed suit with Google Now and Cortana being released.

With Siri, users could send text messages using their voices, make dinner reservations, flip a coin, display movie times, place a call, set a reminder, set an alarm, tell you the calories in a Diet Coke, show you flight times and train times – you get the point. The capabilities of Siri are almost infinite, and she continues to get better and better with every update.

Siri was a catalyst for voice technology in phones. If Siri had been poorly received, do you think Cortana or Google Now would’ve been released?

  1. Dragon NaturallySpeaking

Dragon NaturallySpeaking (Dragon from here on out) has become one of the most efficient voice recognition tools on the PC platform. The ability to take what you say and put them into words has simplified the way we type.

The software was developed by Nuance and has been designed for personal and commercial use. It may not be perfect (no speech recognition service is), but it is one of the best voice technology software out there.

Long gone are the days when you had to sit hours at the computer typing up documents and articles. Dragon has finally done what we’ve all been dreaming about, for which it rightfully earns its place on this list.

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  1. DriveSafe.ly Pro

One of the biggest problems society faces today is distracted driving. In 2013, 3,154 people were killed in accidents involving distracted drivers. A big culprit behind that startling number is texting while driving. But DriveSafe.ly aims to combat that.

The app reads your most recent text message to you and you can reply using your voice – all hands-free.

It’s a creative idea that aims to address the issue of texting while driving. As long as the app’s functionality continues to improve, it could be a lifesaver for many drivers who suffer from being distracted on the road.

  1. Google Voice Search

See that little microphone in the Google Search box? That’s Google’s own little piece of voice tech that many people often overlook. What lands it on this list is how impressive the accuracy is. It’s not 100%, but it certainly makes a case for it. Next, Google’s search was already fast. Adding voice search has only made the process quicker.

  1. Ford SYNC

Voice recognition software in cars has largely been useless up to this point. Yes, they can play music on demand or activate the GPS, but Ford SYNC has been the pinnacle of speech recognition in cars for a long time.

Ford SYNC has been available in the Explorer, Focus, Mustang, Escape and Fusion models since 2007. The service has over 10,000 commands, including real-time traffic, directions, and streaming music from your phone. All this can be controlled through you voice with the right words.

So these are the most creative apps that utilize voice technology. All these apps manage to utilize the tech in a way that it has become an integral part of our lives. Voice technology only has more room to surprise us with the next trick it has up its sleeve.

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This is a guest post by Jessica Kane, a professional blogger who writes about technology and other gadgets and gizmos aplenty. She currently writes for Total Voice Tech, her go to for all professional Dragon products.

Operating Systems, software

Apple Rolls Out iOS 6.1 Brings LTE Support To 36 Additional Carriers and Siri Movie Ticket Booking

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Apple has just released iOS 6.1, which is now available for various iPhone, iPad and iPod touch models. The new iteration which went out early this morning, and can be obtained either through iTunes or over the air, is Apple’s major release since last September, and said to include a 4G LTE support  for additional carriers around the world, as well as the ability to buy movie tickets in the US via Fandango, with Siri, the personal assistant. In addition to that, iTunes Match users are now able to download individual songs from iCloud, a feature that was there, then removed, and now making a comeback. But that’s not all, the Cupertino-based company has also added a few bug fixes to their recent pack, along with some tweaks to Safari, a minor design change to the music playback controls on the lock screen, some useful changes to the mapping software, and other useful things that can ease your work. Apple is slowly pushing its latest version out to the world, so be patient and check for updates. You can also read the full PR after the break.

Update1: Apple releases another iOS update (iOS 6.1.1), this time to fix some issues “… that could impact cellular performance and reliability for iPhone 4S.” The new update has been released a short time after a call message (via SMS) from some of the biggest European carriers, that warn their iPhone 4S users not to get Cupertino’s latest iOS 6.1 upgrade, due to 3G connection issues that prevented them from making calls with network coverage, or send text messages. In addition to that, there were minor problems with limited battery life and range, which made Apple release their next version really fast. Finally, you can easily get iOS 6.1.1 through your personal iTunes account or download it here. Update2:  And only few days after, Apple officially rolls out iOS 6.1.2 in order to fix those Microsoft Exchange bugs and pesky battery issues that were introduced in previous release. The new version is already available and can be obtained either via iTunes or through your iphone OTA update.

