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Siri - page 19

iOS 11 concept supercharges the Home screen

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The Home screen becomes more than just an app launcher.
The Home screen becomes more than just an app launcher.
Photo: Matt Birchler

It’s about time Apple made our Home screens more useful. It could start by taking tips from this iOS 11 concept, which imagines more informative icon badges and support for complications similar to those on Apple Watch.

Police warn you not to fall for ‘Siri 108’ prank

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Siri
Saying the digits to Siri prompts your iPhone to call emergency services.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

The Sheriff’s office of Harris County, Texas has posted a message on its official Facebook page, pleading with people not to fall for a social media prank in which they’re encourage to say “108” to Siri.

That’s because the number prompts Siri to dial 9-1-1, or the emergency phone number of whichever country they are in at the time.

Siri and Alexa battle it out to be voice of Marriott hotels

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Sorry, Alexa: Siri still the most widespread AI assistant
"OK Siri, check into my room!"
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Siri apparently has a new war on its hands: battling with Amazon’s Alexa over who gets to be the voice-controlled platform of choice in Marriott hotels.

According to a new report, Marriott International is currently testing devices from both companies at its Aloft hotel in Boston.

Siri glitch sends hooker hunters to bar with zero prostitutes

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Sorry, Alexa: Siri still the most widespread AI assistant
Hey Siri, I need two hookers and an eight ball of cocaine.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s digital assistant is great at finding information for all sorts of things. But when it comes to hookers, Siri is the world’s worst pimp.

Thanks to a glitch with Siri, iPhone users in Toronto looking for prostitutes keep getting routed to an bar in Little Italy. There’s just one problem. The owner insists his bar is definitely not the place to find a call girl.

5 hidden iPhone features you might not know

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5 hidden iPhone features
Discover hidden iPhone features you might not know about with our latest video.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

You might think you know everything there possibly is to know about your iPhone, but there’s always something new to learn. These hidden iPhone features will save you time every single day.

iOS 10.3 and macOS 10.12.4 inch closer to public release

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iPhone 7 in hand
Apple's new iOS update is nearly ready for primetime.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Developers received new beta software updates today for iOS 10.3 and macOS 10.12.4, possibly signaling that a public release is just around the corner.

The new updates come just a few days after Apple dropped the last betas of macOS 10.12.4 and iOS 10.3 on developers. Both updates come with a number of bug fixes and under the hood improvements to go with new features that were added in previous versions.

The lengthy process Apple uses to teach Siri new languages

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Sorry, Alexa: Siri still the most widespread AI assistant
Sorry, Alexa: Siri still the most widespread AI assistant
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

If you’ve ever tried to learn a new language, you’ll know it’s a hard and incredibly time-consuming process. It’s not much easier for virtual assistants like Siri.

Here are the mind-blowing steps Apple goes through to teach Siri new languages and dialects that help it stay one step ahead of the competition.

Apple seeds macOS 10.12.4 beta 5 to developers

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macOS Sierra logo
A new macOS beta is out.
Photo: Apple

Registered Apple developers received some new beta software from Apple today with the release of macOS 10.12.4 beta 5.

The new beta comes one week after Apple released macOS 10.12.4 beta 5, bringing a number of new bug fixes and performance improvements to the Mac.

Amazon may soon launch an Alexa-powered security camera

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This could be Amazon's next big product.
This could be Amazon's next big product.
Photo: AFTVnews

Amazon’s next Alexa product won’t just be able to listen to you. It can watch your every move.

Leaked images of a new home security camera created by Amazon hit the internet today, giving us our first glimpse of what the company’s Dropcam competitor will look like.

Leaked Galaxy S8 video reveals Samsung’s new iPhone rival

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These are Samsung's new phones.
These are Samsung's new phones.
Photo: SlashLeaks

While Samsung isn’t expected to unveil the Galaxy S8 until the end of March, a supposedly leaked video purports to show exactly what the upcoming phone looks like.

The video appears to show both the Samsung Galaxy S8 and the larger S8+. Both devices seen in the video sport curved edge-to-edge displays. Samsung replaced physical buttons on the front with virtual ones, but the 3.5mm headphone jack is still there.

Nearly 80% of all iOS devices now run iOS 10

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iPhone 7
iOS 10 brought a ton of new features to iPhone.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

It’s only been five months since Apple unleashed iOS 10 on the world, but the new mobile operating system is already installed on nearly 4 out of 5 iOS devices.

Apple revealed its latest App Store stats today that show iOS 10’s install base has grown to account for 79% of all mobile Apple devices, making it one of Apple’s fastest adopted releases ever.

How to unlock your iPhone’s secret LEGO Batman Movie Easter egg

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Call Siri
Call Siri "'Puter" and see what happens.
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

Apple hid a delightful Easter egg on iPhones for The LEGO Batman Movie, the new animated film that is dominating the box office this week.

In the new film, the Dark Knight has his own helpful digital assistant that responds to voice commands. The voice for the computer is the same one as Siri on iOS, but when Bruce Wayne needs help he just says, “Hey ‘Puter” instead of “Hey Siri.”

Apple quietly updated Siri so that she responds to the command. Here are some of the hilarious replies.

