Speak and Search

Google is looking for a faster way to search...so it is turning to a system that allows people to search using voice activation. In other words... you speak and google goes.

Now I love Google, not just as a search engine but as a company, too. I like the company's business philosophy and approach to "open" information. Google provides the public so many services and it provides them for free. There is Google Chat, Google Docs, Google Books, Google Buzz, Wiki's etc...

But honestly, I don't know about this voice thing.

Unfortunately, I have not come across any voice activating computer software that is 100% reliable. And I have tried a few. On my iPhone I've used Say Where and Dragon Software, both are very good, but not perfect. With Dragon Software I find myself speaking like this... "I-like-this-new-Dragon-software", slowly and deliberately.

Google tried voice activated search before. And of course, I had to give it a try. I kept it for several months, but ultimately didn't think it was very good, so I deleted it from my phone.

But now, according to Alan Eustace, senior vice president of knowledge at Google, this software is a smarter. "Google demonstrated that the search engine understands the difference between Worcester, Mass and Wooster College, words that sound the same but are spelled differently (New York Times).

If Google's new software truly is as smart as Google believes...perhaps it will change search forever.