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Rumor: Google prepping 'Majel' Android voice assistant to counter Apple's Siri - Page 3

post #81 of 179
12/13/11 at 11:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post

Don't forget the OS tie ins that truly make it a personal assistance.

I was using iOS 5.0 betas for months and found no need to use Reminders. Too many steps to creat a reminder, but with Siri it was easy to say remind me at x-time or remind me when I arrive/leave x-location.

I don't know what it was like in the Beta but in the gold master iOS5, Reminders is like, virtually the best and easiest To-Do list thing that comes with iOS5, and rivals many apps designed to do what Reminders does at that level of simplicity.... It's indispensable for me now. Notes and Alarms was a wrong way of doing it.

Of course, Siri makes it all much easier but I can't seem to find the right phrase for telling it to make a non-timed Reminder.

Edit: Found it:
http://gigaom.com/apple/tips-and-tri...siri-commands/
Dateless reminders
Sometimes, you might want to use iOS 5′s new Reminders app as more of a checklist, rather than being reminded at a certain time for each item. Using the normal Siri query, Remind me to…, you’ll be asked to give a time or place to be reminded. In order to add a ‘dateless’ reminder, you can say one of two things. Either use Add … to my … list, which will add the item to the named list, if you have one set up, or you can use Remember to… to add the reminder to your default list without giving it a date.


And iCloud seems to be syncing Reminders quite nicely to iCal on Mac (thank gawd no more Notes in Mail), iPad etc.

Bottom line, Reminders is good, with Siri, superb.
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post #82 of 179
12/13/11 at 11:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post

To be fair, Droid is licensed to Verizon from Lucas Arts, not to Google.

Fair enough, I've edited my post.
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post #83 of 179
12/13/11 at 11:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MacBook Pro View Post

I love how obvious the rotten Apples are in threads about Siri. They can't differentiate between natural language processing with semantic analysis and contextual awareness with deep operating system integration versus speech recognition. Until Apple's competition understands the fundamentally differences between Siri and existing speech recognition solutions; i.e. release their own version, they won't acknowledge the difference.

Siri manifestly demonstrates that there exists a direct relationship between disruptiveness of a new technology and the incoherence of responses by competitors.

Bingo, Bingo, Bingo. Can't wait for the Siri API. That's really going to blow people away.

There's still room for improvement... When giving it commands it seems to recognise words poorer than when in full-dictation mode. But for "Beta", it's pretty impressive. Also can't wait for Maps and Business search to expand out of US-only.

Nonetheless my favourite use is late at night and early in the morning when I'm too groggy to look at the screen, let alone use the touch screen. That's a good time to talk to your phone instead of stabbing at it half-blind.
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post #84 of 179
12/13/11 at 11:53pm
evasive manoeuvers ...
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post #85 of 179
12/14/11 at 12:05am
Quote:
Originally Posted by nvidia2008 View Post

Bingo, Bingo, Bingo. Can't wait for the Siri API. That's really going to blow people away.

There's still room for improvement... When giving it commands it seems to recognise words poorer than when in full-dictation mode. But for "Beta", it's pretty impressive. Also can't wait for Maps and Business search to expand out of US-only.

Nonetheless my favourite use is late at night and early in the morning when I'm too groggy to look at the screen, let alone use the touch screen. That's a good time to talk to your phone instead of stabbing at it half-blind.

So, in the video showing SIRI starting a car, was that not done through the use of the API?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPCpqXyFA8U

All the best.
Where are we on the curve? We'll know once it goes asymptotic!
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Where are we on the curve? We'll know once it goes asymptotic!
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post #86 of 179
12/14/11 at 12:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by umrk_lab View Post

evasive manoeuvers ...

MAKE IT SO, Number One!!! I'll be in my ready room indulging my 20th century obsessions.
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post #87 of 179
12/14/11 at 12:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by IQatEdo View Post

So, in the video showing SIRI starting a car, was that not done through the use of the API?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPCpqXyFA8U

All the best.

Erm... API as in officially for iOS5 Developers to hook into Siri. So that you can issue any command to Siri, and it would be "channelled" to the appropriate app.

Like, "Siri, check my bids. Tell me how I'm doing." or "Siri, what's the closest theatre NOT showing anything named Twilight?"
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post #88 of 179
12/14/11 at 12:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by nvidia2008 View Post

OH F*** OFF Verizon/Asus/Google/Moto/Android/Whatever... Droid, Transformer, now Majel... Even your code names and technology names aren't original!!! Get stuffed. Spend your time making a non-ripooff mobile and tablet operating system that gets easily rolled out to many Android hardware platforms at once. What's that? Too hard?

