assistant

Another Siri co-founder leaves Apple

One of Siri's founding members from long before it was acquired by Apple and turned into the feature found in the iPhone 4S, has left the company.

Adam Cheyer, who co-founded Siri, Inc. in March 2008, has left his job at Apple, Bloomberg reports. CNET has learned that his departure took place months ago, and that the decision was fueled by a desire to spend more time with his family and eventually work on other projects.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Apple purchased Siri in early 2010. At the time, the company had a … Read more

Ad for Apple's Siri gets poison oak wrong, report says

Apple's Siri has been known to get some queries wrong. But it might have flubbed an advertising opportunity as well.

In a July issue of The Economist, Apple reportedly took out an ad for Siri. In it, users are shown a forest behind a hand holding the iPhone, and a question at the top, saying, "What does poison oak look like?" On the iPhone, Siri provides an answer, but appears to display poison ivy and not poison oak.

According to the Associated Press, which was first to report on the news, Lena Struwe, an associate professor of … Read more

Marty Scorsese the latest celebrity to chat up Siri

Martin Scorsese has become the latest celebrity enlisted by Apple to talk up Siri in a TV commercial.

The commercial, which premiered today, shows the movie director posing rapid-fire questions at the iPhone 4S voice assistant in the back of a New York City taxi cab. Following in the footsteps of Samuel L. Jackson, Zooey Deschanel, and John Malkovich, Scorsese is shown using the feature to review his calendar, reschedule appointments, locate friends, and check local traffic.

The commercial concludes with Scorsese telling Siri how much he likes her and saying that "she's going places."

As happy … Read more

Can I use my smartphone to view a backup camera? (Roadside Assistance)

Settling into the driver's seat of a modern, 2012 model year automobile means that you'll be facing quite a few LCD screens. You've got the display for the audio system, sometimes a color screen for navigation, the occasional standalone climate-control display, the monochromatic trip computer/vehicle settings LCD in the instrument cluster, and sometimes the instrument cluster itself is just one big LCD. Lots of screens demanding more and more of the driver's visual attention.

Sometimes, it's good to simplify and consolidate these screens down to a more manageable number. Many drivers chose to do … Read more

Traffic Jam Assist for the masses? In about five years

In the next 12-24 months, luxury vehicles will hit the roads with the driver physically at the wheel, but his mind potentially elsewhere. Audi, BMW, and Mercedes have all demonstrated semi-autonomous "traffic jam assistants" that will do the driving in bumper-to-bumper traffic, lessening the stress of the daily commute. But what about for the equally tense driver of your non-luxury vehicle? Luckily, Ford is working to bring that same frill to the mainstream buyer.

Ford announced in a news statement that it, too, is developing a semi-autonomous system for its vehicles. The "Traffic Jam Assistant" is … Read more

The 404 1,083: Where we'll have what she's having (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Imagining "The Big Lebowski 2: The Dude Goes to Washington"

- Honoring Nora Ephron: When moviemaking met a natural

- A better take on self-driving cars: Ford Traffic Jam Assist.

- Rock paper scissors robot has 100 percent confidence.

Bathroom break video: Thomas Middleditch's Disgusting Dub Step Drop.… Read more

Check your PC for Windows 8 readiness with upgrade assistant

Updated, October 25, 2012: Updated for the final version of Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant.

General availability of Windows 8 has finally arrived. If you're considering upgrading your current PC to Windows 8, you might want to check your PC for compatibility first. Here's how, using the Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant:

To download the Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant, go to the Windows 8 upgrade site, then click on the blue Download Upgrade Assistant button. The file is only about 5MB, so it shouldn't take long for the download to complete.

To run the upgrade assistant, double-click on Windows8-UpgradeAssistant.… Read more

How do I boost the audio quality of my convertible's OEM stereo? (Roadside Assistance)

Today marks the summer solstice; it's the longest day of the year and the midpoint of the summer. No doubt many of you are planning to enjoy those extra hours of sunshine by dropping the top on a convertible (or maybe just opening the windows or a sunroof). However, with open air motoring comes increased wind and road noise, which can all but drown out the sound from some low-powered OEM audio systems.

That's why this week I'm helping a CNET reader to boost the audio quality and quantity of his drop top's stereo system with … Read more

Improving driver safety with tech (Roadside Assistance)

Car technology: it's a bit of a double-edged sword. With one edge, it can be harmful, creating a distraction to drivers. The 15-year-old Antuan had a hard-enough time operating a CD player while driving without running into everything in town. Young drivers today are expected to deal with browsing MP3 catalogs, navigation, touch screens, and incoming calls, and that's just the tip of the tech iceberg. And they must do this while resisting the siren call of texting, tweeting, and Facebook.

With its other edge, however, cabin technology can actually cut through distraction and make the vehicle safer … Read more