Apple seeds new betas for iOS, watchOS and tvOS

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iPhone 7
There are a lot of new goodies in iOS 10.3.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The second beta of iOS 10.3 is now available for download. Apple seeded the new software update to developers this morning, alongside watchOS 3.2 beta 2 and tvOS 10.2 beta 2.

All three updates contain under-the-hood improvements as well as new features, including Theater Mode for Apple Watch, Find My AirPods and some UI tweaks for Apple TV.

Tim Cook is living in the future (and you can too)

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This is not Tim Cook's actual home.
This is not Tim Cook's actual home.
Photo: Samuel Zeller/Unsplash CC

Tim Cook is living the Jetsons lifestyle — minus the jetpack and flying car — thanks to Siri and the growing number of HomeKit devices on the market.

The Apple CEO offered a rare glimpse into his private life Tuesday during Apple’s quarterly financial report, painting a picture of techno-utopian comfort and ease. It was Cook’s most personal world-beating earnings call ever, and it sent a message: Apple is serious about home automation.

watchOS 3.2 beta 1 is out with Theater Mode and more

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Apple Watch
SiriKit is one of the biggest features in watchOS 3.2.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The first beta build of watchOS 3.2 has finally been made available to developers today, less than a week after iOS 10.3 beta 1 and macOS 10.12.4 beta 1 came out.

Among the new features in watchOS 3.2 beta 1 is a new Theater Mode that makes wearing an Apple Watch in movie theaters a little less annoying for fellow film watchers.

Now anyone can try Apple’s new iOS and Mac beta software

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iPhone 7
Grab iOS 10.3 beta 1 while it's hot.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Starting today, all public testers can get in on the new iOS 10.3 and macOS 10.12.4 betas released to developers earlier this week.

If you’re already a member of the Apple Beta Software Program, you can grab iOS 10.3 beta 1 and macOS 10.12.4 beta 1 immediately. If not, just sign up if you want to get early access to upcoming iOS features like Find My AirPods and the new Night Shift mode for Macs.

Night Shift arrives on Mac in first macOS 10.12.4 beta

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15 inch MacBook Pro Silver
There's a new beta out for Macs.
Photo: Apple

A new macOS beta finally brings the popular Night Shift feature from iOS to the Mac.

Apple seeded macOS 10.12.4 beta 1 to all registered developers today, bringing Night Shift plus a host of bug fixes and performance improvements for Apple’s computers. The new macOS beta comes alongside the first betas for iOS 10.3 and tvOS 10.2.

Apple seeds first iOS 10.3 beta with Find My AirPods feature

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AirPods in case
AirPods now work with Find my iPhone
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Finding your tiny AirPods charging case is about to get a lot easier, thanks to a new iOS 10 beta that adds a Find My AirPods feature to iPhones and iPads.

Apple seeded iOS 10.3 beta 1 to registered developers this morning, bringing new hope for lost AirPods, plus a host of other new features and bug fixes. Unfortunately, there’s still no sign of the long-rumored Dark Mode.

Apple’s next iPhone may come with enhanced Siri

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Sorry, Alexa: Siri still the most widespread AI assistant
Sorry, Alexa: Siri still the most widespread AI assistant
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Siri may be set to get a serious upgrade when Apple launches its next iPhone later this year.

According to the latest rumor out of Asia, Apple is planning to catch up with the likes of Alexa and Google Assistant by creating a better version of Siri that comes with more artificial intelligence skills.

How Samsung plans to blow Siri out of the water

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Viv
Samsung's new assistant is powered by Viv.
Photo: Viv

S Voice, Samsung’s answer to Siri, has been a poor excuse for a virtual assistant for the last four years. But the South Korean company is working on a brand new version for the Galaxy S8 — and it will have features that blow its competitors out of the water.

Amazon’s Alexa is a big hit — and a huge money drain

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Connect the Amazon Echo Dot to your existing speaker system, and you bingo! -- your speakers just got smarts.
Expensive things come in small packages. From an R&D perspective, at least.
Photo: Leander Kahney / Cult of Mac

Amazon’s Alexa devices were some of the most exciting tech products of 2016, and immediately there were rumors that Apple was planning to follow suit with a standalone Siri — possibly even with the addition of facial recognition tech.

A new report, however, claims that despite its popularity, Alexa has been a massive money drain on Amazon so far. In 2016 alone, it lost Amazon $330 million, and this figure is set to rise to $600 million-plus this year.

iOS 10 now installed on 76% of devices

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iPhone SE
Users love iOS 10.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple has revealed its latest App Store stats as of January, which show that iOS 10 has now been installed on 76 percent of devices.

The update made its public debut less than four months ago, bringing a revamped Messages experience, new 3D Touch features, a more open Siri, and lots more.

From tiny innovations to big brawls, this is how Apple rolled in 2016

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Thank Jobs, 2016 is finally over!
Thank Jobs, 2016 is finally over!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

2016 Year in Review Cult of Mac 2016 sent Apple for a wild ride full of fantastic new products, crazy controversies and tons of extra drama with its rivals.

Tim Cook and his colleagues probably can’t wait to jump into 2017. But before we start looking toward Apple’s future, let’s take a quick look back at all the stories that made 2016 a year Apple fans will never forget.