The Android blogs are running wild with the news Google are tinkering with the greenman’s answer to the iPhone 4S’ Siri – codenamed Majel – tipped for release early 2012.
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Borrowing the name from Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, Star Trek’s federation computer voice, Google are to make the system based on more natural language algorithms, meaning it would recognise our ‘G’Day Mate’ greetings or possibly know what we mean when we say ‘fair dinkum.’
Although Android has had voice searches since its birth 4 years ago, Majel would replace the current Voice Actions software and concentrate more on natural tongues.
But Google are taking some inspiration from Trekkie, says Android boffins.
“Our approach is more like Star Trek, right, starship Enterprise; every piece of computing surface, everything is voice-aware. It’s not that there’s a personality, it doesn’t have a name, it’s just Computer,” says Google’s Matias Duarte, Director of Android OS User Experience.
“And you can talk to it and you can touch it, you can interact with it at the same time as you talk with it. It’s just another way to interface with the computer.”
Apple’s Siri recently had an update, after complaints it did not understand Australians and other English tongues outside the US.
Google X, its ideas lab, are said to be working around the clock on the project so expect Majel beta early next year, reports Android Me.
Early version of Majel are said to focus on Google searches only, however.
Siri, Apple’s voice activated personal assistant gained cult status when unleashed via the iPhone 4S in October, and offers the answer to everything from “get me a taxi” to “where is the nearest bakery?”.
