I often tease my predecessor Richard Taylor for being the only person I know who uses Apple's Siri personal assistant to its fullest.

You'll stand there minding your own business and Richard will pull out his phone and start dictating. text messages. Right in front of you. In front of strangers. I find it inconvenient, he thinks the opposite.

It's clear why he likes it so much - he uses this feature quite often, so the voice recognition is perfectly tuned to his speaking style. But what I can't understand is how he can calmly talk to a piece of metal when there are so many people around.

As for me, all my fingers would have to be cut off for me to consider doing this in front of people. Home is the only place where I can overcome myself in this regard.

So in the corner of my kitchen sits an Amazon Echo, a stylish little black cylinder that glows blue when it listens to me.

And in the corner of my bedroom there is the same stylish Google Home with its little lights.

Both devices are very neat. The voice recognition is very accurate, the speaker quality is amazing, and computing power these devices are enough to decipher my intricate queries.

I speak to them in a whisper, barely audible, so that the neighbors don't think I'm a super nerd.

Something wrong

But here's the difference. To access Amazon, you call your assistant by name.

"Hey Alexa, what's new?"

The same goes for other assistants: Siri from Apple or Cortana from . You don't necessarily have to call them by name when working, but it still gives a pleasant impression of interacting with the person.

For the same reason, we love movie characters with artificial intelligence. This makes us feel warm towards them.

I know in my heart that there is no difference in “Hey Google” or “Hey Alexa.” This adds neither privacy nor practical benefit. Both devices do exactly the same thing - use my data to help me (and then sell me something).

But I'm talking about a certain "awkwardness" factor that I feel myself. He should not be underestimated. When I use Amazon Echo, I talk to Alexa. When I use Google Home, I have to turn to the corporation. Or as Buzzfeed's Mat Hanani puts it: "I hate constantly saying, 'Okay, Google,' just because it makes me feel like I'm talking to a brand."

Achilles' heel

Back in October, when Google was holding intriguing events around the world to launch Google Home, I was able to have a quick chat about it all with Michael Sundermayer. He leads the product design team of this device.


They were originally going to give the system a friendly name, but the reason they changed their mind is clear: they wanted to make it feel like you were interacting directly with Google. To create not an assistant, but an all-powerful, all-knowing Google.

“This assistant is Google,” Michael comments. “This is something Google has been working on for 18 years.”

Friendly face

This is a huge step towards what we really want, to have one of these personal home assistants fit into our family life and become indispensable.

If we have the feeling that we are talking to a real person, then this can be considered a huge step in the right direction.

Talk to Amazon Echo owners and they'll immediately start telling you how they developed a fondness for Alexa. I'm not the only person who often adds "please" and "thank you" when talking to her.

But as long as Google forces you to bark "Ok Google," Google Home is certainly not capable of becoming a full-fledged personal assistant. He will be a helper and a very good one. But not personal.

It's worth taking into account that the Google Home assistant has the full power of the Google ecosystem. It provides a better service than Alexa, Siri or Cortana. But it would be foolish of me to stop halfway, so I will try to use the influence of this blog to change Google for the better. I have an alternative.


A friend of mine pointed out that all assistants (with the exception of Siri) still have female voices, perhaps lending some credence to the idea that being an assistant is still strictly a woman's job.

So let's go in a different direction: pay homage to one of the company's founders, Larry Page. I would love to shout, “LARRY! Turn up the volume!".

This means that I would start my morning by saying hello to Larry from bed, but whatever. The neighbors already look at me askance.

To date Google system is considered a leading information source. In the field mobile devices, its use has long exceeded 85%, and the possibility of remote search has only increased its demand and popularity.

Typing search queries is not always convenient, especially when on the road or doing household chores. Now, to obtain the necessary information, you just need to use one command so that the “smart” system does everything for you.

The principle of operation of the application is based on recognizing your voice and generating a search query with the results displayed on the screen. To “attract the attention” of the utility, you just need to say the code phrase “Okay Google.”

Functional

Using Google voice search on your computer is not limited to just finding information. This utility has a very wide functionality, creating the ability to completely optimize the management of your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone.

• Ability to configure all orders related to actions in the browser. Turn on music, launch a player, or start downloading files - Ok Google for computer will do it for you.
• Managing your own PC. Ok Google can not only launch applications or find information, it also successfully controls your PC. You can set commands like: turn on the alarm, turn off the computer, create a reminder, etc.
• Multi-language recognition.
• Constant development. One of the new features is voice response: now the program will not only “hear” you, but will also tell you about the information found.
• An impressive list of recognized voice orders, expanding every day.
• Built-in censorship system designed to cut off profanity in the results.

