Intel hopes to change the way we interact with voice recognition software by removing the cloud from the process. Speech data will be processed on the device, not sent to servers - which causes delay and lag.

Audio recognition app Shazam – which helps hundreds of millions of people find the names of songs playing around them – has expanded its features to include ‘visual recognition’. It's effectively re-inventing the much derided QR-code functionality, but aren't QR codes already dead?

Smartphones are no longer just a means of communicating. They wake us up, get us from A to B and even help us find love. We’ve almost forgotten their original purpose. Text trumps voicecalls and apps trump SMS – it’s a good time to ask – what’s the future of the mobile phone?

With 60% of Americans using the voice-activated concierge service on their smartphone every day, people are growing accustomed to the idea of interacting with a virtual assistant. Tapping into the trend, Amazon has launched a smart speaker that acts like a home assistant.