"Star Trek" first took viewers on a voyage to the Final Frontier 50 years ago on Sept. 8, 1966. That's when the original television show aired on NBC, introducing pop culture to a crew that would become iconic over the following half-century. But "Star Trek's" vision of the future didn't just inspire adoration for the swashbuckling Captain James T. Kirk or his logically inclined first officer, Spock. It also helped spur innovators to create technologies that have changed the way people live in the real world. Here are a few examples of the "Star Trek" tech that's now reality.

It is something that many companies are trying at the moment, with Google, Microsoft and Facebook all introducing personal assistants that are equivalents of Apple's Siri, originally created in 2010. Since then, with the introduction of technologies and collaborations with companies like Wolfram Alpha (who also work with several other companies), Siri has improved, but not to the extent that its potential is crying out for. One of the clearest examples of this was their move to a neural net based system in 2014, which significantly improved the virtual assistant, but still didn't allow it to achieve what many expected. In fact, few even noticed a difference.

At Apple's iPhone 7 unveiling in San Francisco on Wednesday, the tech powerhouse revealed a host of new and updated hardware and software, including a new type of headphone jack and souped-up camera. As expected, iPhone is removing the standard analog headphone jack and forcing headphones to use its "Lightning" connector, which plugs into the phone's charging port. The iPhone 7 will come with an adapter so older earphones can still be used. But Apple is pushing Apple AirPods, which CEO Tim Cook says are a "breakthrough design," wireless headphones that sync across all Apple devices and respond to touch that can access Siri. The AirPods are shipping in late October and cost 160.

Amazon's Alexa is present in millions of living rooms by way of the Echo speaker and the Fire TV. Now, Amazon's virtual assistant is coming to tablets with new 89.99 Fire HD 8, the company announced Thursday. Amazon is also pushing Alexa to last year's Fire HD 8 tablet as well as the 49.99 Fire and 229.99 Fire 10 through a free software update over the coming months. The new Fire HD 8 will be up for pre-order starting Thursday in 16GB or 32GB storage options.

Welcome to your hearable future. At the launch of the iPhone 7 yesterday, Apple announced that it was ditching the white headphone wires that have been an icon of the brand since 2003. Instead, listeners will use AirPods, a pair of wireless earbuds that connect to the phone over Bluetooth. Ditching the headphone jack allows the iPhone 7 to shrink even slimmer, and losing a hole makes the phone more water resistant. But this is also the latest case of Apple using its flagship product to bring a tech trend to the masses – get ready for "hearables" doing battle for the ownership of your ears.

Apple last week proudly rolled out some new capabilities for Siri, which will presumably take effect with iOS 10's rollout on Wednesday (Sept. The changes address one of my long-sought capabilities, which is to make getting a ride a lot easier. Alas, it demands more specificity than would be optimal. Apple's announcement promised transportation ease but didn't quite deliver it. From Apple: "You can ask Siri to call a friend or colleague or book a ride to wherever you need to be. With SiriKit, developers are creating unique ways to let users interact with apps, making everyday tasks even easier."

Apple's Siri upgrades will let you dictate LinkedIn messages, verbally search for shoe photos on Pinterest, and hail an Uber, hands-free. When Apple unveils its new iPhone Wednesday, it's expected to push hard on software improvements available for its next mobile operating system, iOS 10, available for current iPhones and a predicted new iPhone model. The iPhone's voice-activated digital assistant Siri will be a key part of this upgrade, say tech analysts and developers. Siri, primarily used for voice commands to dial phone numbers, set reminders and get traffic information, has been opened to third-party developers after five years of existence. Apple, via a spokeswoman, said app developers are creating "completely new ways for users to interact" within apps.

Long hailed as a leader in technology, we've seen many interesting developments come out of the Cupertino office, especially today with the news about the new iPhone 7. Though there are plenty of new updates and products, there's also the question of what goes on behind the scenes to make these products possible. The answer can largely be summed up in two words: "machine learning." Machine learning has been around for quite some time, whether we realize it or not. In fact, the very idea that we don't notice it means the technology is effective, processing and learning from incredibly large amounts of data in real time, right underneath our noses. However, the term has just recently become commercialized and recognized throughout the media, resulting in a more indepth conversation around artificial intelligence among both consumers and technology professionals.

Apple already launched both developer and public beta programs allowing users to try out the software over the summer. The new iOS comes with a largely similar design to iOS 9, which Apple launched last year. However, Apple made several improvements to the operating system's functionality, allowing users to add stickers to iMessage, as well as digitally write messages to other users. The operating system also comes with an overhauled Apple Music redesign, helping users find more music and stream it. Most importantly for third-party developers, iOS 10 allows any app maker to access Apple's virtual personal assistant Siri and use the intelligent service to do everything from allow users to book a ride on Lyft to get directions from third-party mapping apps.

In my last column, I looked at how Amazon's Echo device and the Alexa voice service allows you to control things with your voice. You speak, it understands and obeys. Alexa is just part of a new wave of services that allow you to control things with your voice, from cell phones to intercoms and thermostats. You can even do things now like ask her to start your car. So, how do these listening devices transform your mellifluous voice into computer commands?