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Google Voice leapfrogs iPhone capabilities- Droid X obeys your spoken commands

If you're a busy New Yorker who doesn't have time to step off to the side to compose a text, now you don't have to. Provided that you're running Voice Actions for Android on your smartphone, that is. The new app takes dictation and understands your spoken commands.

Not only that, but it will run google searches. Say you promised a friend you'd meet them at a hotel bar in the meatpacking district only you can't remember its name, what you can remember is that it has a rooftop pool. Hit the voice search button on your phone, recite the chosen keywords and say "yes" when you hear Gansevoort. Want the hotel's phone number or directions? The phone can provide those too, without you needing to dial at all. It's like having a personal assistant whom you don't have to pay.

How did google come up with this concept?

"The most natural way of interacting with a phone remains what it always has been: speaking," writes the Google Voice Team on its blog. All you have to do to bring this capability to your new Droid X or Droid 2 is to download the app and activate the "Speak Now" button.

Your phone will then respond to the following commands:

•send text to [contact] [message]
•listen to [artist/song/album]
•call [business]
•call [contact]
•send email to [contact] [message]
•go to [website]
•note to self [note]
•navigate to [location/business name]
•directions to [location/business name]
•map of [location]

Pretty cool, isn't it?

WARNING:Once you've used the app a few times, you'll wonder how you ever lived without it.  It makes phones without it seem primitive, or at least that's been my experience.

You may want to note that this feature is currently available only on Android phones running Froyo.

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NY Web 2.0 Examiner

Virginia Backaitis writes about Web 2.0 and Workplace topics for newspapers, blogs and websites. She is passionate about discovering how social web...

Comments

  • Anonymous 1 year ago
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    Long live Droid X

  • Anonymous 1 year ago
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    Long live Android!

  • Anonymous 1 year ago
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    The Droid X is definitely the best smartphone on the market, right now.

  • Hold yer horses 1 year ago
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    The download page says the app requires Android 2.2, which the Droid X does not have yet.

  • Interestingly, I am in the possession of a Droid X that is running Android 2.2. The app works quite nicely and understands me quite well, which is remarkable.

  • Anonymous 1 year ago
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    Its funny how everyone is enamored by all this new stuff seeing how we Nexus One owners get this stuff way before anyone else..... Nothing but bad pr for the nexus one yet it kills every phone on the market, and you don't need a semi truck to carry it around like the X & EVO

    Will be laughing again very soon when we are running gingerbread months before everyone else!

  • Anonymous 1 year ago
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    Woa woa friendly fire!!!
    *Please direct your snarky comments towards Iphone users and NOT fellow android mates ;)

  • 438 43 4763 1 year ago
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    I will now enter a motion to dismiss and suppress: To the social security administation useing the next screen. droid emediantly program the dismiss/ supression i will enter

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