Will the next big-hyped-up Android tablet be called Galactica?

Hypothetically speaking...if this rumor is true...and Majel is better than Siri...what then?

Will it still be a "me too" feature or will it be like many iOS "borrowed" features and improving upon an existing technology?

Or is improving existing tech only allowed if it's from Apple?
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post #89 of 179
12/14/11 at 12:16am
Quote:
Originally Posted by nvidia2008 View Post

Erm... API as in officially for iOS5 Developers to hook into Siri. So that you can issue any command to Siri, and it would be "channelled" to the appropriate app.

Like, "Siri, check my bids. Tell me how I'm doing." or "Siri, what's the closest theatre NOT showing anything named Twilight?"

Yes, that API. \

You had said Can't wait for the Siri API. That's really going to blow people away. This suggested that the API is not yet available. I am not an iOS developer, I don't know whether the API is available yet.

Best
Where are we on the curve? We'll know once it goes asymptotic!
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Where are we on the curve? We'll know once it goes asymptotic!
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post #90 of 179
12/14/11 at 12:39am
I will put my 4 year old neice against Siri ....

It's called "beta" for a reason.
"Technology Alone Is Not Enough -- Married With The Liberal Arts & The Humanities,
It Yields Us The Results That Make Our Hearts Sing." - Steven P. Jobs
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"Technology Alone Is Not Enough -- Married With The Liberal Arts & The Humanities,
It Yields Us The Results That Make Our Hearts Sing." - Steven P. Jobs
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post #91 of 179
12/14/11 at 12:40am
Quote:
Originally Posted by nvidia2008 View Post

MAKE IT SO, Number One!!! I'll be in my ready room indulging my 20th century obsessions.

Acknowledged. On the short term, we have plenty of new type photon torpedoes to launch, and later on, Steve's cloning process from his DNA is underway (what we just need to complete are the legal provisions to restore his full legal rights).
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post #92 of 179
12/14/11 at 12:46am
Quote:
Originally Posted by AbsoluteDesignz View Post

A) this is a rumor....

A) this is a rumor

B) this is just an evolution of voice actions, something which existed on the iPhone 3GS a year before it shipped on Android

C) Apple didn't invent Siri. They purchased the company.

D) Google didn't invent Android. They purchased the company.

E) Apple has no monopoly on voice action, voice control. They do, however, have a significant lead.
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post #93 of 179
12/14/11 at 1:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by iVlad View Post

Well Google was busy working on a new way to unlock your phone, so you know the useful features were put on hold.

lol!
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post #94 of 179
12/14/11 at 1:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by igxqrrl View Post

That's an interesting perspective; Android has had voice recognition for well over over a year. Yes, Siri is an improvement over what Android offers. And no doubt Google will respond by improving Android.

Let's not try to pretend that Apple introduced voice recognition. In the smartphone realm they're a late player to the game.

It's not the voice recognition that Siri even brought to the table. You can't see the woods for the trees.

Siri brought the concept of a conversation, an on-going dialogue where each question and answer is linked and affects the next one.

Also of note Apple did demo this concept back in 1986 was it?
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post #95 of 179
12/14/11 at 1:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by iVlad View Post

Well Google was busy working on a new way to unlock your phone, so you know the useful features were put on hold.

HEY!

Come on now. Its an awesome way to unlock your phone. Who else would have even through to unlock your phone with a picture of your face or even a PHOTO of yourself.
As long as the thief who steals your phone doesn't get your license too you will be fine.

LMAO
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post #96 of 179
12/14/11 at 2:05am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Santoanderson View Post

Droid - Star Wars
Majel - Star Trek

Now if they can only work-in a feature named "Gandalf" they will have accomplished the fantasy-nerd trifecta.

Gollum... My precious.
"So at the end of the presentation, Steve came up to me and said: Is the iPhone worth criticizing? And I said: Make the screen five inches by eight inches, and you’ll rule the world."
– Alan Kay –
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"So at the end of the presentation, Steve came up to me and said: Is the iPhone worth criticizing? And I said: Make the screen five inches by eight inches, and you’ll rule the world."
– Alan Kay –
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post #97 of 179
12/14/11 at 2:18am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Apple v. Samsung View Post

...

