Google Mobile: Speak-to-Search
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For the last few days the internet has been abuzz over the new version of the Google Mobile application for the iPhone. The big thing that has everyone drooling is Google’s new Speak-to-Search feature. Well, after a little bit of a delay, the application is finally available to us. The question is, does it live up to the hype?
The short answer is no. While Google’s ability to translate your spoken words into a search query is very cool, the results provided are no more intuitive or insightful than a normal typed Google Search. In other words, asking the app “where is the nearest Apple Store” yields the same answers as typing “where is the nearest Apple Store” into the Google homepage. Yes, I can switch the searching mode from “iPhone and Web” to “Maps” and just say the words “Apple Store” (which will pop open the google maps application and show me where the closest store to my area is), but this is not what’s been pitched to me.
Every clip I’ve seen and every podcast I’ve listened to made it sound like the Google Mobile application would work like magic. I was led to believe that the application would use some sort of semantic technology to determine whether I was looking for a photo, map, or just general information. Unfortunately, this just isn’t the case.
“Where is the nearest Fry’s Electronics” just give me a list of web articles about Fry’s. “Photos of Scarlet Johanson” just gives me a list of articles about Scarlet Johanson with links to photos of her. I shouldn’t have to switch my search mode. I mean, the point of being able to speak your searches is to eliminate the need to input with the touch screen. If you have to manually switch modes in the application to get a desired result, then it sort of defeats the point.
All that being said, Google Mobile is not all bad. I mean let’s face it, the iPhone’s keyboard is not the greatest thing in the world. Sure you get used to it after a while, but sometimes it’s just a pain in the ass to deal with. Anything that can let you quickly bypass dealing with the keyboard is a winner in my book. Especially if you’re already a poor speller like me. All in all, I’d say the application is worth downloading for all those quick searches you do when out and about, you just have to understand that it’s not as magical as we all hoped. But who knows, maybe things will improve with the next version.
posted by Christopher Schnese
