A pioneer in voice recognition Novauris was founded in 2002 @ Dragon Systems in 2002. It was acquired by Apple last but the deal was not announced http://goo.gl/q4sIQv
Apple is a company that always tries to make its products user frienly this was also a very good attempt for google to make it more convinient for humans.
Siri is a complete disaster. Today I wanted to go to Goodwill to make a donation as we are straightening up the house and had a lot of stuff to donate. I asked Siri, directions to Goodwill on Bristol street in Santa Ana. Honestly, you cannot be any more specific than that, but she comes back with...I found 15 matches for Goodwill, some are pretty far from you. My God, there are not even fifteen Goodwill locations in all of Orange County. Then she says tap on the one that you want. Idiotic. I'm driving Siri, you should know that because you can access my GPS and see I am moving and also very close to Goodwlll maybe a couple blocks away. I don't want to look at the screen while driving so I pull over and none the fifteen locations she found were on Bristol. Of course there is only one Goodwill on Bristol in Santa Ana so how she came up with fifteen is beyond me. So I remembered it was next to Ana's Linens so I asked the same sort of question. Siri give me directions to Ana's Linens on Bristol Street in Santa Ana.
Same bull shit. I found 9 locations matching Ana's Linens, tap the screen to choose which one you want directions for. For the record there is only one Ana's Linens anywhere in Santa Ana. Just stupid, and the way she pronounces the Spanish derived names common in southern California is just ridiculous. Total waste of time. No need to mention it but I will. I ultimately pulled over again and used Google to get directions.
That's interesting. I just tested Siri on my phone and asked "directions to the nearest goodwill" and she found the closest one and started the directions immediately. I then went and did a search. There are 5 goodwill stores within a 10 mile radius of my current location which is home. I tried it for several other retailers and restaurants with the same correct results. Then I realized I was connected to my wifi. So I turned off wifi and was connected to LTE (I have an iPhone 5s). I got the same results as before. I use Siri multiple times per day and it's mostly for directions, making calls in the car and some for simple texting in the car (much better now that I can control how long Siri listens with ios 7.1). It seems strange but having wifi enabled even in the car improves accuracy. I'm not sure how that is possible but I've been told that multiple times since back to my iPhone 4s. I have followed that advice and have had consistent good results. That info came from multiple Apple Store people and several Apple techs. It's my understanding that the more you use Siri the more accurate the results will be. She will anticipate patterns in your requests. The voice recognition will become more accurate.
If she mispronounces names and places consistently and it annoys you the teach her the correct way to pronounce it. Just say "[B]name[/B] is pronounced xxxxx" then she'll say back several options and you select the correct one or you tell her to keep trying.
The Siri experience is only as good as you make it. It's not perfect. There are rumors of huge improvements in ios 8 and opening the API to developers. I can't wait to be able to use a Siri enabled app. Some of my favorite apps are perfect for it. Relax. Talk calmly to her. Sometimes too much info is not as good as you think. As you said Siri already has a lot of GPS info. Notice I just asked for the nearest goodwill? When you ask complicated questions Siri takes it all and many times will not give you what you were looking for. In your example Siri heard Bristol street Goodwill and Santa Ana. She did what you asked, she found the Goodwill's associated with Bristol and Santa Ana of which there were many. The only option was to offer you a choice. Yes you were driving and the API knows that. Unfortunately some responses aren't spoken when so many are presented. In some cases using headphones or Bluetooth car connections give audio responses. Just remember. Keep it simple.
Notice I just asked for the nearest goodwill? When you ask complicated questions Siri takes it all and many times will not give you what you were looking for. In your example Siri heard Bristol street Goodwill and Santa Ana. She did what you asked, she found the Goodwill's associated with Bristol and Santa Ana of which there were many.
Thanks for your tips but I consistently have issues with Siri. Funny how Google knows exactly how to respond with the same exact input. I didn't want any Goodwill or the closet one, I wanted the one I asked for because that one is the regional donation center not just an outlet. If I knew the exact address and the zip code would that have made the results even worse because I offered even more information?
