Brian's 2nd Blog: 2012

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Tip: Bring Siri’s voice to your Mac with Samantha downloadable Voice for Lion

Tip: Bring Siri’s voice to your Mac with Samantha downloadable Voice for Lion:
Since the introduction of Nuance speech technology in OS X Lion, which provides several new voice options in system preferences for the System Voice, many have compared the voice of Nuance-powered Siri on iPhone 4S to the improved text-to-speech included as free downloads within Lion. As noted by Reddit user Moosehadley, what you might not have realized is the downloadable “Samantha” voice for Lion is the same as Siri’s in the United States. Here is how to download it:
Open System Preferences> Speech> Text to Speech>System Voice> Customize> and select “Samantha” from the list. Apple will ask you to confirm the 469MB install.

System Preferences Text To Speech Samantha

Apple rejected this app because it is too much like Siri (9to5mac.com)
Showdown: Android Voice Actions on Motorola phones vs. Siri on iPhone 4S (9to5google.com)
Does Siri infringe old Excite patents? (9to5mac.com)
Apple rejected this Android app because it is too much like Siri (9to5google.com)
Apple threatens to pull Evi due to similarities with Siri, but what about competition? (9to5mac.com)

Apple shows off iPhone’s use in the enterprise world

Apple shows off iPhone’s use in the enterprise world:

If you need more convincing before ditching your BlackBerry, Apple just posted a new page on its website that highlights the iPhone’s use in the enterprise market. The info-packed page shows how the iPhone is used in the business setting to organize days, manage projects, setup meetings, read mail, set calendar appointments, keep contacts organized, and more. In typical advertising fashion, Apple highlighted specific apps on the App Store like “MicroStrategy,” “OmniFocus” for iPhone, “GoToMeeting,” “TripIt,” and much more.
Over the last year, Apple made a dent in the enterprise market—a place formerly dominated by Microsoft and RIM. Apple has continued to offer better working tools than the competitors do. For example, Apple’s new iMessage provides BBM-like messaging, which is a service highly adored on the BlackBerry. However, the iPhone’s ease of use is starting to make it a No. 1 choice for IT departments.

Apple also provides a page showing the businesses that have chosen to use the iPhone. Lowes, for example, opted to use the iPhone for its payment service, as we exclusively told you last year. World Wide technology, GE, Gap Adventures and more are also highlighted on the page.
At the end of the day, I think more and more businesses are starting to realize where they need to put their money. Apple’s new page should help IT heads to choose the products from Cupertino, rather than the plastic phones from up north.