Alibaba is the latest technology giant to unveil a smart speaker. The voice-controlled Tmall Genie can be used to play music, run third-party apps and buy goods from the Chinese retail giant’s online stores. Like many such devices, it lacks a display. At launch, it will understand only Mandarin and be sold in the company’s … Read more
Apple’s new HomePod speaker may be music to the ears of its loyal fans, but how much it can crank up volume in the smart speaker market remains to be heard. Apple unveiled its long-awaited HomePod at its annual developers conference taking place this week in the heart of Silicon Valley, enticing lovers of its … Read more
Apple has announced a voice-activated loudspeaker powered by its virtual assistant Siri. Like devices by Amazon and Google, Apple’s HomePod speaker can respond to questions and control smart home gadgets such as lights. Analysts say Apple has been slow to improve its Siri virtual assistant and launch a smart speaker, after Amazon launched its Echo … Read more
Microsoft on Wednesday unveiled new tools intended to democratize artificial intelligence by enabling machine smarts to be built into software from smartphone games to factory floors. Improving programs with artificial intelligence that could tap into services in the internet “cloud” and even take advantage of computing power in nearby machines, was part of a vision … Read more
Samsung’s latest flagship phones have ditched the physical home button found in their predecessors and introduced a new virtual assistant. The screens of the Galaxy S8 and bigger S8+ are also larger despite the devices being about the same size as last year’s S7 and S7 Edge. This time, both models feature displays that curve … Read more
Samsung on Wednesday unveiled its new Galaxy S8 smartphones, incorporating the virtual assistant Bixby, as the market leader seeks to rebound from a chaotic handset recall and a corruption scandal. The South Korean giant’s mobile chief DJ Koh told a New York event the Galaxy S8 and S8+ handsets marked “a new era of smartphone … Read more
Samsung on Wednesday unveiled its new Galaxy S8 smartphones, incorporating its virtual assistant Bixby, as the market leader seeks to rebound from a chaotic handset recall and a corruption scandal. The South Korean giant’s mobile chief DJ Koh told a New York event the Galaxy S8 and S8+ handsets marked “a new era of smartphone … Read more
The iPhone 7 will not have a traditional headphone socket. Apple said its lightning connector could be used instead, which would make room for other components. It will also promote the use of wireless earphones, and has released a set of its own called Airpods. The firm said it had taken “courage” to take the … Read more