When querying Google on the iPhone with the exact same three data points it returned the full address, the phone number, hours of operation for each day of the week and bolded the current day hours, directions, a picture, and the distance form my location along with a map.
If you want Siri to return those types of detailed results you need to say "Siri, search Google for Goodwill on Bristol street in Santa Ana"
You are both clueless. Siri is not just speech recognition for one thing. It's an AI app that requires the server back end in order to aggregate and respond with the information requested with some level of intelligence based on previous requests, location, time, and other factors. The more it's used the more likely the response will be what your looking for.
Not at all. The kind of 'AI' happening can easily be done on an iPhone.
Also, Siri needs local data (or data that should be local) from the device; the whole server roundtrip is flawed (not to mention the enormous network traffic it generates).
Not at all. The kind of 'AI' happening can easily be done on an iPhone.
Also, Siri needs local data (or data that should be local) from the device; the whole server roundtrip is flawed (not to mention the enormous network traffic it generates).
It can? Says who? Says you?
I highly doubt your single opinion about "what's done easily" has any sort of weight versus the decisions of the people building the product - people who knew ALL of the factors, have a history in this type of thing, and are working to create the best product imaginable. In fact, as a developer, it's insulting for you to think that one did not do their research before going along with it and that "you know what is best". I do this shit for a living, and as much as I would love to see Siri be local to phones, I'm being realistic (just as Apple did). One day, we may see Siri localized, but at it's current state, there are much greater wins by hosting it elsewhere.
Also, an average Siri request is about 65kb while the average webpage is 1250kb. And with LTE these days, that request is transferred and closed so fast that it doesn't add any traffic on the network, or the traffic is completed so fast that it doesn't plug holes - so that's hardly an excuse as to why Siri NEEDs to be on a phone, let's be honest.
One day, we may see Siri localized, but at it's current state, there are much greater wins by hosting it elsewhere.
I would guess that it will always be server based except in respect to functions that deal directly with the device, such as adjusting the brightness. It just makes sense. There are gazillions of database records on the search engines and the data changes all the time. How could anyone expect to have that on the phone itself and keep it synchronized? Just because Siri is slow doesn't mean the network is bogged down. It is probably the Siri backend servers that are causing the latency. Google voice search seems to be lightning fast in comparison.
I highly doubt your single opinion about "what's done easily" has any sort of weight versus the decisions of the people building the product - people who knew ALL of the factors, have a history in this type of thing, and are working to create the best product imaginable. In fact, as a developer, it's insulting for you to think that one did not do their research before going along with it and that "you know what is best". I do this shit for a living, and as much as I would love to see Siri be local to phones, I'm being realistic (just as Apple did). One day, we may see Siri localized, but at it's current state, there are much greater wins by hosting it elsewhere.
Also, an average Siri request is about 65kb while the average webpage is 1250kb. And with LTE these days, that request is transferred and closed so fast that it doesn't add any traffic on the network, or the traffic is completed so fast that it doesn't plug holes - so that's hardly an excuse as to why Siri NEEDs to be on a phone, let's be honest.
It isn't insulting at all. Your comment on the other hand seems a bit insulting.
You don't seem to know how decisions are made and you seem to assume that Apple engineers have god like power.
Of course they evaluated the situation, but decided to go one way. It could have been the other.
I favour the other way: keep it local to the device because the information is local (and if not you do a web query from the device).
And its all requests from all iOS devices at the same time that forms the huge load on the internet that necessitates huge data pipes to huge servers all hugely unnecessary.
The reason I think Siri can be local is that not much AI is going on hence not much data and processing power is needed.
I would guess that it will always be server based except in respect to functions that deal directly with the device, such as adjusting the brightness. It just makes sense. There are gazillions of database records on the search engines and the data changes all the time. How could anyone expect to have that on the phone itself and keep it synchronized? Just because Siri is slow doesn't mean the network is bogged down. It is probably the Siri backend servers that are causing the latency. Google voice search seems to be lightning fast in comparison.
Server to server request are not better than client to server request, they could even be slower if the requesting server has a high load.
