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Amazon has reportedly acquired Evi for voice-guided search
Amazon isn't shy about wanting to own as much of the Kindle Fire's software experience as it can, which creates a challenge when implementing voice search -- the company can't just re-skin Google Now and call it a day. The next-quickest alternative is to buy a company wholesale, and TechCrunch has evidence that Amazon may have gone that route through a very stealthy acquisition of Evi, best known for its eponymous personal assistant app. While neither side has publicly commented on the deal, our colleagues have noticed that all of Evi's directors and its company secretary have been replaced by staffers linked to Amazon UK. If it's not an acquisition, there's been at least some loss of autonomy. We don't know exactly what Amazon would be doing should the acquisition prove real, although Evi's Nuance-powered voice assistance for Android and iOS may be enough of a clue in itself -- there's only so many places Amazon can go with such a narrowly focused company.
Voice Answer is an interesting solution for those that don't have Siri
Siri is very clever, and has had a significant impact on how iPhone users interact with the world of information. The problem is, Siri is iPhone 4S only, and even the new iPad has only voice dictation. We've looked at Evi, which is a third-party solution, but it's had some reliability issues (so has Siri), and I think iOS users are looking for a bit more. Well, I can suggest another solution called Voice Answer, which is in the app store as of today. It's not perfect, but it appears to give more thorough answers and more graphical answers to queries. The app is universal and sells for US$3.99. It supports direct questions about hundreds of topics on history, the current weather, nutrition, physics, solving math problems, stock questions, etc. There is a 'chat box' function which allows you to engage in conversation, although that is a bit hit and miss. The developers say they are finalizing an update that will include messaging and email, along with some unannounced features. I find the answers generally more complete than Evi, and it seems to answer more questions directly than Siri can. Often, Siri throws you to the web, while Voice Answer gets you the information without that step. Like Siri and Evi, one of the biggest information providers is Wolfram Alpha. Like all apps, it is not perfect. I asked where the nearest golf course is and the answer was "I don't know." Asking about directions to Phoenix got a "Your question is not clear to me." The directions to Phoenix didn't work very well in Evi either. It told me to try Google route planner. Thanks. Siri handled that query just fine. Still, Voice Answer works well on a lot of questions you want a quick answer to. I like the graphical displays, and I saw no issues with server side reliability. Of course that could change if Voice Answer gets more popular. If you're without Siri I'd give this app a serious look. Even if you have Siri, which I do, I found the app useful, especially on my iPad, and it will likely get better. Since no iPad has Siri, iPad owners will want to check this app out too. Some screen shots are in the gallery below. %Gallery-153592%
Will Apple pull a Siri competitor from the app store?
It might. Evi, a Siri knock-off, has apparently turned some heads at Apple. I took a look at Evi a few weeks ago. After a rocky start with overloaded servers, the app settled down and has gotten more reliable, but still has a lot of bad reviews in the App Store. Evi is attractive because unlike Siri, it does not require an iPhone 4S. Evi also uses the Nuance speech-recognition engine, just like Siri. Unlike Siri, Evi can't interact with Mail, Calendar or the Reminders app. TechCrunch reports that William Tunstall-Pedoe, CEO of Evi developer True Knowledge, received a phone call Friday from Richard Chipman of Apple. According to the published report, Tunstall-Pedoe was told Apple was going to remove Evi from the app store because it was very similar to Siri. Apple is citing section 8.3 of the App Store Terms and Conditions: "Apps which appear confusingly similar to an existing Apple product or advertising theme will be rejected." The controversy has caused lots of people to download Evi, probably not what Apple was hoping for. Late today there were some indications that the two companies are negotiating some ways to keep the app alive. We've reached out to True Knowledge for comment.
