Evi - Blog

iOS Update - Weather, What ' s New and Tutorial

One of the things we are keen on is ensuring that you get the very best user experience from Evi. To that end, as well as developing new features, we are constantly reviewing what Evi does and how we can improve the way she does it. Therefore we’re happy to announce that we have some pretty huge improvements included in the newest update to Evi’s iPhone app.

Weather Even in our modern world, where technology controls so much in our lives, one thing we can’t do is to control the weather.  However, being the clever species that we are, we long ago learned to predict what the weather will be in the days ahead so that we can at the very least prepare for what we cannot control.

While Evi herself has been providing weather forecasts for some time now, she has had a serious upgrade in this area, allowing her to provide more detailed forecasts for specific times and and locations, or for a broad range of days.

 

What's New With so much of Evi's intelligence being cloud based, it can be hard to make users aware of improvements, new features and areas of knowledge she has been exploring, especially when they don't require an update to the on your phone. To solve that, included in this update is a nice and clear What’s New screen which will appear when we release new features. Now you can stay abreast of what Evi has been learning  This will be especially useful when we upgrade Evi without requiring an update to the app itself. Now we can tell you what’s new as soon as it is released.

 

Tutorial It still surprises us how often we will have users comment saying “I wish Evi could do X” when in fact she already can!  Therefore included in this update is a brand new tutorial feature, with example questions, a guide to Evi's interface and tips on how to get the very best experience from her. Keep your eyes peeled for more news of upgrades to Evi, with new features and improvements coming soon.

Happy Birthday, Evi!

They grow up so fast! *sniff* It's hard to believe, but it was a year ago today that Evi was launched into the world.  Her first week in the public eye was something of a baptism of fire, as her popularity was far greater than we had anticipated and so she was inundated with users downloading her app and submitting their questions. 

Since then it has been non-stop for the team here at Evi HQ.  For starters, we officially rebranded the business from True Knowledge to Evi Technologies, to reflect our focus on Evi herself and our dedication to seeing her develop.

When Evi launched twelve months ago we stated that she would be learning from her users, and that is exactly what she has been doing.

Fundamental to Evi is her ability to not only hear what you say, but also to make sense of those words and so understand your intent.  Similarly, it is not enough to have a vast database unless you are able to draw upon it effectively, cross reference facts and present useful information. 

This is what distinguishes Evi from a standard search engine - her ability to not simply know, but to understand.   Much of the work done on improving this has been behind the scenes. Indeed the beauty of Evi is how much happens in the cloud, meaning improvements can be rolled out without the need for updates to the app itself. However, you will soon be seeing some major features getting a real boost. We're extremely excited with what we have planned for her in the months ahead.

It's not just Evi who has been learning.  The team here have been constantly challenging themselves to find innovative and effective solutions to longstanding problems within the field of AI. The feedback we have received from you all has been invaluable in helping us to shape Evi's ongoing development and so from us all, we would like to say a huge thank you and we look forward to Evi's second year in the world.

The best things in life...

Since launching Evi's app in January this year, it has been our aim to introduce her to as many people as people as possible.  I'm happy to say that we're now making her app free to everyone!  This means that iOS users can now download the app for free (it was already free on Android).  Now even more people can download Evi's app and say hello.

Tell us your thoughts and desires

App store reviews, in-app feedback, social media comments and randomly shouted statements in the street. All are ways of delivering your thoughts and feedback about the Evi app and every single one is logged and reviewed (OK, so maybe not the shouting in the street).

Since the day Evi was released we made it clear that her development and growth would be shaped by the way her users interact with her and on the feedback provided. As such we pour over every scrap of feedback we come across and use it to build a picture of what people want. What it has revealed is that Evi users want everything.

The works.  

The whole shebang with a cherry on top.  

Now, we're keen to deliver the whole lot, but in order to help refine what we do and prioritise development then we want to know more about what you want and need.

To that end, we'd be hugely appreciative if you could take a minute to complete the feedback survey below. Through this you will be helping to give structured details on what Evi's users want and thus help us to prioritise the work done to bring it to you. It's only a small handful of questions and will take barely two minutes. You will be having a direct hand in shaping the short and long term future of Evi and your involvement will be hugely appreciated. So click on the link below and give us your thoughts and desires. Tell us what you think

iOS Update

It's been a busy time here at Evi while the team are hard at work developing a host of new features based on the feedback we have received from you all. We're itching to get these completed and out in your hands, but in the mean time, we're happy to announce a new update going out today for iOS users. This includes various tweaks and speed improvements, with the full details below.

• iPhone 5 Support
• Improved iOS6 compatibility
• Faster app start up time
• Handset controls can now change Evi's speaking volume whenever the app is open (previously only possible while she was speaking)
• Improved response when a requested contact has no email address stored

Android users don't need to feel left out, as you have an update coming your way very soon as well. Keep your eyes peeled for news of more features coming to Evi soon!