See, the antics of Google Now & Siri that we saw demoed at I/O and WWDC - all the automated suggestions, reminders & app launches that worked almost as naturally as firing up the app drawer and doing things "the old-fashioned way" - are just baby steps into what could be the voice-controlled future of smart devices.Īs algorithms for natural language processing and making sense of user data grow more advanced, blurting out a speech command to the always present, always aware friendly AI in your smartphone could one day become the preferred user interface for many customers.Ĭonsider the fact that you'll be able to enjoy Google Now and Siri's enhanced contextual awareness capabilities this fall (or right now, if you install Android M or iOS 9's developer previews) mostly as a sweet little treat to users from people with plans much bigger than the immediately obvious.Īpple and Google: crowd pleasers in loose shirts vs product managers in philanthropists' clothing We are no smartphone prophets, but Google and Apple's keynotes hinted at huge plans for voice control. Google Now & Siri: on a quest for proactivityĪndroid and iOS's voice-controlled assistants got a lengthy chunk of keynote time this year, and that's because they matter - more than they ever have, and more than you probably think. The two musical pros steadily keep up with each other, and they occasionally enter into face-melting guitar duels to show off, because the crowd loves it! Yet, none of the two is trying too hard to one-up the other by playing overly innovative jazz fusion licks. Heh, just kidding! What Apple and Google are actually doing reminds us of a terrific rock band guitar duo. Obviously, industrial espionage is strong on both sides of the Cupertino - Mountain View route.
IOS9 KEYNOTE OFFLINE
And just so you know, Apple Maps got upgraded with transit information, while Google (having already taken care of that) went on to make Maps available offline for users in poorly connected countries. Also, Google is letting Chrome fill in as an in-app browser for Facebook and Pinterest, while Apple is enabling a Safari Services Framework for app developers with the same goal.
Interim, Google has caught up with Apple's achievements in mobile payments by announcing Android Pay and a native fingerprint recognition API for developers. It also got the long-awaited multi-tasking features, which several Android phablets have been pulling off for quite a while. Meanwhile, iOS has adopted Android's serious attitude towards battery life with new monitoring and power saving features. While we're at it, Android is finally getting iOS's lucid app permissions, which gives users control over app privileges without tormenting them with incomprehensible data. We wonder if it's too late to make up for that? Google being Google, an engineer's playground above all, took care of the service and systems, but forgot or neglected the show business part of the equation. Google, however, couldn't make it stand out quite like Apple did at its keynote. Google Play Music works largely the same – it's ready to greet you every time you search the Play Store, it is platform-agnostic, and it generally does the job. This way, Cupertino is recruiting its existing user base for the service, without forcing it down their throats like an U2 album, and it's offering the goods to everyone who's interested. Apple turned music streaming into an embedded feature of iOS that's as native to it as, say, the Phone app on the iPhone. There was plenty of mojo on display from both grandmasters, but the outcome was a draw, unless you consider the Apple Music announcement a checkmate. Grab a fresh cup of joe, read through the lines, and share your opinions & impressions in the comments section!Įssentially, what we witnessed at the keynotes was a typically upbeat Apple and a typically serene Google matching each others moves in a game of mobile development chess.
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