Apple announced at WWDC19 that over 100,000 live radio stations would be coming as part of iOS 13. Some people report it working already.
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Former Siri Chief Bill Stasior Talks Virtual Assistants
Bill Stasior previously led Siri development at Apple. He sat down to discuss virtual assistants and how they can improve in the next 3-5 years.
UN Report Says Making Siri Voice Female by Default is Sexist
A report from the United Nations says that making virtual assistants like Siri have female voices by default is sexist.
As voice-powered technology reaches into communities that do not currently subscribe to Western gender stereotypes, including indigenous communities, the feminization of digital assistants may help gender biases to take hold and spread. Because Alexa, Cortana, Google Home and Siri are all female exclusively or female by default in most markets, women assume the role of digital attendant…
I think it’s a fair point.
Scriptable Can Make Shortcuts and Siri More Powerful
Scriptable is an automation tool that enables you to write scripts that integrates with native features of iOS such as files, calendars, reminders, documents and much more. An extensive support for Siri Shortcuts enables you to present images, tables and more in Siri as well as making Siri read out loud a text when you run a script from a Siri Shortcut. Your scripts can be run from the Scriptable app, from a Siri Shortcut or from other apps using the share sheet extensive or Scriptable’s URL schemes. Features include writing and running JavaScript; auto complete of variable names, functions, keywords and properties as you type; access lots of native iOS features from your JavaScript code, including managing files, calendars, reminders, contacts, photos, location, pasteboard, web views and more. App Store: Free (Offers In-App Purchases)
2019 Voice Report Shows Siri, Google Assistant Tied
Microsoft‘s recent 2019 Voice Report shows that usage of Google Assistant and Siri are tied at 36%, while 41% of survey respondents are concerned about privacy.
iOS 13 Could Include Dark Mode, Smarter Mail, and More
A fresh batch of iOS 13 rumors has dropped this morning, which include dark mode, better multitasking, Mail upgrades, and a lot more.
Migration Is (Not Only) For The Birds – Mac Geek Gab 757
Siri, Stringify, Space Lens, and Emergency Bypass don’t all begin with the letter ‘S’, but they have one thing in common: your two favorite geeks discuss them in this week’s episode of Mac Geek Gab. In addition, listen as John F. Braun and Dave Hamilton answer your questions, including some about migrating to a new Mac the right way. The best way. Press play and enjoy learning at least five new things!
Female British Siri Voice Given an Upgrade
LONDON – Apple customers in the UK might be feeling that Siri is just that little bit more human. It is reported that the digital assistant’s British female voice has been given an upgrade. Cult of Mac noticed a number of users commenting on the improvement to the voice on iPhone, iPad, and HomePod. The male voice was improved earlier in 2019.
Apple launched a mission to make Siri sound less robotic in 2017. The release of iOS 11 that fall brought big improvements to Siri’s voice in a number of markets, and the improvements have slowly but surely continued since then. Apple is thought to be using machine learning techniques to make its assistant sound more natural. It hasn’t changed the voice artists behind Siri — at least not for the British accents — but they now sound more human.
For Hire: An Analyst to Share Negative Siri Feedback With Team
The employee will have the power to lead “rapid-response solutions” to fix problems with Siri that are trending or viral.
Siri Shortcuts Might Just Be Misunderstood
Thursday’s update to Siri Shortcuts got writer Lance Ulanoff wondering if the feature is actually widely misunderstood. He saw it in action, working with apps that made an Espresso on command or could order your favourite pizza. He posted a column on Medium about the demo, and how Siri Shortcuts works. He concluded that the “ability to take deep dives into disparate apps without even touching your phone” is “the most compelling aspect” of the feature.
Getting Siri to launch an action isn’t that surprising, but what iPhone and iOS 12 users might not realize is the extent to which Siri’s been watching them and using local machine learning to build up a potential library of Siri Shortcut actions. It starts pretty simply. If you drag your thumb down on your home screen, you’ll immediately see a collection of 4-to-8 apps selected by Siri as those you use most often. There are also those Siri Suggestions that helpfully popup on your lock-screen offering to, for instance, initiate a call that its gleaned from your schedule.
Siri Privacy and Team Changes – TMO Daily Observations 2019-02-04
Bryan Chaffin and John Martellaro discuss Siri with host Kelly Guimont: Both what Siri should keep to herself and team leadership changes.
