Siri, the virtual assistant for the Apple iPhone 4S, when it appeared two months ago seemed possibly to be an Android killer.  It had both natural language technology together with artificial intelligence.  Given Apple’s emphasis on usability and user convenience, it promised to be impressive and so it was to many.  Google perhaps as one might expect was less enthusiastic.

Andy Rubin, Google – Strategy or Subterfuge

Andy Rubin, Senior VP Mobile, Google said that the Siri was wrong-headed since a phone should merely act as an intermediary between humans and should not be a virtual assistant.  Whether this was a confirmation of Google’s Mobile strategy or merely a smoke-screen to cover up their real intentions, only time will tell.

Now word is that Google is launching a Siri rival for the Android.  It apparently is code-named Majel.

Codenamed “Majel” after the late actress Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, who provided the computerized voice of the Starship Enterprise in “Star Trek,” the technology will reportedly upgrade Android’s “Voice Actions” app, which lets users make calls, get directions and perform searches on Android smartphones using voice commands.

Google chairman Eric Schmidt had voiced concerns over Siri’s potential to transform search and thus compete with Google’s core business. Majel’s debut may put these concerns to rest by endowing Android handsets with voice-activated search capabilities comparable to those of the Apple iPhone.

What Majel does not offer

Majel may offer enhanced voice-actuated search capabilities but it seems clear that it cannot quickly catch up to the artificial intelligence that Siri offers. This is based  on a military DARPA project, and is the culmination of over 40 years of research.

Even though Robin Williams may be somewhat disparaging on what Siri can do for you (as you can check in the video below), it seems likely that Siri will have great user appeal. Android may need to do some fast peddling to catch up.

Post from: StayGoLinks

Android’s Majel Is Not An Apple Siri Rival

Technorati Tags: Android, Apple, artificial intelligence, darpa, siri

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I accordingly used a touch typing tutor, which at that time was a printed book.  I have never regretted the time I spent and it has made me much more efficient whenever I keyboard.  Clearly having an online tutor where you can practice and easily measure your performance is very much better.  However given the evolution of technology, whether you should learn touch typing is an interesting question.

Typing On Mobile Devices

The dilemma about learning touch typing arises because we are now increasingly moving to mobile devices.  So often these are becoming extremely small and this is a major challenge for average fingers.  Because of this, the smart phone technology is attempting to avoid the need for pecking away at keyboard buttons.  This can be done either with or without a smartphone interface that looks like a keyboard.

Swype

If you have an android smartphone then you may well have seen the Swype application. Acknowledging the difficulty of hitting miniscule keys with average fingers, Swype allows you to move your fingers over the letters in a word and the software will attempt to insert the word you had in mind.  If your character path is difficult for the software to provide a single word, it will give you a choice of words from which you can select what you had in mind.

For more details, you can check a video made by Robert Scoble on his meeting with the Swype creators.  Having used Swype on my Samsung Galaxy Android phone, I can say that although not perfect, it does a credible job.  It does of course grapple with a paradox.  Here we have a sound technology device, which is attempting to receive input via a physical stroking action.

Voice Technology

The more natural way to get data into a smartphone is to use voice technology.  Most smartphones do have this capability although in some cases the functionality may be limited.  The Android phone for example does allow you to create text messages by speaking into the device and it works fairly well although not with 99% accuracy.

These two alternative technologies for inputting messages into your smartphone seem likely to be what is used by most visitors.  Touch typing would be completely inappropriate here.

Typing for Desktop Devices

Mobile devices may be used in ever increasing numbers but there will always be a significant usership for desktop PCs, which do use keyboards of sufficient size to make touch typing a useful approach.  However voice technology such as Nuance’s Dragon NaturallySpeaking is becoming extremely fast and accurate and can be used with desktop computers.  It is used for the SMM blogs for example with reasonable success.

Touch Typing Is Hard To Beat

Even though voice technology can be used with a desktop PC and does give some speed advantages, it is never 100% correct.  Where unusual vocabulary is being used, the success rate may drop.  The Dragon Naturally Speaking software can be trained to recognize the unusual words perhaps said with an unusual accent.  However there may always be small amounts of text where it is appropriate to go back to keyboarding.

If this is your situation, then like me, you may find it very worthwhile to spend a little time with an online touch typing tutor to improve your total effectiveness.

