voice commands
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Google will expand the usefulness of voice commands beyond Android phones
Google wants to make voice commands more useful beyond your Android phone, and it's steering app creators toward new technology to make that happen.
The new Sonos voice assistant seems faster than the competition
Sonos devices have supported Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant for almost five years now. The Sonos One from 2017 was the first speaker the company made with built-in microphones, and almost every speaker it’s made since has worked with Alexa, not to mention Google Assistant. Despite supporting those popular services, though, Sonos has decided to build its own voice assistant. Dubbed Sonos Voice Control, the feature is specifically designed to work with music only.
Spotify is testing a new car mode focused on voice commands
The company retired its old Car View mode last year.
iRobot's Roombas are getting vastly smarter Alexa voice commands
You'll be able to command your Roomba more naturally with iRobot's latest Alexa Skill.
GoPro aims to develop an action camera ecosystem with its new API
GoPro's new API could let you control the Hero Black 9 with a smartwatch or voice control.
Siri is coming to third-party devices
Unlike Alexa and Google Assistant, Siri has been limited to only Apple devices since it was introduced nearly a decade ago. That's changing this year, though — Apple just announced that third-party devices would be able to take advantage of Siri as part of an update to the company's HomeKid system.
Alexa will soon be able to launch and control iOS and Android apps
Amazon's new Alexa for Apps developer tool will allow users to launch and navigate iOS and Android apps using Alexa voice commands.
Nike’s Adapt Huarache are self-lacing sneakers you’ll actually want to wear
This probably isn't shocking to anyone who knows me, but I love sneakers perhaps too much for my own good. So when Nike introduced the Adapt BB with power laces earlier this year, I was pretty intrigued: It brought two of my favorite worlds together, sneakers and technology. But for me, the problem with the Adapt BBs is that they're designed to be a performance basketball shoe, meaning they're bulky and not something I could wear every day. Now Nike has created the Adapt Huarache, a reimagined version of a classic lifestyle sneaker from 1991, which also features its FitAdapt self-lacing technology.
Alexa now speaks as slowly (or quickly) as you need
As of today, users in the US can ask their Alexa devices to speak slower or faster. The change is meant to make Alexa more accessible. Asking the voice assistant to speak slower could help people with hearing impairment better understand their device. And people who are blind or have visual impairments reportedly asked Amazon to speed up Alexa's responses.
Microsoft contractors listen to some Skype calls and Cortana commands
Microsoft is the latest company charged with listening to its users calls and voice commands. A report by Vice found that contractors are listening to bits of conversations collected through Skype's translation service. Some contractors are also listening to voice commands spoken to Cortana.
Pandora's Voice Mode is your personal music assistant
Pandora is rolling out Voice Mode to all users today. While you may have used Pandora voice controls on smart products like Amazon Alexa or Google Home, the new feature takes voice commands to the next level. It's meant to be more like a personal assistant for music, and it promises to deliver music selections tailored to each individual user.
Sony's voice-controlled speaker can follow you around the room
The jury is still out on Amazon's voice-controlled Echo speaker, but that hasn't stopped Sony from developing a competitor. The 'Smart Bluetooth Speaker BSP60' is a petite black orb that pairs with Android devices and vocalizes basic information, such as the weather forecast and your daily schedule. Once triggered with the phrase "okay speaker," you can ask it to perform simple tasks too, such as setting timers, alarms and checking your phone for new messages. The built-in microphone accommodates conference calls and the tiny wheels underneath allow it to scoot around a flat surface, similar to the Sony Rolly. (Try snoozing that 6am alarm now...) By far its most eye-catching feature, however, are the twin sections that pop out of the top. The device then looks like a Tron-style alarm clock, with bright lights that change color underneath. They're mostly for show, but give Sony's speaker a charming little personalty. If you're interested, be prepared to shell out some serious cash -- Sony says it'll cost €299 ($355) when it debuts in Q2 2015.
Bark out orders in There Came an Echo's War Room
Guiding a squad of soldiers through a campaign of missions with just your voice might take some practice, but There Came An Echo's War Room could serve as a pretty serviceable training ground. Whereas Iridium Studios' Jason Wishnov describes Echo's campaign as "narratively complex," War Room will let field commanders get right to the battlefield and experiment with weapons, voice commands and strategies to defeat waves of enemies. If you're of the "I'll believe it when I see it" mindset, Wishnov stated that the trailer's voice commands were "captured live and unedited," but it should be noted that the above demonstration of War Room is pre-alpha footage, and it isn't specified which version of Echo was used for the recording. You'll be able to call the shots when Echo reaches Steam later this year, with PS4, Xbox One, Mac and Linux versions also in the works. [Image: Iridium Studios]
PS4 voice commands limited at launch
Voice commands aren't going to wake up newly purchased PS4s from standby, nor will they do anything with the console's third-party apps. As Sony reps told our friends at Engadget, more interface functionality will be added eventually for the add-on PS Camera and its microphone, and they "hope" to integrate apps with it in due course. However, at launch it seems your vocal cords won't do all that much with this next-gen console. According to Engadget, new PS4 and PS Camera owners will be able to switch off their consoles using voice commands, as well as open games. The Camera's facial-recognition tech will also work for logging in, but ti's unclear if there are other voice commands that will be available at launch. In contrast, Microsoft is pushing strongly with its in-the-box voice integration, showcasing the Xbox One's array of quickly activated commands in a 12-minute real-time demo of the user interface. As Engadget notes, Sony' isn't looking to match Microsoft's focus on camera and microphone input at launch, not at all surprising given the Camera isn't included with the PS4, unlike Kinect with the Xbox One.
