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Tech NewsApple
What’s Apple Going to Announce at Its iPad and MacBook Event Next Week?
A month after Apple revealed a new smartwatch and a new iPhone lineup that finally does away with the home button once and for all, the company will hold a follow-up event next week that’s tag-lined, “There’s more in the making.” A new, home button-less iPad Pro seems likely, but what else does Apple have … Continued
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Tech NewsGadgets
Sonos Speakers Finally Get the Airplay 2 Support We’ve Been Waiting For
After its somewhat premature announcement of Airplay 2 support, Sonos is finally updating a few of its speakers to actually support Airplay 2. That means your iOS device can now bring the music management and multi-room audio feature to a few more of its smart speakers, including its newest Beam soundbar. With Airplay 2 on … Continued
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Tech NewsApple
iPhone Confuses ‘Syria’ for ‘Siri’ During UK Defense Secretary’s Speech
For modern smartphone owners, it’s a common enough of an occurrence. You’re just sitting there, talking about whatever, when suddenly you say something that triggers the digital assistant on your phone. Now normally, you’d probably get annoyed for a second, tap a button to dismiss the interruption, and then continue with whatever you were doing. … Continued
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io9
Siri Erroneously Told People Stan Lee Was Dead
For a few brief moments, comic book fans around the world were shocked to hear some tragic news. But luckily, the panic didn’t last long. As first reported by CinemaBlend, Siri spent a little time this week telling people that Stan Lee had died on July 2. Why would a computer program falsely report a … Continued
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ReviewsHome EntertainmentSoundbars
Sonos Beam Is a Great Smart Soundbar for Not Too Much Money
People who own Sonos speakers love their Sonos speakers. I’m one of them. In the three to four years that I’ve been living in the Sonos ecosystem, however, one big complaint was that I couldn’t use Sonos for my TV unless I barfed up $700 for the Sonos Playbase or Playbar. Now, with the $400 … Continued
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How To
How to Play Google Podcasts Everywhere—Including iOS
Do you podcast? Google has a new app out for Android that’s ready to download and play all your favorite pods. While the functionality is a little on the bare-bones side for now, it does have one ace up its sleeve—the ability to play your podcasts across all your devices with the help of Google … Continued
By David Nield -
Tech NewsApple
Shortcuts Is Apple’s Solution to Making Siri More Useful
According to Apple, Siri is the most-used digital assistant on the planet. But for anyone who has ever used Alexa or the Google Assistant, that doesn’t mean Siri is always the smartest. To give Siri more ways to help you out, Apple has created a new app called Shortcuts that will debut with iOS 12. … Continued
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Tech NewsApple
Siri Easter Egg Hints It Will Be Less Terrible After WWDC
Siri easter eggs can range from dorky to almost fun, but a new one is hinting that Apple’s voice assistant is about to get a major upgrade. As noted by Australian Apple rumors site the Apple Post, if you ask Siri about WWDC, she won’t provide you with potentially useful information, such as when or … Continued
By Alex Cranz -
Tech NewsApple
Ask Siri to Define ‘Mother’ and You’ll Get a Surprisingly Explicit Response
Siri has been known to produce some absolutely bizarre answers to requests from time to time, but iPhone users recently discovered perhaps the strangest—and definitely the most explicit—response yet. Here’s the deal: Summon Siri on your iPhone or Mac and ask it to “define the word mother.” Siri will read off the first definition plain … Continued
By AJ Dellinger -
Tech News
Google Assistant is Smarter Than Alexa and Siri, but Honestly They All Suck
Amazon has managed to make Alexa the brand people think of when it comes to digital voice assistants, but the Google Assistant is the smartest of the bunch according to a new study. Digital marketing agency Stone Temple quizzed the top AI assistants by throwing about 5,000 questions at them to see which was capable … Continued
By AJ Dellinger -
Tech NewsApple
Looks Like Nobody Wants to Buy Apple’s HomePod
Surprise, surprise, turns out Apple’s debut foray into the world of voice assistant-enabled speakers isn’t quite living up to the company’s initial expectations. According to a Bloomberg report, the company has lowered the number of Homepods being manufactured by one of its partners, Inventec Corporation, and is reportedly looking to make a second smart speaker, … Continued
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Tech NewsApple
Apple Recruits Google’s Search and AI Chief John Giannandrea to Help Improve Siri
Apple has managed to snag Google’s chief of search and artificial intelligence John Giannandrea, the New York Times reported on Tuesday, in a fairly significant victory for a company that has lagged behind its rivals in the AI arena. Per the Times, Apple poached Giannandrea (presumably with a very alluring financial offer) as part of … Continued
By Tom McKay -
Tech NewsApple
Apple’s HomePod Can Apparently Damage Your Furniture
While it produces fantastic audio, Apple’s new HomePod smart speaker has also annoyed early users with obtuse software limitations, a lack of real Bluetooth connectivity, and missing multi-room playback support that won’t come until later this year. And now there’s one more irritation to add to that list, as it seems the HomePod can damage … Continued
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Tech NewsApple
I Would Switch to This ’80s Parody of Siri for the Hilariously Awful Synthesized Voice
Siri continues to trail behind assistants like Amazon’s Alexa and Google Home, but I would switch back to Apple’s AI in a heartbeat if it had the same terribly synthesized voice as it does in this parody revealing what Siri would have been like on ‘80s desktop PCs. https://gizmodo.com/a-90s-version-of-snapchat-would-have-been-a-whole-lot-l-1793772453 Having previously explored how unusable modern … Continued
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Tech NewsApple
Apple’s HomePod Will Finally Be Available on Feb 9th
When unexplained delays pushed Apple’s smart speaker back from a 2017 debut, Apple said it needed “a little more time before it’s ready” and promised an “early 2018″ release. Now it seems Apple is making good on its revised launch window, as the HomePod will officially go on sale on February 9th. Initially, the $350 … Continued
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Tech NewsDesign
Pretty Soon a Smart Assistant Won’t Be a Choice
This winter I bought three Google Home Minis—two for me, and one for my lovely parents. At home, my pair works like a deeply discounted Sonos setup. I can tell Google’s Assistant to play a song on “both speakers,” and it’ll pipe tinny, still-decent-sounding music into my bedroom and living room. At my parents’ house, … Continued
By Harri Weber -
Tech News
Predictions for the Year 2018 From the 20th Century
It’s the year 2018. And while we have some very cool tech that we take for granted, we’re still waiting on quite a few things that we were promised. But what did the people of yesteryear imagine 2018 would be like? People of 20th century had a lot of ideas about what the year 2018 … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsGadgets
It’s So Stupid That Digital Assistants Are Women
My smartphone is a sassy Australian woman, and my alarm clock is a nice American woman. When I turn on a new Windows laptop another cheery woman asks me if I’d like to set up Cortana. When I drive, it’s yet another woman that tells me to turn left. And when I’m cooking in the … Continued
By Alex Cranz -
Tech NewsGadgets
Apple Delays HomePod Speaker Release to ‘Early 2018’
Originally slated for a December release, it seems we’re going to be waiting a little longer for Apple’s $350 HomePod smart speaker now that its debut has been delayed until sometime in “early 2018.” In a statement Apple made to The Verge, the company said “We can’t wait for people to experience HomePod, Apple’s breakthrough … Continued
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Tech NewsApple
Some Apple HomePod Sounds Leak, and Boy Are They Soothing
Look, I don’t really care about Apple’s upcoming HomePod because even though it might sound fantastic, I’m not convinced I need to drop $350 on yet another smart speaker. Even so, I appreciate a job well done, no matter how small, and the person or people responsible for the status sounds for the HomePod have … Continued