Siri

The real reason there's no iPhone 5: The carriers

In retrospect, it shouldn't be a surprise that Apple released a half-step iPhone this week, instead of a revolutionary and redesigned iPhone 5. Think about it--the real reason for the iPhone 4S is the same as for the iPhone 3GS: carrier contracts are two years long.

The 4S isn't meant to be an upgrade for iPhone 4 users--it's a lure to get new iPhone users in the door, and you iPhone 4 folks will get your iPhone 5 upgrade just in time for a new contract. And if you decide you can't wait and spend big … Read more

Buzz Out Loud: Introducing iPhone Not-Five! (Podcast)

Missed the big Apple announcement Tuesday? Re-live it with the Buzz crew as we recap the live feeds of Apple's iPhone presentation. Spoiler alert: there's no iPhone 5.

Apple iPhone 4S personal assistant: Siri

Apple demonstrated an intelligent voice recognition app that turns the iPhone 4S into a personal assistant.

The app, which uses natural language, is still in beta tests. But it will likely become a feature on the soon-to-be-released iPhone 4S. Scott Forstall, head of Apple iOS, spent a considerable amount of time demonstrating the new app at the Apple event in Cupertino, Calif., on Tuesday.

By simply holding down the home or "I&… Read more

iPhone 5 to offer 1GB RAM and voice control?

Apple's iPhone 5 will include a whopping 1GB of RAM and a voice-control system known as the Assistant, according to the latest reports hopping onboard the iPhone rumor mill.

Word of these potential new features was apparently leaked to TUAW by an unnamed but "reliable source" last week. However, the tech news site said it was hesitant to publish the details without corroboration.

But yesterday 9to5Mac said it received the same information from a "source familiar with the SOC's manufacturing," which refers to the phone's expected A5 processor, or system-on-a-chip.

Based on details … Read more

Apple files patent application to learn the sound of your voice

Apple, which recently filed a patent application for a technology to keep screens on mobile devices free of fingerprints, is upping the ante by filing for a new application that could keep you fingers from even touching the screen in the first place.

The application is for what Apple calls User Profiling for Voice Input Processing, which it describes as being able to identify your voice and understand complex commands. Need to make a playlist? No problem, just ask. Need to call your friend? Just say so. The patent application says all these commands are possible: play, call, and search. … Read more

Rumor: Siri integration not announced at WWDC but coming to iOS 5

According to tech blogger Robert Scoble, as reported by TechCrunch, despite Apple not announcing a major voice activation upgrade during WWDC, the technology will still be included in the public iOS 5 release.

Voice integration has been a major part of iOS 5 rumors all spring and according to TechCrunch:

"At least three of our original sources on this were 'very surprised' not to hear anything during the keynote."

All the signs pointed to Apple making a major voice integration announcement after buying (and sitting on) the personal assistant app Siri for some time as well as several … Read more

Report: Apple using Nuance voice tech in data center

The goings-on within Apple's new North Carolina data center remain largely unknown, though a new report suggests Apple is using at least part of the facilities to power an enhanced voice services platform that will be unveiled early next month.

In a report this afternoon, TechCrunch claims that Apple is running voice software, and "possibly" even hardware from communications company Nuance in its data center. The end result is said to be improved voice technologies in the next major version of Apple's iOS, which is expected to be unveiled at next month's Worldwide Developers Conference. … Read more

Report: Siri's voice tech to come to iOS 5

Apple's Voice Control technology could be getting a big intelligence upgrade in the next major version of iOS, which is expected to be unveiled at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in June.

A report posted last last night by TechCrunch says that Apple plans on "deeply integrating" the voice technology from Siri, a company it acquired last April. Such integration could possibly include APIs for developers to hook into the technology and use it in their apps, the report claims.

Siri's technology, which was first unveiled in early 2009, uses a mix of natural language processing, … Read more

Patent hints at Apple voice control improvements

In patent documents released this week by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Apple reveals plans to improve voice control on its iOS devices using contextually defined commands selected by users.

Apple purchased the iOS "personal assistant" app maker Siri earlier this year, suggesting it had plans to beef up the voice control functionality in iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches. The patent seems to take aspects of the Siri interface and apply them to individually selected apps on a user's device.

AppleInsider discovered the patent filing, originally filed last year and titled "Contextual Voice Commands&… Read more

At SRI, developing an expertise in R&D, innovation

MENLO PARK, Calif.--If you've never seen a robot climb straight up an entirely flat vertical wall, I dare you not to be impressed the first time you do.

That was my certainly experience when I watched a wall-climbing robot do its thing at SRI International here the other day. Indeed, my host, who had been with me through several product and project demonstrations over about three hours, noticed how excited I was by watching this little device go straight up the wall, and, I think, began to wonder if I was actually interested in any of the other … Read more