Nokia’s ‘Viki’ digital assistant will take on Google Assistant, Siri and Alexa in the near future

Image: Weibo

By tech2 News Staff /  09 Jan 2017 , 12:35

It certainly looks like the future of the smartphone is the digital assistant. The space is currently ruled by Google Now and Siri. Alexa and Cortana aren’t far behind either. Joining the fray, possibly, is Nokia’s own assistant and this one’s called Viki.

Google Assistant is an evolution of Google Now, but isn’t available on many devices yet.

GSMInfo.nl spotted Viki in a trademark filing made by Nokia. The trademark application was for the name Viki, and describes a software for “the creation and monitoring of mobile and web assistants working with digital knowledge and combining all data sources into a single chat and voice-based interface.”

Nokia, which recently revived its brand with the launch of the Android powered Nokia 6 in China, seems to have its heart in the right place. Samsung is also aware of the impending, AI-powered future and has been working on its own digital assistants for a while now (dubbed Bixby and Kestra).

As far as we’re aware, Viki is still only a name on a trademark application and we don’t even know the work that has been done on this AI.

There is also no timeline on if and when Viki will make its way to Nokia’s devices.

You can now ask Google Now to book an Ola or Uber

By tech2 News Staff /  19 Oct 2016 , 16:11

Google has teamed up with Ola and Uber to make cab booking even more hassle-free. So, you can now look for directions and then choose the taxi service directly within the Search app or mobile search browser.

The feature was made available on the latest version of Google Maps earlier this year, offering a tab with information for cab services in addition to the existing driving, public transport, or walking options. With the further integration, users can ask Google for directions and book the ride directly from Search.

Google explains that on request for specific information such as “Taxi to Bangalore airport” or more specifically “Uber to Bangalore airport” or “Ola to Bangalore airport”, the app/ browser directs the user to select a service and