On The Web

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Tech

Voice tech like Alexa and Siri hasn’t found its true calling yet: Inside the voice assistant ‘revolution’

November 12 2018

• in
• Voice interface

“Voice assistants are potentially privacy nightmares as they proceed to monitor more and more elements of our daily lives. That fear, however, hasn’t seemed to put a dent in sales. As the holiday shopping season approaches, voice-powered smart speakers are again expected to be big sellers, adding to the approximately one-quarter to one-third of the U.S. population that already owns a smart […]

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Tech

Westpac welcomes Siri for managing payments

September 21 2018

• in
• Voice interface

“Westpac is enabling Siri for its users to manage their accounts and transactions from iPhone devices, claiming to be the first in the country. To authenticate payments, customers will be prompted to input their fingerprint or face ID before the money is transferred to the payee.”

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Tech

Argos launches ‘voice shopping’ with Google Home

September 7 2018

• in
• Voice interface

“Catalogue retailer Argos has launched a “voice shopping” service to let people reserve products in a local store using a Google Home smart speaker. It is the first retailer in the UK to offer a shopping service via the Google Assistant platform.”

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Security

Getting Started With Safaricom’s Voice Biometrics System, Jitambulishe

August 30 2018

• in
• Authentication
• Voice interface

“Since the start of the year, Safaricom has implemented the use of biometrics to add an extra layer of protection as well as streamline the process of providing services to customers. By use of voice biometrics (the same technology that is relied on by the likes of Apple and Google to know it’s really you […]

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Tech

Amazon Says Alexa Voice Shopping Tripled During 2018 Holiday Season

December 26 2018

• in
• Voice interface

“Amazon on Wednesday said that the number of voice-activated orders placed via its virtual personal assistant Alexa were three times greater during the 2018 holiday season than they were in the last year. Meanwhile, Alexa was also called on “hundreds of thousands” of times to help folks find cocktail recipes: eggnog and Moscow Mules topped the list […]

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Companies

Amazon ditches Dash Buttons as Mobile and Voice Commerce Take Over

March 1 2019

• in
• Amazon
• Voice interface

“Amazon will stop selling the buttons from the end of February and, while those that have them can continue to use them, anyone wanting to buy one now is out of luck. Amazon said: “We’ve seen customers increasingly using programs like Alexa Shopping, which provides a hands free shopping experience, and Subscribe & Save, which lets […]

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Companies

Walmart Unveils Voice-Activated, Google-Powered Grocery Shopping

April 2 2019

• in
• Voice interface
• Walmart

“Beginning this month, Walmart shoppers can add items directly to their online shopping carts by saying “Hey Google, talk to Walmart.” Information from prior purchases will help identify the correct brand and size — like whether you drink 1 percent or skim milk without having to specify, according to Tom Ward, Walmart’s senior vice president […]

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Tech

Bank of America’s Erica Virtual Assistant Surpasses 6M Users

March 25 2019

• in
• Voice interface

“Erica, the AI-driven digital banking chatbot from Bank of America, has surpassed six million users, according to a press release. The bank said that more than 35 million requests have been processed through the virtual assistant since its debut in 2018.”

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Tech

How to Monetise: The Next Big Thing for Voice Assistants

March 22 2019

• in
• Voice interface

“Voice assistants continue to gain momentum, but there’s still little clarity around how this new interface affects the brand-consumer relationship, and how brands need to reposition themselves in light of this. With strong chances of more growth on the horizon, stakeholders in voice tech are having to consider questions that underline its durability and monetisation […]

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Tech

Alibaba Will Let You Find Restaurants and Order Food With Voice in a Car

April 16 2019

• in
• Voice interface

“On Tuesday, Alibaba announced at the annual Shanghai Auto Show that it’s developing apps for connected cars that will let drivers find restaurants, queue up and make reservations at restaurants, order food and eventually complete a plethora of other tasks using voice, motion or touch control. Third-party developers are invited to make their in-car apps, […]