Tell Your Phone Where To Go – Siri and Google Voice Commands.

Apple and Google have spent a lot of time and money trying to get you to ask questions. The engagement has had mixed reviews. Siri has a sexy voice, but Google seems to complete your answers.
voice searchBoth are very intuitive and can make tasks easier, but there is a down side. It doesn’t work all the time and hates big rooms with noisy people. But overall voice search has become an intricate part of interacting with a computer or smartphone. Much like “the mouse was to the computer”, voice commands are to phones and cars. Voice commands are a great way to provide input to your smart devices.

“Order a Pizza Right From Your Ford Car”

Users can search by location before choosing their preferred pizza and a delivery location. A video promoting the service shows a driver casually ordering his pizza. A deliveryman hops on a scooter and meets the driver just as he arrives at his destination.

voice and cars

How Voice Commands Enhance the Experience

Google and Apple have been pushing voice actions for awhile, adding tons of new features and trying to make it seem more appealing. When you first try it, the whole thing seems kind of silly, but once you use it a couple times the advantages rise to the occasion. Just remember how much typing sucks on a smartphone. And impossible on your watch. Make your phone and computer work for you. Use it for long phrases, not just single words. Both voice engines are good at capturing your phrase or sentence.

ok google moto 360Don’t know what to say? Start here:

  • Take a note
  • Remind me to go to the gym
  • Start a run
  • Show me my steps
  • Send a text to Chris
  • Email my wife
  • What’s the agenda for tomorrow?
  • Navigate to nearby gas station
  • Set a timer for 10 minutes
  • Start stopwatch

Those are a good start, but exhaustive lists for Google and Siri are below

 

 

Here are some suggestions you might not have thought would work.

General information

  • How old is [Mick Jagger]?
  • Where was [Matt Damon] born?
  • Define [Sialoquent] (Or “What does [Sialoquent] mean?”)
  • What time is it in [London]?
  • Search for [photography tips]
  • Show me pictures of [the Grand Canyon]
  • Do I need an umbrella today? What’s the weather like? What’s the weather in [New Jersey] [this weekend]?
  • What is the [FaceBook] stock price? What is [Apple] trading at?
  • What’s [500 yards] in [miles]? What is [12 ounces] in [liters]?
  • What’s [2,035] divided by [6.5]? (All math equations will work.)
  • Search [YouTube] for [sloth videos] (OK here is that result because I cant refuse a good sloth video)

Device control

  • Open [DigitalIntervention.com]
  • Take a picture (“Take a photo” also works)
  • Record a video
  • Open [Spotify]
  • Turn [on / off] [Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Flashlight]

Productivity

  • What’s the tip for [123 dollars]?
  • Set an alarm for [6:30 am]
  • Set a timer for [20 minutes]
  • Create a calendar event: [Dinner with Glenda, Saturday at 9pm.]
  • Remind me to [buy coffee at 7am] (try locations! Remind me to [buy coffee filters at Walgreens])
  • What is my schedule for tomorrow? (also: What does my day look like [Friday]?)
  • Where’s my package? (tracking confirmation must be in Gmail)
  • Make a note: [update my router firmware] (also try “Note to self:” This works with multiple apps, and you can even email yourself!)
  • Find [Florence Ion’s] [phone number] (Works with all info in your contacts – addresses, birthdays, etc.)
  • Show me my bills. (or: My bills due this week.)

Navigation and Travel

  • Where is the nearest [sushi restaurant]?
  • Navigate to [Penn Station, New York]
  • Directions to [Fisherman’s Wharf] by [car] (also try “Directions home” or “How do I get home?”)
  • Where is [the Pyramids]?
  • Show me the menu for [San Remo]
  • Call [CVS in Marlboro]
  • Where’s my hotel?
  • What are some attractions around here?
  • How do you say [good night] in [Japanese]? You can travel in other countries with the translation skills.
  • What is [50,000 yen] in [dollars]?
  • What’s the flight status of [United] flight [735]?
  • Show me restaurants near my hotel -or- Give me directions back to my hotel (this works if your hotel confirmation was sent to your gmail or apple email account, or in your calendar)

Entertainment

  • Play some music (opens “I’m feeling lucky” radio station in Google Play Music)
  • Next Song / Pause Song
  • Play [Hello] (songs must be in Google Play Music on your device)
  • Watch [The Lego Movie] (movies and TV must be in your Google Play account)
  • What’s this song?
  • Listen to TV
  • What songs does [David Bowie] sing?
  • Read [Hunger Games]
  • Did the [Mets] win today? What’s the score in the [Jets] game?
  • What movies are playing [tonight]? Where is [Star Wars] playing?

Funny but accurate responses

  • Flip a coin
  • Roll dice (rolls a single six-sided die)
  • What is the loneliest number?
  • Do a barrel roll!
  • Askew / TiltGo go Gadget [Spotify]
    When am I?
  • Make me a sandwich
  • Sudo make me a sandwich
  • Who’s on first?
  • Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right
  • Tell me a joke
  • Who are you?
  • Beam me up, Scotty!
  • What is [Oprah’s] Bacon number?

So where do Siri and Google Now all weigh in?

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