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We’d already heard rumours there was an Android rival to Siri in the works, but now comes word it’ll change its name from Majel to Google Assistant, TechCrunch reports.
It’ll be the search giant’s main focus for the coming year, apparently. And not only that, it’ll also be offered up for developers to integrate it into their apps, so we could see voice activation becoming part of your phone’s everyday function, rather than a separate app.
A source tells TechCrunch that the Assistant project has three parts: organise the world’s knowledge into a format a computer can understand; create a personalisation layer (using data from Google Plus, or its many other services via its new privacy policy); build a mobile, voice-centered “do engine” that goes beyond just finding you search results and actually helps you achieve real-life goals. Wow. Now that sounds like an assistant.
There aren’t any examples of real-life goals given, but we’re guessing if you want to lose weight you’ll still have to put in some of the effort yourself. Blast.
In keeping with Android’s open-source ethic, Google is going to let developers loose with the service, so it could become part of every function on your phone.
Apparently Assistant will be unveiled in the last three months of the year, so we’ve a while to wait. But I’m sure more details will leak before that. Fingers crossed, anyway.
Meanwhile, Android has Android Voice Actions, which some merry pranksters over at Motorola (now part of Google) have shown to be superior to Siri in a video. But then a service is only as good as the person using it. Check out the video below and let me know which you prefer.
Is Google right to take on Siri? And how would you like a Google Assistant to work? Let me know in the comments below, or on our Facebook page.