If you ask me an honest opinion I will tell you Siri at this point is just a gimmick in a new dress. I think in a few months people will not care to much about it. But this is just my opinion to features that do not add any real functionality to people.

You have only seen a glimpse of Siri's favors...

Within your "few months" Siri will open her kimono a little more to demonstrate what she can do...

And she will change everything...
"So at the end of the presentation, Steve came up to me and said: Is the iPhone worth criticizing? And I said: Make the screen five inches by eight inches, and you’ll rule the world."
– Alan Kay –
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"So at the end of the presentation, Steve came up to me and said: Is the iPhone worth criticizing? And I said: Make the screen five inches by eight inches, and you’ll rule the world."
– Alan Kay –
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post #98 of 179
12/14/11 at 2:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Doctor David View Post

I'm trying to think of a Bowie song that sounds like "San Fransisco Pizza Shop"...

I'm going with "Black Country Rock" for the win Bob.

Nah, it was CCR...

..."there's a bathroom on the right"

Edit: Oh.... A whole new category... Siri Mondegreens!
"So at the end of the presentation, Steve came up to me and said: Is the iPhone worth criticizing? And I said: Make the screen five inches by eight inches, and you’ll rule the world."
– Alan Kay –
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"So at the end of the presentation, Steve came up to me and said: Is the iPhone worth criticizing? And I said: Make the screen five inches by eight inches, and you’ll rule the world."
– Alan Kay –
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post #99 of 179
12/14/11 at 2:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dick Applebaum View Post

You have only seen a glimpse of Siri's favors...

Within your "few months" Siri will open her kimono a little more to demonstrate what she can do...

And she will change everything...

Agreed. Here is what I would like : personally , I hate phones in general, and therefore smartphones (even Apple ones) in particular. I think SIRI could mimic my voice and answer my phone calls, that would be fine. Disclaimer : no, this is not a SIRI generated post.
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post #100 of 179
12/14/11 at 2:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dick Applebaum View Post

You have only seen a glimpse of Siri's favors...

Within your "few months" Siri will open her kimono a little more to demonstrate what she can do...

And she will change everything...

Don't get too excited, Apple won't allow siri to open her kimono to much.
Anyway, I am looking forward to meet siri myself. But I have to be patient, since my contract ends only mid 2012. >> iPhone5/6.
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post #101 of 179
12/14/11 at 3:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by openminded View Post

HAHAHA. Apple purchased the company that created Siri. Siri isn't even Apple's idea to being with. Try having some knowledge about the subject before posting. And speech recognition is a VERY old idea. Yes there have been some advancements, but Apple has nothing to do with them.

No, of course not, what would Apple know about speech and computers?.

"The cobbler's children have no shoes", is a saying that applies a lot to companies who provide products and services. -KDarling on Google Search.

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"The cobbler's children have no shoes", is a saying that applies a lot to companies who provide products and services. -KDarling on Google Search.

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post #102 of 179
12/14/11 at 4:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by AbsoluteDesignz View Post

How is Siri original?

In that it actually works .
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post #103 of 179
12/14/11 at 4:33am
I use Siri to remind me that all glory is fleeting.
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post #104 of 179
12/14/11 at 4:47am
Quote:
Originally Posted by AbsoluteDesignz View Post

Well hey...Apple had to buy it...

remember that.

You going to credit Apple with 3D maps when that comes out too?

You going to credit Google with inventing Android?

You do not get the right to claim ownership of an idea you bought and tweaked.

Since a lot of you like to slam Google for having bought Android the same thing goes in all directions.

I don't want to call a lot of you hypocrites or anything.

What posters are pointing and laughing at is Google (and no doubt MS too, though their speech toy is embarrasingly poor) mocking Siri as pointless gimmickry, then quietly announcing the own version a few weeks later. People are right to mock this - no-one cares who invented what, Apple made it a pervasive feature and now everyone else is too.
My Android phone is the worst phone I've ever owned.
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My Android phone is the worst phone I've ever owned.
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post #105 of 179
12/14/11 at 4:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by openminded View Post

HAHAHA. Apple purchased the company that created Siri. Siri isn't even Apple's idea to being with. Try having some knowledge about the subject before posting. And speech recognition is a VERY old idea. Yes there have been some advancements, but Apple has nothing to do with them.

