The new iPhone 4s comes with a feature that is bound to impact how search marketers try to reach iPhone users. Siri, the voice recognition app that comes standard with the new iPhone, can be used to control text messaging and reminders inside the device. But it can also be used as a search tool, to call up specific information from the outside world. With the mobile search space already in flux, Siri adds a game-changing angle, particularly for marketers that want to reach the lucrative (presumably affluent) iPhone audience. Here are some factors for businesses to consider as Siri gro [...]

Related Topics: Apple: Siri | Mobile Search | Search Features: Search By Voice | Search Marketing: Mobile | SEO: Mobile Search

Later this year, Bing search will take on a new platform: the Xbox entertainment/gaming console. And to prove that it's all cutting edge stuff in the gamers' world, Bing will be offering a voice-based search engine (in addition to a traditional text/type-based search) to help users find games, movies and TV shows, music and other content that's available via the Xbox. From the Bing blog post: By combining all this content with the power of Bing's deep search expertise, Microsoft Tellme's voice technology and the magic of Kinect, we'll be able to provide instant access to the expansiv [...]

Related Topics: Microsoft: Bing Voice Search | Search Features: Search By Voice

MobileCrunch noticed Yahoo has added voice search capabilities to their Yahoo One Search iPhone App. I spent a few minutes testing it out and I have to say, that is does an okay job. I didn't conduct enough tests to really compare it against Google's iPhone voice search feature. They are both different in how they work. First let me show you Yahoo's voice search for a test on [who is barry schwartz]: Step 1: Click on the "Press + Speak" button to activate voice search: Step 2: Speak when button turns red and then tap it again when you are done talking: Step 3: The button [...]

Related Topics: Google: Voice Search | Search Features: Search By Voice | Yahoo: Mobile & Go | Yahoo: Search

Google has announced the addition of voice search and My Location on the Google Mobile App for Blackberry. The new Blackberry additions are features that have been available on the Google Mobile App for iPhone since November. The My Location feature lets you search without needing to input a city name or some other geographic modifier. Voice search is what it sounds like -- a way to search by speaking your query. Google had offered voice search as a separate download for its Google Maps Blackberry app last summer. They launched the Google Mobile App for Blackberry this past September. [...]

Related Topics: Google: Mobile | Google: Voice Search | Search Features: Search By Voice

The New York Times reports in Friday's newspaper that Google's iPhone app will be updated with voice search capability. The move should come as no surprise: The launch of Goog411 in 2007 brought immediate speculation that mobile voice search was on the way, and Google tells the Times that data collection from the Goog411 project helped create this new iPhone service. With the new Google iPhone app, you'll be able to speak your search query into the phone rather than having to type it out. The Times article explains what happens after you ask your question: "The sound is converted to a digi [...]

Related Topics: Google: Mobile | Google: Voice Search | Search Features: Search By Voice | Top News