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Android challenges Siri and wipes the floor with it



Husty

Mooderator
Oct 18, 2008
11,998
fair play. this is the problem with the stupid US patent system, obstructs thing that have been done before simply because no one has challenged the patent. Samsung could side step this issue around the voice component by not shiping with the software and offering it as an app. probably wont appliy outside US either (no software patents in EU)

Apple don't want to go after Android directly by suing Google because they hold too many of the cards so they do it indirectly by going after the manufacturers instead.
 




Bozza

You can change this
Helpful Moderator
Jul 4, 2003
57,327
Back in Sussex
fair play. this is the problem with the stupid US patent system, obstructs thing that have been done before simply because no one has challenged the patent. Samsung could side step this issue around the voice component by not shiping with the software and offering it as an app. probably wont appliy outside US either (no software patents in EU)

That's incorrect. Without having to even look it up, I can tell you there have been Apple v Android patent cases in both Germany and Holland in the recent past. There may be others.
 


Worthingite

Sexy Pete... :D
Sep 16, 2011
4,966
Chesterfield
That's incorrect. Without having to even look it up, I can tell you there have been Apple v Android patent cases in both Germany and Holland in the recent past. There may be others.

Is your real name Tim Cook, or are you Steve Jobs' ghost?? :D Never come across a more Apple centric person in my life lol :D
 


Bozza

You can change this
Helpful Moderator
Jul 4, 2003
57,327
Back in Sussex
Is your real name Tim Cook, or are you Steve Jobs' ghost?? :D Never come across a more Apple centric person in my life lol :D

What's Apple-centric about that? I pay little attention to the patent disputes as it is clearly ridiculous and completely out of control, but it does get brief mentions on some of the podcasts I listen to which is how I know about the courts of Germany and Holland hosting patent fights of late. As I say - there may be others - I don't intentionally look out for it.
 


Is your real name Tim Cook, or are you Steve Jobs' ghost?? :D Never come across a more Apple centric person in my life lol :D

Bit of an obvious attempt to deflect attention from an informed response! Bozza is unashamedly an Apple fan but is no zealot. His recent Google Nexus thread is an example, and his comments in this thread have been far from sabre-rattling
 




Worthingite

Sexy Pete... :D
Sep 16, 2011
4,966
Chesterfield
What's Apple-centric about that? I pay little attention to the patent disputes as it is clearly ridiculous and completely out of control, but it does get brief mentions on some of the podcasts I listen to which is how I know about the courts of Germany and Holland hosting patent fights of late. As I say - there may be others - I don't intentionally look out for it.

Not the patent disputes specifically, but I have never, in the tech topics I have seen on here, ever seen you either: a) praise an android/google/blackberry/whatever tech, or b) seen you knock an apple product!!!! I'm not having a dig! Just curious as to what is so special about Apple - I've got an Asus tablet that IMO rocks the socks off an iPad, and soon I hope to get a Galaxy III based on the opinion it can do "more" than an iPhone (admittedly it can do "more" on the basis that it will link better with another android product). I just find (again, IMO) that Apple is overpriced for what it is, and relies on brand loyalty more than it's technical prowess.
 




beorhthelm

A. Virgo, Football Genius
Jul 21, 2003
36,031
That's incorrect. Without having to even look it up, I can tell you there have been Apple v Android patent cases in both Germany and Holland in the recent past. There may be others.

on hardware and design, vs Samsung i believe. probably saying there are no software patents going too far, they are just alot stricter in what qualfies. something to do with maths not being patentable, but all software is in essence maths.
 




Bozza

You can change this
Helpful Moderator
Jul 4, 2003
57,327
Back in Sussex
Not the patent disputes specifically, but I have never, in the tech topics I have seen on here, ever seen you either: a) praise an android/google/blackberry/whatever tech, or b) seen you knock an apple product!!!! I'm not having a dig! Just curious as to what is so special about Apple - I've got an Asus tablet that IMO rocks the socks off an iPad, and soon I hope to get a Galaxy III based on the opinion it can do "more" than an iPhone (admittedly it can do "more" on the basis that it will link better with another android product). I just find (again, IMO) that Apple is overpriced for what it is, and relies on brand loyalty more than it's technical prowess.

Apple products do, generally, retail for a premium price - the much-fabled 'Apple tax'. But you get so, so much for that.

I'm typing this on my MacBook Pro which is a shade over 3 years old now. As much as I'd love one of the new retina display MBPs, I really have no need to change - this is still as slick as it was when it was new. It never needs re-booting, I just 'shut the lid' when I'm done and open it again when I want to use it. It never skips a beat. My experience with PC laptops, and I use one 8-9 hours a day at work (unfortunately) is the complete opposite. Well before three years of ownership you'll have rebuilt the thing several times or you'll just have given up and bought a new one. It needs to be restarted continually including, most annoyingly, almost any time any software is updated. We're not in the 1990s any more.

