With iOS 11, Siri is ready to translate. Simply ask, "How do you say ___ in (Spanish, Italian, German, French or Chinese)" and Siri will show you the written translation accompanied by an audio translation that you can repeat with the play button. If Siri doesn't quite understand your request, simply tap on your question to edit it with the keyboard.
iOS 11 has brought back text based queries to Siri as an Accessibility feature for iPhone/iPad owners who can't use voice commands for the digital assistant. It can also be useful if you need to be quiet, or Siri just isn't understanding what you're saying. To activate it, head to Settings -> General -> Accessibility -> Siri and toggle on "Type to Siri." Now you can hold down the Home button to bring up Siri along with a keyboard to type your query. You can still use "Hey Siri" while this is on (providing you have Hey Siri on as well).
Submitted by Jon Reed on
There was an almost palpable collective feeling of “Finally!” among iOS users when, with iOS 10, Apple introduced third-party app integration with Siri. This allows you to interact with third-party apps via Siri, so you can, for example, order an Uber or Lyft through the digital assistant, or dictate a message to WhatsApp and so on. It isn’t always apparent which apps have updated with Siri integration or if they have, what functionality they have with Siri.
Submitted by Frank Macey on
Apple continues to work on dedicated chips to perform specific tasks and integrate seamlessly with iOS. According to Bloomberg, the company is developing a Neural Engine to handle artificial intelligence-related tasks. The custom silicon would join others such as the Apple A10 Fusion chip, M10 motion coprocessor, and the Apple W1 wireless audio chip.
Submitted by Frank Macey on
IKEA plans to add Apple HomeKit capabilities to its line of smart lighting known as TRÅDFRI this summer. The firmware update will bring smart home technology within reach of even more people across the globe, thanks to the relatively affordable options IKEA provides. According to the press release, IKEA will soon make its $80 TRÅDFRI gateway kit compatible with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa as well as Apple HomeKit.
