Assistant
YC-backed productivity app Superpowered pivots to become a voice API platform for bots
Calendar apps are essential for productivity but it is hard to differentiate enough to have sustained growth from just the core usage. Y Combinator-backed Superpowered, which is an AI-powered notetaker…
Otter.ai slashes free monthly transcription minutes to 300, but opens recorder bot to all
There’s good news and bad news for users of the Otter.ai transcription service. The good news is that Otter Assistant — a bot that can be configured to record meetings…
Google Assistant arrives on Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 (for real, this time)
Google Assistant’s arrival on the Galaxy Watch 4 has been like a look time coming, for a variety of reasons. First, Samsung’s attempt at its own in-house assistant, Bixby, was…
Google today announced three new features for its voice-activated Assistant that will make it easier and more natural to interact with it. The first is about making it easier to…
Google Translate adds 24 new languages, including its first indigenous languages of the Americas
In addition to improving Google Assistant’s ability to communicate with users in a more natural way, Google today announced improvements to its Google Translate service. The company said it’s adding…
Taxfix, the Berlin-based mobile tax filing app, raises $220M at a $1B+ valuation
Ben Franklin once famously said that in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes. But that doesn’t make dealing with either particularly natural and…
Creative Juice launches a $50M fund to invest in creators
A banking app built for online creators, Creative Juice announced its $50 million fund to underwrite creator businesses. YouTubers and other social media stars can apply for upfront cash to…
Saiga aims to succeed where Magic and other concierge apps failed
It’s 5 p.m. on a Tuesday, and you’re running late for a flight to a corporate conference. While stuck in rush-hour traffic, it occurs to you that you’ve forgotten to…
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has disclosed it carried out an operation in March to target a massive botnet controlled by Russian intelligence. The operation was authorized by courts in California…
Russia’s App Store lost nearly 7K apps since its invasion of Ukraine, but some Big Tech apps remain
The Russian App Store has lost 6,982 mobile apps since the start of the Ukraine invasion, as numerous companies have now pulled their apps and games from Apple’s iPhone and…
Apple launches its Siri-only Apple Music Voice Plan with iOS 15.2
Apple is now rolling out access to its new, lower-cost Apple Music Voice plan, first introduced this fall at the company’s hardware event. The new service, designed largely for use…
Walmart acquires design tool Botmock as its invests in shopping by voice and text
With its latest acquisition Walmart is further investing in technology that will enable shopping via voice and chat. The retail giant announced it’s acquiring “select technology assets” from a startup…
Google makes calling businesses less painful with features for seeing wait times, phone tree options and more
Alongside today’s release of the new Pixel 6 smartphones, Google has again upgraded one of the device’s most basic — but often overlooked — functions: the ability to make phone…
Disney and Amazon partner on a custom voice assistant, ‘Hey, Disney!’ and Echo rollout to Walt Disney World Resort hotels
Amazon, for the first time, is making another voice assistant available on Echo devices. The company at its fall event today announced a new voice assistant, “Hey, Disney,” developed by…
Demand Curve: How to get social proof that grows your startup
When people are uncertain, they look to others for behavioral guidance. This is called social proof, and using it effectively can lead to up to 400% improvement in conversion.
To commercialize, voice tech must first solve its ‘cocktail party problem’
Our voice technologies have not been engineered to confront the messiness of the real world or the cacophony of our actual lives.
Apple launches a new iOS app, ‘Siri Speech Study,’ to gather feedback for Siri improvements
Apple recently began a research study designed to collect speech data from study participants. Earlier this month, the company launched on the App Store a new iOS app called “Siri…
Google to introduce increased protections for minors on its platform, including Search, YouTube and more
Weeks after Instagram rolled out increased protections for minors using its app, Google is now doing the same for its suite of services, including Google search, YouTube, YouTube Kids, Google…
Android announces six new features, emphasizing safety and accessibility
Android shared information today about six features that will roll out this summer. Some of these are just quality of life upgrades, like starring text messages to easily find them…
The European Union has been digging into the competition implications of AI-powered voice assistants and other Internet of Things (IoT) connected technologies for almost a year. Today it’s put out…
Google hires former SiriusXM CPO/CTO to lead its Maps team
Almost exactly a year ago, Google announced a couple of leadership changes that saw Prabhakar Raghavan, who joined the company back in 2012, take over the lead of Search, Assistant…
Otter.ai’s new assistant can automatically transcribe your Zoom meetings
AI-powered voice transcription service Otter.ai wants to make it even easier for its business users to record their meetings. The company is today introducing a new feature, Otter Assistant, which…
Google announced a new feature for its Chrome browser today that alerts you when one of your passwords has been compromised and then helps you automatically change your password with…
Apple said to be developing Apple TV/HomePod combo and iPad-like smart speaker display
Apple is reportedly working on a couple of new options for a renewed entry into the smart home, including a mash-up of the Apple TV with a HomePod speaker, and…
Sonos delivers a near-perfect portable speaker with the new Sonos Roam
Sonos has a new speaker that starts shipping later this month, and it’s a significant departure from the company’s usual offerings in a number of ways. The all-new Sonos Roam…
BMW debuts the next generation of its iDrive operating system
For modern cars, the standalone, photo-frame-like display in the center of the dashboard has become something of a default. But with its next-generation iDrive 8 system, BMW is moving away…
Apple discontinues original HomePod, will focus on mini
Apple has discontinued its original HomePod after four years. It says that it will continue to produce and focus on the HomePod mini, introduced last year. The larger HomePod offered…
Google Workspace, the company’s productivity platform you’ll forever refer to as G Suite (or even “Google Docs”), is launching a large update today that touches everything from your calendar to…
Qualcomm’s new chipset for wireless earbuds promises improved noise cancellation, all-day battery life
There are now so many wireless earbuds it’s hard to keep track, but one of the reasons why we’ve seen this explosion in new and existing manufacturers entering this business…
Google adds support for Apple Music to its Google Assistant-enabled smart speakers and displays
Google announced this morning it’s adding support for Apple Music to its Google Nest smart speakers, as well as other Google Assistant-enabled smart speakers and displays in the U.S., U.K.,…
