Siri, Cortana, Google Now... Everyone knows these names today. Voice assistants from the world's leading smartphone manufacturers are gaining popularity among users today. They are already trying to find out who is cooler... But are these assistants really applicable in our Everyday life? Naturally, the lack of support for the Russian language greatly limits their ability to Russian speaking users. But is that all there is to it?
It seems to me that if voice as an interaction interface is so flexible, then the voice assistant should have the same flexibility. It should have many settings that allow you to customize any function, and GUI he doesn't need it at all. Except for those same settings.
The Russian voice assistant Dusya is developing exactly along this path! Dusya came out a few days ago, but immediately won the hearts of many users. Largely due to the fact that they themselves usersparticipate on a special forum in its creation and improvement every day, putting forward their suggestions, ideas and finding errors.
Look what Dusya can do practically out of the box!
How is Dusya different from the rest? Not only because she understands Russian and at the same time can work offline.
This is not a search engine, not an encyclopedia, or a chatbot. She won't try to "communicate" with you. She clearly follows only those commands that she has been trained to use.. But she really has a lot of them. There are as many as there are various settings that allow you to customize any function to suit your device and your personal preferences.
But the most important thing is Dusya’s no interface. Yes, there is a widget, but the main way to interact with it is through various methods of activation by voice, wave of the hand, shaking the phone, putting it to the ear, automatically on the lock screen, from the headset button and simply by clicking on the notification in the status bar.
At the same time she Doesn't take up a single inch of your display.It runs in the background all the time and integrates with many popular third party applications, with the help of which it executes your commands.
Yes, and more she knows how to study and, like all of us, listens to music In contact with!
Moreover, if Dusya doesn’t understand something, she will always ask you “What to do with this?”, and you can guide her by saying only part of the command that you see in the hint. Dusya seems to add the next logical iteration to the command just executed.
You can simply dictate the text of the SMS message, and when Dusya asks “What is this?”, not understanding what to do with the entered text, command “Send this to Vasya!” The message you dictated will go from Vasya’s address book to his mobile phone.
Or, for example, say “Next season.” It is clear that the context of this phrase is so incomplete that you cannot definitely say what you meant. Then to Dusya’s question you can answer “This is such a hypermarket.” And when Dusya starts looking for it on the map, she will additionally remember for herself the new name of one of the objects of the “type” shop“. So the next time you say “Where is the season?”, Dusya will immediately begin to look for the nearest option on the map (whichever is more convenient for you - select in the settings).
In her work, Dusya uses speech recognition Google, so it happens that it returns to Dusya not exactly what you said. For such cases she has synonyms. This alternative names or names that you can assign, for example, to some contacts that are difficult to recognize or applications. Then Dusya will always know what you meant.
There are a lot of settings, and only by understanding them can you get a truly working voice application at your disposal.
A voice assistant is not a chatbot. Its function is to help you do something on the device without touching the screen or being distracted by the phone itself. What can I say - Dusya runs quickly even on a Chinese Android watch for 5 thousand rubles. and does an excellent job:
Assistant Dusya is just beginning its journey, offering all Android users a new look at this type of program. And we, users and developers, together can make a tool that is truly useful in everyday life!
In 2011, Apple made a new revolution - their smartphone spoke. The appearance of Siri marked a new era of gadget control. People were able to contact their gadgets like a person, asking them for important (and not so important) information. Weather, reminders and the latest mail can now be found without moving from application to application. Naturally, other technology companies and smartphone manufacturers could not stand aside and decided to show similar solutions, to varying degrees better or worse than Siri. In this article we’ll talk about the best Siri analogues for Android, how far progress has been made and what these analogues are capable of.
Google Now
Despite the fact that Google Now is different from other voice assistants, it is still considered an analogue of Siri for Android. Google Now is an artificial intelligence that lives in your phone, knowing everything about your interests, activities, upcoming flights and calendar events. In addition to the secretary function, Google Now does an excellent job of searching for information on the Web. The OK Google team has already become a cult favorite and helps millions of people find answers to their questions every day. Google Now can collect your search queries and based on them, display relevant information. For example, you were recently looking for tickets to a match of your favorite team. In this case, Google Now will start sending you cards with information about the upcoming game, the team's other games, and their progress in the tournament.