Apple Updates iOS to 6.1 New Version Adds LTE Support For 36 Additional iPhone Carriers Worldwide CUPERTINO, California-January 28, 2013-Apple® today updated iOS to version 6.1, adding LTE capabilities to 36 additional iPhone® carriers and 23 additional iPad® carriers around the world, so even more iPhone 5, iPad mini and iPad* with Retina® display users can experience ultrafast wireless performance** to browse, download and stream content at blazing fast speeds. To date, iOS users have uploaded over nine billion photos to Photo Stream, sent over 450 billion iMessages and received over four trillion notifications. “iOS 6 is the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, and with nearly 300 million iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices on iOS 6 in just five months, it may be the most popular new version of an OS in history,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “iOS 6.1 brings LTE support to more markets around the world, so even more users can enjoy ultrafast Safari browsing, FaceTime video calls, iCloud services, and iTunes and App Store downloads.” iOS 6 features include Siri®, which supports more languages, easy access to sports scores, restaurant recommendations and movie listings; Maps with Apple-designed cartography, turn-by-turn navigation and Flyover view; Facebook integration for Contacts and Calendar, with the ability to post directly from Notification Center, Siri and Facebook-enabled apps; Shared Photo Streams via iCloud®; and Passbook®, the simplest way to get all your passes in one place. Additional updates in iOS 6.1 include the ability to use Siri to purchase movie tickets in the US through Fandango, and iTunes Match℠ subscribers can download individual songs to their iOS devices from iCloud. The revolutionary App Store℠ offers more than 800,000 apps to iPhone, iPad and iPod touch® users, with more than 300,000 native iPad apps. App Store customers have downloaded over 40 billion apps, and Apple has paid over seven billion dollars to its incredible developer community. Customers can choose from apps in 23 categories, including newspapers and magazines offered in Newsstand, games, business, news, sports, health & fitness and travel. Availability iOS 6.1 is available as a free software update today. iOS 6.1 is compatible with iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad (third and fourth generation), iPad mini, iPad 2 and iPod touch (fourth and fifth generation). Some features may not be available on all products. For more information please visit www.apple.com.

Operating Systems, software

Apple Officially Announces iOS 6 at WWDC With More Than 200 New Features

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apple-ios6

The WWDC 2012 keynote at Moscone Center has ended not long ago. During the Worldwide Developers Conference Apple did not announce any new iPhone 5 hardware, nor did it unveil a 7-inch iPad or a new TV set. Instead, we got a truck load of cool announcements, including a new line of Macs and the all new iOS 6. This post will focus on the iOS 6 that has added more than 200 new features to the next-gen mobile platform, and will hopefully go live sometime this fall (developers version to be available today).

But before we start, we would like to share some interesting facts that Apple has reported for the keynote. Currently, the App store has about 400 million user accounts with a valid credit card attached – “This is the store with the largest number of accounts with credit cards anywhere on the internet that we’re aware of,” says Mr.Cook. There are more than 650,000 apps available to download, 225,000 are made for the iPad. During the years, Cupertino has paid out over $5 billion to developers, and users have downloaded merely 30,000,000,000 apps in total.

As for iOS stats, 365 million iOS devices sold through March, 1.5 trillion push notifications created on iOS, 150 billion iMessages sent, and 10 billion tweets were launched from iOS 5.

So what’s new in iOS 6?

Siri, the queen of the platform, just got a whole lot smarter. From now on it will get you, on real time, all the sporting details you’d expect, including scores, stats and game summaries. In addition, Siri can instantly launch any app in your phone, and is able to tweet your personal messages with a new voice dictation. Siri in iOS 6 will also integrate with iPad devices, and will gain knowledge in few more languages. It is also likely to get a smarter ‘Eyes Free’ car integration in the foreseeable future.

Facebook gets a deep integration in iOS 6, as well. Basically, it means that the process of importing contact lists from the popular social network to mobile is now a lot more simple. But that’s not all, my fellow readers… Both Facebook events and birthdays will be syncing with your smartphone on a daily basis.

Maps in iOS 6 are “a worldwide effort” says Apple. There’s a Turn-by-Turn navigation capability, and Siri, the automated voice, is also being supported, “Just ask Siri to take you somewhere and you’re on your way. Ask questions along your route, like where can I get gas?” and you’re on.

Other than that, we’re looking at some really solid features. I like that you’re getting Facetime over 3G, instant photo sharing over iCloud, “Do Not Disturb” notifications tweak, and a much better mail and Safari UI experience.

All in all, iOS 6 is likely to support  iPhone 3GS devices and later, iPad 2 / 3, and the iPod touch 4th generation.