Advantages and disadvantages

The advantages of this application certainly include free use, significant time savings, and the ability to control the device from a distance. The latest versions of Google Assistant are also distinguished by stable operation, absence of bugs and high-quality voice recognition.

The disadvantages include the need for careful setup, the need for timely Google updates Chrome and a stable Internet connection.

How to run OK Google on PC

The client was originally developed exclusively for mobile platforms, but its functionality and growing popularity have also won the love of PC users. To download Okay Google to your computer for Windows, you will need to follow a number of simple steps:

1. Download the emulator. It is he who is responsible for creating an improvised Android platform on your PC, ensuring stable operation of the application.
2. Using the emulator, download the program and begin installation.
3. After completing the installation process, you will need to configure the utility using the Chrome browser.

There are no full-fledged analogues of Google search yet. There are several options for assistant programs on the Internet for specific areas of management or a certain type of device.

• Cortana. Voice assistant for the Yandex system. A relatively new utility that has not yet proven itself in the software market. The principle is practically no different from the work of the Google search engine, however, Cortana has a number of significant disadvantages. The utility is available only for Windows 7, 8/8.1 and Windows 10. In addition to the limited choice of OS, Cortana is a separate browser that cannot boast of stable operation.
• Talking Phone. Utility for remote control, which allows you to set alerts about the status of your device. The functionality is extremely limited; as a plus, we can note the ability to select a voice reminder: the program has a built-in male and female voice.
• Remember everything. A cute planner that will take on the function of your organizer. Remember all can’t do anything else, but it will remind you of scheduled meetings regularly. Notes are created using voice control; the application is synchronized with Google calendar, which allows you to maintain the current date and time format.
• Siri. The long-awaited Russian-language assistant designed for Apple devices. A wide team base is combined with the developers' humor: the assistant can joke and react to humorous phrases. The application famously compensates for the lack of vocabulary from the Internet, constantly delighting with new phrases. The disadvantage of Siri is that it is only compatible with Apple devices and the need to create a linked UDID to an Apple developer account.

System requirements and setup

For normal functioning, Google Assistant will need latest version Google Chrome and a connected microphone.

Many users are concerned about the question: “How to enable voice search Google on your computer? After installing the application, you will need to configure it. Everything is quite simple here:

1. Go to the browser and find the settings tab.
2. In the found tab, select the “Enable voice search” option.
3. Open a browser window. At the very bottom there should be a line “Say Okay Google”.
4. After pronouncing the magic phrase, a message from the security system will appear on the screen requesting permission to use the microphone.
5. Click the “Allow” button and enjoy the opportunities that open up.

Video review

Results and comments

From the first minutes of using voice search on your computer, Okay Google will delight you with amazing functionality. The number of recognized commands will surprise you with their diversity, and the system’s instant response to your voice will significantly save time. But don’t forget that Google can’t do everything yet, so you’ll still have to work closely with your PC on your own.

A modern smartphone is absolutely indispensable as a “city directory” - when you find yourself in another city, you can quickly and easily find out where you can get something to eat nearby, where the nearest ATM is, what attractions are worth paying attention to... and it won’t even stay in your hometown idle - he will readily suggest the optimal route to the farthest corner of the map - both by public transport and for your personal car. The emergence of high-speed mobile internet and a further increase in data transfer speed only expands the possibilities of navigation in the city.

UNIVERSAL CARDS

Google Maps

Google Maps can display a map in the form of a simple diagram, a diagram with simulated relief and a satellite map. On top of the map you can display the current state of traffic jams, the main routes of public transport and bicycle paths (in Kyiv, the latter, unfortunately, does not function). The service can remember your home and work addresses, as well as places you have visited (linked to date). A useful feature is the ability to download map sections for offline use, with the ability not only to search, but also to plot routes.

Speaking of searching. It works not only at a specific address, but also at points of interest (POI) - names of restaurants, shops, etc., and as a result the user receives not only a point on the map, but also a card of the establishment - with a link to the website, exact address, opening hours, visitor reviews and other information. In addition, in the search you can simply write “restaurant” - and with geolocation turned on, you can get a list of establishments nearby that interest you, indicating the distance to each of them. Next, Google Maps immediately tells you how long the journey will take you and offers to get directions from your current location. Routes can be of three options - for a personal car, for walking and traveling by public transport, and for all of them the user can specify personal preferences (for example, for a car - avoid highways and toll roads). Public transport, which was previously supported rather conditionally in Kyiv, is now implemented almost perfectly - Google Maps immediately offers several options (giving preference to the fastest), indicating the total cost of travel, travel time in current time days and frequency of trains/buses/minibuses. Plus, in the settings you can select your preferred mode of transport, as well as the “minimum number of transfers” and “smallest walking distance” modes. Google Maps also offers navigation (currently in beta testing mode) for walking routes and trips by car - with step-by-step tips, voice recommendations, etc., plus another one works in close conjunction with maps Google service— Street View, which allows you to view spherical photo panoramas of the point you are interested in on the map.