The iPad is a wonderful, wonderful thing and I've not seen a single report of any merit that concludes that any other tablet has the beating of it. The iPad still is THE tablet marketplace. Android tablets have been so utterly woeful that Google have now taken to bringing their own out (manufactured by Asus) as Samsung, Motorola et al are just not denting the iPad at all. I wrote about the new Nexus 7 the other day and it's clearly a great bit of kit for those looking for a cheap tablet. I've even ordered one. In conjunction with Google's "Project Butter" in Jelly Bean which, supposedly, has finally got rid of most of the lag that they acknowledge has blighted Android - it should do well.

Phones - on the leading edge it seems that Apple and Samsung keep leapfrogging each other now. Modern smartphones of all flavours are incredibly powerful and none of them are bad. Away from that leading edge however and the difference between iOS and Android is stark - Apple really look after their older devices for as long as technically possible, Android devices are largely abandoned. Google are quite embarrassed about this, as they revealed at last year's I/O. Their problem is their handset manufacturers are, Samsung aside, not making any money - how can they afford to ensure they support older devices?

If you've made an investment in either iOS or Android you're likely to stay where you are, and why shouldn't you - you have a familiar interface and some cash invested in apps that you won't want to re-buy.

Away from the pure technical side, the support. Two examples from me...

- My daughter dropped her 6 month old iPod Touch on concrete. It landed face down and smashed the screen. I took it back to Apple to find out the cost of repair. They just gave me a new one there and then and said "tell her to try and not do it again."

- My MBP developed a couple of occasional red pixels a couple of months ago, when it was around 3 years old. I took it back to see the cost of repair and, again, they replaced the whole screen unit - a cost of c£250 - for free. A couple of pixels like that is well within the 'tolerance' for displays and most manufacturers would tell you to live with it.

You'd have to try hard to convince me I'd have received the same exceptional service with Asus or Samsung devices bought from Carphone Warehouse or something.
 


Worthingite

Sexy Pete... :D
Sep 16, 2011
4,966
Chesterfield
Apple products do, generally, retail for a premium price - the much-fabled 'Apple tax'. But you get so, so much for that.

I'm typing this on my MacBook Pro which is a shade over 3 years old now. As much as I'd love one of the new retina display MBPs, I really have no need to change - this is still as slick as it was when it was new. It never needs re-booting, I just 'shut the lid' when I'm done and open it again when I want to use it. It never skips a beat. My experience with PC laptops, and I use one 8-9 hours a day at work (unfortunately) is the complete opposite. Well before three years of ownership you'll have rebuilt the thing several times or you'll just have given up and bought a new one. It needs to be restarted continually including, most annoyingly, almost any time any software is updated. We're not in the 1990s any more.

The iPad is a wonderful, wonderful thing and I've not seen a single report of any merit that concludes that any other tablet has the beating of it. The iPad still is THE tablet marketplace. Android tablets have been so utterly woeful that Google have now taken to bringing their own out (manufactured by Asus) as Samsung, Motorola et al are just not denting the iPad at all. I wrote about the new Nexus 7 the other day and it's clearly a great bit of kit for those looking for a cheap tablet. I've even ordered one. In conjunction with Google's "Project Butter" in Jelly Bean which, supposedly, has finally got rid of most of the lag that they acknowledge has blighted Android - it should do well.

Phones - on the leading edge it seems that Apple and Samsung keep leapfrogging each other now. Modern smartphones of all flavours are incredibly powerful and none of them are bad. Away from that leading edge however and the difference between iOS and Android is stark - Apple really look after their older devices for as long as technically possible, Android devices are largely abandoned. Google are quite embarrassed about this, as they revealed at last year's I/O. Their problem is their handset manufacturers are, Samsung aside, not making any money - how can they afford to ensure they support older devices?

If you've made an investment in either iOS or Android you're likely to stay where you are, and why shouldn't you - you have a familiar interface and some cash invested in apps that you won't want to re-buy.

Away from the pure technical side, the support. Two examples from me...

- My daughter dropped her 6 month old iPod Touch on concrete. It landed face down and smashed the screen. I took it back to Apple to find out the cost of repair. They just gave me a new one there and then and said "tell her to try and not do it again."