Google Assistant
"Assistant" is new stage development of Google Now. This is Siri for Android at its best. The assistant is not just smarter than its predecessor, but also much more functional. You can use it to create reminders, calendar events, and send messages. Want to hit rock on the way to work? Ask the “Assistant” to play you the TOP best tracks in the genre and he will create the perfect playlist for you.
Don't understand what the word is written on the sign? Ask the “Assistant” to translate it into your language, because he is an excellent linguist and knows more than 100 languages.
Is this not enough? The "Assistant" will help you communicate in instant messengers, choosing words, dates and contact information for you when asked. And the “Assistant” can joke, tell a story, or give advice on where it’s best to put the cabinet.
Cortana
Microsoft has recently become famous for its endless (and unsuccessful) attempts to catch up with its opponents, introducing similar functions into its devices and competitors' gadgets. Microsoft did not hesitate to make some kind of analogue of Siri for Android. Her name is Cortana (this is a reference to one of the characters in the game Halo). In fact, this assistant is almost no different from its competitors. Microsoft made an attempt to sit on two chairs at once, therefore the interface has smart cards that adapt to a specific user, and a humane interlocutor, creating a feeling of live communication.
In fact, the assistant is not very smart; she will have to provide almost all the information manually. She is unlikely to ever find out your interests and desires, if only because for this you need to use Microsoft services and no others. On the other hand, if you spend some time with Cortana and teach it, it begins to send very useful notifications, for example, showing inexpensive restaurants near you, the latest movies showing in cinemas in your city. Cortana will also remind you of your shopping list when you approach a store or show you the weather forecast for the coming week.
Bixby
The one who really should have copied the ideas of competitors a long time ago was Samsung. In 2017, together with the Galaxy S8, Korean engineers showed us their own developments in the field of artificial intelligence, which they called unusual name Bixby. Interestingly, Bixby is not just an analogue of Siri for Android. This is a whole complex of self-learning services, ready to give hints throughout the day and find useful information. The functionality isn't much different from Google Assistant and Siri itself, so let's talk about the important differences.
First, Bixby understands context and has cognitive tolerance. That is, if you asked him who Marlon Brando was, and then what films he starred in, without mentioning his name, then Bixby, after analyzing your dialogue, will understand who you are talking about. Secondly, Bixby can search for information from the camera. This means that you just need to point it at some thing or object - and Bixby will immediately tell you everything the Internet knows about it.
"Yandex. Alice"
Well, the last analogue of “Siri” for “Android” in Russian is “Alice”. Yandex had long been developing the idea of artificial intelligence and speech recognition, so it was clear that sooner or later such a project would see the light of day. Alice can do everything that other assistants can, but at the same time she is adapted to the Russian market and searches for information in Yandex services. Alice, like Bixby, understands context, but only in some topics. In most cases, she can only answer one question. Alice can sing a song for you or make a funny joke if you get bored, or she can search for important information in Wikipedia without forcing you to go to the search and the article itself. There were some mistakes in pronunciation, but taking into account the fact that Yandex is still a domestic company, you can be sure that all the shortcomings will be quickly corrected.
There is a voice assistant Siri, the analogue of which was absent in Android for a long time. Today we want to tell you how you can replace the Apple assistant on almost any modern smartphone, operating under the control of a “green robot”.
It should be noted that it is impossible to install Siri specifically on Android: this assistant is exclusive to Apple devices. However, for devices running Google's OS, there are many alternatives, both integrated into a particular shell and third-party ones that can be installed on almost any phone or tablet. Let's talk about the most functional and convenient of them.
Method 1: Yandex Alice
Of all similar applications the closest to Siri in terms of functionality is “Alice” - an assistant based on neural networks from the Russian IT giant Yandex. Installation and configuration of this assistant is carried out as follows:
- Find and open the app on your phone.
- Tap on the search bar, write in the text field "Alice" and press "Enter" on keyboard.
- From the list of results, select "Yandex - with Alice".
- On the application page, familiarize yourself with its capabilities, then click "Install".
- Wait while the application is downloaded and installed.
- After installation is complete, find the shortcut in the application menu or on one of the desktops "Yandex" and click on it to launch.
- In the start window, read the license agreement available at the link, then click on the button "Get Started".
- To start using the voice assistant, click on the button with the Alice symbol in the program’s working window.