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Apple Previews iOS 6 With All New Maps, Siri Features, Facebook Integration, Shared Photo Streams & New Passbook App

Available to iPhone, iPad & iPod touch Users This Fall

SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Apple® today previewed iOS 6, introducing over 200 new features to the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, and released a beta version to iOS Developer Program members. iOS 6 will be available to iPhone®, iPad® and iPod touch® users this fall as a free software update. New iOS 6 features include: an all new Maps app with Apple-designed cartography, turn-by-turn navigation and an amazing new Flyover view; new Siri® features, including support for more languages, easy access to sports scores, restaurant recommendations and movie listings; Facebook integration for Contacts and Calendar, with the ability to post directly from Notification Center, Siri and Facebook-enabled apps like Photos, Safari® and Maps; Shared Photo Streams via iCloud®; and Passbook, the simplest way to get all your passes in one place.

“iOS 6 continues the rapid pace of innovation that is helping Apple reinvent the phone and create the iPad category, delivering the best mobile experience available on any device”
“iOS 6 continues the rapid pace of innovation that is helping Apple reinvent the phone and create the iPad category, delivering the best mobile experience available on any device,” said Scott Forstall, Apple’s senior vice president of iOS Software. “We can’t wait for hundreds of millions of iOS users to experience the incredible new features in iOS 6 including the new Maps app, expanded Siri support, deep Facebook integration, Shared Photo Streams and the innovative new Passbook app.”

iOS 6 includes an all new Maps app with vector-based map elements that make graphics and text smooth, and panning, tilting and zooming incredibly fluid. New turn-by-turn navigation guides you to your destination with spoken directions, and the amazing Flyover feature has photo-realistic interactive 3D views. Real-time traffic information keeps you updated on how long it will take to get to your destination and offers alternate time-saving routes if traffic conditions change significantly. Additionally, local search includes information for over 100 million businesses with info cards that offer Yelp ratings, reviews, available deals and photos.

Siri, now available for the new iPad as well as iPhone 4S, includes language support for English, French, German and Japanese, and adds support for Spanish, Italian, Korean, Mandarin and Cantonese. Siri is optimized for use in 15 countries and helps you get even more done with just your voice, whether it’s finding the latest sports scores or making restaurant reservations. You also can ask Siri to update your status on Facebook, post to Twitter or launch an app. Additionally, Siri takes hands-free functionality even further with a new Eyes Free mode, enabling you to interact with your iPhone using nothing more than your voice.

Built-in Facebook integration is the best ever in a mobile device, allowing you to sign in once and post from Notification Center, Siri and Facebook-enabled apps, including Photos, Safari and Maps. Your Facebook friends’ information is kept up to date across all your iOS devices, automatically updating details in Contacts when they change, and scheduling events and birthdays in your Calendar. You can also “Like” content directly from the App Store™ and iTunes® and see what your friends recommend.

With more than 125 million users already enjoying iCloud, iOS 6 introduces new ways to share photos with friends and family using Shared Photo Streams. Simply select the photos you want to share, pick which friends you want to receive the album, and the Shared Photo Stream album is instantly available on their iOS devices, iPhoto® and Aperture® on their Mac®, via the web or even through Apple TV®. You and your friends can leave comments on or “Like” any photo in a shared album.

The new Passbook app is the simplest way to get all your passes in one place, such as boarding passes and baseball tickets. Passbook lets you scan your iPhone or iPod touch to use a coupon, get into a concert or check into your hotel. Passbook automatically displays your passes on your Lock Screen based on a specific time or location, so when you walk into your favorite coffee shop your loyalty card appears and you can scan it to buy a coffee or check your balance. Passbook can even alert you to last minute gate changes or flight delays at the airport.

Building on Apple’s commitment to provide innovative solutions for education and accessibility, iOS 6 introduces Guided Access. This new feature allows a parent, teacher or administrator to disable hardware buttons to lock an iOS device into a single app, especially useful for test taking or helping someone with a disability stay focused on learning. Guided Access also includes the ability to confine touch input to certain parts of the screen.

Additional new iOS 6 features include:

• enhancements to Safari, the world’s most popular mobile browser, such as iCloud tabs, offline reading lists, photo uploads and full screen view;

• support for FaceTime® calls over cellular networks;

• the ability to set up a VIP Mailbox, making it easier to quickly view messages from important people you designate as VIPs;

• the option to decline incoming calls with a quick message, set a callback reminder and enable a new Do Not Disturb option; and

• a whole new set of improvements and services specifically for iOS users in China, such as improved text input and built-in support for popular Chinese services including Baidu, Sina Weibo, Youku and Tudou.

Availability

The iOS 6 beta software and SDK are available immediately for iOS Developer Program members at developer.apple.com. iOS 6 will be available as a free software update for iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, the new iPad, iPad 2 and iPod touch (fourth generation) this fall. Some features may not be available on all products.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.