Google For Dummies

Voice Searching

Voice Search is insanely quirky and irresistible, offering a combined telephone and Web experience. You use the phone to deliver your search query, and Google returns the results on a Web page. Practical? Absolutely not! Fun? Yes! You must try it.

Google is leading up to something here. As it stands, Voice Search is a raw experiment with no logistic value. But voice recognition technology promises immense benefits to the future of computing, in all areas. With the imminent convergence of the Web and cell phones, it’s not hard to imagine that Google is positioning itself for the day when it becomes a fully mobile, voice-activated search engine. It’s impractical to split your attention between phone and screen for a single task when sitting at a desk, but on a cell phone it would be a relief not to type the query and simple to glance at the screen for results.

Try Voice Search at the following page:

http://labs.google.com/gvs.html

This page gives you the number to call — it’s a California number, and toll charges apply. Call at your own expense. Keep this page in front of you as you call.

Many people are confused when they try Voice Search, so I’m spelling out the exact steps here:

1. Go to the Google Voice Search home page at the following URL:

   http://labs.google.com/gvs.html

2. Call the Voice Search phone number seen on that page.

   The first thing you hear is a recorded voice saying, “Say your search keywords.”

3. Say your keywords.

   Multiple keywords are fine. It’s best to speak naturally but not sloppily. Don’t make an extreme effort to enunciate. Voice Search senses (sometimes prematurely) when you’re finished and says, “OK, searching.” After a pause, the recorded voice declaims, “Your results are ready. Say your search keywords.” Don’t feel rushed! If you want to conduct a second search after you’ve finished this one, Voice Search will wait for you as long as you don’t hang up the phone.

4. On the Voice Search page, use the Click this link link to see your search results.

   A new browser window opens to display results. Voice Search results are identical to normal Web search results, except that, very disappointingly, your spoken keywords are not displayed in the keyword search box atop the page.

5. Speak new keywords and repeat the process.

   Handily, the results page reloads automatically when your new results are ready.

You might well wonder how Voice Search communicates with your browser. It doesn’t really. There is only one search results window, and only one person can use Voice Search at a time. (If you get a busy signal, wait a bit and try again. And don’t hog Voice Search for too long.) The browser window displaying your results can be seen by anybody who goes into Voice Search and clicks the Click this link link. In fact, one fun feature is to keep watching that autoreloading browser window after you’ve hung up to see search results generated by other users.

The big question is how well Voice Search works, and the answer depends on the effectiveness of its voice recognition technology. The page reloading and results display are fine. The voice recognition can be flaky. I’ve seen Voice Search translate Iraq as iMac, and my name (Brad) as brass. In one spectacular demonstration of obscurity, Voice Search rendered American Idol as of-the-dragon heinkel. Results improve if you speak naturally, but remember: As of now, Voice Search is not meant to replace regular on-screen searching.