A second look (and listen) to Evi voice recognition for iPhone
Evi is the sort-of Siri clone. The $0.99 iPhone app is aimed mainly at people who don't have an iPhone 4S and want a Siri-like voice control experience. When I tried Evi some weeks ago it was a complete disaster. In a week of testing I could not connect once because of server issues. The developers said they were adding server capacity, and it seems they have. In extensive tests of the app this week, I only had one time when Evi was busy and couldn't respond. That is a great improvement. I found a lot to like now that the app is working, and some things that Evi excels at. When I asked Evi who the Chancellor of Germany was, I got the correct information, as well as pictures. Siri also got the question right, but no pictures. I thought the Evi experience was a bit better. When I asked for the best hamburger in Omaha, I got referred to a web site about Omaha Hamburger Joints from Urban Spoon. Siri rated the best ones based on reviews from Yelp. I thought Siri was more helpful, but Evi does include a web browser so you can stay in the app. Sometimes Evi does figure out the best local favorites without sending you to the web, but it seems hit and miss. For current weather Evi is second rate. When I asked for the weather in Phoenix it suggested the National Weather Service Web Page. Siri answered me directly and brought up the iPhone weather app. Where Evi really shines is if you ask a question with rather complicated syntax. Asking "Who is older, Barack Obama or Michelle Obama", Evi parses it all and gets it right answering the question directly. Siri gets you a Wolfram Alpha page with information, and you can scroll down to see the relative ages yourself (the President is 50, while FLOTUS turned 48 last month). Evi wins that round on presentation. Both apps use Nuance speech recognition, and it is excellent on both Evi and Siri. Evi still has a lot of negative reviews on the App Store because it simply didn't work for weeks. Now that it's pretty much up and running, reviews are getting more positive. If you have an older iPhone that can run iOS4 or greater, Evi is now a worthwhile investment. It can't interact with your calendar, use reminders, or wake you up, but it is very good at answering questions. If you have an iPhone 4S, Evi is probably worth the $0.99 because it does do some things better than Siri. Of course both apps are early in their development. Siri is still called a beta by Apple, and Siri has also had some server issues rendering it unusable at times. I'm glad I took a second look at Evi, and suggest you do the same. Check the galleries for some direct Evi-Siri comparisons. %Gallery-146715%
Siri clone Evi is off to a very bad start
Siri has been a big hit for Apple, but as we all know, it runs only on an iPhone 4S. I've been expecting some Siri knock-offs to appear, and now one has that can be used on any iPhone and even the iPad if you don't mind not seeing it full screen. The app is called Evi by True Knowledge. It's US$0.99 and runs on any iDevice with iOS 4.0 or greater. "Run" is a bit of a misnomer. Evi's speech recognition is powered by Nuance, just like Siri, and the recognition part is first rate. But that's where the good news ends. Evi has not successfully responded to a single spoken query I've made since yesterday afternoon. Generally the app sits there for awhile, then reports that it is "Thinking about it," followed by "Let me see'" and then, inevitably, "I'm having trouble getting a response from my servers. You might want to try again in a minute." Actually, I don't ever want to try again. Ever. Reviews at the app store are ugly, with the majority being negative and some are outright hostile. You would think an app maker would have some degree of preparation for what is sure to be a popular offering. I can understand some failures, even Siri fails on a semi-regular basis, but Siri was labelled beta when it came out. Evi is supposed to be ready to go. This is an app that Apple should quickly pull, not because it competes with Siri (hardly), but because it is simply a complete and utter failure. In frustration I asked Evi if I can get my $0.99 back. Evi replied, "Bear with me" followed by "hang on," "I'm on it" and finally the server failure warning. I guess that would be a "no." Remember, you can't spell 'evil' without Evi. Check the gallery for some screen grabs of Evi not answering any of my questions. %Gallery-145537%
Byron the Tauren Rogue: The cow, the legend, the gnome
When I approached the editors of WoW.com to ask them if they'd be interested in letting me do some work, I was thrilled when they agreed and took me on. The creative freedom I got was incredible: "Write us an idea, and if it's all right, you can do it." Thus, Byron the Tauren Rogue was born. Now, the legend of the tauren rogue is just one of many jokes within the WoW universe, like the cow level, or skilled ret paladins. Even though I was told that this idea was "done to death," I really wanted to try out the lovable oaf sort of character. What I didn't expect is what it would turn into. The general synopsis of Byron is as such: Byron is a young, male tauren who dreams of becoming the first rogue of his kind. His friends -- skilled rogues themselves -- dare Byron to sneak into Stormwind and steal the Shield of Fordragon. If he can acquire it and safely escape the city, then he has more than proven himself.
EVI debuts road-ready commercial transport electric vehicles
Tired of being hit upside the noggin' with tiny electric car after tiny electric car? Yeah, so are the burly men and women running the show at Electric Vehicles International. Said outfit has just announced that it will soon be showcasing the industry's first "road-ready" commercial electric vehicles at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky. The company currently has two commercial truck models (the eviLightTruck and the eviRoute 1500), both of which are "customizable" and can be ordered in electric vehicle (EV) or hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) form. Don't lie -- you just thought about how awesome it'd be to roll up to the office in one of these bad boys.
Famitsu reveals Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles, confirms RE4 port [update 1]
[Update 1: fixed the name of the DS game. Thanks, SnesR0X, and no thanks to the many similar DS-game subtitles!]It's been a while since we had a directed blurry-Famitsu-picture staredown, and this one is, as usual, totally worth staring at. Famitsu printed a long-awaited look at Capcom's Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles, the Wii-exclusive RE-series-spanning game.According to the article, it's a first-person gun shooting game with playable characters from past REs including Chris, Jill, Wesker, and others. Whether it's a true FPS or an on-rails affair like Resident Evil: Dead Aim remains to be seen.Also in Famitsu was confirmation that Resident Evil 4 is getting an enhanced Wii release. Rumor has it that all the PS2 extras will be included, but the only definite is an added Wiimote-controlled knife mode. Sounds like RE Deadly Silence on the DS.[Thanks, zshadow!]
