Voice Control

FastPdfKit: First Siri-Controlled App Hits the App Store

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Apple's Siri is certainly the hot property these days, and it is at its best when in the hands of hackers who create tools like SiriProxy. Offering a way of making Siri interact with pretty much anything on a network, SiriProxy has opened doors left and right, and now app developers are getting in on the action.

FastPdfKit, an app now available on the App Store, claims to be the first to offer Siri integration using SiriProxy. More accurately, FastPdfKit's developer, MobFarm, is the first to spend the time to create the commands required to interact with its app, but we'll let them off with their bold claim just this once.

The result is the ability to ask Siri to complete in-app tasks, such as paging forward or searching for text. The app even has a party trick, with Siri on an iPhone 4S being able to control the FastPdfKit app on an iPad...

Microsoft: We’ve Had Siri for Over a Year!

Cody Lee ∙ November 23, 2011

Since Apple unveiled the iPhone 4S last month, everyone has been talking about one thing: Siri. The lovable assistant is the product of over 40 years of artificial intelligence research and the US CALO program (Cognitive Assistant that Learns and Organizes).

Siri isn't apparently exclusive to Apple's handset. Microsoft's chief strategy and research officer Craig Mundie recently told Forbes that Microsoft has had similar voice control tech on its Windows Phone platform for more than a year!

We know, we didn't see that one coming either...

Hackers Are Able to Control Siri With Their Minds

Alex Heath ∙ Updated March 18, 2019

The geniuses behind Project Black Mirror have created a way to control Siri with their minds. By constructing an elaborate system involving the Arduino prototyping platform, a MacBook Pro, and ECG pads to capture analog brain waves, these hackers can have Siri make a call by merely thinking.

Yeah, we're not kidding.

iTeleport Lets You Use Siri to Launch Apps on Your Mac

Alex Heath ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Have you been itching to control your Mac with Siri your iPhone 4S? iTeleport for iOS and the Mac lets users launch Mac apps with their voice via the miracle of VNC technology.

While other popular VNC apps, like Screens, let you control your Mac from your iPhone or iPad, iTeleport is the first app to take advantage of Siri on the iPhone 4S. You can simply say "Launch Safari" from your iPhone to open the app on your desktop computer.

‘Hands-Free Control’ Will Allow You to Invoke Siri By Voice

Jeff Benjamin ∙ November 3, 2011

Wouldn't it be cool if you could invoke Siri without pressing and holding your Home button?

I've always thought that Apple should include such an option for when we're on the road and want to control our devices with Siri.

That's the concept behind a new jailbreak tweak entitled Hands-Free Control. Once the iPhone 4S jailbreak is made public, it will allow you to invoke Siri by voice alone.

In the meantime, though, you can invoke Voice Control on pre-iPhone 4S devices...

Talk to Your iPhone 4S and Control Siri From Across the Room with “IRIS 9000”

Alex Heath ∙ October 25, 2011

Space Odyssey fans will know of the article intelligence called HAL 9000. Taking cues from Arthur C. Clarke’s beloved science fiction series, the folks at ThinkGeek have developed the IRIS 9000 for Siri and the iPhone 4S.

IRIS 9000 acts as a remote control hub for Siri that lets you talk to the robotic woman in your iPhone 4S from across the room. You can also make and receive calls like a regular speakerphone. The accessory will pick up your voice from up to 50 feet away, and you can remotely trigger Siri on your 4S via the micro remote control.

Siri Isn’t Technically Limited to the iPhone 4S

Cody Lee ∙ October 14, 2011

Why Apple has limited its new Siri personal assistant feature to the iPhone 4S is anyone's guess. At first it was believed that a lot of the backend of Siri took place on the handset, so it needed the A5's extra power. But that didn't prove to be the case.

It was also thought that the service required 1GB of RAM. But it was later revealed that Apple's new smartphone only contains 512MB, so that can't be it, either. So then why in the world is Siri limited to the iPhone 4S? Well, maybe it's not...

Chit Chatting With Siri [Video]

Jeff Benjamin ∙ October 14, 2011

I've always thought that Siri looked good, just not as great as Apple would want you to believe. I was a skeptic. I was a skeptic until about an hour ago when I first tried Siri for myself.

It's not perfect, but it's definitely better than any other voice recognition/control/A.I. you've ever used. It integrates commendably with the iPhone 4S, and best of all, it just works...most of the time.

Siri will, without a doubt, change the way we communicate with our devices going forward; it's like the missing link that we've needed all along.

Check inside and see what it's like to have small talk with Siri...

Apple’s New Siri Feature is Much More Than Simple Voice Commands

Cody Lee ∙ October 5, 2011

As expected, one of the stars of Apple's iPhone event yesterday was its new Siri feature. The project, which the rumor mill dubbed Assistant, materialized on stage as a digital personal assistant for future iPhone users.

Even with its impressive demo yesterday, many folks have written Siri off as another failed attempt at a voice command feature. TUAW did some digging and found some evidence that it's much, much more than that...

Dragon Go! Voice Dictation App Gets More Intelligent with Added Services

Alex Heath ∙ Updated February 19, 2018

Nuance has updated its Dragon Go! app in the App Store with a host of new features to enhance the voice dictation experience. In case you missed our original review, Dragon Go! allows you to speak commands like "Find movie tickets for tonight" and get results.

Dragon Go! was already pretty smart, but this recent update just made it way smarter. Nuance has added support for services like Spotify, Netflix and Wolfram|Alpha...

What Will be Different About the New iPhone, and Why You Will Want It

Alex Heath ∙ Updated February 19, 2018

We know that there will be a new iPhone released next month. We know that Apple will probably hold its next announcement on October 4th, followed by availability the following week.

But what do we really know about the upcoming iPhone? 9to5Mac has published everything it has learned about the iPhone 5, including the one feature that will make you want to buy it...

LG’s New Robotic Vacuum Can Be Controlled By Your iPhone

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Robots might be set to take over the world, but if they're anything at all like LG's new robotic vacuum, we'll be able to control them using our iPhones.

The Roboking VR680VMNC, or "Rob" as his friends call him, is a robotic vacuum that packs three cameras and connects to your home's WiFi network, enabling iPhone users to control the device from the comfort of their handsets.

The on-board cameras stream video back to the iPhone app, too, turning the Roboking into an exceptionally mobile security camera...