16
Jul
2012-07-16_00h09_33

Google's New Voice Assistant Pitted Against Siri: If You'd Like, I Can Search The Web For Pictures Of A Stallion

Posted by in Google, News

The uninformed consumer (read: not you, dear readers) may be forgiven for not realizing Google's voice search/voice assistant/Google Now thing is attempting to compete head-on with Siri, what with lacking a name and not being nearly as anthropomorphized. However, Google's voice powers are, indeed, aimed squarely at making the act of finding and using information far easier than Apple's automaton. In this video, the two go voice-to-voice and...okay, let's not beat around the bush. Siri gets thoroughly trashed.

Now, let's be perfectly clear. When dealing with voice searches and natural language assistants, your mileage will always vary. However, in this head-to-head comparison, it is no contest.

03
Jul
JB Voice Actions

[Videos] Extensive Google Now Demo Shows How Powerful It Already Is, Leaves Us Excited About Its Future

Posted by in Jelly Bean 4.1, Videos
Last Updated: July 5th, 2012

We non-Jelly Bean plebeians have been envious of those with access to Android 4.1 for some time now, and a recent video from JLishere provides yet another reason to be jealous. The video, a demo of the much-anticipated Google Now, shows off just how accurate JB's voice recognition can be - in fact, it was able to pick up on the subtle differences between words like 'Worcester' and 'Wooster.' It also exemplifies the impressive number of commands Now (in cooperation with the Knowledge Graph) can register - from "call the Drake Hotel" to "do a barrel roll."

Enough balderdash, though - watch the 47-question demo for yourself:

Update: 20 more questions:

One last note: as JLishere notes in the video description, the demo was performed on an early build of Jelly Bean - this, in other words, should be considered a beta feature that will only get better with time.

27
Jun
cards

Jelly Bean Feature Closer Look: Google Now Can Assist You With Everything From Traffic To Sports Scores

Posted by in Jelly Bean 4.1, News

Google Now is a feature we've been eagerly anticipating for what seems like forever now. In fact, we've been seeing hints at something like it since 2010. When Apple announced Siri last year, an official counterpart from Google became not only inevitable, but necessary - iOS' speech service provided direct Apple competition to Google's mobile search engine. Today, in one of the most notable announcements at I/O, the Big G made official its answer to Siri: the aforementioned Google Now.

cards

Google Now uses actions you've performed on your phone in the past (i.e. your locations, calendar appointments, search queries, etc.) to form an idea of your general interests and habits.

27
Jun
thumb_thumb18.png

[Updated: Video] Android 4.1 Jelly Bean Now Official: Project Butter, Better Notifications, Google Now, And More

Posted by in Jelly Bean 4.1, News, Videos

Over at Google I/O, the news about Android 4.1 - a.k.a. Jelly Bean, if you haven't heard - just broke.

Update: check out the Jelly Bean video:

Screen Shot 2012-06-27 at 12.44.33 PM

The first announcement was Project Butter, a new processing framework for Android that should make it run much, much faster - up to 60fps, in fact. The CPU and graphics will now work together in harmony, with the latter being triple-buffered, meaning things like scrolling and transitions should be noticeably faster.

Screen Shot 2012-06-27 at 12.51.18 PM

There's also going to be improved voice input, including support for offline voice-to-text, which should be exciting. Speaking of input, there's now going to be 18 more input languages, from Hebrew to improved Arabic support.

19
Jun
voicesearch

Rumor: Google Secretly Working On That Voice Project They Have Openly Released, But More

Posted by in Google, News

You guys remember Voice Search right? That app that every Android user ever has installed on their phone or tablet? Well, the Wall Street Journal, best known for being right about a good number of things, is reporting that Google has "accelerated plans" to launch a "Siri competitor." Our super secret sources tell us that Google will "launch" this competitor in August, 2010.

The WSJ doesn't have much more information beyond that:

Google, meanwhile, has accelerated plans to launch its own Siri competitor that would work on Android-powered devices, people familiar with the matter have said.

We've known for a very long time that Google dreams of producing a Star Trek computer with voice commands at its core.

10
Jan
google-plus-pages-logo

Google Packs Even More Google+ Into Your Search Results With "Search plus Your World," They Also Add A Handy Button To Turn It Off

Posted by in News

Google+! Have you joined? You should join. Google's wants you to join.

Google continues its plussification of everything with a new search update. You can now expect to see profiles, pictures, and posts from your G+ circles in your search results.

Ok, that was adorable. Try to focus though. Google+ is now going to be EVERYWHERE in the default search results. I mean everywhere. Autocomplete, the sidebar, the results, everywhere.

07 ben smith - suggest People and Pages

That picture on the right over there? That's an example, from Google, of a search for "Music" bringing up Britney Spears' G+ page. Words escape me.

Those feeling a pang of nauseousness and/or rage are going to want to reach for this button:

Toggle

which is right on your search results page.

28
Nov
spb shell 3d

Russia's Leading Internet Company Yandex Buys Mobile Developer SPB Software For An Estimated $38 Million

Posted by in News
Last Updated: August 1st, 2012

Earlier today, mobile software developer SPB Software announced on its website that it had been acquired by Russian search engine giant Yandex. TechCrunch reports that the price of the acquisition was a cool $38 million.

Yandex is Russia's largest internet company, operating the country's most popular and the world's seventh largest search engine. In contrast, SPB Software is a leading mobile software developer, that has, since 1999, been making applications for mobile phones that enable subscribers to do more with their handsets and network connections.

Amongst other forays into mobile development, SPB is known for their highly rated "next generation user interface" SPB Shell 3D, created for the Android platform.

29
Sep
29-09-11 9-19-23 PM

Hipmunk Makes Travel Search Easy With Its New Android App

Posted by in Applications, News

Want to know which online service makes my life a lot easier? Hipmunk. For the uninitiate, Hipmunk is a flight search service with a difference. In addition to sorting available flights by the standard duration and price metrics, Hipmunk can also arrange flights according to "agony", i.e. incorporating factors such as number of stops and total duration. Although its mobile site is adequate, I am pleased to report that Hipmunk has finally launched its Android app, which is available for free from the Market.

The app has all the features of the desktop and mobile site: you enter your destination, departure and arrival dates, select the number of passengers, and whether you wish to travel by coach (economy), business or first class.

05
Jul
image

Quick Tip: Want To Search Using The Android Market App? Save Precious Seconds And Press The Search Button Right Away

Posted by in Apps/Games, Tips & Tutorials

The title pretty much says it all, but I'll explain this quick tip in a bit more detail. All too often I want to jump into the Market on my phone and search for an app I already have in mind. However, before the search box even appears, I am forced to wait for the featured app screen to finish loading, which on slow connections can take ages.

So, rather than wait for it, just jump straight into action by pressing the hardware Search button. No more waiting, and precious time is saved. Little by little, this habit can turn minutes into days of saved time, folks (if you search the Market as often as I do)!

28
Jun
3185410319_419a368b35

Google Updates Mobile Homepage Again, Making Searches From The Small Screen More Practical

Posted by in News

Two week ago, Google changed up its mobile homepage to bring quick access to Google Place, along with some other new features. It looks like the mobile landing page has gotten yet another update today, making specific searches easier on the small screen. Have a look:

CAP201106281557

As you can you see, images and a tab-like interface have been added to the top of the page, making it much easier to quickly tap exactly what you're looking for. This is one of the more practical features that I've seen rollout, as it previously took a bit of precision to change search options.

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