Siri

Samsung lambasts Siri dictation in weirdest Galaxy S4 ad yet

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 5, 2013

I appreciate memorable, creative advertising as much as the next guy, but I just don't get a new Galaxy S4 commercial Samsung is airing in Iceland.

Instead of focusing on the handset's features or the usual iPhone bashing, this time around Samsung's creative agency has gone over the top in depicting a guy trying to make a phone call on a real apple.

Realizing swiping across fruit makes no sense, the ad then switches to a happy scene where our hero operates a Galaxy S4. The not-so-subtle jab at Apple is plain weird, to put it mildly. I know ads are supposed to take into account the often vast cultural differences across markets, but I'm not sure Samsung did itself a favor with this particular commercial...

Opel brings Siri Eyes Free to entry-level Adam

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 25, 2013

Apple's Siri Eyes Free voice-guided in-car control isn't just for the rich, as the European car maker Opel (owned by General Motors) has decided to offer the feature as a paid upgrade on its entry-level Adam. Costing €300, or approximately $400, buyers can outfit their Adam with Siri Eyes Free so they can send messages, make appointments and much more through Siri's integration with the new IntelliLink system. I've included more information and a nice promo clip after the break...

Siri gets new male and female voices in iOS 7 beta 2

Cody Lee ∙ June 24, 2013

Earlier today, Apple released the second beta of its next-generation mobile operating system, iOS 7, to developers. The update comes exactly two weeks after the original beta of iOS 7 was released, and brings with it a number of new features and improvements.

One of the more prominent changes we've seen has to do with Siri, Apple's snarky digital assistant. Not only has it gotten smarter, but in beta 2 the virtual secretary received new voice templates. You can now choose from a male or female voice in several languages...

Siri in iOS 7 getting better at pronouncing names

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 24, 2013

Not only is Siri getting a facelift and new features in iOS 7 as Apple continues to focus on improving her usability and the accuracy and reliability of the responses, she's also getting smarter thanks to backend changes which don't require a software update. For example, one of such server-side improvements is the ability to place phone calls to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to help save lives.

But there's one aspect of Siri that has seen little changes since her inception: inaccurate pronunciation of certain names. But no more. Although not specifically addressed during the WWDC 2013 keynote, it's been discovered that Siri can now initiate a learning process of sorts whenever it has trouble understanding your pronunciation of a person's name...

Feeling suicidal? Don’t do it, Siri can call National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for you

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 18, 2013

Sometimes, one just feels like life isn't worth living anymore. Maybe you've been trying too hard for too long or life hasn't been treating you fairly?

Perhaps love of your life has suddenly dumped you? Or, it could be the economy. Whatever the reason, far too many people are having suicidal thoughts these days.

And who could blame them - we're living in a time when the entire world is increasingly becoming a Prozac nation. When desperation sets in, suicide prevention centers step in to save lives. But those considering committing suicide are often way too depressed to even seek professional help on their own.

Apple feels their pain, too. In a recent server-side update, the company's digital assistant has gained ability to help individuals in suicidal crisis reach out to National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by automatically placing that potentially life-saving phone call for you...

Apple makes Bing Siri’s default search engine

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 18, 2016

"The enemy of my enemy, is my friend." That proverb seems fitting for the new Bing partnership Apple announced today, which sees Microsoft's lackluster search engine tapped as the default search engine for the snarky digital assistant Siri.

The entire audience went silent during the keynote this morning, as Apple's SVP of Internet software and services Eddy Cue announced that new in iOS 7, Siri will be able to respond to queries with integrated Bing web search results...

Siri gets a makeover, new features and improvements in iOS 7

Cody Lee ∙ Updated July 8, 2013

Apple's system-wide overhaul in iOS 7 brings a new look to everyone's favorite snarky digital assistant. Siri gets a complete makeover in the update with a new UI, new animations, and more realistic-sounding voice samples—now available in both male and female voices.

In addition to the redesign, Siri also gets a handful of new features and other improvements. Phil Schiller says that it's smarter, with faster responses, in-app Bing search results and links to Twitter, and deeper vehicle integration for automakers to take advantage of...

Apple’s Siri Eyes Free mode coming to 2014 BMWs

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 7, 2013

The German maker of luxurious cars BMW back in March added four new apps to its BMW Apps platform: Amazon’s Audible, Glympse, Rhapsody and TuneIn app.

As one of Apple's early launch partners, BMW previously featured Siri's Eyes Free mode on select vehicles. The latest update to BMW's iDrive platform expands Eyes Free support with new Siri features, including Bluetooth access to on-device music.

And finally, the car maker has announced that the new iDrive 4.2 firmware doesn't just bring Siri on its 2014 model cars, it also enables S Voice, Samsung's own voice thing found on newer Galaxy devices...

Google updates iOS Search app, rolls out nutritional information in search results

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 31, 2013

I really, really wish Apple doubled down on Siri. When the intelligent personal assistant debuted as an iPhone 4S-exclusive back in October 2011, Siri was likened to a seismic shift that would vastly improve our interactions with the devices in our lives. And it did.

But merely nineteen months later, Google has leapfrogged Siri with Google Now, which combines the power of Google search with the company's Knowledge Graph and top-notch voice recognition to deliver relevant info before you even asked for it.

But Google isn't standing still. Today the firm has updated its native iOS Search app with "location improvements and bug fixes." And just yesterday, it announced that nutritional information will start cropping up in search results across platforms, including iOS and Android applications that incorporate Google Now...

CEO confirms Siri uses Nuance voice recognition tech

Cody Lee ∙ May 30, 2013

In the months leading up to 2011's WWDC event, there were numerous reports that Apple would announce a major partnership with voice recognition giant Nuance. Obviously, the gossip never materialized, and Apple didn't even end up unveiling Siri until that fall.

But despite the fact that no one has ever come out and said it, Nuance has long been given credit for powering Siri's speech recognition capabilities. And today, the company's CEO Paul Ricci confirmed the theory while speaking at AllThingsD's D11 conference...

Microsoft uses Siri to highlight iPad flaws in new Windows 8 ad

Cody Lee ∙ May 22, 2013

It's not unusual to see Microsoft and Apple products pitted against each other in a TV ad. Back in the early 2000s, Apple had success with its 'I'm a Mac' spots. And just recently, MS took on both Apple and Samsung in its 'Don't Fight' commercial.

But this new Windows 8 tablet ad takes the rivalry thing to a whole new level. Using the voice of Siri, Microsoft highlights a number of things that the iPad can't do, that a tablet running its latest OS can. As always, we have the video for you after the fold...

Apple claims Google Now violates its Siri patents, adds Galaxy S4 to suit

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 22, 2013

A week ago, news broke that Apple mulled adding Samsung's latest Galaxy S4 flagship smartphone to its patent infringement case against Samsung Electronics. It's not terribly surprising then that Apple has now filed a motion asserting that both the Internet giant's head-turning Google Now feature and Samsung's Galaxy S4 handset violate its two Siri patents and five other inventions...