What phone had a voice assistant before the iPhone? Oh that's right none. Siri is far beyond speech recognition, i know the Microsoft drones and fandroids just do not get it.

Google and Microsoft first say no one wants something like Siri. then they say they already do everything Siri does, and now they are working on a clone. Funny how that works. Where have we seen this play out before.... Apple innovates, everyone else copies.
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post #106 of 179
12/14/11 at 5:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Patranus View Post

LOL - Try having an original idea.

You could say the same for Apple. Voice recognition software has been around for quite some time. Apple was just the first company to make a commercial success of it. Man, I hate these users out there that just think Apple designed all the cool stuff in the world and calls anyone else that does it copy-cats.
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post #107 of 179
12/14/11 at 5:22am
I seem to remember vast hordes of deranged people and mindless Fandroids all over the internet, mocking SIRI and downplaying it when the iPhone 4S was released.

I guess that their tune has changed now all of a sudden, and these pathetic morons have taken a complete 180, and all of a sudden voice controlled assistants are cool and great, now that Google is feverishly trying to implement their own version of it, all because of SIRI.
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post #108 of 179
12/14/11 at 5:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by antkm1 View Post

Voice recognition software has been around for quite some time.

Yeah, no kidding. I had it on my Macs more than a decade ago.

SIRI does represent a significant advancement compared to the other stuff that has been available.
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post #109 of 179
12/14/11 at 5:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by antkm1 View Post

Apple was just the first company to make a commercial success of it. .

That's actually quite a feat, and it's something that Apple is quite good at.

Take tablets for example. They've been around for a long, long time. Apple didn't invent the tablet obviously. But none of those other people were able to make it a success, and they tried over and over again for many, many years releasing model after model. Along comes Apple with the iPad and BOOM! Slam Dunk!
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post #110 of 179
12/14/11 at 5:36am
And I don't deny that...never did. Just saying Apple didn't invent, they innovated and implemented.
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post #111 of 179
12/14/11 at 5:43am
Quote:
Originally Posted by antkm1 View Post

And I don't deny that...never did. Just saying Apple didn't invent, they innovated and implemented.

And Thomas Edison didn't invent the lightbulb. But it is him that people remember, not anybody else.
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post #112 of 179
12/14/11 at 5:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jragosta View Post

Really? If that's true, what is Googles not-yet-existing cheapo Siri clone? Robby the Robot?
.

Hey, Robby the Robot was awesome, way better than 3PO. He was strong, could drive a car, obeyed every command, and could synthesize anything . . . Krell steel, fine fabrics, gemstones, even whiskey. Smooth, as I recall.
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post #113 of 179
12/14/11 at 5:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by igxqrrl View Post

Google's voice recognition hardly sucks. In fact, it's remarkably good.

The results from dictating a text to my iPhone 4S and my Samsung Galaxy S2:

iPhone "This is a test."
S2 "This is a test full stop"

Ah well!
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post #114 of 179
12/14/11 at 5:54am
Two points:
*Andy was talking out his butt
*Google is working around the clock to challenge a beta product.
User: What is the life expectancy of someone in Mexico City?
Majel: I don't know but what I do know is that you could use I cold coca cola and a grab bag size of cheetos corn chip.
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post #115 of 179
12/14/11 at 6:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by openminded View Post

HAHAHA. Apple purchased the company that created Siri. Siri isn't even Apple's idea to being with. Try having some knowledge about the subject before posting. And speech recognition is a VERY old idea. Yes there have been some advancements, but Apple has nothing to do with them.

Actually, Apple has a good deal of in-house prior art dealing with speech recognition. The speech recognition capability component of the "PlainTalk" technology available with the Classic Mac OS (i.e. pre-os X) circa 1993 being a prime example. The R&D that went into that can be traced back to 1990. So, Apple has about 20 years of experience with speech recognition.

Be careful about tossing around accusations of ignorance - they can came back to bite you.
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post #116 of 179
12/14/11 at 6:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Santoanderson View Post

I know my 3gs had voice recognition, and that was 2 and a half years ago. Granted the extent of what it can do is repeat and play song titles I tell it to play. But still, it's recognizing my voice.

