Mikey Campbell
Google on Tuesday rolled out a software update to its standalone iOS search app, offering advanced voice-recognition technology that mimics Siri in function, but taps into the internet search giant's vast data banks instead of the assets accessed by Apple's virtual assistant.
In a post to its official blog, Google announced that its "most advanced voice search" has arrived on iOS, bringing with it access to the entirety of the company's online search assets and tools.
In a quick test, AppleInsider found the app to be quite responsive, and while lacking the system-wide functionality of Siri, does provide for more comprehensive and accurate internet-based search results compared to Apple's solution.
Unlike previous versions of the software, the new Google search app recites answers, however it does not carry on a "conversation" as does Siri. The addition is notable, however, as it brings a more interactive feel to the software, as well as offering a "eyes-free" option to querying Google's database.
The new Google search voice feature is speedy, translating commands in near real-time and presenting corresponding information with relative accuracy. Powering the system is Google's Knowledge Graph, the augmentation to the company's search engine that intelligently connects searches with their meaning. According to Google, Knowledge Graph "understands real-world entities and their relationships to one another: things, not strings."
In a side-by-side comparison, both Siri and Google's new voice search performed similarly when queried about the location of the nearest Apple Store, however Apple's software couldn't give the answer to more specific questions like city populations.
As was expected, Siri trumped Google's implementation when searching for movies, weather and sports, mostly due to developers that took advantage of Apple's API.
While Google's new voice-recognizing search feature does improve on Siri's functionality in some areas, Apple's solution will always be more useful for iOS device owners, as Siri can not only perform searches, but can control systems functions like composing messages, setting alarms, and other low-level operations. Apple has promised that Siri will become increasingly integrated into iOS, though it remains to be seen when the virtual assistant will be able to perform higher-function tasks like turning Bluetooth on and off.
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
Chip Loder
Malcolm Owen
29 Comments
It's nice to see the translation occurring in real-time, but it cuts off too fast. So, you better have your entire question fully formulated or you'll not get a complete query.
It does a pretty good job, but it is limited to search… You cannot command it to: text someone; call someone; make an appointment; check your schedule; play a song; launch an app; dictate text content, search a map...
Just ask it questions... but, it is very fast, and seemed a little less accurate than Siri (in the few minutes I played with it).
I didn't allow it to use my location, but it was able to figure out (reasonably accurately) where I was from my IP address (home WiFi). I wonder if it could do that with cell tower locations when away from home?
[quote name="SpamSandwich" url="/t/153908/google-takes-on-siri-with-standalone-ios-search-app-update#post_2223177"]It's nice to see the translation occurring in real-time, but it cuts off too fast. So, you better have your entire question fully formulated or you'll not get a complete query. [/quote] agree with this. it's great to see the translation, but my enunciation must stink because both google search and siri seem to have equal amounts of difficulty with my voice. i've been playing with both for a couple hours, posing easy queries such as "when is thanksgiving", moderately difficult queries such as "map of drum street road 12937" (yes, it's a real road name), and difficult queries such as "when is the next full moon which falls on february 26th" ... and they both mostly fail. most irritating to me is that they both fail on "directions from xxx to xxx" ... most of the time they both interpret "to" as "2" and tack on a 2 in front of the "to" address. nice to see the competition but lotsa work to be done.
I'm not sure that a Humpback whale particularly good choice of mammal.
as Siri can not only perform searches, but can control systems functions like composing messages, setting alarms, and other low-level operations.... I got a iPhone4s earlier this year. Interested in Siri, but ultimately turned it off within a week or so. I managed to get it to set a reminder, once. Most of the remainder I spend my time repeating the same words over and over and over... The google option on youtube/chrome apps seems to work ok for my accent, it will be interesting to see how this app goes.