voice search

Geek Tip

4 Free Alternatives to Siri

Didn't get an iPhone 4S this holiday?

Didn't get an iPhone 4S this holiday? Don't worry — there are other voice-recognition apps on the market that can stand up to Siri's voice-controlled awesomeness on your devices. In fact, a few of these apps are available for Android and BlackBerry users as well. Check out some download-worthy and free Siri alternatives below.

  1. Vlingo — Vlingo doesn't just take voice commands to make calls, SMS, emails, search the web, or get directions, it does something Siri can't — interfaces with your Twitter and Facebook accounts to let you update with your voice . . . and it really works, even without workarounds.
  2. Dragon Go — Available for iPhone and iPod Touch owners running iOS 4.0 or later, this app works similarly to Siri in that it will interpret and take commands from your voice. You can ask for directions, to draft an email or SMS, and get show times to upcoming movies in your area by directing you to external websites.
  3. Google — Google Mobile's voice abilities let you find information available on Search. For example, you can search with your voice for movie times, photos, websites, nearby restaurants, and more.
  4. Voice Control — Your iPhone's included voice search isn't as powerful as Siri (or any of these other apps), but it does the trick when making calls, searching music on your phone, and getting the time. It's a good start, anyway.
Poll

Do You Use Voice Commands on Your Gadgets?

Confession: I rarely, if ever, use my iPhone's voice commands for anything.

Confession: I rarely, if ever, use my iPhone's voice commands for anything. I've tried it a few times (mostly to see if it actually works), but I hardly use it regularly. In fact, I don't even like using voice commands when I'm calling anyone that asks me to "please enter or say your account number." I'd rather use the touch-tones any time, even if I'm alone and there's no chance anyone can hear me. Now that voice commands are available in everything from phones to cars, I'm curious if anyone is actually using these functions. To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if voice-activated kitchen appliances aren't far behind! How do you feel about tech that uses voice recognition?

Yahoo

Yahoo! To Introduce Voice Enabled Search

Yahoo! is set to launch to a voice-activated search service for cell phone users called oneSearch.

Yahoo! is set to launch to a voice-activated search service for cell phone users called oneSearch. Basically if you need to access a search engine like Google or Yahoo! search you can say it into your phone and then say a command for what you would like to search the web for. Yahoo! has already joined forces with dozens of operators around the world to reach a possible 600 million people with web-enabled phones. I can't say I'm a big fan of voice-activated services as it is. . . Let's just hope oneSearch will be fast and accurate, as the thought of repeating myself 10 times pains me!