Monday, October 26, 2009

Android v1.6 - Google searches by voice


One of the new features in Android v1.6 is the ability to search Google by voice. I've used this feature more than all the others combined. Instead of having to type the words in, I just touch the Google search widget on the left side of the Open Home screen. That brings up the Google Search widget and the keyboard. Ignoring the keyboard, I tough the microphone icon on the right of the widget. It tells me to "Speak now" (as in the screenshot I took -> click for full -size). It then puts the words I spoke into the search field and does the search. Results appear, as usual. Even better, it rarely gets the words wrong. This has been a huge typing saver.

It's not ideal for every situation, of course. If other people are talking near you, or the place you're in requires you to be quiet...though I have found it handles mumbles close to the mic fairly well.

Some other apps are able to make use of this function. This evening I discovered that Handcent SMS lets me speak a txt message and it inserts what I say into the message field for editing / sending. It works well provided you say each word clearly and don't use unusual pronunciation. For example, "Stephen Colbert" should be pronounced "Stephen coal-burt". Then it gets it.

A great addition to Android.

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