Voice Search From Google (Video)
by Robin Rhys
November 15, 2008
The New York Times has reported that Google will be launching a newly designed type of voice recognition software for the iPhone as early as today, and the best part, it's free.
The way you search on your iPhone will supposedly be revolutionized by this app. The software should allow you to talk into your iPhone and ask anything under the sun, and within a few seconds results should start pouring in.
The New York Times says the app allows you to ask anything like, "Where's the nearest Starbucks?" The users voice is then converted into a digital file and sent to servers, which then decipher what has been asked. Then the information gets sent to Google's search engine to get some answers. Within seconds results should start popping up on your iPhone.
Using features that the iPhone already has, like GPS, will help narrow search results down so they are relevant to your area.
Hopefully this app will not lead to frustration like other voice recognition software has in the past, which usually ends with the user yelling and screaming into their iPhone, "Not Judy... I said Charlotte!" - and I'm sure we all know that frustrating feeling.
Currently both Microsoft and Yahoo have similar software available, but according to the New York Times, neither appear to be as accurate as the app Google is offering.
Google has refused to comment on how accurate the application actually is, but does say that it's accurate enough to be useful.
The video above gives a brief demonstration of the software.