9to5mac reports that iOS 5 will include a voice navigation system called "Assistant", built on the Siri platform. Or, the Nuance platform. Or, both.
This possible app could tap into a user’s address book, email, calendars, phone application, and possibly be able to open links. Apple is apparently partnering with Siri and/or Nuance, two software developers that have had success building these types of applications.
Currently, Siri makes an app for the iPhone that "understands what you say, accomplishes tasks for you and adapts to your preferences over time."
Nuance is the developer of the Dragon Dictation iPhone app as well as the Naturally Speaking speech recognition software. Dragon Dictation allows users to speak anything from a one-line text message or status update for Facebook, to a multi-paragraph email and have it instantly transcribed.
9to5mac reported a few weeks ago that, according to "substantial evidence", iOS 5 would include an Siri-like "Assistant" app. However, based on new evidence including "confirmation from the iOS SDK," 9to5mac now weighs on which company, Siri or Nuance, will be powering the new app.
According to the report, it appears to 9to5mac that Nuance will handle the speech-to-text and the voice recognition for Assistant, while Siri's artificial intelligence and technology will be the heart and soul of the app.
Via 9to5mac
(Screen shots produced by 9to5mac)
Adrian covers daily news and the weekly "Law & Apple" column for MacLife.com. You can follow him on Twitter, if you want to.
sethlewis37
August 15, 2011 at 1:52pm
Seems like I remember reading that Apple bought Siri last year or the year before. If so it seems logical that they would be building on top of the Siri platform which not only recognizes the spoken words but puts them into context and performs tasks based on that context, where as Nuance is more solely based on speech recognition only. Either way, it's gonna be a good addition to the iOS system.
