Siri, Apple's famed voice assistant, has been parodied umpteen times, and has once again been utilized for the purpose of pure entertainment in a new comedy sketch. As ever, it's pretty funny, and below, you can check it out.
For some reason, the tech world spends more time parodying voice assistants than actually using them, and just like when Siri and Google Now first arrived, we got a little excited about Microsoft's Cortana earlier on this year at BUILD. Certainly, the software giant is every enthusiastic about the software, which is based on the virtual voice of the character from Halo, and with the HTC One M8 confirmed as releasing on Windows Phone, Microsoft has taken the opportunity to take a swipe at Apple and Siri once more.
When Microsoft took the wraps off Windows Phone 8.1 just a couple of months ago, many users rejoiced at the broad range of features that had been introduced. Everything that we expected of the announcement turned out to be true, but even though we really ought to be focusing our attentions on core features like, for example, the new notifications infrastructure, the Cortana voice assistant has commanded a large portion of attention. Just like when Apple introduced Siri, we don't seem to be able to get enough of these personable, digital voice recognition features, and in a new ad to promote Windows Phone 8.1, the software giant has pitted the Lumia 635 and Cortana up against the iPhone 5s and Siri.
We cannot, it seems, help but get carried away by voice assistants, and even though Microsoft joined the party extremely late with the introduction of Cortana earlier this year, the amount of hype it has generated for the software giant will certainly do Windows Phone's cause no harm whatsoever. Having already been compared a dozen times to Google Now and Apple's Siri, Cortana has had the benefit of watching and learning from both, but while the Halo-based voice assistant has clearly borrowed from its two longer-serving rivals in many departments, Siri is now looking to Cortana for inspiration.
With every iOS update, Siri is getting smarter and better. It is now able to process information relayed in a variety of ways. Here, we run through a selection of Siri tricks that you mightn’t have stumbled across before, and after checking out all of the tips, we’re pretty sure you’ll wind up using Siri a lot more than you currently do.
Off the back of recent reports regarding an iOS bug that allowed a hacker to potentially access encrypted email attachments, it has now emerged that a further flaw, existent through Siri, allows users to bypass lock screen security and make calls or send SMS messages using the Apple voice assistant.
Apple's Siri voice assistant has been gradually improved by Apple in its two-and-a-bit year lifespan, but it's fair to say that there's plenty of scope for further enhancements. At present, Siri is very one-dimensional, and can only perform tasks or actions based upon a limited field as predetermined by Apple. We expect this to change at some point in the future, but if you don't wish to wait for the Cupertino to broaden Siri's horizons, then you might be interested in GoogolPlex, the brainchild of four University of Pennsylvania students that does exactly that.
Apple is often listed as one of the main companies behind the surge of the digital music economy in the last decade. The introduction of the iTunes music store almost single handedly crafted a digital marketplace, putting music in front of consumers around the world and making it extremely easy for them to get the latest artist releases. As music sales and downloads begin to slow down across the industry, Apple is reportedly looking for ways to go swim against the tide by bolstering its own music offerings, which could see the fruit company partnering with Shazam Entertainment to offer a song and artist recognition service natively via Siri within iOS.
Siri may have become something of a modern cult figure since its introduction alongside the iPhone 4s back in 2011, but with the big announcement of Windows Phone 8.1 last week, Microsoft also took the wraps off Cortana, its very own Siri alternative. Given the very nature of the mobile market, we know that competition will be fierce, and as per a very funny, mocked-up parade of the respective voice assistants on an American chat show, the blue touchpaper has already been well and truly lit.
Plenty of Windows Phone users had been waiting on the announcement of Windows Phone 8.1 at BUILD 2014, and finally got their wish today as Microsoft reeled off an extensive list of new features soon headed to current Windows Phone 8 devices in the form of a gleaming new update. As well as the likes of Action Center and significant improvements to the lock screen and home screen, one of the key new features of Windows Phone 8.1 is Cortana, the voice assistant that will serve as the software giant’s very own take on Siri, and given the cult status of Apple's digital slave, Microsoft seized upon the opportunity to release a series of clips explaining why Cortana will be better.
