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Google's Voice-Enabled Search for iPhone Now Available

Saladinos said:
Works really well.
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Agreed! This is just spectacular. I'm going to geek out and show my wife when she gets home from the late shift. I just finished showing off my iPhone to some friends tonight, and this makes it even more useful than before! I can really see myself using this in the future, and I'd just started to sour on the Google App.
Saladinos said:
I'd really like better integration with Google Apps though. For example, a native view for news instead of launching the page in the browser. If it had native interfaces for the apps, it would instantly be a must-have application.
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Here's my problem... I think I can SEE why they don't want to have the Google app come up in a web browser. --It's not supposed to duplicate Safari. The mini-webkit window is supposed to be there to give you quick access to results and stuff, but they're stopping show of giving you a full-on Safari experience. --For instance, if you went into Gmail, and a link in Gmail transferred you to another website. --When does Google know to leave the Gmail app? Maybe you don't want to be in the Gmail app for a particular link... how do you escape the Google App when you're using web apps that may or may not stay inside a Google domain? For instance, at one point I saw Google forward me to a raw IP address before the site was redirected.

I could see it being hard for Google to detect WHEN to stay inside the web app, and when to launch Safari if it doesn't decide immediate. --Google doesn't want to modify its websites simply to cater to such conditions across its suite of sites. Things just need to WORK. --To that end, the Google app needs to launch Safari at the earliest opportunity.

Notice... the Google webkit doesn't do "rotate". It also doesn't use the "pinch" actions on search results. It doesn't let you save an image, or email a link. The longer Google fails to launch Safari for the user, the more users will request that Google replicate Safari features. It's NOT the way its supposed to work.

~ CB
 
Pear Pimples for Hairy Fishnuts

It doesn't quite get things sometimes.

"Find a McDonalds in Hilo" became "Finite Donald Zero" and then "China McDonalds in Hilo."

"Find an Arby's in Hilo" became "Signs of Rabies in Hilo."
 
mdwsta4 said:
ideally i would think an app like this would function in ways like say...
'john doe' and it would pull up john doe's contact info. or even better, 'email jane.' 'call jane at work', 'play pink floyd track mother' etc. you know, voice commands to do/find things on your phone.

i love the iphone because of how it simplifies certain tasks. i don't think this simplifies anything useful other than saying a website you want to visit. what's really the point of launching an app, typing in 'er' to find 'erin' in your contacts when you could have simply pulled up the phone book and done the same thing? and the fact you can't search anywhere else on your phone (unless i'm missing that) other than contacts, it's a pretty limiting app.

but what do i know.
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Apparently you don't know what the app is for:
Google said:
Get the most advanced Google search experience for your iPhone
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Google search - not "contacts search" or "iphone search" or "voice command". It's for searching the web. It's a voice-activated Google search bar, that can also do searches based on your current location. It also has some other little features they implemented, to make it more useful, but those are just little side-features. It can't do voice-search for your contacts because people's names are what it seems worst at understanding, particularly last names.
 
you know it just dawned on me... they're gonna put this into gmail, we will no longer have to type our emails, and just think if android really is the beginning of an operating system.....
 
Broken Directions??

Got it, it's great - one problem so far: When I click on "Get Directions" from a search result, it launches the map app, inserts the destination into the "End" field - but it leaves the "Start" field empty. It drops a pins for my current location, but it doesn't use that info for "Start". Anyone else? Any suggestions?:eek:
 
MBX said:
Another annoying issue is that there's no way to hide search history unless to delete it everytime after you finished using it.

I wish it wouldn't show the search history when you start the app. What if someone else plays with my iphone and see's i've tested the voice-feature with "how big is my penis"?
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You can set it so it doesn't save your searches: Settings -> Searchable Items - > (turn off) Previous Searches
 
i don't get it. i've deleted and installed 3 times and it's still the old version. anyone got a clue?
 
firstapple said:
I agree. This is very annoying, as when you are done in Safari you have to go back and open your Google app again. I believe Google will continue making great updates to this over time, as it is only at "version 0.1.414"
Click to expand...


You are incorrect sir. Its version 0.1.414 BETA as with all things google. Why do they not get that beta sign off.
 
Well, my accent is pretty generic, but the results I'm getting are hilarious at best. I recommend one or two word searches.

I do like the goofy chattering sound effect in the background though :)
 
I find the feature neat, but it got alot of it wrong, especially since I was trying to see if it worked with French names (ie former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien), and didn't work.
 
If you live in a little city called Liverpool, UK then it wont work for you. Doesn't understand scouse.
 
This is the game changer. Wow.

For those of you bummed over the recognition rate... I used to work in a lab where a speech recognition project was on-going. They had T-shirts made up with the following two phrases written on the front / back...

It's hard to wreck a nice beach.
It's hard to recognize speech.

Try saying each of these out loud a couple times to see what this kind of software is up against.
 
It's not showing for me here in the UK. New features listed for the Google Mobile App on the UK store are "Now with My Location" :mad:
 
Only recognises US accents

I can't get it to bring back a correct search result even speaking in my best Queens English.

Am sure it's great if you are North American but I hope they do some work on recognising the rest of the English speaking world ;)
 
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