VoiceAnswer
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Voice Answer updated with more features for people locked out of Siri
Owners of the Apple iPad 1 and 2 won't get Siri on iOS 6 when it ships. Neither will those who use an iPhone older than the 4S. That leaves people looking for alternatives, and fortunately there are a few. I took a look at Evi some months back, and now newcomer Voice Answer, which is US$3.99 in the App Store. It runs on any iOS device with iOS 4.3 or greater installed. The new version, just released, adds voice messaging, email dictation and calling from the iPhone contact list. The app can translate into 54 languages, update Facebook and publish Tweets. It also can set reminders, but not through the iOS Reminders app. Instead, it goes on your calendar and adds an alert, which is fine. Despite the improvements, Voice Answer just doesn't seem as sharp as Siri. In my last review I asked the app for driving directions to Phoenix, and got a "Your question is not clear to me" response. I tried with the new version and got, "I do not understand, sorry." Voice Answer did find the nearest golf courses, something the older version could not do. While the app says it can make calls from your contacts, that didn't work very well in my tests. When I asked the app to call my friend John (I gave the first and last name) it gave me a list of every John in my contact list, none of which had a similar sounding last name. Another 2 points for Siri. Sending email had some of the same problems as calling someone. I would give Voice Answer a unique name, and it asked me to rephrase the query. This new version has an articulated animated robot on screen, which is where you direct your questions. I found the experience a bit creepy and the look of the robot was kind of grotesque. Thankfully, you can opt for the older, Siri-like GUI and turn the robot animation off. Despite the less than perfect recognition, I think Voice Answer is a credible substitute for people who can't get Siri. Sure, it has some rough edges, but so does Siri, which remains in beta. If you need a quick check on the weather, or a web search, or information on a variety of subjects, Voice Answer does very well. It seems to trip up on the newer features, like calling and messaging, but I'm hoping those things will improve over time.
Voice Answer is an interesting solution for those that don't have Siri
Siri is very clever, and has had a significant impact on how iPhone users interact with the world of information. The problem is, Siri is iPhone 4S only, and even the new iPad has only voice dictation. We've looked at Evi, which is a third-party solution, but it's had some reliability issues (so has Siri), and I think iOS users are looking for a bit more. Well, I can suggest another solution called Voice Answer, which is in the app store as of today. It's not perfect, but it appears to give more thorough answers and more graphical answers to queries. The app is universal and sells for US$3.99. It supports direct questions about hundreds of topics on history, the current weather, nutrition, physics, solving math problems, stock questions, etc. There is a 'chat box' function which allows you to engage in conversation, although that is a bit hit and miss. The developers say they are finalizing an update that will include messaging and email, along with some unannounced features. I find the answers generally more complete than Evi, and it seems to answer more questions directly than Siri can. Often, Siri throws you to the web, while Voice Answer gets you the information without that step. Like Siri and Evi, one of the biggest information providers is Wolfram Alpha. Like all apps, it is not perfect. I asked where the nearest golf course is and the answer was "I don't know." Asking about directions to Phoenix got a "Your question is not clear to me." The directions to Phoenix didn't work very well in Evi either. It told me to try Google route planner. Thanks. Siri handled that query just fine. Still, Voice Answer works well on a lot of questions you want a quick answer to. I like the graphical displays, and I saw no issues with server side reliability. Of course that could change if Voice Answer gets more popular. If you're without Siri I'd give this app a serious look. Even if you have Siri, which I do, I found the app useful, especially on my iPad, and it will likely get better. Since no iPad has Siri, iPad owners will want to check this app out too. Some screen shots are in the gallery below. %Gallery-153592%
