Siri
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Siri now sounds more like a human
While Siri sounds decent most of the time, it still comes off as a little robotic. With iOS 13, however, Siri should sound a lot more human. At WWDC, Apple said it's taken a "huge step forward" by incorporating a neural text-to-speech transmitter that makes Siri a lot more natural than before. It has a much more natural cadence, and better emphasis on certain words. In a demo on stage, Apple showed that the Siri on iOS 12 sometimes hiccuped her way through complex sentences. The version on iOS 13, however, sounded a lot smoother, with much more streamlined transitions and sounded a little less robotic. Last year, Siri Shortcuts debuted on iOS 12. With iOS 13, a new "My Shortcuts" space will make them much easier to find. Multi-step shortcuts will also apparently be easier to set up. Apple also mentioned Siri integration into other devices. You can set up EarPods, for example, to announce incoming messages while you're working out. With CarPlay, Siri also now works with third-party apps like Pandora and Waze.
HomePod will support multiple users and music handoffs
Apple just addressed some of the complaints about the HomePod in one fell swoop. A future update to the smart speaker will bring multiple major upgrades, most notably support for multiple users. Like its rivals, it can recognize who's speaking and customize the responses. This has rather large implications for messages, reminders and other info you might not want to share with everyone else in your household.
Apple CarPlay redesign puts multiple apps side-by-side
Apple CarPlay is getting a redesign. Apple announced at its annual Worldwide Developer's Conference (WWDC) that it is overhauling the in-car entertainment system's dashboard to display more relevant information. Users will be able to see a map with directions, music controls, and Siri-powered smart suggestions for relevant apps and commands based on your location or time of day.
Apple could make the iPhone's NFC more useful at WWDC
Apple has a lot in the cards for WWDC, and that might include improvements for... well, cards. The 9to5Mac team and Steve Troughton-Smith claim to have details of developer-friendly updates that will be unveiled in early June, and NFC support would be in line for a serious upgrade. App developers will finally have the option to read NFC tags based on ISO 7816 (usually ID and access cards), FeliCa (Japan's tap-based system) and MiFare (a popular mass transit format). In other words, you might use your iPhone to enter your office or hop aboard a bus in many cities.
Apple cuts HomePod price to $299
Apple has cut the HomePod price by up to 18 percent in various regions as it seemingly tries to gain more of a foothold in a competitive market. As spotted by 9to5 Mac, the smart speaker is down from $349 to $299 in its US store, $449 to $399 in Canada and £319 to £279 in the UK.
The Powerbeats Pro are Beats' first true wireless earbuds
Reports may have tipped Apple's hand last week, but it was really only a matter of time before the company made a true wireless option that carried the Beats name. And thanks to a hint in iOS code, we knew they'd look very similar to their corded, but still wireless, predecessor. There was little left to announce, and today, Beats officially revealed the Powerbeats Pro: the previously rumored pair of $250 (£220) true wireless earbuds.
IKEA delays its smart blinds until later this year
IKEA is delaying the launch of its smart blinds until later in 2019 in order to work on a firmware update. The Verge reports that the Swedish furniture maker pushed back the release date for the smart blinds, which were expected in Europe last month and in the US in April, because it found an opportunity for "improved functionality". What kind of functionality, exactly? Mainly, the smart part.
Apple buys the voice tech startup behind Hello Barbie
Apple has acquired PullString, the startup behind the voice technology powering the interactive "Hello Barbie" doll Mattel released in 2015. PullString, previously known as ToyTalk, was founded back in 2011 by former Pixar employees. Its AI platform gave its partner companies and clients a way to create digital and physical characters and voice apps that can communicate with people. Hello Barbie was one of those -- an interactive Thomas The Tank Engine toy was another. The company previously launched software that makes it easy even for non-technical pros to create Alexa apps of their own, as well.
Waze adds Siri Shortcuts to its iOS app
Waze is playing even more nicely with Apple after it enabled CarPlay support back in September. The latest version of its iOS app lets you use Siri Shortcuts to find your way to a destination. You'll be able to set up shortcuts for things like your morning commute, the drive home and directions to your favorite places.
'Child's Play' reboot trailer suggests Chucky is now a killer robot
It's not completely impossible that robots could turn against us, so it's no surprise killer robot movies have been popular for decades. The fear is real. We could be about to add another flick to the canon, as the new trailer for the Child's Play reboot suggests. Plot details haven't been confirmed yet, so it's not totally certain this Chucky is a robot, but there's enough to back up rumors it's a defective doll "whose programming code was hacked so that he has no limitations to learning and also violence."
