What’s The Best Smartphone? Google’s New iOS Search App Says Decide For Yourself
Got the new Google Search app on your iPhone or iPad? Here’s a trick. Ask it, “What’s the best smartphone?” The app will politely decline to say. The app will reply in one of two ways that I’ve found: “No one phone is right for everyone.” “You’ll have to decide for yourself.” Don’t have the […]
Got the new Google Search app on your iPhone or iPad? Here’s a trick. Ask it, “What’s the best smartphone?” The app will politely decline to say.
The app will reply in one of two ways that I’ve found:
“No one phone is right for everyone.”
“You’ll have to decide for yourself.”
Don’t have the app? Here’s a video I made with both answers:
[youtube width=”560″ height=”420″]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYH18JUFy04[/youtube]
I’m guessing that Google decided to avoid an embarrassment Apple had earlier this year, when Siri was found to be suggesting phones other than the iPhone as the best.
Actually, Siri wasn’t doing this. It was Wolfram Alpha, when Siri was tapping into it, and only when asked in a particular manner. In turn, Wolfram Alpha was using a Best Buy list that didn’t weight ratings by number of reviews.
For the background on all that, see our past articles below:
- Apple Siri’s Recommending Nokia? Then Nokia’s Recommending Android & iPhone, I Guess
- With Fix In Place, Wolfram Alpha Explains How Siri “Recommended” The Lumia By Mistake
Ask Siri “what’s the best smartphone,” and she’ll suggest it’s the iPhone that you’re holding. Her jokey responses have been part of Siri since the product was first shipped last year (no, they weren’t recently added):
Siri’s answers are above. Google, shown next to Siri, gives a verbal reply that avoids playing favorites. As for the search results that Google does show, those are topped by CNET’s list of best smartphones, where the iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S3 are tied, both rated as editors’ choices.
Found any other “easter eggs” like this in the Google Search app? No doubt some are hidden. Let us know in the comments below!
Postscript: Via Marsha Collier, try asking “How much wood a woodchuck would chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood” to hear the Google Search app give you an answer probably faster than you asked the question.
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