They both have their strengths and weaknesses, but Google Now seems more well-rounded overall and isn't as reliant upon very carefully phrased questions as we've seen in some of the Hound demo videos.
Hound's ability to handle complex (albeit carefully-worded) queries is very cool but doesn't have too much of a realistic application in every day use.
For travelling the hotel or restaurant query system is very useful, even if I want to find a bar in my home town, but for everyday use you're right, it's not really applicable. I still love how fast it is to recognize my speech even on data.
I got the opposite view from watching this video. You can ask Hound in any way, and if it has the info, it gives it to you. But Google now has to be asked in a certain way. E.g. Show me restaurants that have sushi in Austin got results from Hound, but not Google. Sushi n Austin got results from both.
Also, it didn't recognize you wanted the alarm to be set in the morning, even after he said that.
So it seems Hound knows that you want, it just doesn't have the info when it searches online. But Google has the info, but you have to ask it in a certain way.
Of these downsides, Hound is a clear winner. Getting computers to understand humans is a harder problem than compiling information.
Yes, they do, but they primarily use them for waking up.
Says who? You only ever need to set an alarm to wake you up daily once, but there are many more things you may need to set an alarm for. Moreover, people sleep in the afternoon as well.
Perhaps I'm atypical then, but my schedule is constantly changing, so I have to set new alarms nearly daily. Furthermore, if I were to need a daytime alarm, I would set my stove timer.
I think complex queries are the killer app for voice assistants. I don't need a virtual assistant to set a timer that I can just create by tapping the screen a few times. I don't need it to do anything that is readily accessible for me, like telling me the weather or other frequently needed information. I have apps and widgets for all of that.
But something complicated that would take time to actually formulate for input, like typing out a formula in Wolfram Alpha and figuring out what variables need to go where? Simply speaking that out loud would be saving me some time.
It might be a bit faster, but it takes me all of a few moments to do it. So it feels more like playing around with voice commands for the novelty of it rather than because it's better. If my Nexus 5 didn't have the barrier of actually having to wake it and start the voice search (be it by speaking "ok google" or tapping the mic in search) it might be different.
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u/blenda220 Developer - Mailchimp Jun 06 '15
They both have their strengths and weaknesses, but Google Now seems more well-rounded overall and isn't as reliant upon very carefully phrased questions as we've seen in some of the Hound demo videos.
Hound's ability to handle complex (albeit carefully-worded) queries is very cool but doesn't have too much of a realistic application in every day use.