We all remember when Apple introduced their Siri digital assistant software with the iPhone 4S and iOS 5 back in October of last year. The immediate aftermath of that announcement saw a number of voice activated/guided apps landing on the iOS App Store as well as the Google Play Store for Android devices, but nothing really came close to matching Siri. If anyone could produce software to rival Apple’s offering then it was going to be Nuance Communications Inc. and that is exactly what they have tried to do with the initial beta release of Dragon Mobile Assistant.
The next big event this week is coming our way courtesy of Microsoft, and it is being held in New York City tomorrow. Not wanting to be outdone and to make sure that they generate the maximum amount of interest possible, the Microsoft Newsroom has confirmed that the event will be streamed live to viewers around the world.
Apple threw consumers and analysts a bit of a curveball yesterday by unveiling a surprise fourth-generation iPad complete with the new Lightning dock connector and a twice as fast A6X processor. It left many people pretty annoyed - particularly those who'd recently purchased an iPad 3. If you thought grabbing the fourth-gen iPad would keep you running the very top model for at least 10-12 months however, you might well be sadly mistaken.
This last week of October is jam-packed with really exciting media events from the personal computing industry. Apple revealed awesome new products like the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display, all-new iMacs, “iPad 4” and, of course, the iPad mini at their event yesterday. Microsoft’s Windows 8 and Surface RT launch event is set for tomorrow and Google’s event is scheduled for October 29th.
With scarcely 24 hours having passed since Apple announced a glut of product updates at its specially-arranged keynote event in San Jose, it was almost inevitable the knockoff makers wouldn't be too far behind. While the first plausible iPad mini knockoff has already reared its head, it's not so common for us to see bootleg Macs unveiled so soon after the official announcement.
The Weave app for iPhone and iPod touch is slated as a mobile creation that lets the user take control of their lives and stay on top of any tasks that need to be accomplished in order to stay organized. The easy to use and stylish looking interface of the app is intended to be extremely useful for those who need to stay in control of their professional and personal lives, as well as any hobby based to-dos that need to be completed, but is it just yet another run of the mill productivity app or does it actually bring a powerful feature set?
Whenever Apple take to the stage to hold an official media event we can always be sure that it will contain a number of purposely made videos that are either overviews of the products on show or ad campaigns that will ultimately end up on the television. Yesterday's event at the California Theatre was no different with Tim Cook and Phil Schiller proudly showing off a number of videos showing off the range of new products that were announced during the keynote speech, two of which have been uploaded to Apple's official YouTube channel.
Another Apple media event has been and gone, this time bringing multiple product announcements as well as the obligatory update on how existing devices like the iPhone, Mac and iPad are faring in the marketplace. Although, most of the attention will rightly be paid to the new 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display and the release of not one, but two new iPads, we mustn't forget that a number of important accessories were also mentioned during the keynote, albeit extremely fleetingly.
There is some extremely good news for video games fans out there coming from Microsoft, as the Redmond based company is getting into the holiday season spirit early by expanding their Xbox 360 console subsidy deal. You may remember that the original reduction deal first made an appearance earlier on in the year when Microsoft announced that consumers could purchase a 4GB Xbox 360 console for $99, with a monthly charged two-year Xbox LIVE subscription from participating stores.
Apple really threw up a surprise today by announcing the fourth-generation iPad. We expected to see a few touch-ups to the third-gen, including a Lightning dock connector and a more efficient battery, perhaps, but we certainly didn't predict so many changes.
