Siri, the voice-activated digital assistant developed by Apple, was first released in October 2011. However, long before Siri, there were other voice-activated virtual assistants in existence. These digital assistants were developed in the early 2000s and used a variety of natural language processing (NLP) techniques to understand and respond to user commands. In this article, we’ll take a look at who came before Siri and how they shaped the development of modern virtual assistants.
Table of Contents
- 1. Nuance Communications
- 2. Dragon
- 3. Microsoft Voice Command
- 4. Tellme Networks
- 5. Vlingo
- 6. Google Now
- 7. Conclusion
Nuance Communications
Nuance Communications is a software company that has been around since 1992. In 2003, they released a product called Dragon NaturallySpeaking, which used a form of natural language processing to understand and respond to user commands. The software was aimed at making it easier for people to interact with their computers using voice commands. The software was so successful that it spawned a series of follow-up products, including Dragon Dictate, Dragon Go!, and Dragon Mobile. All of these products used natural language processing to understand user commands.
Dragon
In 2009, Nuance Communications released a virtual assistant called Dragon Go! which used natural language processing to understand and respond to user commands. The software was designed to allow users to search the web, ask for directions, check the weather, and more. Dragon Go! was one of the first virtual assistants that used natural language processing in order to understand user commands.
Microsoft Voice Command
In 2007, Microsoft released a product called Microsoft Voice Command. This product was similar to Dragon Go! in that it used natural language processing to understand user commands. The software was designed to allow users to control their Windows Mobile phones using voice commands. The software was widely praised for its accuracy and ease of use, and it helped to popularize the concept of using natural language processing to understand user commands.
Tellme Networks
In 2000, Tellme Networks released a product called Tellme Voice Services. This product used natural language processing to understand user commands and respond accordingly. The product was designed to allow users to make phone calls, check the weather, and check their bank account balances using voice commands. Tellme Voice Services was one of the earliest examples of a voice-activated virtual assistant and was a major influence on the development of modern virtual assistants.
Vlingo
In 2008, Vlingo released a product called Vlingo Virtual Assistant. This product used natural language processing to understand user commands and respond accordingly. The product was designed to allow users to search the web, check the weather, and control their phone’s settings using voice commands. Vlingo Virtual Assistant was one of the earliest virtual assistants to use natural language processing and was a major influence on the development of modern virtual assistants.
Google Now
In 2012, Google released a product called Google Now. This product used natural language processing to understand user commands and respond accordingly. The product was designed to allow users to search the web, check the weather, and control their phone’s settings using voice commands. Google Now was one of the first virtual assistants to use natural language processing and was a major influence on the development of modern virtual assistants.
1. Who created Dragon?
Dragon was created by Nuance Communications, a software company that has been around since 1992. In 2003, they released a product called Dragon NaturallySpeaking, which used a form of natural language processing to understand and respond to user commands.
2. What year was Microsoft Voice Command released?
Microsoft Voice Command was released in 2007. This product was similar to Dragon Go! in that it used natural language processing to understand user commands. The software was designed to allow users to control their Windows Mobile phones using voice commands.
3. Who released Tellme Voice Services?
Tellme Voice Services was released by Tellme Networks in 2000. This product used natural language processing to understand user commands and respond accordingly. The product was designed to allow users to make phone calls, check the weather, and check their bank account balances using voice commands.
4. What year was Vlingo Virtual Assistant released?
Vlingo Virtual Assistant was released in 2008 by Vlingo. This product used natural language processing to understand user commands and respond accordingly. The product was designed to allow users to search the web, check the weather, and control their phone’s settings using voice commands.
5. Who released Google Now?
Google Now was released in 2012 by Google. This product used natural language processing to understand user commands and respond accordingly. The product was designed to allow users to search the web, check the weather, and control their phone’s settings using voice commands.
6. What is Natural Language Processing?
Natural Language Processing (NLP) is a field of computer science that focuses on enabling computers to understand and interpret human language. It is used in many different applications, such as voice-activated virtual assistants, search engines, and machine translation. NLP uses a variety of techniques, such as natural language understanding, natural language generation, and dialogue management, to interpret and respond to user commands.
7. What is the purpose of NLP?
The purpose of NLP is to enable computers to understand and interpret human language. It is used in many different applications, such as voice-activated virtual assistants, search engines, and machine translation. NLP is used to interpret user commands and respond accordingly, making it easier for people to interact with computers using natural language.
As we can see, many different products used natural language processing before Siri was released. These products helped to popularize the concept of using natural language processing to understand user commands and paved the way for the development of modern virtual assistants. Siri may be the most well-known virtual assistant, but it is certainly not the first.