There isn't just a single way.
I mean, by this time, the majority of Apple's devices that are sold are connected to the Internet one way or another. I get it, networks suck sometimes, other times there's slow or no WiFi, but more often than not, if you're using one of these devices you're online.
You're also forgetting all of the benefits that come from the server communication. Apple can make updates to the Siri engine without ever needing to update the device, you can have machines dedicated and optimized for the processing of Siri requests (much more efficiently than the phones hardware would without added complexity, expense, etc), you can utilize the incoming data to get analytics, the phone doesn't need to store the massive amount of natural language-decoding software components... the list goes on and on.
There are obviously many other benefits and it's ridiculous to think Apple did not weigh them in their development decisions with Siri.
On the other hand, one should not need network access to be able to open apps or have Siri read a text.
It isn't insulting at all. Your comment on the other hand seems a bit insulting.
You don't seem to know how decisions are made and you seem to assume that Apple engineers have god like power.
Of course they evaluated the situation, but decided to go one way. It could have been the other.
I favour the other way: keep it local to the device because the information is local (and if not you do a web query from the device).
And its all requests from all iOS devices at the same time that forms the huge load on the internet that necessitates huge data pipes to huge servers all hugely unnecessary.
The reason I think Siri can be local is that not much AI is going on hence not much data and processing power is needed.
Comments
A pioneer in voice recognition Novauris was founded in 2002 @ Dragon Systems in 2002. It was acquired by Apple last but the deal
was not announced http://goo.gl/q4sIQv
Apple is a company that always tries to make its products user frienly this was also a very good attempt for google to make it more convinient for humans.
If she mispronounces names and places consistently and it annoys you the teach her the correct way to pronounce it. Just say "[B]name[/B] is pronounced xxxxx" then she'll say back several options and you select the correct one or you tell her to keep trying.
The Siri experience is only as good as you make it. It's not perfect. There are rumors of huge improvements in ios 8 and opening the API to developers. I can't wait to be able to use a Siri enabled app. Some of my favorite apps are perfect for it. Relax. Talk calmly to her. Sometimes too much info is not as good as you think. As you said Siri already has a lot of GPS info. Notice I just asked for the nearest goodwill? When you ask complicated questions Siri takes it all and many times will not give you what you were looking for. In your example Siri heard Bristol street Goodwill and Santa Ana. She did what you asked, she found the Goodwill's associated with Bristol and Santa Ana of which there were many. The only option was to offer you a choice. Yes you were driving and the API knows that. Unfortunately some responses aren't spoken when so many are presented. In some cases using headphones or Bluetooth car connections give audio responses. Just remember. Keep it simple.
Notice I just asked for the nearest goodwill? When you ask complicated questions Siri takes it all and many times will not give you what you were looking for. In your example Siri heard Bristol street Goodwill and Santa Ana. She did what you asked, she found the Goodwill's associated with Bristol and Santa Ana of which there were many.
Thanks for your tips but I consistently have issues with Siri. Funny how Google knows exactly how to respond with the same exact input. I didn't want any Goodwill or the closet one, I wanted the one I asked for because that one is the regional donation center not just an outlet. If I knew the exact address and the zip code would that have made the results even worse because I offered even more information?
When querying Google on the iPhone with the exact same three data points it returned the full address, the phone number, hours of operation for each day of the week and bolded the current day hours, directions, a picture, and the distance form my location along with a map.
If you want Siri to return those types of detailed results you need to say "Siri, search Google for Goodwill on Bristol street in Santa Ana"
You are both clueless. Siri is not just speech recognition for one thing. It's an AI app that requires the server back end in order to aggregate and respond with the information requested with some level of intelligence based on previous requests, location, time, and other factors. The more it's used the more likely the response will be what your looking for.
Not at all. The kind of 'AI' happening can easily be done on an iPhone.
Also, Siri needs local data (or data that should be local) from the device; the whole server roundtrip is flawed (not to mention the enormous network traffic it generates).
Not at all. The kind of 'AI' happening can easily be done on an iPhone.
