Nothing is more frustrating, (and unsafe), than trying to navigate a website for directions or information while driving. Yet, it is usually while we are in our cars that we really need to know where something is or how to get there. Search engine companies are now capitalizing on that customer need, by offering their program’s capabilities with speech recognition technology via smartphones. By delivering near hands-free operation to smartphone users everywhere, driving around aimlessly may be a thing of the past. Nomads of the world, rejoice! No more stopping to ask for directions!
In the past, navigating an unfamiliar town usually took a bit of pre-planning. Traveler tools included large maps of specific areas, usually bought at service stations, or perhaps a printout of driving directions from mapquest.com or some other mapping site. Should those pieces of paper become lost, there was always your cell phone to contact a relative who knew the area or the worst case scenario, actually pulling over to ask a local for directions. Once smartphones became available, people could save directions from web-based map sites to their phone or have their passengers use the web browser on the phone to get directions. In an effort to capitalize on voice capabilities and GPS technology, search engine companies have come up with innovations previously only dreamed up in Star Trek movies.
The current choices in voice activated search are Tellme, oneSearch, and GOOG-411. At the very basic end of the scale, GOOG-411 will work with any phone on any carrier service. Similar to traditional 411, it kindly asks “What city and state, please?” and then follows with narrowing questions to get the information you want. Taking voice search to the next level are Tellme and oneSearch. I was surprised to see that Tellme only supported the Blackberry 8830 on Verizon. One phone for one of the biggest network cellphone carriers out there. However, if you happen to be an AT&T customer, it would seem that you can access Tellme on just about every model they have. oneSearch is a little more expansive in that it offers its voice activated search service for three models of Blackberry, regardless of service carrier and the iPhone. Its voice search software is also sleeker as testified to in a recent review in Business Week. While English is the default language offered across all providers, Tellme stands apart in also offering Spanish voice search support.
In an effort to be helpful, voice activated search engines are utilizing technologies built into handsets. Most of the phones these services work with are GPS compatible. By tying into the GPS location of the handset, the search engine can intuitively deduce where the closest pizza parlor, movie theatre, or florist is and then offer it up. This is great if you want to go to the nearest shop, but a touch presumptuous if someone is looking for a specific restaurant in the next state. Of course, you can always say “Sushi restaurants in San Francisco” to help clarify the issue. I am curious to see what kind of loop the systems would be thrown in by a user who had actively selected to shut off the GPS functionality of their mobile device.
Lawsuits and tragedies abound in America over driving while using a cell phone. This new trend in harnessing built-in technology with targeted marketing creates a positive solution for everyone. Businesses win because they might not be known by the searcher, but they will certainly be offered up as the closest solution. Drivers win because they get the answers they need, when they need them. The general populace wins because there won’t be a need for legislation forbidding the use of cell phones, since hands-free use replaces a formerly manipulation intensive operation. Until transporters are invented, voice activated search is the next best thing.