You’re a terrible singer,” this writer overheard a 10 year-old complain, slim phone held inches from his face, as the ring of little humans around him leaned in to listen. “You’re certainly entitled to that opinion,” a female voice responded impassively. Eyes lit up and the tiny throng giggled as the gadget was handed to another micro-Cowell. It has been a year since Siri, Apple’s personal voice assistant application was integrated into its mobile operating system (for iPhone 4S, iPhone 5 and iPad 3), and since then the female guide has successfully achieved fame, complete with all its frills, ignominy included.

Samsung’s televisions — from series 7, 8 and 9 — are equipped with motion and voice detectors. They have features such as face and voice recognition. PIC/Nimesh Dave