- My MBP developed a couple of occasional red pixels a couple of months ago, when it was around 3 years old. I took it back to see the cost of repair and, again, they replaced the whole screen unit - a cost of c£250 - for free. A couple of pixels like that is well within the 'tolerance' for displays and most manufacturers would tell you to live with it.

You'd have to try hard to convince me I'd have received the same exceptional service with Asus or Samsung devices bought from Carphone Warehouse or something.

Thank you (with no sarcasm whatsoever). It's brilliant to have a cogent response and that was a pleasure to read.

I agree absolutely with regards to Apples returns policy. The Mrs had a smashed iPhone and they did exactly the same. No hassle, no quibble, nothing. I would be very interested to see how the Nexus pans out. I'm surprised that Samsung hasn't provoked a price war with Apple, although their business model (i.e pumping out a new model and varient of product constantly) doesn't exactly lend itself to that. Meh.
 


Albion Dan

Banned
Jul 8, 2003
11,125
Peckham
Apples for losers. The end.
I just got back from a holiday where the brother in law insisted on using siri for searching things to do. Hilariously rubbish results.
 
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Mr deez

Masterchef
Jan 13, 2005
3,545
Even working flawlessly, I still wouldn't use any of these functions. S-voice is abysmal.
 


Husty

Mooderator
Oct 18, 2008
11,998

What about the time I asked the guy in the apple store why my brand new iPhone 4 was dropping signal and he told me, and I quote here, "You're holding it wrong." I suppose you'd call that great customer service too? You make it sound like apple are the only company to have ever offered some post-sale support to their customers. What about the thousands of MBPs overheating because Apple used far too much thermal paste inside and got told 'tough' when asking for replacements?
 


Dominoid

Albion fan in Devon
Jan 6, 2011
557
Plymouth, United Kingdom
I feel that we're straying from the point here, which I took to be that Siri is shit and it's even shittier in the UK. The "find me a restaurant/cashpoint/strip club" function seemed to be the best part, and if you try and use it here you get "Sorry, you're not in the US so quite frankly, I couldn't give a shit where you want to go"
 




Scampi

One of the Three
Jun 10, 2009
1,531
Denton
i've had a different experiece with apple customer care than Bozza.. I have a two year old ipod touch and the build quality is poor. Having problems with the on/off buttons and the headphone socket. Contacted apple who weren't interested. It's not like i use it that much and it's been well looked after, no falling out of pockets or being sat on.
 


beorhthelm

A. Virgo, Football Genius
Jul 21, 2003
36,031
... use it here you get "Sorry, you're not in the US so quite frankly, I couldn't give a shit where you want to go"

:lolol: they should do a curt mode. i await being told their is such an app.
 


Bozza

You can change this
Helpful Moderator
Jul 4, 2003
57,327
Back in Sussex
i've had a different experiece with apple customer care than Bozza.. I have a two year old ipod touch and the build quality is poor. Having problems with the on/off buttons and the headphone socket. Contacted apple who weren't interested. It's not like i use it that much and it's been well looked after, no falling out of pockets or being sat on.

Sounds unlucky. I'm interested - how many places do you think would listen to a complaint about a 2 year old product given a 1 year warranty?
 


Bozza

You can change this
Helpful Moderator
Jul 4, 2003
57,327
Back in Sussex
I feel that we're straying from the point here, which I took to be that Siri is shit and it's even shittier in the UK. The "find me a restaurant/cashpoint/strip club" function seemed to be the best part, and if you try and use it here you get "Sorry, you're not in the US so quite frankly, I couldn't give a shit where you want to go"

Firstly - have you watched the video? "wipes the floor with" is, frankly, complete bollocks. I expected to see the Android handset give a quick snappy correct answer whilst the iPhone struggled for ages before returning a load of nonsense. In every situation, there was a sub-second difference in response time between both devices, who both returned a positive result. If Siri was slow, so was Android. If Android was fast, so was Siri. The difference really was negligible.

On the voices themselves - that's a matter of personal opinion but, regardless, neither voice could be considered to be detracting from the function being performed.

Back to your point - Siri doing location stuff in the UK - yes, it doesn't work, but no-one least of all Apple claims it does. Siri in iOS 5 is beta and offers location-y things for the States only.

I think the video illustrates just how far voice control has come - it really is an exciting new interface that we'll probably all be using in a year or two wondering how we coped without it.
 






Max Paper

Sunshiinnnnneeee
Nov 3, 2009
5,784
Testicles
I have money burning a hole in my pocket right now, I'm hovering over 'buy it now' on a brand new iphone 4s contract free deal, £400. I've had my 3GS for 2 years now, I deserve it. If I don't do it now the money will end up being spent on food or petrol or something equally as boring. My question, Shall I do it?
 


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