Now here are not the so great parts.

I used the voice command to set and turn on alarm one.  Worked great.  However, when I tried to turn off alarm 1, it keeped turning on and off alarm 2!  WTH?  Also I just moved into this place so it has a bit of an echo ( I moved from a really small apt so I do not have much) and that seem to through Ivee off a bit. Often I have to walk closer then I think I should have to do get Ivee to understand me. Another annoyance. You can use voice to turn the radio on, but once its one, Ivee will not take anymore commands.  Grrr.  Finally, Ivee seems to think I’m talking to it when I doing something else.  Not even talking?  I was cleaning the fireplace and some how the sounds of cleaning sounded like hello Ivee.  Really odd.

All and all its pretty cool.  It has some uses but I would like a few bugs worked out before I would have it as my main alarm clock.  There is a firmware update that might tweak a few things but I have not had time to install it yet. For this to really change how I think of using an alarm clock, I have to be able to do ALL functions from voice, and since turning on the radio stops all other commands, that is a big negative. And not being able to turn off Alarm 1 with my voice pretty much killed it.  Still, when I get time I will update the firmware and give it another go.  For now it will be a supplement clock for a few weeks.  Lets see just how much I end of using it.

You can get the clock now for $59.99.  Careful though, there are a few versions out there, so pay attention to what you are buying if you do not use the Ivee site.

Here is a list of the commands in case you were curious.

Essentially, this is Google’s answer to Apple’s virtual voice assistant Siri for iOS, which remembers important dates on your calendar, reminds you of appointment times, and allows you to search the web via voice controls. However, Google Now goes a bit above and beyond this concept by taking the data from your daily routine, search history, and other user behavior.

For instance, Google Now will learn your daily commute home. And if there’s particularly congested traffic that would cause you to get home much later, it’ll send you a notification suggesting alternate routes. Another thing it does is update you on restaurants/retail stores as you’re walking past them, provides reviews of those stores, and other recommendations.

I really love the driving aspect of this.  The more I learn about Android 4.1 jelly bean, the more I’m thinking my next phone could be an android.

Robin is focused on answering driving based questions, so asking ‘what is 100 dollars in English pounds’ give you’ that sounds interesting’.  Asking ‘what is the current temperature’ give no reply.  Robin is in beta, so you have to give it a bit of slack.  So right now, it can help with traffic, directions, and finding parking.  Pretty useful. I tried running this on an older Android tablet but it did not see the camera, thus the who hand waving thing did not work. When I clicked on the “I” icon, it told me what is was and said, here is a list of things you can ask me.. then nothing.  Also, I do not know what the OS requirements are, so I guess my mileage has varied.

At the moment, Robin is available in beta across the US, offering features such as local search (including Yelp reviews), navigation, real-time traffic and parking information, gas prices, weather and more. And for those getting bored behind the wheel, Robin can narrate personal Twitter news (with more content reportedly coming soon)

“Today, people still think of a car assistant primarily in terms of navigation,” says Magnifis co-founder/CEO Ilya Eckstein. “But in fact, we don’t use navigation much, as most of the time we know our way around. What we really need in the car is someone to watch out for us as we go and be there when we need… well, just about anything. That, and being able to remain fully connected and empowered behind the wheel. To not miss out on a single important bit of life, even when you are not staring at the screen. And that is exactly what Robin is meant to help us with.”

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jyq-J85vSIQ

I’m not fully convinced though.  Knowing how secretive Apple is, there could be an effort in place for older versions that either this department does not know about, or is simply the official line.  As I pointed out in my previous post, there is money to be made by capturing peoples questions for highly targeted advert services. I have a hard time thinking Apple is willing to leave that money on the table just to try to sell a few more devices.

Another reason I believe Apple could be working on this in the background is the jailbreak efforts.  Many of us, myself included, will be more then happen to install this on our devices once the technological issues and legal issues with porting Siri are worked out. Keep in mind that just because you can place the files on you device does not mean you have the right to. But this legal point may not be enough to stop most people on jailbreak devices which mean Apple could have a whole sub population accessing Siri that is outside of their control or at least create a new cat and mouse game as Apple tries to block older device and jailbreakers find ways to cloak their way back in.

