The Siri Speaker may be more of a living room device than a kitchen device.
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How AIs, like Siri, Could Become Our Proxy Shoppers
People of means don’t spin their wheels on frustrating shopping expeditions, however, AIs could be the equalizer for the rest of us.
Apple Could Own Device-Centric AI with Custom Chip
Such a chip could give Apple a significant leg up deploying artificial intelligence, and if it succeeds, few of its competitors could respond.
New Report Backs Up Touch ID Embedded in iPhone 8 Display
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company apparently spilled the beans on Apple’s iPhone 8 design with the Touch ID fingerprint sensor embedded in the display.
Amazon's Alexa Calling Feature Works From Your iPhone, too
Amazon’s Alexa Calling feature works great on the Echo and Echo Dot, from the testing TMO staff have done so far. Jeff Butts and Jeff Gamet also took the time to check out how the feature works from the Alexa app on the iPhone. Here’s what they found out, and how you can use it, too.
Apple Buying Up 3D Cameras for iPhone 8
The iPhone 8 will reportedly include a 3D camera with facial recognition capabilities, and LG Innotek is parts supplier. That fits with reports that have surfaced over the past few months, although this is the first time we’re hearing that Apple has placed a parts order with Innotek.
New Render Shows the iPhone 8 We're Likely Getting this Fall
Another iPhone 8 render is out, giving us another look at what to expect when Apple officially announces the new smartphone model later this year. Steve Hemmerstoffer, known as @onleaks on Twitter, and his track record makes it very likely this is exactly what Apple plans to ship.
Alexa Calling: Amazon Adds Voice Calling to Echo, Echo Dot
The just announced Echo Show isn’t the only device in Amazon’s lineup getting voice calling support. A new feature dubbed Alexa Calling is coming to the Echo, Echo Dot, and Alexa mobile app today. For now, the calling features are limited to the Echo lineup and Alexa app, but that could be the first step in turning the devices into speaker phones fro our homes.
Hulu with Live TV Streaming Service Launches on iOS, Apple TV, Xbox One
Hulu launched its live streaming service, called Hulu with Live TV, on Wednesday with 60 channels and a 50-hour cloud-based DVR system. Hulu Live will cost you US$39.99 a month unless you also want Showtime, which adds $8.99 to the price.
Inventec Lands Deal to Make Apple's Siri AI Speaker
Inventec has reportedly scored a deal to build Apple’s Amazon Echo-like Siri speaker device. Apple hasn’t confirmed its personal assistant appliance is a real thing yet, but evidence keeps surfacing that seems to support it’s on the way.
Shopping For Mother’s Day? Consider Digital Art Decoration
Looking for a Mother’s Day present? Andrew Orr found a new type of digital art decoration on the market called Meural Canvas. It’s a 27-inch screen you hang on your wall, and change the art it shows using your smartphone. You can upload your own photos to the display, and the company partners with a bunch of big-name art museums. You can choose over 30,000 paintings from Meural’s app and website.
Apple to Unveil Siri-controlled, Amazon Echo-like, AI appliance at WWDC
Apple may be ready to announce its own Siri-based Amazon Echo competitor at its Worldwide Developer Conference in June. So says KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo who calls it “Apple’s first home AI product.”
macOS: Make Your Spotlight Searches Better with the Kind Operator
When you are looking for something specific on your Mac with Spotlight, you might get overwhelmed with the search results. Jeff Butts has become a Spotlight search pro thanks to a simple operator. Read along as he shows you how it works and some of what you can do with it.
iPhone 8 Smokes Samsung Galaxy S8 in Leaked Geekbench Performance Tests
How fast is the iPhone 8? If a Geekbench performance test screenshot that just surfaced is to be believed, it blows the iPhone 7 and Samsung Galaxy S8 out of the water. The reported results have some other interesting tidbits, too, like a really tall screen aspect ratio.
Bloomberg Backs Up iPhone 8 Big Screen Design Reports
Another report is out saying the iPhone 8 will sport an almost bezel-free display, and this time it’s from Bloomberg. This one backs up what we’ve already heard: A bigger display in an iPhone 7-size body, curved glass edges, OLED, and no physical Home button.
Apple's iOS 10.3.1 Update Fixes Critical Broadcom WiFi Security Flaw
If you haven’t installed Apple’s iOS 10.3.1 update yet, now would be a good time because it fixes a big security flaw in the Broadcom WiFi chips in your iPhone. The security flaw could let attackers who are in WiFi range inject and run code on your smartphone.
Don't Look for iPhone 8 Until October or November
Apple’s iPhone 8 may not ship until October or November instead of the September window we usually see. The reason for the later launch may be tied to production problems with the smartphone’s curved OLED display.
Sonos PLAYBASE Review: Room-Filling Sound for Music, TV, and Movies
The new Sonos Playbase falls right in line with what we Apple users have come to expect, delivering a simple-yet-robust experience for people who want to enhance the sound of their TVs and simultaneously add a whole-room music-listening solution. In one, low-profile box that sits underneath your TV (officially anything 75lbs or less), the Sonos Playbase gives you all of this and more, complete with easy setup and simple operation.
Weak Report Claims Touch ID Sensor Moving to the Back of iPhone 8
A new report claims Apple is taking away the Home button on the iPhone 8 and moving the Touch ID fingerprint scanner to the back of the device. That’s something we’re already seeing on some Android phones, but that’s not the path Apple will take despite what we’re hearing from this new report.
Mystery Device A1844 Is a lock for Apple Park, Not an Apple TV or Siri Box
Apple’s mysterious wireless device awaiting Federal Communications Commission approval turned out to be a door lock system for Apple Park, the company’s new campus that’s opening in April. That pretty much kills the idea that Apple was about to release a Siri-based Amazon Echo and Google Home competitor.
Amazon Shopping App on iPhone gets Alexa Support
If you use the Amazon app on your iPhone to shop you can use it to talk to Alexa, too, even if you don’t own an Echo or Echo Dot. The online retailer is rolling out in-app Alexa support for iPhone users over the next week which means pretty much everything you do with an Echo or Echo Dot can happen right on your smartphone.
Soverain Software Hits Apple with Patent Lawsuit over Device Security and Online Transactions
Apple has a new patent infringement lawsuit on its hands. This time it’s from the patent holding company Soverain Software and it targets pretty much every product Apple makes involving internet-related services.
McDonald's Is Testing Mobile Orders from an App
Fast food chain McDonalds is testing a fancy new way to order using your smartphone, because, you know, that’s what we’re looking for from McDonald’s. Customers in Monterey and Salinas, California can use the McDonalds mobile app to order food from home and have it ready when they get there. Andrew Orr explains.
Capital One Launched A Natural Language Chatbot Named Eno
Capital One announced Friday an SMS chatbot for customers called Eno. The company claimed Eno is the first natural language SMS chatbot from a U.S. bank, allowing customers to ask questions using natural language. The ability to interact with artificial intelligences using natural language processing is something big companies like Apple, Amazon and Google are working on with their own virtual assistants.