Siri

Siri was a bit of a tease on iOS 5 and the iPhone 4S -- while it could send Messages and Mails, it couldn't send status updates to Twitter or Facebook, and it couldn't even open an app. With iOS 6, however, Siri is not only launching on the iPad, but it's launching you into any app on your device, and posting tweets and updates like a social champ.

Not many real-world assistants will help you find a movie to watch anymore, or look up who is in it and how well it's rated for you, not even Siri on iOS 5 and the iPhone 4S. With iOS 6, however, Siri is not only opening on the iPad, but its becoming a veritable movie buff to boot.

We've talked about iOS 6 and it's unusual focus at length already, but it's been in bits and pieces, scattered across a range of articles, and tangential to other points. I think it's valuable to collect it all together, though. Unlike any full point release before it, iOS 6 is more about Apple, their platform, and its future, than it is present user attraction. And it's worth collecting that, exploring why it is, and looking at what it means for iOS users.

Nuance has just announced Nina, a new virtual customer service assistant SDK (software developers kit) for iOS and Android. Nuance, which is widely believed to power Apple's Siri voice recognition, is aiming the SDK at iPhone and iPad developers who want to quickly and easily add voice assistance to their App Store apps. And while Siri understands what you're saying and the context in which you're saying it,Nuance claims Nina uses voice biometrics to understand just who exactly is doing the talking.