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Re:Google is close to releasing Siri rival called Majel by hahainternet on Thursday December 15, 2011 @06:01AM (#3355697)
I would rather Google didn't work on this. If anything they need to

a) Improve the default TTS voice so it does not sound as jarring

b) Include intent based inter-operation with apps

Ideally Google will provide only the services they do already, with mapping and searching, but will allow people to easily hook in and provide the rest.

I also tend to think that voice activation is mostly a gimmick outside of being in the car, and Vlingo already works excellently with a 'Hey Vlingo' realtime trigger.

Re:Google is close to releasing Siri rival called Majel by vidarh on Thursday December 15, 2011 @06:41AM (#3355756)
Vlingo doesn't understand a single word I've tried saying to it (I have a Scandinavian accent), so while I don't really see myself using this stuff much, Vlingo is a non-starter unless it's recognition gets vastly better. I wonder how large a part of the potential user base it has problems handling.
Re:Google is close to releasing Siri rival called Majel by michaelcampbell on Thursday December 15, 2011 @08:58AM (#3356107)
Out of curiosity have you tried Siri, and if so does it do any better? I've often wondered how well it worked on non-Midwestern-UnitedStates accents.
Re:Google is close to releasing Siri rival called Majel by tensor on Thursday December 15, 2011 @10:26AM (#3356487)
If you want better TTS, the SVOX voices are superb and very inexpensive.