Apple Inc beefed up its new iPhone with faster chips and better cameras, seeking to set its handset apart from the rising tide of Google Android smartphones.
But the one feature that got the most "oohs" and "ahhs" from the audience at Tuesday's iPhone unveiling was the built-in voice-recognition technology, dubbed "Siri".
Apple demonstrated a variety of scenarios in which users of the new iPhone 4S seemed to hold a conversation with the device, managing calendar appointments, finding restaurants and inquiring about the weather.
"That was a pretty big step forward," said Forrester Research analyst Frank Gillett, who attended the launch at Apple headquarters. "To be able to just converse with your gadget. You've got more options than just poking and swiping at it with your finger."
Whether such high-tech wizardry is enough to make the iPhone 4S a must-have in consumers' eyes, and set it apart from the competition, remains to be seen.
"It's not clear that Siri is sufficient to make or break a purchase decision," said John Jackson, an analyst at CCS Insight. "It's a better mousetrap. History tells us users don't use this technology in great numbers."
Voice recognition technology isn't new. Software companies have offered technology allowing people to do dictation, with varying results, on their personal computers for more than a decade. Even low-tech gizmos like vehicle-GPS units made by Garmin and others can be voice-enabled.
Google introduced voice recognition technology to its Android smartphone software more than a year ago, and the company recently introduced a voice-recognition capability into its flagship Web search engine.
But Gillett said Apple had taken the technology beyond merely recognizing spoken words. The Siri technology could take actions based on people's words, making it closer to a true "personal assistant," he said.
It talks back!
During demonstrations, an Apple executive asked the phone whether he needed a raincoat today, and the phone responded: "It sure looks like rain today."
A separate video of Siri technology in action, screened during the event, depicted a jogger telling his phone to book an appointment at noon, with the phone responding, in a robotic female voice, that he already had an appointment at that time.
Siri will initially be available with support for English, French and German with more languages soon, Apple said. The company acquired Siri, the maker of the technology, early last year.
Apple's iPhone, first introduced in 2007, is the No. 1 selling smartphone in the world. But phones based on Google Inc's Android operating system, which is available for free to handset vendors such as Motorola, HTC Corp and Samsung Electronics, have a greater combined market share than Apple's iPhones.
Inside iPhone 4S is a dual-core A5 processor, designed by Apple, with improved graphics capabilities for video games, as well as special image processing capabilities for improving photo and video performance. The camera got a boost to 8 megapixel resolution, up from the prior model's 5 megapixels.
Apple also provided more details on forthcoming Internet-based "cloud" features on Tuesday. Users of iPhones and iPad tablets will be able to store their music, photos and other data on Apple's remote servers, similar to services offered by Google and Amazon.com Inc.
For all the hardware improvements, Gartner analyst Van Baker said it was the Siri technology that will really make the iPhone 4S stand apart.
"It is very cutting-edge," he said. "They have raised the bar."
(http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/news/hardware/iPhone-4S-Meet-Siri-rival-to-Google-tech/articleshow/10242484.cms)
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
iPhone's Siri causes a stir
Apple Inc beefed up its new iPhone with faster chips and better cameras, seeking to set its handset apart from the rising tide of Google Android smartphones.
But the one feature that got the most "oohs" and "ahhs" from the audience at Tuesday's iPhone unveiling was the built-in voice-recognition technology, dubbed "Siri".
Apple demonstrated a variety of scenarios in which users of the new iPhone 4S seemed to hold a conversation with the device, managing calendar appointments, finding restaurants and inquiring about the weather.
"That was a pretty big step forward," said Forrester Research analyst Frank Gillett, who attended the launch at Apple headquarters. "To be able to just converse with your gadget. You've got more options than just poking and swiping at it with your finger."
Whether such high-tech wizardry is enough to make the iPhone 4S a must-have in consumers' eyes, and set it apart from the competition, remains to be seen.
"It's not clear that Siri is sufficient to make or break a purchase decision," said John Jackson, an analyst at CCS Insight. "It's a better mousetrap. History tells us users don't use this technology in great numbers."
Voice recognition technology isn't new. Software companies have offered technology allowing people to do dictation, with varying results, on their personal computers for more than a decade. Even low-tech gizmos like vehicle-GPS units made by Garmin and others can be voice-enabled.
Google introduced voice recognition technology to its Android smartphone software more than a year ago, and the company recently introduced a voice-recognition capability into its flagship Web search engine.
But Gillett said Apple had taken the technology beyond merely recognizing spoken words. The Siri technology could take actions based on people's words, making it closer to a true "personal assistant," he said.
It talks back!
During demonstrations, an Apple executive asked the phone whether he needed a raincoat today, and the phone responded: "It sure looks like rain today."
A separate video of Siri technology in action, screened during the event, depicted a jogger telling his phone to book an appointment at noon, with the phone responding, in a robotic female voice, that he already had an appointment at that time.
Siri will initially be available with support for English, French and German with more languages soon, Apple said. The company acquired Siri, the maker of the technology, early last year.
