Amazon : Voice assistants are taking over 4-Traders

May 27--As technologists race to invent the next big thing after the smartphone, many have overlooked what is starting to seem obvious: That the human voice is a powerful, perhaps the most powerful, mechanism for controlling the world around us. And, more importantly, speaking is a behavior that doesn't require a user manual. Now, Amazon, Google and Apple are speeding toward a not-too distant future when your voice will dictate commands to a personal assistant, powered by artificial intelligence, and ultimately supplant your PC and phone for most quotidian computing purposes. In other words, your voice -- not a screen -- will become the primary interface for accessing the Internet, and even controlling your home or car. "The entire Silicon Valley startup community was more enamored over virtual reality and augmented reality, and in the process completely overlooked the transformative nature of voice-first technology," said Brian Roemmele, a Temecula-based researcher and consultant in voice-based technologies and online commerce.