It was only a matter of time before Google brought Siri-like functionality to Android. Today at Google I/O, Google showed off Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) and its new search functionality. The search is powered by Google’s recently announced Knowledge Graph, but the Voice Search uses Knowledge Graph to bring voiced responses to life’s queries.
During the opening Google I/O keynote, the guys at Google showed off a live demo of Jelly Bean’s new Voice Search. The demo showed the user speaking into the phone asking a set of unrelated questions like the definition of a robot or asking for photos of monkeys. Jelly Bean responds in a smoother voice than Siri with a short answer to compliment the much longer answer provided via Knowledge Graph.
It’s going to be up to personal taste for people, but Google fans are going to absolutely love getting their own Siri. The interface is surely going to win over a lot of people since it’s much more interactive and aesthetically pleasing than Siri’s boring gray background.
It’ll be interesting to see how Apple and its fans respond. Most will surely just point to Android flat out copying Apple again, but Jelly Bean Voice Search just pulled an Apple – taking a previous technology and making it better.
We’ll be covering Google I/O for the rest of the week. Google is sure to announce more Android goodies past today’s keynote. Keep it here to get all the latest.
[Lead image: Engadget]