Only when you used predetermined instructions, that's the big difference.
Been using Apples since 1978 and Macs since 1984
Long on AAPL so biased. Strong advocate for separation of technology and politics on AI.
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Been using Apples since 1978 and Macs since 1984
Long on AAPL so biased. Strong advocate for separation of technology and politics on AI.
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post #117 of 179
12/14/11 at 6:16am
Quote:
Originally Posted by AbsoluteDesignz View Post

Hypothetically speaking...if this rumor is true...and Majel is better than Siri...what then?

Will it still be a "me too" feature or will it be like many iOS "borrowed" features and improving upon an existing technology?

Or is improving existing tech only allowed if it's from Apple?

If it's an advancement it's and advancement. Show me where Google took WebKit and made a better JS engine and people claimed it was just a "me too" JS engine? They didn't, Google made it better.

The problem is Apple had about 2 years to build in client and server-side code that would integrate Siri into their OS and 3rd-party engines. Your "hypothetical" weighs heavily on Google besting everything Siri does in a much shorter amount of time. That's not likely.

We also have this rumour tying it only to Google search whereas Apple ties it to very specific services on the internet that cater to specific tasks. On top of that, we have no knowledge of Google tying Mejel to the Android OS for tasks the way iOS 5.0 on the iPhone 4S does. These things are important.

Chances are we can look at Google's attempts to add copy/paste to Android compared to how Apple added copy/paste to iOS as core differences in the way these companies approach usability. Google added copy/paste first, but it wasn't consistent, it wasn't natural, it simply wasn't good; but Apple thought it through making it consistent throughout the entire OS and easy to use from day one even though it took looker to make it off the finish line. Has Google even fixed it for ICS? Another example is the way the UI works between OSes.

"Blank! BLANK! You're not looking at the big picture!"

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"Blank! BLANK! You're not looking at the big picture!"

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post #118 of 179
12/14/11 at 6:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by AbsoluteDesignz View Post

How is Siri original?

Apple may not have invented Siri, but it's smart enough to see something amazing and acquire it, integrate it. Siri is original in that there are few to no programs that can compare to its functionality, and Apple purchased it and integrated it. I dont see Google doing that... if they had... well... they would have Siri.

Apple doesnt deserve the credit for Siri's initial capabilities, but integrating it seamlessly and progressing it from here on out it does and should get credit for.

At this point, I dont care if Siri or voice recognition/commands is original. I do care that its integrated and that it works. At the end of the day all that matters is does it improve my experience with my device, and it does that. Who cares who invented it.

W. Pauli, winner of the Nobel prize in physics, said that all scientific methods fail when questions of origin are involved.

http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/am/v7/n4/ten-best-evidences

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W. Pauli, winner of the Nobel prize in physics, said that all scientific methods fail when questions of origin are involved.

http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/am/v7/n4/ten-best-evidences

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post #119 of 179
12/14/11 at 6:36am
I don't understand why this is such a big deal. Google's been working on voice control for several years now and no one should be surprised that it gets upgrades and improvements over time. They're not copying Apple. That they'll be releasing another upgrade to it was known when the 4S and Siri were announced. I'm pretty sure I mentioned reading it was set for the first quarter of next year back when Siri was first discussed as an iPhone feature. The whole idea that Google is somehow scrambling around trying to patch something together as a "Siri-answer" is silly. If anything it would be more reasonable to see Apple's purchase of Siri as a move to answer Google's expected feature improvements since Apple didn't have the means to do so yet. The more well-read members here know that Google has been doing voice control development for a relatively long time now. Another update would be a normal and expected thing whether Siri had been purchased by Apple or not.

FWIW, I don't personally see why one has to fail for the other to succeed. I think it was a brilliant move by Apple to incorporate Siri as they would have been well behind the curve by spring if they had not.

melior diabolus quem scies

"No theatrics and no more personal attacks, just stick to the logic and tell me why I don't have any argument ~ Jragosta/2012

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melior diabolus quem scies

"No theatrics and no more personal attacks, just stick to the logic and tell me why I don't have any argument ~ Jragosta/2012

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post #120 of 179
12/14/11 at 6:39am
It seems people have already forgotten that Google's Voice Actions was just a response to Apple's Voice Control in the 3GS. Two years from now, people will believe Siri was just a response to whatever Google coughs up.
Apple has no competition. Every commercial product which competes directly with an Apple product gives the distinct impression that, Where it is original, it is not good, and where it is good, it...
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Apple has no competition. Every commercial product which competes directly with an Apple product gives the distinct impression that, Where it is original, it is not good, and where it is good, it...
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