Also, Siri needs local data (or data that should be local) from the device; the whole server roundtrip is flawed (not to mention the enormous network traffic it generates).
It can? Says who? Says you?
I highly doubt your single opinion about "what's done easily" has any sort of weight versus the decisions of the people building the product - people who knew ALL of the factors, have a history in this type of thing, and are working to create the best product imaginable. In fact, as a developer, it's insulting for you to think that one did not do their research before going along with it and that "you know what is best". I do this shit for a living, and as much as I would love to see Siri be local to phones, I'm being realistic (just as Apple did). One day, we may see Siri localized, but at it's current state, there are much greater wins by hosting it elsewhere.
Also, an average Siri request is about 65kb while the average webpage is 1250kb. And with LTE these days, that request is transferred and closed so fast that it doesn't add any traffic on the network, or the traffic is completed so fast that it doesn't plug holes - so that's hardly an excuse as to why Siri NEEDs to be on a phone, let's be honest.
One day, we may see Siri localized, but at it's current state, there are much greater wins by hosting it elsewhere.
I would guess that it will always be server based except in respect to functions that deal directly with the device, such as adjusting the brightness. It just makes sense. There are gazillions of database records on the search engines and the data changes all the time. How could anyone expect to have that on the phone itself and keep it synchronized? Just because Siri is slow doesn't mean the network is bogged down. It is probably the Siri backend servers that are causing the latency. Google voice search seems to be lightning fast in comparison.
It can? Says who? Says you?
I highly doubt your single opinion about "what's done easily" has any sort of weight versus the decisions of the people building the product - people who knew ALL of the factors, have a history in this type of thing, and are working to create the best product imaginable. In fact, as a developer, it's insulting for you to think that one did not do their research before going along with it and that "you know what is best". I do this shit for a living, and as much as I would love to see Siri be local to phones, I'm being realistic (just as Apple did). One day, we may see Siri localized, but at it's current state, there are much greater wins by hosting it elsewhere.
Also, an average Siri request is about 65kb while the average webpage is 1250kb. And with LTE these days, that request is transferred and closed so fast that it doesn't add any traffic on the network, or the traffic is completed so fast that it doesn't plug holes - so that's hardly an excuse as to why Siri NEEDs to be on a phone, let's be honest.
It isn't insulting at all. Your comment on the other hand seems a bit insulting.
You don't seem to know how decisions are made and you seem to assume that Apple engineers have god like power.
Of course they evaluated the situation, but decided to go one way. It could have been the other.
I favour the other way: keep it local to the device because the information is local (and if not you do a web query from the device).
And its all requests from all iOS devices at the same time that forms the huge load on the internet that necessitates huge data pipes to huge servers all hugely unnecessary.
The reason I think Siri can be local is that not much AI is going on hence not much data and processing power is needed.
And I also 'do this shit' for a living.
I would guess that it will always be server based except in respect to functions that deal directly with the device, such as adjusting the brightness. It just makes sense. There are gazillions of database records on the search engines and the data changes all the time. How could anyone expect to have that on the phone itself and keep it synchronized? Just because Siri is slow doesn't mean the network is bogged down. It is probably the Siri backend servers that are causing the latency. Google voice search seems to be lightning fast in comparison.
Server to server request are not better than client to server request, they could even be slower if the requesting server has a high load.
On the other hand, one should not need network access to be able to open apps or have Siri read a text.
It isn't insulting at all. Your comment on the other hand seems a bit insulting.
You don't seem to know how decisions are made and you seem to assume that Apple engineers have god like power.
Of course they evaluated the situation, but decided to go one way. It could have been the other.
I favour the other way: keep it local to the device because the information is local (and if not you do a web query from the device).
And its all requests from all iOS devices at the same time that forms the huge load on the internet that necessitates huge data pipes to huge servers all hugely unnecessary.
The reason I think Siri can be local is that not much AI is going on hence not much data and processing power is needed.
And I also 'do this shit' for a living.
This is interesting and 'proves' my point: http://www.wired.com/2014/04/out-in-the-open-jasper/