A chat with the assistant will open, where you can work in the same way as with Siri.
Alice's undeniable advantage over her competitors is direct communication with the user, just like Siri. The assistant's functionality is quite extensive, and each update brings new features. Unlike competitors, Russian is the native language for this assistant. A partial drawback can only be considered the tight integration of Alice with Yandex services, since separately from them the voice assistant is not only useless, but also completely inaccessible.
Note: Using Yandex Alice for users from Ukraine is fraught with difficulties due to the blocking of the company's services. As an alternative, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with a brief overview the most popular programs For voice control by phone, the link to which is provided at the end of the article, or use the following methods.
Method 2: Google Assistant
Assistant – rethought and qualitatively improved Google version Now, available on most Android devices. You can communicate with this assistant not only by voice, but also by text, sending him messages with questions or tasks and receiving an answer or solution. Recently (July 2018), Google Assistant received support for the Russian language, after which automatic mode began to replace its predecessor on compatible devices (Android 5 and higher). If this does not happen or voice Google search for some reason was missing or was disabled on your device, you can install and activate it manually.
Note: On smartphones and tablets that do not have Google Services, as well as on those devices with custom (unofficial) firmware installed, you will not be able to install and run this application.
- Follow the above link or enter the name of the application in the search bar, then click "Install".
Note: If on the page with the assistant application it says "Not available in your country", needs to be updated Google Services Play yourself Play Store. Alternatively, you can try "cheat the system" and use a VPN client - this often helps.
- Wait for the application to install and launch it by clicking "Open".
- In our example, the Assistant is ready to work immediately after launch (since the regular voice assistant from Google was already configured before it. In other cases, you may need to configure it and “accustom” the virtual assistant to your voice and command "OK Google"(this will be discussed in more detail later in the article). Additionally, you may need to grant necessary permissions, including microphone and location permissions.
Once setup is complete, Google Assistant will be ready to use. You can call it not only using a voice command, but also by holding the button for a long time "Home" on any of the screens. On some devices, a shortcut also appears in the application menu.
The virtual assistant is closely interconnected with operating system components, proprietary and even third party software. In addition, it not only surpasses the “enemy” Siri in intelligence, ease of use and functionality, but also “knows” our site.
Method 3: Google Voice Search
Almost all smartphones with operating Android system, with the exception of those intended for the Chinese market, already contain an analogue of Siri in their arsenal. This is the voice search from Google, and it is also smarter than the Apple assistant. To start using it, follow the steps below.
Note: You may need to update first Google app and related services. To do this, go to the following link and click "Update", if such an option is available.
- Find and launch the Google app on your mobile device. Open its menu by swiping from left to right or by clicking on the three horizontal bars located in the lower right corner (on some versions of the OS - in the upper left).
- Choose a section "Settings", and then go through the points one by one "Voice Search" — "Voice Match".
- Activate the option (or, if available, item "From Google App"), moving the toggle switch to the right of it to the active position.
From now on the opportunity voice search Google called by the command "OK Google" or by clicking on the microphone icon in the search bar, will be available directly from this application. For ease of calling, you can add a Google search widget to your home screen.
Additionally
The Assistant discussed above can be enabled directly from the Google app, provided that the update has already arrived. To do this, do the following:
- In any convenient way, launch the Google application and go to its settings by swiping across the screen from left to right or clicking on the button in the form of three horizontal stripes.
- Next, in the Google Assistant block, select "Settings",
after which you will need to wait a little while for the assistant to automatically configure itself and press twice "Further".
- The next step is in the section "Devices" go to item "Telephone".
- Here, move the switch opposite the item to the active position Google Assistant to activate the ability to call the voice assistant. We also recommend activating the function "Access via Voice Match", so that the Assistant can be called with the command "OK Google" from any screen. Additionally, you may need to record a voice sample and provide some permissions.
Siri, Cortana, Google Now... Everyone knows these names today. Voice assistants from the world's leading smartphone manufacturers are gaining popularity among users today. They are already trying to find out who is cooler... But are these assistants really applicable in our everyday life? Naturally, the lack of Russian language support greatly limits their capabilities for Russian-speaking users. But is that all there is to it?
It seems to me that if voice as an interaction interface is so flexible, then the voice assistant should have the same flexibility. It should have many settings that allow you to customize any function, and it does not need a graphical interface at all. Except for those same settings.
