Google's Voice-Search App for iPhone Glitches

The much-anticipated Google voice-search application for Apple's iPhone, which was trumpeted to be available for download on Friday, has arrived on Apple's App Store a bit later than expected. A reviewer says the application is okay, but needs some fine-tuning.

Called Google Mobile App, it allows users to search the Web by voice and finally debuted late Monday. "Companies announce iPhone apps all of the time, and sometimes they make it through in a timely manner and sometimes it is delayed," said Michael Gartenberg, vice president of mobile strategy at Jupitermedia.

iPhone owners need not press the touchscreen or type, just wait for a beep and say what they are searching for, according to Google. Another way to start a voice search is by tapping the microphone. If you're in a meeting and can't talk, Google Mobile App also allows you to type a search question.

The app has a personalized search-location feature which recognizes where you are when requesting a search. To use this feature, however, users must enable location services on the iPhone and allow Google Mobile App to use the location.

'Not Quite There Yet'

Glitches appeared not just in the app's availability, but also in its features.

"This is not exactly brand-new," Gartenberg said. "It mostly works, but my experience with it was that it generated errors and that voice recognition is not quite there yet, but it does show what is possible."

Asked if Google and Apple rolled out the app prematurely, Gartenberg said, "I think it is working well enough to be out and this is not a problem, but I'd expect it to be refined."

Apple and Google get a lot of attention when they roll out new products, but put the two together in the same sentence and the attention jumps tenfold. For this reason the companies gained a lot of attention before the app was available and even more when it was delayed. Speculation on the Web said Apple was conspiring against Google, while others said Apple simply forgot to make the app available.

"It just underscores how, when you talk about Apple and Google in the same sentence, conspiracy theories will fly," Gartenberg said.

Regardless of the hype, Gartenberg said, the Google Mobile App could use some refining. "It is a voice-search application and we've seen them before," he said. "This one is pretty good, but there are better out there on the market. It is a nice feature if you own an iPhone and use Google search."

What's Next?

Bringing speech-recognition technology into search is a natural evolution for Google. Before the Google Mobile App, less feature-rich apps have been available from Google, like GOOG-411, or Google Voice Local Search, a telephone service that allows users to search businesses by calling a toll-free number. The service uses speech-recognition technology to connect the user to a requested search.

Then there's the voice-search feature for the BlackBerry, which Google began testing in July. Users of select models such as the BlackBerry Pearl can speak a business query instead of typing it.

Other voice-recognition technologies include Microsoft's Tellme service, Yahoo's oneSearch with Voice, and Samsung's Speech to Action feature on the Samsung Instinct phone.

Source: Yahoo Tech News