Siri is the highly anticipated addition to Apple’s new iPhone, allowing you to control practically everything with your voice. It can check the weather, compose a text message, and find practically any information you want. Here’s a look at how it works.
One of Android’s handiest features is the range of alternate software keyboards available if you don’t like the default choices on your phone or tablet. Nuance FlexT9 demonstrates that in a fairly extreme way, offering a choice of four different input methods: speaking, Swype-style tracing, tapping on a normal keyboard and entering letters by writing them.
If you a hear a word in regular conversation that you don’t know, it can be hard to look it up if you don’t know how to spell it. Instead, just throw it at Google Voice Search to get an accurate definition.
Chrome only: Got a microphone? Got a knack for talking faster than you type? Even if you don’t, you might enjoy trying out Voice Search, an experimental Chrome add-on that uses your voice as text input, just like on Android.
Many people feel speech recognition isn’t good enough for every day use, but several devotees couldn’t live without it. If you’re looking to start using speech recognition, David Pogue has some tips to make it more effective.
Android only: Vlingo, a voice search/action app that’s really good while driving, now offers an “Action Bar” that can pull off hotel searches, OpenTable reservations and movie ticket purchases. It also allows text input when it’s not quite proper to speak.
Rather than match your voice against its general database, Google’s Voice Search (a.k.a. Voice Actions), after downloading a just-released update, can now gradually learn from your particular speech.