The Russian voice assistant Dusya is developing exactly along this path! Dusya came out a few days ago, but immediately won the hearts of many users. Largely due to the fact that they themselves usersparticipate on a special forum in its creation and improvement every day, putting forward their suggestions, ideas and finding errors.
Look what Dusya can do practically out of the box!
How is Dusya different from the rest? Not only because she understands Russian and at the same time can work offline.
This is not a search engine, not an encyclopedia, or a chatbot. She won't try to "communicate" with you. She clearly follows only those commands that she has been trained to use.. But she really has a lot of them. There are as many as there are various settings that allow you to customize any function to suit your device and your personal preferences.
But the most important thing is Dusya’s no interface. Yes, there is a widget, but the main way to interact with it is through various methods of activation by voice, wave of the hand, shaking the phone, putting it to the ear, automatically on the lock screen, from the headset button and simply by clicking on the notification in the status bar.
At the same time she Doesn't take up a single inch of your display.It runs in the background all the time and integrates with many popular third-party applications, with the help of which it carries out your commands.
Yes, and more she knows how to study and, like all of us, listens to music In contact with!
Moreover, if Dusya doesn’t understand something, she will always ask you “What to do with this?”, and you can guide her by saying only part of the command that you see in the hint. Dusya seems to add the next logical iteration to the command just executed.
You can simply dictate the text of the SMS message, and when Dusya asks “What is this?”, not understanding what to do with the entered text, command “Send this to Vasya!” The message you dictated will go from Vasya’s address book to his mobile phone.
Or, for example, say “Next season.” It is clear that the context of this phrase is so incomplete that you cannot definitely say what you meant. Then to Dusya’s question you can answer “This is such a hypermarket.” And when Dusya starts looking for it on the map, she will additionally remember for herself the new name of one of the objects of the “type” shop“. So the next time you say “Where is the season?”, Dusya will immediately begin to look for the nearest option on the map (whichever is more convenient for you - select in the settings).
In her work, Dusya uses speech recognition Google, so it happens that it returns to Dusya not exactly what you said. For such cases she has synonyms. These are alternative names or names that you can assign, for example, to some contacts that are difficult to recognize or applications. Then Dusya will always know what you meant.
There are a lot of settings, and only by understanding them can you get a truly working voice application at your disposal.
A voice assistant is not a chatbot. Its function is to help you do something on the device without touching the screen or being distracted by the phone itself. What can I say - Dusya runs quickly even on a Chinese Android watch for 5 thousand rubles. and does an excellent job:
Assistant Dusya is just beginning its journey, offering all Android users a new look at this type of program. And we, users and developers, together can make a tool that is truly useful in everyday life!
Siri, Cortana, Alexa, Google Home and other such assistive technologies have made people aware of the amazing applications of artificial intelligence. A virtual assistant will surely make your life more comfortable and fun. You can make your assistant perform your phone tasks while you just sit and relax. It can make your calls, send important emails and even entertain you in your free time.
Unfortunately for Android users no Siri. However, when it comes to apps, there is always an alternative option for Android. In addition to Google Assistant, Play Store There are many other assistant apps for Android. So, we have selected a list of the eight best personal assistants for Android which are reliable and all of them are available in Google Play Store for free.
Note. This list is not in order of preference. You are advised to select the application you prefer.
8 Best Android Apps for 2018
Virtual assistant for Android Google Assistant
Google Assistant is without a doubt the best assistant for Android. Prepared by Google, Assistant is available to almost everyone Android phones, running on Marshmallow, Nougat and Oreo. However, you must ensure that the “Google Play Services” and “Google App” are updated on your device.
He can help you with any task you would prefer. In addition to all the necessary functions such as calling, sending texts, emails, installation alarms and reminders, navigation places, web search, weather reports, news, etc., Google Assistant- it's fun and interesting. You can play games, ask Interesting Facts, take on selfies, play music and much more, including 30+ useful useful voice commands. You can quickly launch it by saying "OK Google" and the assistant will be all ears.
Virtual assistant Lyra
Lyra was previously known as the Indigo virtual assistant, which is an intelligent personal assistant that runs on Android and iOS devices. Apart from the basic assistant functions such as calling, messaging, email, web search, etc., it can also play YouTube videos, tell jokes, translate words and phrases, manage your diary, set alarms, etc. D. is that it is cross-platform and can save the conversation on many devices. This Siri alternative for Android uses advanced natural language processing, so you can expect minimal errors when speaking to it. Overall, Lyra is one of the best personal assistants for Android that is free with no in-app purchases or ads.
