This undated image made available by Google shows "Google Now." Google is trying to upstage Siri, the sometimes droll assistant that answers questions and helps people manage their lives on Apple's iPhone and iPad. The duel begins Monday, April 29, 2013, with the release of a free iPhone and iPad app that features Google Now, a technology that performs many of the same functions as Siri.
This combination of Associated Press file photos shows, left, the General Services Administration telephone switchboard and its operators in 1951, and right, Siri, Apple's virtual assistant, on the Apple iPhone 4S in 2011, in San Francisco. The number of switchboard and telephone operators in the U.S. fell from 182,000 to 73,000 in 10 years through 2010 because of new technology.
A woman links her iPhone to the MyLink system in a Chevrolet Spark at the opening press event of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas January 6, 2013. In addition to being able to run a variety of Apps, the system can also add incorporate Siri, which is a first for an automaker, a representative said.
The new Chevrolet Spark EV eco-friendly car from General Motors attracts interest on media preview day at the Los Angeles Auto Show on November 28, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. General Motors has said it will integrate Apple's voice-activated software Siri in some of its cars next year to allow iPhone users to perform hands-free tasks, announcing at the LA Auto Show it will use the Siri intelligent assistant in the Chevrolet Spark and Sonic LTZ and RS.
Scott Forstall, senior vice president of iOS Software at Apple Inc., speaks about the iPhone 5 during Apple Inc.'s iPhone media event in San Francisco, California in this September 12, 2012 file photograph. Apple Inc Chief Executive Tim Cook on October 29, 2012 replaced the heads of its software and retail units in the company's most sweeping executive shake-up in a decade following embarrassing problems with its new mapping program and unpopular store-related decisions. Software chief Scott Forstall, who oversaw the company's launch of the flawed mapping software and much criticized Siri voice-enabled assistant, will be leaving Apple next year and will serve as an advisor to Cook in the meantime.
A giant iphone 4S is pictured in a window display at an Apple store in London, on October 14, 2011. Some enthusiasts queued for up to a week to snap up the gadget. Those allowed into stores after it went on sale at 8am were applauded by waiting staff members. Bidding to build on the proven track record of the best-selling smartphone, Apple says the latest iteration boasts faster speeds, a voice-controlled assistant called Siri and an improved camera.