We’ve talked already about Apple possibly/presumably launching a television in the not too distant future. If/when it does, Siri, the voice activated artificial intelligence dealy, figures to be a big part of it. Now it looks like Google is trying to be the Khruschev to Apple’s Kennedy and get to that space first.
The LA Times reports on a patent filing very recently made public:
On Sep. 29, 2011 — six days before Apple introduced the iPhone 4S with Siri, the voice-commanded personal assistant app — Google turned in a supplement to a May 19, 2011, filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that described technology that uses remote controls or handheld computers (smartphones and tablets) as an intermediary to tell a TV, by voice, to change the channel or even seek out specific programs. In one example noted by Google in the filing, a user asks his TV, using a remote or smartphone, “When is Seinfeld on?” The listing for Seinfeld would then show up on a TV and on the handheld device.
Google TV in its current form allows for some voice activation/recognition but it’s limited to searching the web. At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, both Samsung and LG revealed voice controlled TVs they hope to have on the market by the end of the year. So who will get there first? And who will get there best? One thing we knows is that everyone will get there soon.
Of course at that point, the question becomes: does anyone want this? Or will it be another 3D TV or video phone that is very exciting in theory but not widely used in practice?
Here’s what it would look like:
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