In general, Google Maps for Ukraine turns out to be a very convenient and informative reference book, but in some cases it may have inaccuracies (such as a missing house number) and various minor “irregularities” - for example, recently when building a route in Kyiv using several branches metro Google Maps began to offer to get off at the transfer station and walk to the next line.

Yandex maps

The main competitor of Google Maps in our area, which periodically turns out to be more accurate due to better “terrain binding”, however, is noticeably inferior in terms of building routes by public transport.

The map here can be presented in the form of a diagram, a satellite map, or a “hybrid” version. There is a display of traffic jams and accidents on the roads (the latter can be added by users themselves using a special item right there in the menu). It is possible to download maps for offline use (but not the area selected on the screen, as in Google Maps, but by city names, only by this moment just over 200 maps are available) - recently, Yandex.Maps received support for vector maps, so a complete map of Kyiv, for example, takes up less than 50 MB. The user can add his home and work addresses, as well as maintain “favorites” lists - for example, favorite restaurants, entertainment venues, etc.

“Yandex.Maps” support voice search, they can search not only by a specific address, but also by points of interest, and simply words like “gas station” or “ATM”, showing results found near you - with a card of the establishment, phone/website, street panorama and the ability to plot a route. To make the task easier, Yandex.Maps offers a list of predefined categories (hotels, bars, car washes, etc.), with the ability to filter the results (for restaurants, for example, you can specify the type of cuisine, select only those currently open and offering delivery food to take home, etc.). Recently, Yandex.Maps has received support for offline search, not only for a specific address, but also for points of interest.

Yandex.Maps also has route planning, but it is implemented noticeably weaker than Google Maps - there is no pedestrian mode at all, and for public transport there are literally a couple of options (or even just one), without any possibility its settings. If previously the option “take into account traffic jams” was available (which in Kyiv realities meant, in fact, “the predominant mode of transport is the metro”), now it has disappeared somewhere. For a trip by personal car, in most cases, from one to three options are also given, taking into account the state of traffic on the roads - the user is offered a route option, which in the browser version of Yandex.Maps corresponds to the “avoiding traffic jams” settings.

A popular application for navigation around the world, known to many users of Nokia smartphones, which is now available for Android, where it is also popular with users (more than 5 million installations in Google Play). There is both a schematic map and satellite map, information on road traffic is available for 40 countries, and urban transport traffic patterns are available for 1000 cities. For airports and large shopping centers, 3D interior plans are available (which are also available for some Kyiv establishments, for example, Karavan and Skymall).

HERE Maps can work without an Internet connection - for this you will need to download offline maps, and both search and navigation will be available (but for information about traffic jams, of course, you will still need online access). The cards turn out to be quite “heavy” - for example, only one option is available for Ukraine (the entire country), which is almost 2 GB.

You can use the application without registration, however full functionality(downloading offline maps, creating collections) available after creation account in HERE Maps (or login to the service using Facebook).

The search works not only by address, but also by various points of interest - the user can either enter a text query or select a category of interest from the proposed list. For the establishments found, a card with basic information is available (address, telephone, website, user reviews on TripAdvisor), and in one click you can get various route options - for traveling by car, public transport or walking. For a personal car, you can enable/disable the use of highways, tunnels, dirt roads, etc.; for urban transport and walking routes, no settings are provided. Useful feature application is to create a link to your home address - this adds an icon to the upper right corner of the map (and at the same time creates a shortcut on your home desk), and by clicking on it, the program will automatically create a route from your current location to your home.

MAPS.ME

Navigation application from My.com (a subsidiary of Mail.ru, responsible for the international market). The application is available for Android, iOS and Blackberry, and allows you to download maps for offline use (a complete map of Ukraine weighs a little more than 300 MB).

MAPS.ME is based on the free OpenStreetMap, populated by a community of enthusiasts like a wiki. Accordingly, the map turns out to be detailed (with ATMs, parking lots, pharmacies and much more - including, for example, the location of enclosures in a zoo or benches in a park), but not complete and not always up-to-date - it may not contain establishments that have existed for years, and if in place If a store or company is closed, a new restaurant has opened, which means that there is a possibility that such a sign change will not be made on the map. The establishment card turns out to be extremely minimalist - in general, it will only contain the name, type (office/restaurant/bank, etc.), exact coordinates, distance from the current location, the ability to plot a route and (often, but not always) - web -website.

