How would you like to ask your computer where the nearest Italian restaurant is?
Google Voice Search enables users to dictate their search query and just wait for the results to pop up. Now who needs a keyboard? Just plug in your headset/mic and start asking away.
While this latest feature of Google may not come as a surprise to others who have been using it in their mobile devices since 2009, other people are excited to try and “tell” the search engine to look up something for them, now that it has been rolled out into desktops.
For sci-fi movie fans, this is like a dream come true. Imagine being able to tell your PC to look for videos on how to properly prepare sushi without getting your hands on the keyboard. Or pull up a map of some obscure county you just can’t figure out how to spell? This is particularly useful when you’re in a hurry for your trip and you need a handful of useful phrases (e.g. “Where’s the rest room?”) in Arabic. The idea of voice recognition in such a useful and widely-distributed manner is simply too sweet to pass up.
But there will always be those who see this idea as ridiculous and impractical in offices where the closest thing to privacy is in the form of a cubicle (and getting your computer to understand you may probably entail raising your voice some decibels higher than normal).
A personal office or home setting would be quiet enough to justify an effective use of this novel tool where no other sounds can mess up with your voice and turn “Beyonce” to “beyond sea”.
For some users who use the English version of Google, they may have already noticed a small icon of a mic sitting at the end of the search bar. Clicking it will prompt you to “Speak now”, which is your cue to say your query clearly and audibly. Believe me, you would not want the hassle of correcting the words every time it mishears you.
On my part, I was elated that Google got my queries perfectly right a few times – before it faltered and looked up “Asianalphabet” when I said “Russian alphabet” anyway.
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