recognition

Ice Cream Sandwich makes tough security taste better

There's more to Ice Cream Sandwich than just better camera controls, near-field communication support, and the redesigned interface. Google has also been working on making the latest version of Android the safest yet, and several of the features are mighty sharp for a melty brick of ice cream.

The biggest of them all is that you'll be able to fully encrypt your ICS device. This means that all your data will be on lockdown, inaccessible even to you until you enter in the passcode or personal identification number.

The benefit of this obvious: if lose your phone, you … Read more

How to turn on and use Mac speech commands

Has Siri gotten you accustomed to barking commands at electronics devices? Or has the absence of Siri in your life left you pining for a machine to command?

If you nodded in agreement to either of the above questions, and you own a Mac, did you know it has a built-in speech recognition tool? One that will speak back to you? Even tell you a terrible knock-knock joke?

If you'd like to begin conversing with your Mac, it is a simple process to enable speech recognition. Here's how:… Read more

How to use speech recognition in Windows 7

Voice commands and speech recognition aren't just for smartphone users; they're for PC users, too.

Speech recognition can help you avoid repetitive stress injuries, increase efficiency, and even be fun. You can launch programs, dictate text, scroll Web pages, and more, all by voice. Here's how:

Step 1: Go to Start > Control Panel > Ease of Access > Speech Recognition, and click on "Start Speech Recognition."

Step 2: Run through the Speech Recognition Wizard by selecting the type of microphone you'll be using and by reading a sample line aloud.

Step 3: Once … Read more

Look out, Google: Siri is poised to take Apple into search (q&a)

Apple's virtual personal assistant, Siri, has led to an avalanche of buzz. Siri's ability to interpret natural language--something that other voice recognition systems just don't yet do--has won plenty of praise. And her sassy personality--yes, she seems to have a personality--has created quite a few fans. Just check out the popularity of the Tumble blog, S*** That Siri Says.

Yet entertainment value aside, Siri is serious business; and depending on how Apple plays it, Siri gives Apple a big opportunity to go after Google's core business of search. That, at least, is the opinion of … Read more

Siri surrogate: Voice commands with Dragon Dictation

Are you feeling ignored because your iPhone 4S-toting friends are spending more time conversing with Siri than with you? If you have an older iPhone 3GS or iPhone 4, you can run the newly released iOS 5, but it doesn't come with Apple's vaguely British virtual assistant. What's a lonely, old iPhone owner to do?

One idea is to give Dragon Dictation a try. From Nuance, the makers of Dragon Naturally Speaking software (and who may have had a hand in developing Siri), Dictation is a free iPhone voice app that lets you engage in one-way conversations with your iPhone. It won't answer your queries like Siri does, but it does an impressive job of translating your spoken words into text. So, while you can't ask Dragon Dictation where you can find the best burrito in your vicinity (I'm pretty sure Siri would tell me to leave the state of New Hampshire for such an item), you can dictate text messages and e-mails as well as Facebook and Twitter updates. … Read more

Unlock Android 4.0 with your face?

The PlayStation Vita won't be out for the holidays, Apple stores are closing during a memorial for Steve Jobs, and Android's Ice Cream Sandwich version comes with several new camera features.

Links from Wednesday's episode of Loaded:

App turns you and your pals into pirates, ninjas

Now that Apple's opened up facial recognition as a public developer API for iOS 5, one of the first apps to result is a photo-sharing app that overlays pirate hats and ninja masks on pics.

Pirate Ninja uses an algorithm to recognize your eyes and the way your head is tilting in the photo, so the pirate hat and ninja mask can be properly placed. A pirate hat's got to sit just right, you know.

I gave the 99-cent app a shot, snapping a photo with a friend while I was on a plane and uploading the photo to Pirate Ninja. As expected, the app gave us pirate hats, but the app isn't perfect. In some cases, it didn't recognize my friend's face or placed an extra pirate hat on his chest. In all cases, it measured my face just fine.

When I shared the picture privately via e-mail, the automatically generated subject line read: "ARRR!" Cute, but probably not something I'd post all over Facebook or Twitter.… Read more

Can't wait for Siri? Try Vlingo

The coolest technology on display at Tuesday's Apple event? Siri, no doubt about it. This new voice-recognition system promises to transform the way we use our iPhones.

Just one problem: you can't have it yet. Apple didn't say when Siri, which is still in beta, will be available, so it could be months before you're telling your iPhone what to do. Update: My mistake. Siri will be bundled with the iPhone 4S, albeit in beta form. Plus, only iPhone 4S owners will be able to get in on the voice-powered action, owing to Siri's steep processing requirements.

If you don't want to wait, or don't want to buy a 4S, try Vlingo. Arguably the "original" voice assistant for the iPhone, this free app lets you accomplish a lot just by speaking. You can post updates to Facebook and Twitter, run a Web search, look up destinations on a map, place a call, and so on.… Read more

How to disable autotagging on Facebook

If you have friends who love to upload pictures to Facebook, chances are that you get tagged pretty often. But sometimes you don't want others to be able to share pictures of you without prior permission. By default, Facebook lets friends tag you in posts, in photos that look like you, and check you in to places that you haven't visited. Here's how to put a stop to any (or all) of these tag-happy features:

Step 1: Log in to your Facebook account and click on the menu in the top-right corner (small arrow).

Step 2: Select … Read more

Dragon Go iPhone app expands its search options

Nuance has beefed up its Dragon Go iPhone app to let you search for information across a wider array of Web sites and services.

Available for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch since July, this free search-by-voice app is unique compared with the Google and Bing iOS apps. Dragon Go can find results and run commands across dozens of different Web sites, including Twitter, YouTube, Wikipedia, Craiglist, Amazon, eBay, CNN, Reuters, and even CNET.

The latest update adds even more sites to the mix, notably Netflix, Spotify, Wolfram Alpha, Ask.com, and Google+. And when you tap the app's … Read more