Time will tell of course, but I would in no way say this is the final word on the issue.

{Update} iPhone 4s was released with Siri voice control.  This is a whole new game. However, as best I can tell, I still cannot launch apps from Siri. Still, there are some funny Siri replies.

Only ONCE was I able to get an album to play.  For example, I would say  ‘ play the smiths’.  Not that hard right?  Yet to tried to call someone … twice!  How can you not know the difference between play and call?   “Play Alphaville” never worked, and the four times I tried to call someone, again, it would fail.  I just dont get it.  I do not have an accent, spoke clearly and this thing was worthless… And its not me because I was doing the exact same thing on my Droid and it was getting near 90%.  I ended up using Bing for voice directed map search.  Bing worked just as well as Google Android does.

All I can guess is that since both Bing and Android send wave files back to a server; that is why it works better.  You could argue, well then you do not have voice control access if you do not have network access.  Sure, but at least I’m not randomly dialing people when I try to play music or get a website.

If anyone out there has had better experience then I have please let me know.

Now, Apples does have some tips to make it better, all of these I already know..

Using the microphone

• Use the microphone on your headset. With iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and iPod touch (4th generation), you can also use the built-in microphone. You can also use a Bluetooth headset, or a compatible Bluetooth car-kit.
• For best results when you’re using headphones with a built-in microphone, let the cord with the built-in microphone hang freely. Avoid holding the cord with the microphone or bringing it closer to your mouth. When the headphones are in your ear and the cord dangles freely, the microphone is in the optimum position.
• For best results when you’re using the built-in microphone on iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, hold the device as if you were on a telephone call. If holding the device in front of yourself, you can hold it up to 12 inches away with the built-in microphone facing you.
• You can use the built-in microphone on iPod touch (4th generation) by holding the device in front of you, as if making a FaceTime call.
• If you are using a carrying case and experiencing some issues with Voice Control, the microphone may be blocked. Try removing the carrying case.

When to speak

• After you press and hold the Home button, you will be prompted by an audible tone to speak a command.
• When using a Bluetooth headset, press and hold the “call” button until the Voice Control screen appears.
• Always wait until the prompt is complete before you start speaking. Any words you speak while the device is giving the prompt will be ignored.
• Be ready to speak when the beep has completed. Long pauses may cause unexpected results.

For voice dialing (iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS only)

• Some short names may be too similar and may be hard to distinguish by themselves. For best results with these kinds of names, try saying both the first and last name.
• If you’re having difficulties getting the device to recognize a particular name, try editing the contact, tap Add Field, and add a unique nick name.
• Avoid possessive names. Instead of saying “call Frank’s mobile” try “call Frank on his mobile.”

For FaceTime

• Some short names may sound too similar to each other, making them hard to distinguish by themselves. For best results with these names, try saying both the first and last name.
• If you’re having difficulty getting the device to recognize a particular name, try editing the contact: Tap Add Field and add a unique nickname.
• Avoid possessive names. Instead of saying “FaceTime Frank’s mobile,” try “FaceTime Frank on his mobile.”

For music playback

• You can play all songs in an album, playlist, or by an artist. The device will not recognize commands to play a particular song.
• If you can’t get the device to recognize the album or artist name, try telling it to play a particular playlist.
• If an artist has “The” in the name, make sure you say it.

Its not perfect thought. When you use voice activation sometimes sound will only come out of the speakers. If you kill multi tasking that normally takes care of it.  I have not downloaded the update so even that bug could be taken care of.

Now what I have been trying to get to work; and I admit I have not put too much time into this, is the use voice to call up a map, then use voice to get dragon dictation to populate the search field. If anyone figures that out please let me know!

More once I have played with it a bit more.  Video below..

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrVgvTgyUs8