Speaktoit, the popular virtual assistant for Android, announced Friday that it has introduced several new features that will expand the app's range of functions and make it easier to use. Users can now ask the app to read emails aloud, and Speaktoit will also allow for easy hands-free navigation while driving. Speaktoit also added a feature that enables premium users to wake the device up with a voice command when the display is off, making it the first virtual assistant capable of doing so. More information is below.

No hands, ma!: Speaktoit Premium now allows users to do something that no other app does: wake their device up without using their hands. A simple command of "Hey Assistant" is all that's needed to bring the sleeping display to life, thanks to integration with new technology by Sensory (see a video demonstration here).

The premium edition of Speaktoit is available for $2 per month (or $20/ lifetime). It allows users to teach their Assistant to perform any action based on customized commands; Speaktoit is the only virtual assistant that can learn directly from its users.

The following features are available to all users:

 Mental push-ups: Users can now tell Speaktoit to keep them on their toes by asking them to solve trivia questions and word rhymes at intervals throughout the day.

 Email reading: The Speaktoit Assistant can now read emails aloud on a range of platforms, including Gmail, Yahoo and Outlook. And all users can now use voice commands to search emails by subject line or sender.

 Hands-free navigation: Speaktoit is now integrated with Waze, a groundbreaking social mapping app (rumored to be on the verge of acquisition by Facebook) that boasts a range of innovative features, including tracking traffic via GPS signals from cars on the road. Speaktoit's integration with Waze will allow for easy hands-free navigation.

 New avatar: Speaktoit's avatar has gone 3D and become more realistic, offering a friendly face to users (in contrast to faceless voices like Siri).