Google Asks Search Users to Speak Up

Google has been offering voice search for some time already through its Google Now service, but now in a  clear challenge to Apple's Siri -- it's bringing expanded capabilities to Google Search as well, allowing people to search for information using spoken questions. "Voice
search is a significant point of competition for Google,"

Google is making a major push into voice search with the
rollout of several new capabilities, the company announced
on Wednesday.

Specifically, over the coming days and weeks, English-
speaking users with voice search on desktops, tablets and
smartphones will be able to ask Google such common
queries as, "is my flight on time?" or "let me see my
reservations" and get answers instantly in Google Search if
it's in their Gmail, Google Calendar or Google+.
People can ask their devices, "what are my plans for
tomorrow?" for example, as well as get status updates and
other information about their recent purchases. They can
also ask Google to show them photos they have uploaded to
Google+.
This functionality is not entirely new for Google -- it has, in
fact, been offering it for more than a year in Google Now.
What is new is its availability in search as well.
"This information is just for you -- secure, via encrypted
connection, and visible only to you when you're signed in to
Google," noted Google Product Manager Roy Livne.
"Likewise, you can also control whether you want the
service on or off."
Taking on Siri
There are a few trends of note in this development. One is
Google's relentless push to tie all of its products together in
myriad ways. This new voice functionality works on other
products that Google hopes to see searchers use more of,
such as Google+.
The most noteworthy takeway, however, is Google's clear
intent to match and even top Apple's Siri -- a feature that
introduced voice search into the mainstream.
While this particular iteration of Google's voice search may
not yet match Siri's prowess, Google will no doubt continue
to build on what it can do.

"Voice search is a significant point of competition for
Google," Charles King, principal of Pund-IT , told
TechNewsWorld.
Undermining Apple
The move is also an important marker for Google, which has
been struggling to undo the perception that Android is a less
innovative platform than iOS is, King said.
"For a long time not only were Apple and the iPhone
essentially unchallenged, but there was an assumption by
many people that Android was forever going to be lagging
behind in terms of updates and features," King said.
This has started to change over the past 12 to 18 months,
King noted. "I think we have reached the point where Apple,
once the de facto market standard, is being pushed further
and further into a premium niche," he explained.
By spreading Google voice capabilities across more and
more of its applications, King continued, "Google is
effectively undermining the primary points of differentiation
that Apple has sketched out for itself."