Apple's iPhone, first introduced in 2007, is the No. 1 selling smartphone in the world. But phones based on Google Inc's Android operating system, which is available for free to handset vendors such as Motorola, HTC Corp and Samsung Electronics, have a greater combined market share than Apple's iPhones.
Inside iPhone 4S is a dual-core A5 processor, designed by Apple, with improved graphics capabilities for video games, as well as special image processing capabilities for improving photo and video performance. The camera got a boost to 8 megapixel resolution, up from the prior model's 5 megapixels.
Apple also provided more details on forthcoming Internet-based "cloud" features on Tuesday. Users of iPhones and iPad tablets will be able to store their music, photos and other data on Apple's remote servers, similar to services offered by Google and Amazon.com Inc.
For all the hardware improvements, Gartner analyst Van Baker said it was the Siri technology that will really make the iPhone 4S stand apart.
"It is very cutting-edge," he said. "They have raised the bar."
(http://www.hindustantimes.com/technology/Technology-Update-PersonalTech/iPhone-s-Siri-causes-a-stir/SP-Article1-753811.aspx)
But the one feature that got the most "oohs" and "ahhs" from the audience at Tuesday's iPhone unveiling was the built-in voice-recognition technology, dubbed "Siri".
Apple demonstrated a variety of scenarios in which users of the new iPhone 4S seemed to hold a conversation with the device, managing calendar appointments, finding restaurants and inquiring about the weather.
"That was a pretty big step forward," said Forrester Research analyst Frank Gillett, who attended the launch at Apple headquarters. "To be able to just converse with your gadget. You've got more options than just poking and swiping at it with your finger."
Whether such high-tech wizardry is enough to make the iPhone 4S a must-have in consumers' eyes, and set it apart from the competition, remains to be seen.
"It's not clear that Siri is sufficient to make or break a purchase decision," said John Jackson, an analyst at CCS Insight. "It's a better mousetrap. History tells us users don't use this technology in great numbers."
Voice recognition technology isn't new. Software companies have offered technology allowing people to do dictation, with varying results, on their personal computers for more than a decade. Even low-tech gizmos like vehicle-GPS units made by Garmin and others can be voice-enabled.
Google introduced voice recognition technology to its Android smartphone software more than a year ago, and the company recently introduced a voice-recognition capability into its flagship Web search engine.
But Gillett said Apple had taken the technology beyond merely recognizing spoken words. The Siri technology could take actions based on people's words, making it closer to a true "personal assistant," he said.
It talks back!
During demonstrations, an Apple executive asked the phone whether he needed a raincoat today, and the phone responded: "It sure looks like rain today."
A separate video of Siri technology in action, screened during the event, depicted a jogger telling his phone to book an appointment at noon, with the phone responding, in a robotic female voice, that he already had an appointment at that time.
Siri will initially be available with support for English, French and German with more languages soon, Apple said. The company acquired Siri, the maker of the technology, early last year.
Apple's iPhone, first introduced in 2007, is the No. 1 selling smartphone in the world. But phones based on Google Inc's Android operating system, which is available for free to handset vendors such as Motorola, HTC Corp and Samsung Electronics, have a greater combined market share than Apple's iPhones.
Inside iPhone 4S is a dual-core A5 processor, designed by Apple, with improved graphics capabilities for video games, as well as special image processing capabilities for improving photo and video performance. The camera got a boost to 8 megapixel resolution, up from the prior model's 5 megapixels.
Apple also provided more details on forthcoming Internet-based "cloud" features on Tuesday. Users of iPhones and iPad tablets will be able to store their music, photos and other data on Apple's remote servers, similar to services offered by Google and Amazon.com Inc.
For all the hardware improvements, Gartner analyst Van Baker said it was the Siri technology that will really make the iPhone 4S stand apart.
"It is very cutting-edge," he said. "They have raised the bar."
(http://www.hindustantimes.com/technology/Technology-Update-PersonalTech/iPhone-s-Siri-causes-a-stir/SP-Article1-753811.aspx)
iPhone 4 v/s iPhone 4S – What changed, what didn’t?
At Apple’s ‘Let’s Talk iPhone’ event, Tim Cook took the stage at Apple’s TownHall campus in Cupertino, in his first event since being named Apple’s CEO. Lets’ see what went down at the keynote.
iPod gets redesigned
iPod Nano gets a refresh and the new iPod Nano sports a redesigned interface with bigger icons, 16 new digitalclock faces and improved built-in fitness features. It will come in seven colours - silver, graphite, blue, green,orange and pink and will be available for $129 for the 8GB model, followed by $149 for the 16GB model.
New iPod Touch running on iOS 5 with iCloud services, will be available from October 12 in new black and whitemodels starting at $199 for 16 GB model, followed by $299 for the 32GB model and $399 for the 64GB model.
iPhone 4S launched
Retains the same design from iPhone 4 with an addition of Apple A5 chip (Double the Power),8 megapixel camera, 1080p video capture. It comes in black and white variants and will be available in the USfrom October 14 with pre-orders starting from October 7.
The prices will start at $199 for 8GB version, followed by $299 for 16GB and $399 for 32GB. Sprint will also begetting iPhone 4S in US this time around, along with AT&T and Verizon Wireless, calling it the World Phone.
