Augmented/Virtual Reality and Computer/Smartphone assistants, integrated with the Internet of Things will change the computing environment as we know
The predictions outlined at the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo in Orlando were that Augmented Reality will become a shopping paradise, webpages will start to give way to screen-less voice interactions, blockchain technology will create a business worth $10 billion, and the Internet of Things will save $1 trillion a year by 2022.
With Redstone 2 -- which is expected to be generally available starting in March 2017 -- Microsoft will be adding its Windows Holographic shell to the Windows 10 desktop OS. ("Oasis" project).
A new generation of 3D apps from Microsoft (and other vendors) is expected to make users embrace the Windows Holographic PCs and devices. It is expected that soon Microsoft will unveil how using PowerPoint, Excel or PowerBI in 3D Windows users will become more productive.
You can already interact with your calendar or make a Skype call using Microsoft's HoloLens today. The coming 3D version of Paint could provide a simple a way to create and modify 3D objects and materialize them to a 3D-printer. That’s how 3D Windows lets you get more creative and productive.
The “Microsoft Evoke Studio”, a creative media applications team in the Windows and Devices group at Microsoft is developing photo, video and "3D storytelling tools and experiences for mobile, PC and cloud," Chris Pratley , studio manager, said in his updated bio. Is expected that Microsoft will show more about Evoke on its October 26 event.
Almost every major tech company is saying the same thing: in the future, we’re going to talk to our computers — and they’re going to answer back.
Microsoft calls it "conversation as a platform." Google says it wants computers to have an "ongoing two-way dialogue" with their users. Making the digital assistants to talk and offer users prompts and suggestions means superior machine learning systems. "Our goal with artificial intelligence is to build systems that are better than people at perception," said Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg.
The "digital assistants" Siri, Alexa, Cortana, Facebook M, Google Assistant, will be accessible on different platforms (phones, watches, cars, home hubs), keeping tabs on our personal data, schedules, and location, across an entire network, able to process context and slang, and, eventually, emotions and intents.
Screen or a console will lose their primary role today, the main user-computer interface being an oral one, just speak and get an answer.
Amazon’s Alexa works with more than 1,000 services, and Amazon says its developer tools mean companies can integrate their software in just 60 minutes.
Setting timers by voice is very useful when working on something ("Alexa, set a timer for 15 minutes") or want checking some of those everyday details ("Alexa, ask Tube Status about the Northern Line") or simply "Alexa, will it rain today?"
It is well integrated with services like Amazon Music, Audible and Amazon Prime: Prime members can buy products directly from Alexa and check the status of existing orders by saying "Alexa, where's my stuff?"
Other companies will be able to make their own Alexa-powered hardware thru hockey puck-sized Echo Dot (which works with almost any speaker).
Apple’s Siri despite being an early frontrunner in voice interfaces, has fallen behind. Siri is well known, but its voice recognition abilities are spotty and its functionality limited. Thanks to CarPlay, the Apple Watch, and the iPhone, Apple’s personal assistant has the potential to be an everywhere companion.
Facebook M, it's not built solely on AI, that’s why he stays behind the others. You can only type to talk to M since there’s no voice interface, and answers often take several minutes to appear.
Google created an machine learning ecosystem, hardware and software. Compared to other companies, Google has a particularly deep bench for machine learning expertise. Last November it open-sourced its in-house machine learning software Tensor Flow, and then began offering free online courses for the program. This year, it revealed its own custom processors built for machine learning, which were used to power AlphaGo’s.
Just to consider a potential plunge into enterprise business, look at Google Springboard — a search tool that Google says it will also help users by offering "useful and actionable information and recommendations".
Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella, describing "conversation as a platform" concept sees it as the next big user interface. Of all the digital assistants available, most analysts consider Cortana has been best integrated into desktop computers. On Windows 10, Cortana can manage meetings and reminders, launch programs, answer factual questions without opening a browser, and send email for you. Microsoft is also going to put the assistant in your TV via the Xbox One.
With Cortana, Microsoft's Artificial Intelligence and Research group have set a new record in speech recognition, achieving a word error rate of 5.9 percent, almost as accurately as a professional human transcriptionist.
At its Build developer conference in March, the company unveiled its Bot Framework — a set of prepackaged, AI-powered tools that let anyone create their own chatbot.
These computer assistants are a first-generation product. Even this tech isn’t very good yet, thinking about how consumer technology has changed over the past decades, talking to computers does seem like a natural step into computer’s evolution. Computers used to be things you had to learn to use, but over the years they’ve become increasingly intuitive. With smart assistants helping organize your work, look after your house, and entertain you, they’ll feel less like interfaces you need to wrangle with, and more like companions. At that point, we all might be a lot more comfortable about having a chat with our computers.
