Siri has become the most popular feature about the new iPhone and this helpful assistant has spawned numerous articles, reports, and comical YouTube videos. While Siri is the most well-known virtual assistant that responds via voice commands, it is not the first, nor is it the last. Since a Siri for multiple Apple products is expected to be released sometime later this month (along with the iPad 3), competitors are scrambling to catch up.
Not one to fall behind on the latest trends, Google has officially applied for a patent on a Siri like assistant set to be released later this year (around fall quarter) for Google TV’s. The Android team, headed by engineer Amit Singhal, is working on the Google ‘Assistant’. Google Assistant isn’t just set to compete with Siri, the Android team developing it is working hard to ensure that it will go well beyond Siri.
The development of this Assistant will encompass the following:
– Ensuring that Google Assistant will have all of the knowledge on the internet at its disposal in a format it can comprehend.
– Personalization of Assistant thanks the research Google has done on how people interact with technology and content.
– A voice centered engine that is mobile and is more concerned with “real life goals” as opposed to simple search results.
Another thing that is great about Google’s new Assistant is the fact that, very much unlike Siri, developers will be able to use it to create new and innovative apps to further its use in our day to day lives. Imagine the possibilities that will open up once thousands more people are allowed to work with this exciting new Assistant? Assistant is rumored to be able to integrate services such as email, Google+, YouTube, and more into mobile devices making it even more versatile.
The patent mentioned earlier was applied for by Google a few weeks ago and it was a “Siri-like” application that was targeted towards Google TV however it won’t be a surprise to anyone to know that Google will undoubtedly release Assistant for a variety of their services to gain an even bigger advantage over Siri.
Overall the new Assistant being developed by Google sounds incredibly intriguing and should open the doors for both developers and consumers alike while setting the bars high for competitors. Unfortunately an exact release date, price, and more information is not available however when any is available, an update will be posted!