Voice Actions: controlling your phone by your voice
For many years most smart phones have been able to use voice
actions to control the phone. Although
initially in a rudimentary form, as a voice search we now have Siri on the
iPhone and iPad and Google Now for Android users as well as a range of other bespoke
Assistant apps that can be downloaded.
What I find interesting is: how many people actually use their
voice to control their phone?
I use it sporadically, often when I remember to, not as a
default. I have tried using it with Google Maps to speak a post code of the
address I am driving to and been flummoxed by the lack of the software to
differentiate between the letters, of its ability to add spurious letters or
numbers to what I have said.
I have tried voice searches with marginally more success, but
I am still on a 50% hit rate here.
Thus, I am sitting here contemplating what other do and how
they find using voice activated operations on their phone. This becomes even more important with the
rise of voice actions as a key development strand in iOS and Android devices.
Thus question 2: are the main smartphone companies
following a white elephant or do we actually want voice control?
This leads to question 3 and 4: if you do use voice commands
what do you use them for and how often?
Finally are voice actions the way of the future or are we
looking for an alternative scenario such as gestures?
Update
In recent years, voice control has improved considerably and therefore many people are using this method with increasing success. Voice controlled apps are getting more accurate and the more they are used the better and more accurate they become as they have a learning programme built in which recognises the idiosyncrasies of your particular voice.
Although I suspect that they will never be that popular in public, in private it is great to just say "OK Google" and then ask your question or request an action. One issue that I have noted is that the accuracy is effected by background noise, which is a issue considering we live in such as loud world.
Update
In recent years, voice control has improved considerably and therefore many people are using this method with increasing success. Voice controlled apps are getting more accurate and the more they are used the better and more accurate they become as they have a learning programme built in which recognises the idiosyncrasies of your particular voice.
Although I suspect that they will never be that popular in public, in private it is great to just say "OK Google" and then ask your question or request an action. One issue that I have noted is that the accuracy is effected by background noise, which is a issue considering we live in such as loud world.