Xbox One voice commands available in 5 markets at launch
The Xbox One's ability to listen to your sultry, sensuous voice and translate those mouth noises into a command to watch New Girl on Netflix will only function in five markets at launch. Specifically, those markets are the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France and Germany. This means that Xbox Ones sold in Australia, Austria, Brazil, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Spain and New Zealand will be without this functionality on launch. The news was mentioned at the very bottom of this lengthy Xbox One overview on Xbox.com. No further information was given beyond the fact that "Xbox voice commands will not be available in all markets on the product release date," so exactly when voice commands will make it to the remaining launch markets is anyone's guess. Earlier this month, Microsoft scaled the Xbox One's launch from 21 to 13 territories, with later reports citing Kinect localization as the main reason for this delay.
Scream to access all of Dead Space 3's Kinect voice commands
Dead Space 3 doesn't want you to just scream in terror at the screen. With Kinect, Dead Space 3 allows players to say "more than 40 intuitive voice commands," rather than pressing all those pesky buttons. The image below outlines all of the voice commands players will be able to use, separated by interface, gameplay actions, skip and tram locations, and co-op actions.For example, to pull up the inventory the voice command is, "access inventory." To reload, it's "reload weapon," a paired attack escape is "get off me," and to call a partner over for aid it's "help me." Unfortunately there is no action triggered by the "scream like a banshee" voice command.
Curse that Kinect of yours in Dead Space 3
We grew up in a household where swearing wasn't exactly commonplace, which made playing the particularly terrifying games of our collective youths somewhat of a challenge: Sometimes you just need to bust out some language, especially when the going gets tough and your courage gets going.Kids these days though, with their newfangled Kinect devices, will get more from cursing out their horror games than just a talking to from Dad, at least as far as Dead Space 3 is concerned: "There are commands where you might be in a certain situation and you might yell a specific expletive and it might behave in a way that you want it to," Dead Space 3 executive producer Steve Papoutsis told CVG, regarding the game's "Better With Kinect" functionality on the 360. "We definitely have done some things there."As we discovered earlier this month, Kinect voice commands are primarily used to trade items between players and accomplish other communal goals during co-op play. Of course, all that intended functionality will take place after the solid 30 minute swearing session scheduled to commence as soon as the game is first turned on.
Dead Space 3 scares up Kinect voice commands on Xbox 360
During an EA showcase last week, Dead Space 3 executive producer Steve Papoutsis took to the stage to introduce Kinect voice commands for the Xbox 360 version. For example, Isaac and Carver can share items with each other when the player says things like "give Stasis" or "share ammo."EA also had a small room to test out the Kinect functionality, a place I accidentally discovered the best use of the feature: couch co-op. A PR representative was there to supervise and offer help, but she ended up healing me and forcing Isaac to share resources while I concentrated on fighting Necromorphs. It was an interesting and, to be honest, incredibly useful union.Sadly the demo itself was no more than 10 minutes, if that – so there wasn't really anything exciting going on content-wise. But for those who may be more content to watch a pal play Dead Space 3 on Xbox 360 rather than pick up the sticks themselves, they can still have a positive impact if there's a Kinect in the room.%Gallery-173241%
Motorola Solutions outs HC1 head-mounted computer, keeps workers' hands free in sticky situations (update: video)
We're very familiar with Kopin's Golden-i, but it was surprising that an early collaboration with Motorola Solutions didn't immediately lead to Motorola selling the head-mounted computer on its own. That odd discrepancy is being patched up now that Motorola Solutions' HC1 is here. The design keeps its signature micro-display, head tracking and voice commands, but sees a slight repurposing from Kopin's focus on security: Motorola Solutions' attention is on giving construction workers, field technicians and soldiers an always-up computer that keeps their hands free when it would be too dangerous (or just unwieldy) to grab a handheld. We haven't been told if the HC1 has been upgraded to that promised TI OMAP 4 chip, although we do know that there's an optional camera to bring on the Aliens-style video feeds as well as pairing support that offers cellular data, GPS and voice calls when linked to the right phone or hotspot. Whether or not the HC1 keeps the Golden-i's $2,500 price is an unknown as well -- that said, the corporate emphasis is more likely to see bulk sales of the wearable PC than any kind of scrimping and saving. Update: You'll find an official clip for the HC1 after the break. The clip also confirms that there's no OMAP 4 in this version.
Nuance and Intel team on Dragon Assistant Beta for Ultrabooks, Dell XPS 13 to lead the charge
Intel at CES promised a partnership with Nuance to give Ultrabooks a taste of ready-made voice recognition, and we're finally seeing the results at IDF in San Francisco through the launch of Nuance's Dragon Assistant Beta. As the name implies, this isn't just a voice dictation engine like that in Naturally Speaking: chatty users can delegate common tasks like playing music, reading social network updates and searching the web. The beta isn't immediately available as of this writing, but it should go live soon and will be a core part of of Ultrabook software bundles in the near future, starting with the Dell XPS 13 this fall. We're wondering why Intel is focusing its Dragon Assistant efforts solely on thin-and-lights -- the company still makes money from portlier PCs, after all -- but we won't mind as much given the simultaneous launch of a Perceptual Computing SDK 2013 Beta, which lets developers work Dragon recognition into their own apps. More details await after the break.