Siri, an intelligent voice assistant has been integrated into the phone. It understands the context based on yourquestions and allows you to send messages, schedule meetings, set remainders, make phone calls or use serviceslike Yelp and Wolfram Alpha through voice. It is currently in beta and supports English, French, and Germanlanguages with more languages and services to be added over time.
Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and the UK will get the iPhone 4S from October 14 and it will berolled out to 22 more countries by the end of October including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark,Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands,Norway, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
In the US, 8GB iPhone 4 will now be available for $99 and iPhone 3GS will be available for free with a two yearcontract.
New iOS 5 Apps
61% share in mobile browser usage in the US, with Android coming second at 31%. Cards: An app which allows you to create and mail gorgeous cards right from your iPhone or iPod touch. Apple willprint it on a high quality 100% cotton paper and mail it. You will receive a push notification upon mail deliverythrough USPS. You can choose between 21 designs in the app. The app will be available from Oct 12 and will beavailable for $2.99 in the US, $4.99 elsewhere.
Find My Friends app: You can locate your friends and family using this app, provided they are sharing theirlocation. Also, you can temporarily allow location sharing on your device for a specific blocks of time. At the endof the day, the location sharing stops automatically. The app also comes with some parental controls so that kidscan’t share their location with others or they cannot disable location sharing with parents and so on.
iCloud to be available for iOS 5 and OS X Lion users from October 12. This includes iTunes in the Cloud, Photo Stream, Documents in the Cloud and iTunes Match (US-only).
iPhone 5 a No-show
My only question is where’s the legendary water-drop model shape [referring to the back of the phone]? The four-inch screen?The seamless frame? Wait for the next generation of iPhone. The best product is always the next one. Yes, the iPhone 4S is pretty badass in itself, but everyone was expecting too much, so it’s hard to avoid being disappointed. The announcement of the iPhone 4S means we have to wait until next year for the iPhone 5!
(Article by Daksh Junega: http://www.hindustantimes.com/iPhone-4-v-s-iPhone-4S-What-changed-what-didn-t/H1-Article1-753825.aspx)
iPod gets redesigned
iPod Nano gets a refresh and the new iPod Nano sports a redesigned interface with bigger icons, 16 new digitalclock faces and improved built-in fitness features. It will come in seven colours - silver, graphite, blue, green,orange and pink and will be available for $129 for the 8GB model, followed by $149 for the 16GB model.
New iPod Touch running on iOS 5 with iCloud services, will be available from October 12 in new black and whitemodels starting at $199 for 16 GB model, followed by $299 for the 32GB model and $399 for the 64GB model.
iPhone 4S launched
Retains the same design from iPhone 4 with an addition of Apple A5 chip (Double the Power),8 megapixel camera, 1080p video capture. It comes in black and white variants and will be available in the USfrom October 14 with pre-orders starting from October 7.
The prices will start at $199 for 8GB version, followed by $299 for 16GB and $399 for 32GB. Sprint will also begetting iPhone 4S in US this time around, along with AT&T and Verizon Wireless, calling it the World Phone.
Siri, an intelligent voice assistant has been integrated into the phone. It understands the context based on yourquestions and allows you to send messages, schedule meetings, set remainders, make phone calls or use serviceslike Yelp and Wolfram Alpha through voice. It is currently in beta and supports English, French, and Germanlanguages with more languages and services to be added over time.
Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and the UK will get the iPhone 4S from October 14 and it will berolled out to 22 more countries by the end of October including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark,Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands,Norway, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
In the US, 8GB iPhone 4 will now be available for $99 and iPhone 3GS will be available for free with a two yearcontract.
New iOS 5 Apps
61% share in mobile browser usage in the US, with Android coming second at 31%. Cards: An app which allows you to create and mail gorgeous cards right from your iPhone or iPod touch. Apple willprint it on a high quality 100% cotton paper and mail it. You will receive a push notification upon mail deliverythrough USPS. You can choose between 21 designs in the app. The app will be available from Oct 12 and will beavailable for $2.99 in the US, $4.99 elsewhere.
Find My Friends app: You can locate your friends and family using this app, provided they are sharing theirlocation. Also, you can temporarily allow location sharing on your device for a specific blocks of time. At the endof the day, the location sharing stops automatically. The app also comes with some parental controls so that kidscan’t share their location with others or they cannot disable location sharing with parents and so on.
iCloud to be available for iOS 5 and OS X Lion users from October 12. This includes iTunes in the Cloud, Photo Stream, Documents in the Cloud and iTunes Match (US-only).
iPhone 5 a No-show
My only question is where’s the legendary water-drop model shape [referring to the back of the phone]? The four-inch screen?The seamless frame? Wait for the next generation of iPhone. The best product is always the next one. Yes, the iPhone 4S is pretty badass in itself, but everyone was expecting too much, so it’s hard to avoid being disappointed. The announcement of the iPhone 4S means we have to wait until next year for the iPhone 5!
(Article by Daksh Junega: http://www.hindustantimes.com/iPhone-4-v-s-iPhone-4S-What-changed-what-didn-t/H1-Article1-753825.aspx)
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