Post from: StayGoLinks

Free Online Touch Typing Tutor

Technorati Tags: dragon, naturally speaking, swype, touch typing

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• November 24, 2011 -- Nuance Black Friday Deals (2)

Nuance is offering some real deals for Cyber Monday that we thought you might want to grab. Just click on the link that takes your fancy.

Nuance sells a wide variety of products, which includes Imaging Products. You can save 40% on Nuance Imaging Products by using the Coupon Code: IMAGINGFRIDAY from November 25th to 28th.

On Cyber Monday, you can benefit from $50 off Dragon Dictate 2.5.

If neither of these takes your fancy, you could wander round their online store since Nuance does have a Fall Sale in progress with savings up to 40%.

Post from: StayGoLinks

Nuance Cyber Monday Deals

Technorati Tags: cyber monday, nrf, Nuance, shop org

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The one we like most is the Black Friday Exclusive for Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11.5 Premium selling at $129.99, which is a saving of $50!

Nuance does sell a wide variety of products including Imaging Products. You can save 40% on Nuance Imaging Products by using the Coupon Code: IMAGINGFRIDAY from November 25th to 28th.

On Cyber Monday, you can benefit from $50 off Dragon Dictate 2.5.

If none of these take your fancy, why not wander round their online store since Nuance does have a Fall Sale in progress with savings up to 40%.

Post from: StayGoLinks

Nuance Black Friday Deals

Technorati Tags: dragon, iphone 4s, naturally speaking, Nuance, siri

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A number of companies in both Canada and the US now offer a variety of broadband packages.  Provided the company has a good customer service policy, then it is highly likely that the customer will make a deal that gives a great deal of satisfaction and at a very good price.

The service may be provided via a number of technologies.  One of the most reliable and robust, provided the infrastructure is in place, is service by cable.  A good example of what the customer can achieve is given by what Comcast Cable offers.

The Comcast Cable home telecommunications packages can include a number of services: High speed Internet access, DVR’s, HDTV, Digital TV and Digital Phone service for example.

With one of their packages, you can simply relax and enjoy all that great technology while leaving the details of how it all works and how it should be set up to the company.  The specifications of what is offered can be very impressive.

• Comcast High-Speed Internet service can connect your home to the Internet at speeds up to twelve megabytes per second and up to fifteen megabytes per second with PowerBoost™.
• With Comcast Digital Cable service, you can enjoy hundreds of channels of great TV programming using the highest quality technology with your HDTV set.
• Comcast Digital Voice® phone service has all the telephone features you might wish for like Caller ID, Call Waiting, and Voice Mail. You’ can talk to people all over the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico at no extra cost!

You also get some other extras with Comcast High Speed Internet that may surprise you. You can have online storage space that can be used for web hosting or backing up essential data. You’ll also be provided with a Comprehensive Security Suite to keep your computer safer from online threats. You can also create a WiFi hot spot in your own home with a wireless router.

Provided you are in a Comcast Cable service area and can benefit from the Comcast Bundle Deals, what more could you ask for.

Post from: StayGoLinks

Broadband Package Deals

Technorati Tags: cable, HDTV, package, telephone, TV

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… But what do you think about the Android’s ” Iris ” . Do you think it can compete with Siri?

I had never heard about the Android Iris, so some immediate exploring was required.  Yes indeed, there is an Android app called Iris.  Apparently there had been a later version of the app that was issued and then withdrawn so the only one available at present is a prior version.

Some quick checks with Iris soon demonstrated that this was not at all comparable with the Apple Siri.  It appears to be something to provide voice input to searches, but even on that the performance was very variable.

Since Andy Rubin, the Senior Vice President responsible for Google Mobile including Android, had spoken out against Siri, it was somewhat surprising to see an app that apparently tried to give the same Siri functionality to an Android device.

After a little research, I was not convinced that Iris would ever become a mainstream Android application.  Here are the facts as I was able to put them together.

The Iris Chronology

Iris is produced by Dexetra Software Solutions  located in Cochin, India.  The dexetra tagline is delivering surprises

How they got involved with producing Iris is explained in their blog.

A day when Siri inspired us to create Iris for Android

It started out as a lazy Friday with half our team missing, the influx of tweets and posts on the “Awesome Siri” were flying everywhere. Suddenly, I got the urge to do something similar for Android.

After eight hours of frenzied teamwork the first version of Iris was produced.  The response from those they were in contact with was so positive that they decided to develop a version that could be put in the Android app market.