Apple HomePod: $296.10
We have a deal on an Apple HomePod. This is Apple’s Siri-based speaker with a built-in subwoofer, 7 tweeters, and microphones to hear your commands for Siri. It retails for $349, and our deal is for $329. But, our friends at Stack Commerce gave us coupon code “HOMEPOD10” that will save 10%, for a checkout price of $296.10. Our link points to the Space Gray mode, but you can also choose the White version in the deal listing. Get it while you can.
Voice of Hebrew Siri Sues Apple for Illegitimate Usage
Ms. Gura-Sini performed the voice for Nuance Communications, which Apple acquired in 2016. She said she only authorized the use of her voice for “legitimate” purposes.
Here's How Siri Works on the HomePod
Although the journal entry is highly technical in nature, it’s a fascinating glimpse into the technology underpinning the HomePod.
Offline Siri Edges Closer to Reality With Silk Labs
Last week Andrew Orr wrote about a patent that Apple filed regarding more offline Siri capability. He thinks the latest news about Silk Labs provides stronger evidence for that.
Offline Siri, SMS Data Breach – TMO Daily Observations 2018-11-16
Andrew Orr and John Martellaro join host Kelly Guimont to talk about Offline Siri and the latest data breach, (this one involves text messages).
How to Turn Off Siri Suggestions in iOS 12
Today’s Quick Tip is about Siri Suggestions in iOS 12. Have you seen reminders to call people back on your lock screen? Don’t like those prompts? We’ll tell you what to do!
Offline Siri Mode Could Come in the Future
In order to pull this off your iPhone would need the necessary processing power, as well as a big enough offline knowledge database.
Apple Updates Shortcuts App: New Actions for Weather, Alarms, Measurements, Photos, More
This update adds several actions covering weather, alarms, measurements, photos, as well as better HomePod functionality.
TunnelBear Gets Password Autofill, Easy iOS 12 Siri Shortcut Setup
The iPhone and iPad version of the VPN app TunnelBear got an update this week that adds in support for autofilling passwords from RememBear, plus a new button for adding TunnelBear to Siri for voice control. Tapping the button creates a Siri Shortcut to connect to the last used TunnelBear server, and lets you record your own Siri trigger phrase. The TunnelBear app is free, and the VPN service is free for up to 500MB usage a month. The unlimited data plan costs US$9.99 a month, or $49.99 a year.
Apple's Maybe Free TV Shows Plan, Google and Apple's AI Battle - TMO Daily Observations 2018-10-11
John Martellaro and Bryan Chaffin join Jeff Gamet to share their thoughts on how Apple will promote its streaming TV content and follow up on yesterday’s subscription TV overload discussion. They also look at competition in the artificial intelligence space with Google’s new Call Screen feature.
Deconstructing Bloomberg's Spy Chip Report, 7 Years of Siri - TMO Daily Observations 2018-10-08
Bryan Chaffin and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to look at the responses to Bloomberg’s China spy chip report, and what could account for the strong denials from Apple and Amazon. They also look at the state of Siri on the voice assistant’s 7th anniversary.
Happy 2018 Birthday Siri! Apple's Virtual Assistant is 7
Happy 2018 Birthday Siri! Apple’s virtual assistant made her debut on October 4, 2011 which makes her seven years old today. Siri is now more powerful than ever, and with the release of iOS 12 users can work to customize the assistant a bit with the Shortcuts app. Siri can make calls or send texts for you whether you are driving, have your hands full, or are simply on the go. It also offers proactive suggestions, like texting someone that you’re running late for a meeting, so you can stay in touch effortlessly. Set alarms, timers, and reminders. Get directions. Preview your calendar. Siri can do it all without your ever having to pick up a device. Based on your routine, Siri can even anticipate what you might need to help you breeze through your day. Machine learning is constantly making Siri smarter. And you can personalize Siri to make it even more useful. Choose to have Siri speak one of 21 different languages. Teach Siri who your family members are. And spell out unusual words so Siri can recognize them in the future.
iOS 12: How to Make Your First Shortcut and Add a Siri Command
Making your first Shortcut in iOS 12 on your iPhone or iPad doesn’t have to be difficult or complicated. Here’s how to get started, and how to add a Siri voice command, too.