Google Speech Recognition Leaves Apple Siri Hanging - http://clapway.com/2015/11/23/google-speech-recognition-destroys-apple-siri123/

Google has been making quick fixes to the speech recognition feature on the Google app. The Google App, which is the official title of what a lot of us describe as Google Now, doesn’t have the tendency to get as much focus as Siri on iOS and Cortana on Windows. Partly this is because Google has avoided the whole ‘character’ side of development and quietly got on with making it better.

Google Gets One Up on Siri and Cortana

Satyajeet Salgar, the product manager for the Google App, said in a blog post that recent developments in machine understanding functionality have allowed Google to bring in advances more quickly and efficiently than ever before. They decided it was time to have their features grow up some more. The Google App is beginning to come to a complete understanding of what people ask. We could now break down a task to understanding the semantics. This way, it can recognize common sense and better respond to it.

Google Tests Out Speech Recognition with Michael Jackson

Google carried out a test with the Speech Recognition, asking it a few questions that would be quite commonplace in regular conversation.

Smooth Sailing with Simpler Questions but It Maxes Out

Then they asked about his cause of death, and it cited the cause of death from Wikipedia. Then it spiraled slightly as questions got more complex. Speech recognition is improving, but there’s a lot of work to do.

Google Speech Recognition Leaves Apple Siri Hanging

#Moneypenny by #Facebook to rival your #personalassistant. - http://clapway.com/2015/07/14/moneypenny-facebooks-human-operated-virtual-assistant-234/

Facebook is reportedly developing its own digital assistant internally called Moneypenny, after James Bond’s trustworthy secretary. According to The Information, the social network is working on a feature within Facebook Messenger that “allows users to ask real people for help researching and ordering products and services, among other tasks.”

What’s different about Moneypenny?

Designed to rival digital assistants such as Apple’s Siri, Google Now and Microsoft’s Cortana, Moneypenny’s main purpose is basically to make our life easier. They are truly first-world problems solving gurus. What’s different, though, is that Moneypenny will allow users to search for and order products and services backed by live human assistance, early reports suggest.

Innovation is in the air

In recent months, Facebook has come out with new features for Messenger, that include video calling and payment services, but the social network isn’t done with innovation yet. Basically, with Moneypenny, well-trained people and experts in various fields will help users to discover and purchase products and services.

Your assistant in your pocket

The technology is similar to concierge services such as Magic — which is a text-based service that promises to get you whatever your heart desires, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week — as long as it’s legal.

Other virtual assistant applications include Operator and GoButler which promise to fulfil every one of your requests, on-demand by searching the web, comparing prices, reading reviews, and ordering what you need.

“Text us to get whatever you want, whenever you want, wherever you are – it’s really simple and cool,” says GoButler co-founder CEO Navid Hadzaad. The objective is ultimately to help users save time and “make it happen”, conveniently via text message.

Virtual assistants are increasingly popular

The demand for human-operated virtual assistants is increasingly high, with companies processing and handling thousands of requests per day.

Moneypenny is currently being tested and it will probably include new features before being released to the world at large. Even its name could eventually change. However, if Moneypenny is designed to work in combination with Facebook Messenger’s new options, then it could definitely be an interesting service to explore.

Facebook hasn’t commented on the ‘leak’ yet.

Are you using a virtual assistant? How useful is it?

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People want to at least feel like they’re living in the future more these days. Why not make a friend in MUSIO?

Moneypenny: Facebook"s Human-Operated Virtual Assistant

Expect big 5 announcements by Apple on June 8 at WWDC 2015 - http://clapway.com/2015/06/03/expect-big-5-announcements-by-apple-on-june-8-at-wwdc-123/

The famous Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference is just round the corner. It is going to take place on June 8th at San Francisco. What are you expecting? Apple’s latest versions of OS X or iOS? No wonder why, developers from around the globe turn up for the Apple event. The tagline of the event which says “The epicenter of change” has a lot to offer. Before, you calculate a little more, here is this piece all set to tell you things in detail.

Here is the first prediction. There are several rumors taking rounds on Apple TV. A lot of Apple TV owners had an opinion that the smart device had more potential than simply streaming TV. This time, Apple TV is going to be one of a kind for your home. The company is integrating HomeKit support to the TV along with iOS 8.1. If it happens that way then you can expect Siri to be inevitably present in the enhanced Apple device. Apple Siri shall help you control the HomeKit accessories, thus, making your TV a HomeKit hub.

Coming to another Apple Music (formerly Beats Music), it is expected to show up refreshing streaming music service. Such a game changer that is going to be! It is expected that the overhauled Beats Music, it will be a ‘$10-a-month on-demand streaming service’ with ad-supported and free radio stations which are going to be curated by Pharrell Williams and Drake. Knowing the fact that Apple iTunes have more than 110 million customers, there are questions on how many will convert into streaming subscribers. Let’s keep ourselves alert at the WWDC 2015.

The third announcement is expected to be around the highly criticized Apple maps. Considered half baked, the maps were leading people to wrong destinations and did not have public transit directions. As a result, it was pretty disappointing as compared to other Apple devices. But, things are changing this time. For the Ios 9, maps are getting improvised. Reports say that mass transit information shall be integrated for the well-known cities such as New York and San Francisco. Also, major work is happening on augmented reality overlay that will inform you on business just as you point on the map. There is going to be an addition of Browse Around Me that will inform you about the nearby places which could be of your interest based on your previous searches. Lastly, you shall see features like a Street View competitor, indoor maps and 3D maps.

On the fourth grade, lies Siri. It is getting smarter this time. As per reports, an Apple initiative shall unite Maps, Calendar, Siri, Spotlight, and other apps to assist in giving information across the day without even asking. This shall be seen on the left side of your home and you can access it through a swipe. Spotlight app will be seen at the top and other apps shall show up on the rest of the screen.

On the final note, the fifth prediction is about the Native Watch apps. Apple has plans to let open an SDK for the developers that shall permit the third-party apps to just run natively rather than continuing along your iPhone. This time, the Apple watch shall have much enhanced strava fitness app that will have direct access to the Apple watch’s onboard sensors. So the third-party apps can tap into the accelerometer, heart rate sensor and gyroscope in the Apple Watch without even waiting for the Watch to run the information along with the iPhone Health app. So, they were the five predictions. Wait and Apple watch!

Expect big 5 announcements by Apple on June 8 at WWDC 2015