Virtual assistant for Android Microsoft Cortana
Microsoft Cortana can help you with reminders, notes, lists, tasks, and more. You can set a reminder on your Windows PC and receive location or time alerts on your smartphone. If you use Office 365 or Outlook.com for Email Cortana can automatically set a reminder based on your email messages.
Cortana can help you with various tasks and help you find answers from the Internet. You can set a custom name with which this Android voice assistant will address you. The app can be activated by creating a shortcut on the home screen or by saying “Hey Cortana.” The app's My Day feature provides you with relevant information every morning, including appointments, news and weather. My Day learns from you and adapts to learn your likes and dislikes. You can even ask Cortana to tell jokes or entertain you with a song.
An app called Notebook has a feature where you can control how much the app learns about you and what offers you'll receive. If you are Windows user 10, you should definitely try this Android assistant app and use its amazing features.
Virtual Assistant for Android Extreme
Extreme was developed for Android to emulate the functionality of Tony Stark's JARVIS from Iron Man. It has a fairly rugged interface, but it is quite reliable. Extreme includes all essential features Android assistant from making calls to surfing the Internet. Users can interact with either natural speech or a keyboard. You can also ask to post Facebook status, play Youtube video, take a suicide bomber, etc. Just launch the app by clicking "Extreme" and it will be ready for your team.
Extreme is free and easy to use. However, it displays ads and has in-app purchases.
DataBot Assistant
DataBot is one of the best apps for Android applications that you can use to play or get various information. You can interact with it either using your device's microphone or by entering text. He will seek you out for what you want to know. DataBot is reliable whether you travel, study, work, play or relax; he can also address you with any of your names. Besides this, it is cross-platform software, meaning you can use the same assistant on your smartphone, tablet and laptop.
DataBot gains experience when used. It's free and also available in five languages other than English. The app contains advertisements and in-app purchases.
Assistant Robin
Robin is a great virtual assistant app for Android that is built as a Siri challenger. It can be of great help to you while you're driving on the road by providing you with the right local information, GPS navigation, in the right direction, traffic updates, etc. Plus, it's fun to use and you can even set it to address you with any name you prefer.
Robin is constantly learning and adapting to you. You can set news, weather reports, set reminders and alarms, make calls, send texts, etc.; and all this can be done hands-free. By simply pressing the microphone button, Robin will be ready to help you. You can also initialize it by saying "Robin" or "waving hi" twice in front of the top edge of your phone above the proximity sensor.
Virtual assistant for Android Jarvis
Jarvis can update its users on large quantities content, for example, informing you about the current weather conditions, latest news, calls, text messages etc. Currently it only supports English. Jarvis can manage your phone's settings to enable Wi-Fi, flash storage, Bluetooth, set alarms, reminders, play music, etc. Apart from this, it has widget support that allows you to access Jarvis from the lock screen with one click. Moreover, it works on your Android device too.
Jarvis Personal Assistant may use advertising and have in-app purchases.
AIVC (Alice)
AIVC stands for Artificial Intelligent Voice Control software, which helps you do this quickly and easily on your Android device. It has a free version and a PRO version. IN free version ads are displayed and includes all the basic features like calls, SMS, emails, opening any apps, navigation, web search, weather reports, etc. While the PRO version gives some additional functions, such as TV-Receiver control, wake-up mode, music playback, etc.
This Google Assistant alternative allows you to set your own commands as well as control devices accessible through the web interface. You can give commands either by typing or by using your voice. It supports English and German languages.
Dragon Mobile Assistant
Dragon Mobile Assistant is a smart and customizable assistant app that will effectively meet your personal needs. The Mobile driver, powered by Nuance, can read aloud your Facebook and Twitter status updates, incoming calls, messages, alerts, and upcoming appointments. Besides the basic functions, you can turn on the attentive mode and wake up your assistant at any time or even create your own voice prints. Additionally, you can choose a voice and create an assistant name.
It is currently only available in the US on the Google Play Store. However, since they add additional languages and options in English This voice assistant will include support for other countries.