This app studies your text messages to recommend restaurants

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Intelligent robot assistants like Siri have changed the way we interact with our mobile devices, and can now make recommendations for us. But the technology has yet to fully adapt to our personal preferences. University of Washington graduate student Jared Bauer is developing an application that has several of the same functions as Siri, such… Read More…

Nerd Notes: Big Macs and the economy, a dress that responds to sexual arousal, moth pilots and more

The Intimacy Dress 2.0

Editor’s Note: Nerd Notes is GeekWire’s roundup of random geekiness from around the globe. Moths that can drive — You’ve seen a dog skateboard, a cockatoo dance, and a monkey ride a pig, but have you ever seen a moth drive a robot car? That’s what I thought. Three Japanese researchers in Tokyo built a trackball-guided robotic vehicle that… Read More…

Report: New Xbox to feature Siri-esque voice recognition

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You wake up in the morning, walk into the living room and say “Xbox on” to activate your gaming console. This could very well be reality if there’s truth to a recent report from The Verge. Sources close to Microsoft’s plan for the next-generation Xbox told The Verge that the new Xbox will include improved… Read More…

Apple’s Siri turns one: Do iPhone users care?

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One year ago today, Apple introduced Siri to the world. For some, Siri represented the future of how we might interact with our devices. But for a great many, reality has not exactly lived up to the hype (especially as advertised by Samuel L. Jackson and Zoey Deschanel).  According to a survey conducted by the… Read More…

Next IT’s virtual travel agent aids airlines without the human touch

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You may have already come across “Jenn” at Alaskaair.com or “Alex” at United.com, the virtual travel agents that help consumers gets answers to their travel questions. Now, the company behind those virtual agents, Spokane’s Next IT, is rolling out a more powerful offering dubbed ActiveAgent for Airlines that is designed to more quickly answer questions… Read More…

Reality distortion field? Apple’s Siri wrong on Daylight Savings

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If you have an iPhone 4S, try this. Ask Siri when Daylight Savings Time starts. At least on my phone, she replies, “Daylight savings time starts on March 7, 2012. Set your clocks forward one hour.” That’s weird, because March 7 it’s a Wednesday. Daylight Savings Time starts on March 11, this coming Sunday. Hmm…. Read More…

Siri or not, Microsoft aims to beat Apple with better breadth

Craig Mundie. (Microsoft file photo)

Earlier this week, Microsoft’s research and strategy chief Craig Mundie and other execs spent the day showing reporters some of the company’s latest research in areas including natural user interfaces, machine learning and data analysis. It was futuristic stuff, and the resulting coverage generated lots of buzz in the outside world even as the event… Read More…

Microsoft: Windows Phone was way ahead of Apple’s Siri

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Microsoft’s chief research and strategy officer, Craig Mundie, is making news today for recent comments downplaying Apple’s Siri intelligent assistant — telling Forbes’ Eric Savitz that Microsoft has had similar functionality for more than a year. Starting around the 2:00 mark in the interview above, Mundie points to examples including the ability to interact completely… Read More…

‘Hello, computer!’ UW prof and students search outside the box

Oren Etzioni

Like Scotty in Star Trek, the day is coming soon when we’ll talk with our computers instead of just typing at them, according to a prominent UW computer scientist and his team of researchers. Back in August, when it was still sunny in Seattle, and on the 20th anniversary of the alt.hypertext news group birthed… Read More…

Siri, can you find me a deal? Wishpot integrates with iPhone assistant

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Wishpot has rolled out a new service, just in time for the holiday shopping rush. The Seattle upstart has developed a new service that integrates with the new Siri voice assistant on the iPhone 4S that allows users to add items to a gift registry with a voice command, and then receive a text message… Read More…