Bluce Ree
Tech Admin / Council Member
Android has quite a few Siri-like alternatives. There's Google Now's voice search, which isn't bad and can be quite fast. However, its responses seem very limited to what Google figured are the most common queries and will more often than not just pop up a Google search page as an answer.
Skyvi is a very popular one but it fails on very simple queries. Asking it "how many days since <date>" will always answer "There are 365 days in the year." then proceed with some self-advertising. It often fails to understand basic queries at about the same rate as Siri, which is annoyingly high.
So far, my favorite has to be Robin. Not only does it seem to cover a very wide array of questions with direct responses but you can also train it for less common queries that it would otherwise throw to a search result. It also has some clever, smart-ass answers.
Q: I need to hide a body
A: Why don't you ask Siri?
Q: Where can I bury a body?
A: On the second page of any Google search result
Q: Give me today's technology headlines
A: Ok, getting today's tech news ... <and proceeds to read out a set of news headlines>
Upon start-up, Robin displays a map with your current location and will greet you in a variety of different ways. You can either tap Robin before a voice query or simply wave your hand in front of the device.
Launching apps is also a snap. Ask Robin to launch <app name> and it remains in the background to continue executing your voice commands with a simple hand wave. Robin also integrates with social media to automatically read out and display new alerts.
So far, I love Robin!
Skyvi is a very popular one but it fails on very simple queries. Asking it "how many days since <date>" will always answer "There are 365 days in the year." then proceed with some self-advertising. It often fails to understand basic queries at about the same rate as Siri, which is annoyingly high.
So far, my favorite has to be Robin. Not only does it seem to cover a very wide array of questions with direct responses but you can also train it for less common queries that it would otherwise throw to a search result. It also has some clever, smart-ass answers.
Q: I need to hide a body
A: Why don't you ask Siri?
Q: Where can I bury a body?
A: On the second page of any Google search result
Q: Give me today's technology headlines
A: Ok, getting today's tech news ... <and proceeds to read out a set of news headlines>
Upon start-up, Robin displays a map with your current location and will greet you in a variety of different ways. You can either tap Robin before a voice query or simply wave your hand in front of the device.
Launching apps is also a snap. Ask Robin to launch <app name> and it remains in the background to continue executing your voice commands with a simple hand wave. Robin also integrates with social media to automatically read out and display new alerts.
So far, I love Robin!
I think its funny to watch Apple iPhone owners continue to cling to the idea that they are carrying the bestest, greatest phone on the planet when they are basically so far behind the curve they are being lapped by Android. And I am still finding online articles referring to the "glitchiness" of Android. Perhaps they have not seen Jelly Bean or even ICS on a high end Android? Its buttery smooth and glitch-free. Not only that, it looks and works great on tablets, giving a superior performance to iOS on the iPad. Oh, and Robin is FREE (like most Android apps). Siri is limited in ways I find unacceptable. I can tell my SII to "take me to the nearest gas station", it will go immediately to Navigation and start giving me directions. I can do this with businesses, freeway onramps, and restaurants.
