Google voice search is really handy: don’t just take my word for it, go to Google.com on your computer and try it out. Sure, on the computer, it feels silly, but on a mobile device it will fit right in. Google just updated its Google Search app for iOS to include smart voice searching and bring that functionality to the iPhone (it had already been available on Android for a while.) The voice search uses Google’s Knowledge Graph technology to parse commands given in natural speech accurately and efficiently. For instance, a question like “what does the Brooklyn Bridge look like” will point to an image search, kind of like the same query fed to Siri. In the past, Apple has removed apps from the App Store because they “duplicate existing functionality,” but I don’t think they can pull that one on Google.
It’s available for free from the Apple App Store.
Filed in . Read more about Google Search and Siri.