The blog then tells us: Iris (improved) goes live on Android market.

… and indeed it is and you can download it for free.  I found it less than satisfactory.  If you disagree, then by all means add your comments below.

My View On Iris

Iris may be improved but it is very much at the alpha state and in my opinion it is unlikely to get to a beta version that will excite any interest among potential users.  In addition since the official Google mobile strategy does not seem to envision a Siri-type functionality for Android devices, I do not think any significant resources will be invested in it.

Post from: StayGoLinks

Awesome Siri, Aweless Iris

Technorati Tags: Android, Andy Rubin, Apple, dexetra, iris, siri

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The Forbes Debate On Whether Siri Is A Google Killer

Whether provocatively or by happenstance, Forbes raised the hype by publishing two conflicting commentaries on this.  Eric Jackson wrote a piece on why Siri is a Google killer.  Ten days later David Coursey countered with a piece on why Siri is not a Google killer. Both contributors are knowledgeable in the field so clearly this question is not easily resolved.

Eric Jackson Sheds More Light on The Google Mobile Team

Eric Jackson has written a most interesting post on the history of voice technology and described how some of the key players have been involved. He was involved in the voice technology sector and knows the players and their motivations. You might well think from that review that the present Google mobile team was well placed and very experienced to take the right strategic decision.

One item in that post is a video produced by Apple in 1987 as their vision of where this technology might go.  This is produced below.

An Apple Future Vision Becomes Reality

The first video here is Apple’s visionary view in 1987 of the Knowledge Navigator:

The second video is a demo of the new Siri application on the Apple iPhone 4s.

As you may notice, most of the functionalities envisaged in 1987 are now available almost a quarter of a century later.  It may have taken a long time to come together, but clearly this is a practical approach at this time.

Google May  Continue Its Present Mobile Strategy

Although Siri has done much more in the artificial intelligence field than Android has (as far as is public), Google could certainly put the resources in place to do their Android version of Siri, if it wished.  It certainly has some of the brightest people in voice technology.  However I believe there are reasons why, as an organization, they will be reluctant to do this.  That is why I wrote in Technorati that Siri will be a Google Mobile killer. The reasons I set out in the article were the following:

1. Google Is A Product-Driven Company
2. Google Thinks Apple Is Wrong
3. Google Is Proud
4. Smart Phones Should Use Voice Input Not Finger Swipes

The first reason is why Google will not acknowledge the importance of the fourth reason.

Apple Will Have A 2 Year Lead In The Mobile Internet

I am not alone in this line of thinking.  Gary Morgenthaler, a partner at Morgenthaler Ventures, recognized expert in artificial intelligence, and a Siri board member and investor argues that Apple now has at least a two-year advantage over Google in the war for best smartphone platform.

Apple is now offering through semantic analysis and artificial intelligence the opportunity to interact with your mobile device to home in on the right answer or complete the right task.  This is quite counter to the typical Google approach where they hope by understanding enough about you and your preferences, they will deliver exactly the answer you want in one pass.  That may be an additional reason why Google will reluctantly followed the Siri lead when the marketplace shows that it is inevitable.

Post from: StayGoLinks

Siri Is An Android Killer

Technorati Tags: Android, Apple, artificial intelligence, siri, voice technology

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He was speaking last week at the AsiaD Conference and expressed the somewhat surprising view that a phone should be merely a phone.  This is how he set out his views about Siri and the iPhone:.

I don’t believe that your phone should be an assistant. Your phone is a tool for communicating. You shouldn’t be communicating with the phone; you should be communicating with somebody on the other side of the phone. … To some degree it is natural for you to talk to your phone. We’ll see how pervasive it gets. … This isn’t a new notion. In projecting the future, I think Apple did a good job of figuring out when the technology was ready to be consumer-grade.

Here is how the Siri website describes what it does for you.

It helps you do the things you do every day.

Ask Siri to text your dad, remind you to call the dentist, or find directions, and it figures out which apps to use and who you’re talking about. It finds answers for you from the web through sources like Yelp and WolframAlpha. Using Location Services, it looks up where you live, where you work, and where you are. Then it gives you information and the best options based on your current location. From the details in your contacts, it knows your friends, family, boss, and coworkers. So you can tell Siri things like “Text Ryan I’m on my way” or “Remind me to make a dentist appointment when I get to work” or “Call a taxi” and it knows exactly what you mean and what to do.

