With the launch of a new Google Search app for the iPhone and iPad, it looks like Siri will be receiving a good deal of competition. The fresh release allows iOS users to conveniently find answers to their questions by simply asking.
This means that users can easily feed their queries into the phone or tablet through voice instead of typing out each word. According to the official Google blog, the entire process is fast and answers will be provided in the form of speech based on the question asked. The procedure to access this feature is simple – with the application open, all users have to do is tap on the microphone icon and dictate their search terms when the ‘Speak now’ alert pops up. The operation can be repeated by tapping the said button from the bottom of the page.
The Mountain View giant has also provided a detailed list of queries that work well with the service. For instance, on searching for ‘What does Yankee Stadium look like?’ the application will provide images of the place. And if a movie trailer is requested, the video starts to play within the UI. Making this capability possible is courtesy of the Knowledge Graph which is designed to understand people, places and real world things. Google recently rolled out an update to its Search app for Android and the voice search feature has been available on the platform for quite some time now.
The new Google Search app for the iPhone and iPad can be downloaded through the Apple App Store free of charge. It is compatible with iOS 4.3 or later and is optimized for Cupertino’s 6th generation smartphone.