MAPS.ME can be used for navigation, but only for traveling by car or walking - there is no support for urban transport in the application (although stops are marked on the map). In addition, the process of constructing a route, which in other applications turns out to be almost instantaneous, here turns out to be quite lengthy (especially a pedestrian crossing, which can “perplex” the program for several minutes). Voice navigation is available (up to two dozen languages ​​are supported, but Ukrainian is not among them), it is possible to import markers on the map via a KML/KMZ file.

NAVIGATORS

Visicom Navigator

A well-known program for navigating around Ukraine, which has become absolutely free since July 2015. However, the change in the distribution model does not seem to have had the best effect on support: since then the application has not been updated even once; date last update maps - April 2015. At the same time, Visicom offers a really very detailed map, albeit not the latest one - all settlements (about 30 thousand), more than 170 thousand points of interest.

In our case (LG G3 with Android 6.0), the program took an indecently long time to launch - exactly a minute (accurate to a fraction of a second), and the card itself noticeably slowed down in 3D mode. The interface is optimized for use in a car - full-screen mode, large menu items the size of a quarter of the screen, etc. Unfortunately, there is no voice control.

The main point on the main screen is plotting a route - either with manual selection of an address, or from travel history, or by points of interest (hotels, medicine, shops, etc. - almost two dozen categories in total, with ten in each of them, or even two, subcategories), or by exact coordinates. At the same time, you can specify the location - the nearest ones, along the route, near its end, or near a user-specified point on the map. Unlike a number of other navigators that plot a route only between two points, Visicom allows you to use an unlimited number of points, as well as recalculate the route if you deviate from the plotted course. In addition, the application can show some traffic signs, warn about CCTV cameras and when approaching a populated area.

NavLux Navigator

Navigation software available for both mobile platforms (Android, iOS, Windows Mobile), as well as for specialized navigators produced by Garmin and Kenwood. Only Ukraine is supported, but the map is very detailed (almost 300 thousand points of interest, 95% of the urban population of Ukraine, more than 600 thousand km of road network). For the application to work, the map must be downloaded, full version will handle 2 GB (two separate versions are available, in Ukrainian and Russian), but it is possible to download separately by region.

The route can be laid either by specific addresses or by using a database of points of interest - you can select them from a catalog or see what is located near you. A route simulation may be a useful function - in this mode, the navigator will demonstrate the entire trip (in a slightly accelerated mode), with all voice prompts, etc.

During the trip, the navigator can display statistics (distance traveled, maximum/minimum speeds, etc.), warn about speeding on the current section of the road; when laying navigation, you can set the parameters “avoid dirt roads”, “avoid U-turns”, “search the fast way." In large cities, NavLux Navigator can help with lane selection when crossing intersections and can plot routes taking into account time constraints.

NavLux Navigator is a shareware application; you can use it for evaluation purposes for 7 days without purchasing a license. Next, you will need to purchase a subscription for a year, which, depending on the platform, will cost around 200-400 UAH.

Yandex.Navigator

In addition to maps, Yandex offers several more specialized applications. Thus, Yandex.Navigator is a full-fledged application for car navigation, with a three-dimensional map, “navigator” tips in different languages, and voice search (for some reason, rarely found in other applications of this kind). When building a route, Yandex.Navigator can take into account traffic jams (which works here clearly better than in Google Maps) and road accidents (which can be reported by users themselves), suggesting that you go around the problem area. The application can download maps for offline use, but without Internet access it cannot find the required address or get directions (if you manually specify the desired point on the map or select an address from a saved list).

URBAN TRANSPORT

WikiRoutes

A freely editable guide to urban transport (support is declared for 1000 cities from 20 countries, in which WikiRoutes knows about more than 30 thousand routes). The project is supported by a community of enthusiasts (in total there are about 5,000 contributors among the editors), its main website is located at http://wikiroutes.info/.

WikiRoutes is powered by Google Maps, so the detail and accuracy is the same as Google Maps. To search for an address, Google's voice input is used, but in our case for some reason it did not work - the recognition window simply closed after pronouncing the phrase.

WikiRoutes' functionality is not very high: when building a route, the program, in addition to directly searching for an address, can substitute the current location or an option from pre-saved addresses, and to optimize the route, you can exclude certain types of transport. Unfortunately, normal search There is no address - it is only valid for building a route, so you will have to “poke” the map to save places in your Favorites. Also, you cannot select your preferred modes of transport, plus in WikiRoutes there is no grouping of identical routes using different buses/trolleybuses - so the search result will be oversaturated with essentially identical options, differing only in the numbers of minibuses on this or that section. Also, the program clearly lacks filtering or at least sorting by the parameters “least number of transfers” and “least walking distance” - the result is sorted by only one parameter (travel time), and WikiRoutes seems to offer all imaginable options, including even frankly uneconomical.

