Yes, other members of my household have Google Now on their Android phones, and I see it as being pretty much equal to Siri in a very generalized sort of sense. There are minor differences and advantages, but the big picture of context is still something they haven't succeeded at tackling on any of these platforms.
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But context problems still get in the way of even using simple voice commands on current devices to do the things they're advertised as being able to do. Such as take short dictation messages for sending texts. This is something they are touted as being able to do. The ability to understand simple things like the difference between when I want to spell out a word or a special character, versus when I want it to try to voice-recognize the words I'm trying to speak, is still problematic. I had a devil of a time trying to dictate a carriage return recently, for example.
OK, fair enough. I haven't used Siri myself so I can't really compare. I've also had the same annoyances you have. I often run into that issue of not being able to do a carriage return. I do feel like Google Now is at least making strides towards the goals you're laying out.
There have been a few instances where I really have been able to use a little conversational language with it. For example, there was an instance where we were on vacation in Bethany Beach, DE, and we were concerned about our basement flooding (we've had issues with that when it rains really hard). It was pretty cool to be able to have a conversation like this:
Me: Will it rain in Sterling, Virginia today?
GN: No, it's 85 degrees and sunny in Sterling, Virginia.
Me: What about tomorrow?
GN: Yes, it will be cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms
Me: How about Bethany Beach, Delaware?
GN: No, it will be sunny and 88 degrees in Bethany Beach, DE tomorrow.
While it's important to fix the mistakes that these voice recognition services make**, I think the real hurdle is making it understand when
we make mistakes. At the moment, it's still essential to formulate exactly what you're going to say when you initiate voice recognition on any of these platforms. You can't stammer through a word or start a word over. It's very strict.
** I said "Halicarnassus" into my phone last night and it thought I said "how much are nurses"
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