The idea of intelligent personal assistants or voice assistants like Apple’s Siri, Microsoft’s Cortana and Google Now seems very cool — talking to a computer and having it talk back. It should be like talking to the computer on Star Trek’s starship Enterprise. If the technology worked well, these digital assistants could be game-changing. Unfortunately, it doesn’t — not yet, anyway. In the wonderful world of technology, we often get way ahead of ourselves. It’s the idea that propels us, even if the reality takes years to catch up.
I disagree with this article actually. When did the author last use "Ok Google"?
I use it pretty regularly and it's reached the point where it often gives a better reply than a human would.
I use it for lots of things, but here are a couple of examples:
I was in Hyde Park at the weekend. A tourist came up to me and asked where the Four Seasons hotel was. I pressed a button on my phone and said "Ok Google, navigate to the Four Seasons Hotel". Just a few seconds later, a map appeared with a line from our current location to the hotel.
When reading, Ok Google has replaced my dictionary. I'm finding that even with words I don't know how to pronounce, Google still guesses correctly almost 100% of the time. It's actually astounding. Reading a medical book recently, I said "Ok Google, define 'arterial occlusion'". A couple of seconds later it read out a detailed definition. It almost never fails to recognize a word on the first try.
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When Will Siri, Cortana and Google Now Get Smart?
Posted by: Jeff Kagan September 24, 2015 05:00 AMThe idea of intelligent personal assistants or voice assistants like Apple’s Siri, Microsoft’s Cortana and Google Now seems very cool — talking to a computer and having it talk back. It should be like talking to the computer on Star Trek’s starship Enterprise. If the technology worked well, these digital assistants could be game-changing. Unfortunately, it doesn’t — not yet, anyway. In the wonderful world of technology, we often get way ahead of ourselves. It’s the idea that propels us, even if the reality takes years to catch up.
I use it pretty regularly and it's reached the point where it often gives a better reply than a human would.
I use it for lots of things, but here are a couple of examples:
I was in Hyde Park at the weekend. A tourist came up to me and asked where the Four Seasons hotel was. I pressed a button on my phone and said "Ok Google, navigate to the Four Seasons Hotel". Just a few seconds later, a map appeared with a line from our current location to the hotel.
When reading, Ok Google has replaced my dictionary. I'm finding that even with words I don't know how to pronounce, Google still guesses correctly almost 100% of the time. It's actually astounding. Reading a medical book recently, I said "Ok Google, define 'arterial occlusion'". A couple of seconds later it read out a detailed definition. It almost never fails to recognize a word on the first try.