Remember Google Voice? Google's first stab at a voice-over-IP system is still up and running, though much of its functionality has been absorbed or augmented by the SMS and calling functions of Hangouts. It's a bit dusty in the Voice closet - the desktop web version of the service looks like a relic, and the Android app has only received a couple of maintenance updates in the last year and a half. But users who still rely on Google Voice as their primary phone number (like me!) have reason to be hopeful that the service hasn't been completely abandoned.
Read More[Updated] Voice website banner mentions 'The new Google Voice,' but nothing seems to have changed
Onvocal's OV headphones have Amazon Alexa built-in, coming in January for $399
Amazon's Alexa voice control platform continues worming its way into more products today with the Onvocal OV Bluetooth headphones. The OV is like any other Bluetooth device in that it can communicate with the voice assistant built-into your phone, but there will be an app for OV that adds one-touch access to Alexa as well. That ability doesn't come cheap, though.
Read MoreActions on Google opens to the public, developers now free to create custom voice actions for Google assistant
The Google assistant makes for a pretty awesome companion on the Pixel phones and Google Home, but it's still young and feels constrained by the very limited number of things it can do outside of Google's sandbox of supported services. During the October 4th announcement, Google declared plans to open up the platform in early December for developers to build their own services. Staying true to that schedule, the Actions on Google platform opened the door today, allowing developers to integrate their services. Google is also launching an early access program to begin testing new features and upcoming expansions.
Read More[Deal alert] Purchase a Phillips Hue A19 Starter Kit (3rd gen) and Amazon Echo together at BestBuy for $260 ($120 off)
BestBuy has a sweet deal going on today. You can pick up a Phillips Hue A19 starter kit (3 bulbs plus a hub) and an Amazon Echo for $260.40. That's about $120 less than you would pay if you bought each item separately at full price. This a great combo for those of you wanting to add some tech to your home to make it a little smarter.
I own several Phillips Hue bulbs. I love being able to change the color and intensity of the lights to fit my activity and mood. Waking up to gradually increasing lights instead of an alarm has helped me tremendously in handling the dark Seattle winters.
Read MoreG Suite update includes Action items, improved voice typing, Forms improvements, and more
Google recently renamed their Google Apps for Work service as 'G Suite,' which I still think sounds silly. However, the features Google announced today for all G Suite users are anything but.
Possibly the most important new feature is Action Items, which are Docs files assigned to a person or group of people. You can assign documents to others, which then appear on the recipient's main Drive screen with a special badge. Additionally, when you create a comment on the desktop site along the lines of "Phil to enter numbers for this week," Docs can figure out whom you are talking about and assign it to them automatically.
Read More[Update: Also adds highlight-and-speak] Text-to-speech v3.10 adds options to change voice intonation and boost its volume above other apps [APK Download]
The Text-to-speech app doesn't see many major updates throughout the year, but when it does, there's often something interesting to see. Version 3.10 began rolling out yesterday and it comes bearing a pair of new settings to intelligently alter volume based on existing audio playback and to control the intonation of synthesized voices. As always, we've got a link below to grab the latest apk if you aren't among the first to get it straight from Google.
Read MoreAmazon Adds New Alexa Voice Features To Fire TV
Voice control is all the rage these days, and Amazon is pushing its Alexa voice engine hard. The Fire TV already had Alexa built-in, but today it's getting some new features. You can control video playback, launch apps, and more.
Read MoreGoogle Announces Voice Access Beta—Control Your Phone Completely By Voice
It was almost a year ago that Google posted the session list for I/O 2015 with an interesting "voice access" talk. That was eventually removed from the schedule and we didn't hear anything about it in Android M. Now, Google has announced Voice Actions as a beta in the Play Store (Android 5.0 and higher). Once you join up, you can install the app and literally control your entire phone by voice. It's incredibly cool.
Read MoreThe Best Of AP
Nat & Lo Show Off The New And Improved Google Text-To-Speech Engine In Latest Video
Google employees Natalie Hammel and Lorraine Yurshansky, who go by Nat & Lo for their series of informative Google tour videos, are at it again. This time the pair are demonstrating the recent improvements to Google's Text-To-Speech engine (TTS), which many of our readers have already experienced. Since synthesized, human-style voice functions are part of the biggest new trend in usability and gadgets, it's kind of a big deal.
Read MoreSoundHound's Natural Voice Search App 'Hound' Is Now Out Of Beta And Available For All
Google's various flavors of voice control are neat, not to mention extremely useful thanks to deep integration with Android. But Mountain View doesn't have a monopoly on speech interpretation: Microsoft has made a pretty compelling case for its cross-platform Cortana system, to say nothing of the similar entries from Apple and Amazon. SoundHound threw its hat in the ring last year with the semi-proprietary Hound app, though you had to be part of the beta to check it out. Today Hound gets a public launch, and everyone can play with it with no prerequisites.
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[Update: Pixel 4] ARCore renamed to Google Play Services for AR, adds support for OnePlus 7T and more devices
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Blast from the Past
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3 Years Ago Today
The 5 best things about the Google Pixel and Pixel XL
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4 Years Ago Today
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7 Years Ago Today
[The Android Police Podcast] Episode 32: My Calendar's Better Than Yours
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