New Google Hands-Free Voice Command Feature Challenges Apple's Siri

If you begin to notice more people talking back to their office or laptop computers in the near future, relax; you probably don't need to worry about their mental health.

Earlier this week Google GOOG unveiled the Beta version of its Voice Search Hotword function on its Chrome browser. The function is completely voice-activated, and allows a user to navigate to Google on their computer by saying the command, “Okay, Google” and then asking a question.

This technology appears to be a direct challenge to Apple's AAPL voice-commanded Siri “personal assistant” application for mobile devices like the iPhone. Siri debuted with great fanfare in 2011. But it soon came under criticism for inaccurately answering many questions, as well as its inability to understand many English commands that weren't spoken in a standard American accent.

Speech recognition software has been around for years now, and before mobile phones was mostly the realm of professionals dealing with lenghty dictation jobs or used by people who had issues typing for themselves.

But voice-command online searches, previously available only on mobile devices, can now be a handy (or hands-free) tool available on your garden-variety laptop or desktop.

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So far, consumer feedback on the Chrome Aps web site for the Voice Search Hotword appears to run the gamut – from a variety of “it doesn't work” comments to simple amazement.

But as Seth Fitzgerald on the tech news Tapscape web site notes, “Google obviously assumes that voice search is something that will become common in the future, which is why the vast majority of its services now have 'Okay, Google' built into them.”

And some industry observers believe Google's Voice Search Hotword function is more user-friendly and adaptable.

“Whatever the future of digital assistants may be, it’s clear that the service must be fully context-aware, super responsive, and most importantly, learn about you,” Marcio Cyrillo, director of marketing at the IT services company CI&T, recently guest-blogged on VentureBeat.com.

“If Apple doesn’t empower Siri with a true digital brain,” he added, “the service will soon become a joke when compared to the significant improvements Google...is achieving."