In addition, the program contains a directory - a catalog sorted by type of transport (buses/minibuses/trolleybuses, etc.), in which you can view information about any route in your city - fare, final stops, route and interval.

EasyWay public transport

The application works in almost a dozen neighboring countries; in Ukraine it knows more than fifty main cities (for 12 of them it is possible to obtain data in real time).

To get started, it is suggested to download information about transport in your city - for Kyiv this is almost half a thousand different routes. EasyWay uses Google maps, allows you to add addresses to Favorites, and can show stops near your location (and the user can manually set the search radius in the settings). When planning a route, the user can use the “with or without transfers” option, disable unfavorite modes of transport and select the type of route - optimal (shortest distance), fast or cheap. The list of proposed options immediately indicates the length of the route, travel time and fare.

The program has a separate guide to routes with detailed information(start/end, stops on the route, fare, distance, interval, opening hours and even the name of the carrier with his phone number). In this mode, you can see the position of cars on the route in real time (if they are equipped with GPS, of course) - but for some reason only in this; neither on the general map, nor even on the map of the laid route there is such information, which looks somewhat strange.

The program is free, an advertising banner is displayed at the bottom of the screen on the map of the selected route, and when building a route, full-screen advertising is displayed.

Yandex.Transport

Another application from Yandex for city navigation, this time using public transport. However, in reality its functionality turns out to be almost the same as that of Yandex.Maps, with the exception of displaying in real time the location of buses, trolleybuses, trams and minibuses (provided that they are equipped with GPS, of course - unfortunately , Kiev minibuses are still not doing well with this, to put it mildly). Let us immediately note that, along with the absolutely correct display of transport on the route, with an error of plus or minus 50 meters, situations were observed when the map showed a bus passing by you, which in reality was not observed in the line of sight zone. In addition, you can add the routes you need to your favorites and switch to displaying only the selected transport on the map. Yandex.Transport has the same disadvantages - the minimum number of options offered (usually no more than two), the lack of filtering or sorting by travel time/number of transfers, the inability to use qualifying factors such as the preferred mode of transport.

Results

Of the universal applications, we would recommend trying first maps from Google and Yandex - they are quite familiar with local realities and offer convenient search by points of interest, public transport, etc. At the same time, Google Maps stands out due to its convenient navigation system using public transport and is able to build walking routes. From car navigators For Ukrainian roads, we recommend first of all paying attention to the free Yandex.Navigator or Visicom Navigator. If they don’t work, then you should try NavLux Navigator - it offers a very detailed map of Ukraine, but it’s worth considering that the full version of the application is not cheap. If you are going to travel outside of Ukraine, try HERE Maps - its capabilities will most likely be more than enough for your trip.

How to enable voice search

How to start voice search

How to change the settings for the "Ok Google" command

Launching the "Hey Google" feature

• Access via Voice Match And On any screen
  If the screen is unlocked or your phone is charging, you can activate Assistant on any screen. Please note that this feature may interfere with other voice-controlled applications.
• Driving a car
  Use the "Ok Google" command when you have open Google Maps or running Android Auto.
• Always on
  Use the "Hey Google" command regardless of whether the screen is on.

Lock screen settings

• Unlocking with Voice Match
  This feature allows you to issue commands and open websites using the "Ok Google" command. You won't need to unlock your device if it recognizes your voice.
• Personal results
  Personalized search results will be shown even if the device is locked.

Sample voice with the command "Ok Google"

• Re-record voice sample
  Try creating a new sample if Google can't recognize your voice. If you don't have this feature, make sure the Access with Voice Match, Any Screen, and Always On settings are enabled.
• Delete voice sample
  You can delete a voice sample recorded on your device.

How to remove voice samples with the "Ok Google" command

When you set up Voice Match in Assistant settings, voice samples are saved in your Google account. If you wish, you can remove them from there.

How to use voice commands

How Google remembers your favorite apps

If you don't name the app (for example, just say "Scan Receipt"), you'll be asked to select an app from a list. After you repeat this a few times, Google will remember which app you're using and will open it right away.

If you want a clarifying question to appear every time:

The application will not launch automatically, but will appear in search results first (this may take a few minutes).

Where can you use voice search?

Feature supported on English language in Australia, Great Britain, India, Ireland, Canada, Singapore, USA and South Africa.