Uh-oh...
The Web is all abuzz this morning with news that a voice-prompted search service is on the way to iPhone users courtesy of the clever folks at Google. All I can say is, god help us all…
I’m a big proponent of mobile manners and I’m not afraid to let someone know when they’re disturbing the peace by yakking too loudly into their handset. I’ve so far been very lucky to have only once had to endure the unholy abomination that is Push-to-Talk, with some asshat wandering my local supermarket like an army commander on the battlefield: “What kind of milk should I get, over… You want the 2%? You can’t handle the 2%!“, and so on.
And now, thanks to your lazy thumbs, I’m going to have to sit on the streetcar surrounded by morans pretending they’re Captain Picard: “iPhone, where is the nearest Apple Store?”, “iPhone, what is Steve Jobs wearing today?”, “iPhone, what’s the URL of Apple.com?”, etc.
If this sounds like sour grapes because such a thing isn’t yet available for my Nokia believe me, it’s not. I use GOOG-411 all the time, but you know what? If I’m in a public place I find a quiet corner away from other people, or at least cover my mouth while talking at an appropriate level.
Okay, so now that I’ve got you all riled up I’ll come clean: I am of course being unfair in singling out iPhone users for bad mobile behaviour — not respecting your environment is a sin committed on all types of mobiles by all types of inconsiderate people. Consider this my plea to you: If you really want me to covet that wondrous iPhone of yours you’ll do the right thing and use your fancy new voice-activated Google search only in appropriate situations. Remember, with great power comes great responsibility…
Isn’t it funny how we get so worked up about people speaking into their technology. I mean, what is it about the absence (or distance) of another person that makes the blood boil? – typed using my ‘lazy thumbs’! ^_^
I just think it’s incredibly rude, is all, kind of like — SWEET MOTHER OF JESUS WTF IS MY CAT DOING?!!
I fear you could be correct. Even when I’m at the gym, with music and metal filling the air, the guy/gal on the treadmill who is yakking away on the phone seems to rise above all other sounds (and not in a good way). I might have to go to the UK and buy one of those cell phone zappers (yes, I’ve heard that such is illegal in the U.S. … but still).
AC:
For me, the annoying part of mobile device users, myself included, is when we get so wrapped up in those tiny screens and fail to notice other pedestrians, light changes, speeding locomotives, etc. I’ve watched people in the Blackberry Prayer mode walk into poles, so there is some comedic value, too.
Ed
PS: just what kind of cat toys are you buying?
I think the demo looks pretty cool and useful, given that manual entry of long strings of text can be pretty arduous on a mobile. While people’s penchant for yacking while in public places is indeed annoying, voice recognition on a mobile makes way more sense than on a desktop where keyboard and mouse input are actually pretty efficient. Time will tell whether this turns into the next social annoyance of the future, but I’d say it’s no reason for Google not to try to make it happen.
AC:
The moron behind me at a Passchendale screening took not one but TWO freaking calls during the climactic scene. To say I felt like bayoneting her in the forehead was an understatement….
Having read a few articles here and there about this voice-prompt system, I realized that everyone’s just paraphrasing Google’s press release and that nobody’s actually seen or demoed it yet. I wonder if it’ll work or require you to yell over and over until the software gets it right?
Ed
Hey Ed,
Try GOOG-411; I imagine it uses similar (if not exactly the same) technology, and it’s a free call from your mobile!
AC:
Sweet! Thanks! Now I can order pizza from anywhere….
Ed
Halfway through his Bell contract
I have to say that although I do agree that people yammering on the phone on the bus does drive me nuts. The iphone has another series of features that drive me crazier, almost into a rage. Iphone users insisting one showing me their useless apps. Now I know that this new technology has a whole bunch of useful functions and that’s great. The thing is I really don’t want to see your fake candle or light sabre app that somehow reacts to the way to move your phone. Download them all you want, but to me these apps are about as annoying as facebook invites to non-events and e-mailed jokes.
Well I wasn’t going to go there, but since you opened that door…
Using an iPhone reminds me of the touchscreen Entertainment-on-Demand service they now have on Air Canada flights — i.e., both make you look like you’ve no idea what you’re doing!