Terrie l.arnold
Begin forwarded message: > From: "Senk, Mark J. (CDC/NIOSH/NPPTL)" <[email protected]> > Date: September 26, 2011 9:57:46 AM CDT > To: [email protected] > Subject: [VICUG-L] Voice commands for your phone? - Apple’s next iPhone is > all ears > Reply-To: "Senk, Mark J. (CDC/NIOSH/NPPTL)" <[email protected]> > > > > from a tweet by Etymotic Research > > Apple’s next iPhone is all ears > The next iPhone’s release approaches, and Monday a new report claims to > already have a pretty complete picture of what Apple’s next smartphone has in > store. Its biggest difference, according to an extensive profile by 9to5Mac, > may not be any hardware feature; instead, the Siri-based “Assistant” > system-wide software coud steal the show. > > The profile does include hardware details, though none are unexpected, based > on previous reports: The new iPhone will sport a dual-core A5 processor, an > 8-megapixel backlit camera sensor for better low-light photography, and > Qualcomm network chips that allow for world phone capabilities (connections > to both CDMA and GSM networks). The iPhone 5 will reportedly get 1 GB of RAM, > too, according to 9t05Mac, which is double that of the iPad 2. > > But the real story is what that extra processing muscle will supposedly > support. The blog claims that Assistant, Apple’s system-wide voice-activated > technology based on its Siri acquisition, will require that 1 GB of RAM, > along with the dual-core A5, to do its job. And what a job it is. > > According to 9t05Mac’s sources, Assistant will replace Voice Control, and > expand considerably on that older software’s limited feature set. It’s more > responsive than Voice Control, too, and works from the lock screen. Assistant > comes with an “Info” button to help you with its impressive command set, but > basically, you directly ask your iPhone for information or tell it what you > want it to do using natural language. Some examples of what it can do, > according to the sources, include sending text messages (complete with > read-back proofing to make sure the content is correct), sending emails, > finding directions and even getting results to math questions through Wolfram > Alpha integration. Assistant will also be able to get better at all of this > using a conversation view that literally looks like a messaging interface and > keeps track of your clarifications and qualifications for the commands you > issue to the software. > > Assistant will also reportedly come alongside Find my Friends, and integrate > with that other new feature. Find my Friends is thought to be an extension of > Find my iPhone which allows you to voluntarily share your location in > real-time with other iOS device users. Assistant will be able to tell you > where your friends are if they’re using the service, in response to simple > questions like “Where is Jeff?” > > The sources also say “Dictation,” a Nuance-based text-to-speech feature for > composing text messages, will also be introduced in iPhone 5. Overall, it > sounds like Apple will be focusing a lot of its redesign on making the iPhone > much more responsive to speech and spoken commands. > > The one thing 9t05Mac doesn’t seem to be sure about is the new iPhone’s > appearance. Its sources claim next-gen prototypes look like iPhone 4′s, but > that doesn’t necessarily mean anything, since Apple has been known to > disguise new models in older casings. Looks aside, if Apple can further > voice-based mobile tech as much as it sounds like it could, the new iPhone > should be a winner. > > > > > Leave list: [email protected] > > VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at http://listserv.i cors.or > g/archives/vicug-l.html > > Send questions on list operation to [email protected]
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