Perhaps the following video will give you a better appreciation of what it does.

Siri involves many partners in its technology, but perhaps the most impressive is the contribution promoted by SRI International, the DARPA PAL program.

The DARPA PAL program (the Personalized Assistant that Learns) focused on improving the way that computers support humans through the use of cognitive systems—that is, systems that reason, learn from experience, and accept guidance in order to provide effective, personalized assistance.

SRI International has led the PAL Framework effort to make available many of the successful machine learning and reasoning technologies developed on the PAL program for use by the broader DARPA, research, and military communities.

Clearly the iPhone with Siri is one smart phone, whatever Mr. Rubin may opine.

Post from: StayGoLinks

Should Smartphones Be Smart

Technorati Tags: Android, Andy Rubin, iPhone, siri

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The phone-hacking controversy has brought to the fore the dubious ways in which sensation-driven British tabloids secure bits of information that are then splashed across the front pages with screaming headlines.

At least five such techniques have been used: hacking of phones to access messages in voicemail, hacking computers for personal data, ‘blagging’, ‘pinging’, and simply bribing policemen for information.

If blagging is new to you, under the UK Data Protection Act, 1998, it is defined as “knowingly or recklessly obtaining or disclosing personal data without the consent of the data controller”. ‘Blagging’ involves the use of an actor impersonating the target and securing information through calls to banks and other repositories of personal data.

‘Pinging’ is used to find out the whereabouts of celebrities or other targets whose movements may be of interest to news media. The police can ask mobile networks to determine the location of a phone, based on data from nearby radio masts.

Voicemail hacking in Canada is easy when the password feature is bypassed as the Vancouver Sun tells us.

In cases where phone users have opted for convenience over security it’s very easy, It takes less than a minute to get into the voicemail of a vulnerable phone user, an entrée that gives the hacker free rein, from listening to messages, to deleting them, to recording a new greeting.

The hacker doesn’t even need a password.  The hack works when people have opted to go straight to voicemail when calling from their own phone, skipping the requirement to enter a password. That’s a feature of some wireless and land-line voicemails in Canada, but typically users must choose to skip the password requirement; by default it is on. In the United Kingdom and the United States, the default for voicemail is to skip the password, making those mobile phones even more vulnerable.

The hack is made possible by caller ID “spoofing” — a process in which someone can mask the number they are calling from, having another number show up on the caller ID.

In these days of identity theft, extreme prudence is necessary in protecting all personal data.  When that data is on the airwaves, extra special precautions are well justified.

Related Article:
New Scientist: Voicemail hacking: How easy is it?

Post from: StayGoLinks

Voicemail hacking

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If you consider all the fields of human activities where speech recognition technology might be used, the hospital environment would seem to offer the most beneficial uses.  Just think of some of the benefits:

• Reducing cross-infection by using keyboards
• Hands-free operation allowing the physician to minister to the patient
• Reduction in errors in record keeping for patients
• Improved quality of patient care
• Reduced cost

Not surprisingly, it does not seem inappropriate to say that Every hospital will have speech recognition infrastructure.

A big influence on that will be Nuance  It is among the world’s most influential software companies with 4.5 billion users – half the world’s population. It specialises in data input and information capture by text or speech – improving communication between man and machine. Following its recent acquisitions Nuance have now embarked on their mission across the European healthcare systems.

The Nuance vision of how speech recognition will be used in five years’ time is that it will change the way health services are delivered in a major way:

In five or ten years, all hospitals will use electronic patient record systems. These will become more structured so we can get statistical information from them easily. At the moment, we can’t, because the data is sitting on paper and is virtually unusable.

Speech recognition will continue to be a major help to doctors filling in these structured reports.  We are already researching ‘talk forms’ – doctors talk in free narrative and the form fills in automatically.  We also have to move towards using decision support systems to give immediate feedback to doctors when they make a mistake – at the point of dictation.  Whether that happens over an iPod, a PDA or a mobile phone, it won’t matter – we will be there because in the future, every hospital will have speech recognition infrastructure.

Just check out the technology being used the next time you enter a hospital environment.  You may be surprised what you hear.

Post from: StayGoLinks

Hospitals Lead In Speech Recognition Infrastructures

Technorati Tags: Electronic medical record, Health care, hospital, Physician, Speech recognition

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