Remember when you were in infant school, sitting around in a circle, whispering a message from person to person until it reached the last kid in the chain and was completely different? As part of his "Digital Humour Theory" thesis, Pratt Institute graduate student Micahael J. Silber did just that with Siri's text-to-voice and Google's voicemail transcription services — 50 times in a row. Here's how he describes the four step process: Read More >>
Featured comment by Aeropher:
"I had to do this with chatbots earlier this year for my Natural Language Programming module. In short, they suck." More »
It's no secret that late Apple CEO Steve Jobs was keen on bringing the company's technology to the automotive world. In fact, according to longtime Apple board member Mickey Drexler, "Steve's dream before he died was to design an iCar." Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, Phil Shiller, echoed those sentiments during the company's copyright infringement trial against Samsung, saying there had been discussion of Apple making a vehicle. Read More >>
Featured comment by gibbleking:
"they were going to call the car the imini...but upon discovering that apple already own the rights to that name they are now sueing themselves for 8 b..." More »
You thought that time you asked Siri about the weird mole on your toe was just between the two of you? Wrong. According to Wired, Apple hangs onto your Siri data for two years. Read More >>
Featured comment by harp14:
"You should have a go and find out how it goes for you, it's got much better than it used to be in the past. I think both Google's and Apple's voice re..." More »
Hoping to be holding the personal assistant of the future, researchers at the University of Cambridge have unveiled what's supposedly the most realistically expressive controllable avatar ever. Move aside, Siri — this is what you get for mouthing off. Read More >>
With home automation being all the rage these days, it was only a matter of time before Siri got her little, occasionally judgmental claws into the action. All it took was YouTube user Elvis Impersonator, a Raspberry Pi, and enough trust in Siri's goodness to believe she won't devolve into a Hal 9000 wannabe. Read More >>
Apple's rather annoying personal butler is coming to the Mac, if Apple's latest job posting is any indication anyway. Sounds like Siri's going to be able to interact with and control pretty much any app on a Mac. But would that really be a good thing? Read More >>
Way back in the mists of 2009, before Siri was even a twinkle in Apple's eye, the US network Verizon was planning to add the app to all of its Android smartphones. Sadly (or thankfully?) for the network (and Android users), that didn't last. Read More >>
Google Maps is finally here for the iPhone, which means we've ditched that pathetic excuse for a navigation system, Apple Maps. The problem is, when you ask Siri how to get somewhere, it opens Apple Maps. But, with one tiny vocal addition you can make Google Maps one tap away -- no jailbreak required. Read More >>
Featured comment by Spatchmo:
""I think we have one that will be a match for your talents here Spatchy, but you’ll have to wait till 1pm to find out"
You know, it's not lost on..." More »
Google Now is awesome. Predicting what you'll want by tracking your every move and search might seem creepy, but in practice it's great. I wish it was on the iPhone too. Thankfully someone's thought of that. Meet Grokr, Google Now, or maybe even better, for the iPhone. Read More >>
Google Now's like a witchcraft-practising virtual butler, hiding in my pocket, putting his wizardry into action to make my life easier. It's awesome, and one of the main reasons to have an Android phone. It's not perfect though, and here's Gizmodo UK's Christmas wish list of powers that the sorcerers at Google HQ should bestow upon Now. Please Santa, I've been a good boy, promise. Read More >>
Featured comment by Haizum74:
"Has anyones Google Now suddenly decided to change voice from a blokes to a womans? Particularly an american womans voice?" More »
Though cleverly named the IRIS 9000 to dodge any legal trouble with MGM, 2001: A Space Odyssey fans should have no trouble recognising this HAL 9000 doppleganger that's designed to make using Siri feel a little more sci-fi. But whatever you do, don't ask it to lie or conceal the truth. Read More >>
More and more, we can get computers to do things for us by talking to them. A computer can call your mother when you tell it to, find you a pizza place when you ask for one, or write out an email that you dictate. Sometimes the computer gets it wrong, but a lot of the time it gets it right, which is amazing when you think about what a computer has to do to turn human speech into written words: turn tiny changes in air pressure into language. Read More >>
Because all the good names are already taken, it's tempting for mothers to just pop out a kid, look around the room, and say I name thee Curtain Rod. But even that would be preferable to the actual rise in people naming their kids after technology. Read More >>
Warped and borderline evil parents are turning to Apple products for inspiration when it comes to deciding what to call their doomed-to-fail babies, with the likes of Apple, Mac and even Siri showing increases in popularity as baby names. Read More >>
Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet Software and Services and Ferrari board member, is Apple's do everything, fix any problem man. According to WSJ, he's the guy who's in charge of fixing Apple Maps and Siri. Read More >>
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