Abode will add HomeKit to its new smart home hub
Brilliant isn't the only smart home hub creator hopping on the HomeKit bandwagon. Abode has revealed its Gen 2 gateway, and it's "100% committed" to bringing HomeKit support to the platform. More details will come "soon," the company said. However, this already makes it one of the more flexible hubs to date. It can already communicate with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and IFTTT, and it supports a raft of smart home devices using Z-Wave Plus, Zigbee and Abode's own abodeRF.
Arlo unveils a home security system with Apple HomeKit support
Arlo is already known for its 4K security camera and doorbell, but for CES 2019, the company has launched a complete security system. The key component is a new multi-purpose sensor that can detect window and door breaches, motion, smoke, carbon monoxide, water leaks and more. The other pieces are a siren, remote control and hub that works with Arlo's various cameras, along with Zigbee and Z-Wave devices.
Google takes a Shortcut to link Assistant and Siri
As voice assistants go, Siri isn't up to scratch. Apple knows it, you know it, and so too does Google. That's why it wants to get iOS folk using its Assistant instead. There's just one issue: Siri is throughly baked in to Apple's platform, relegating other digital helpers to the wayside. To get past that, Google is turning to Siri Shortcuts. With the latest update for Google Assistant for iOS, you can now program Siri to open Assistant.
Huawei might try to take its voice assistant outside of China
Smartphone maker Huawei is planning on taking its popular voice assistant outside of China and competing with Amazon, Google and Apple internationally, according to a report from CNBC. The Chinese technology firm is apparently working on a version of its voice assistant Xiaoyi that will work outside of China, though it hasn't revealed what languages the AI will speak, nor when it will be available for other markets.
Volkswagen owners can use Siri Shortcuts to unlock their car
If you're a Volkswagen driver, you now have another way to lock and unlock your car, start and stop electric charging and check your remaining estimated mileage. That's because VW has added Siri integration to its Car-Net app.
Philips Hue now supports iOS 12's Siri Shortcuts
With the launch of iOS 12, iPhone owners were introduced to Siri's new Shortcuts feature that makes suggestions based on a user's routines. Numerous third-party apps — such as Pandora, Evernote and even Google News — already offer such integration, but one of the most eagerly anticipated platforms, Philips Hue, has been missing. Now, that wait is over — Philips Hue users with the latest version of the app received Shortcuts support today.
What will Android look like in the next ten years?
A decade ago, Android launched... to a world of challenges. But back in 2008, Google wasn't worried about artificial intelligence, it was just trying to make a stable mobile operating system. One that stood out in a very crowded playing field. Back then, the competition was Apple, BlackBerry, Nokia/Symbian, Palm and Windows Mobile. By 2009, however, Android's market share was steadily climbing, and by early 2010, sales inched past that of iOS devices (according to Statista). Android's upward trajectory hasn't stopped since. Now, Statista reports 88 percent of all smartphones sold run Google's mobile operating system, with iOS devices making up around 12 percent (based on total sales). What started as an alternative mobile experience for nerds has gone full mainstream. But what does that mean for the future of Android?
If Amazon wants Alexa everywhere, it needs better language support
I can't profess to fully understand all of the complexities of localizing services for various languages, nuances, accents and dialects where voice recognition is concerned. However, with Amazon's Alexa ambitions ramping up after its hardware event Thursday, it's worth questioning why the voice assistant's language support is so abysmal.
Making the most of iOS 12's Siri Shortcuts
iOS 12 is here, and while many of the improvements focus on processing and performance, there are a few notable features you shouldn't ignore. Shortcuts is definitely one of the biggest -- not only will it use notifications to suggest actions you can take, such as returning a missed FaceTime call or turning on Do Not Disturb before a meeting on your calendar, but you can also use the brand new Shortcuts app to create your own customized Siri-based triggers for third-party apps.
Apple's HomePod speaker will make and receive phone calls
We haven't heard much about Apple's HomePod speaker since it added multi-room support in May, three months after it launched in the US. Up until then, the device hadn't received much flair due to the lack of features that other smart speakers have out of the box. But for those of you who already have one, there is some good news. Apple has announced that the HomePod will soon be able to make and receive phone calls as well as search music by lyrics -- something rival speakers, like the Google Home, have been able to do for some time.
