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Google Working On Siri Competitor Majel
judgecorp writes "Google is working on a competitor to Apple's Siri voice input system. It's an extension to its existing Voice Actions offering with a name that should ring bells. Majel is named after Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, who was the voice of most of the Star Trek on-board computers, as well as playing Nurse Christine Chapel in the first series and being Gene Roddenberry's wife."
Google is shit. All mystique. They are the Microsoft of the new decade.
"Flyin' in just a sweet place,
Never been known to fail..."
It's clear which company is the innovator and which is the copycat:
Apple: "We are redefining the smartphone. This is the new iPhone".
Google: "Me too! I can make one that looks just like that."
Apple: "We're creating Siri, a practical voice controlled AI with a personality."
Google: "Me too! Only without the personality! But yeah, us too, we're doing voice control too! Lookee!"
Seriously, google - do your own thing, don't just copy Apple over and over. It makes you look bad.
There's a big difference between standard search engine queries and the things people ask voice recognition software. Simply owning a search engine doesn't mean you're going to be awesome at understanding human language and delivering results accordingly. That comes through trial-and-error, which is why Apple has a headstart here.