To that end, here are the three big ways Android is leaving Apple's iOS in the dust. Google made its name in search, so it stands to reason it was already ahead of the game here. Just now I asked both Siri on the iPhone 6S and Google Now on the Samsung Galaxy S7 this question: When was the Eiffel Tower built?. While Siri (at right) technically answered my question, Google Now answered my question two different ways and gave me tools to quickly explore more. Siri presented the correct Wikipedia link, which does save me a step. But if I want to look up something else, I need to exit Siri and open a browser. Google, on the other hand, gave me an easy-to-read card while simultaneously reading out the answer ("Construction for the Eiffel Tower began January 28, 1887"), followed by Google search links below. Since voice search lives in the browser, I can jump to images and video, or start a new text or voice search altogether. The info is accurate, and helpful.
If Google already has the advantage in Android 6.0 Marshmallow, think of how much richer and more satisfying search will be when it becomes even more solicitous of your needs, Why yes, Google, I would like to buy tickets to "Hamilton," thank you, (Now can you please pink zebra stripes iphone case pay for them, too?), That, in a nutshell, is the promise of Google Assistant, a catch-all name for software that tries to make your life easier, You already see this kind of helpful behavior when Google Now ("OK, Google") tells you that traffic is bad and you should really leave for your meeting, But soon, the software will be able to handle longer conversations, or at least respond to your searches and requests with proactive follow-up suggestions..
But if it works even half as well, then hey, they had me at "OK, Google."Google's new Instant Apps also has huge potential for improving your on-device life with very little effort. And for anyone who's ever been exasperated by a low-grade mobile website -- or, worse, pinching and zooming through a desktop site on your phone's screen -- it could be a godsend. Let's say you see a link for a shopping site or video service. Without you having to do anything other than tap a link, you'll be whisked away to a better-looking mobile app experience, basically a slice of the Android app, but delivered via the Web. You don't need to own this app, Google's software will make you feel like you're already in it (on participating sites).
Even if Google does extend this to any device using its search engine (for now it's Android only), Apple users won't benefit as much if they use Apple Pay instead of pink zebra stripes iphone case Android Pay, Apple has a chance to show its stuff next month at WWDC, But wait, you say, Instant Apps notwithstanding: Google search, Google Now and (presumably) Google Assistant are available on non-Android devices, And Assistant sounds like yet another of those AI "bots" that are all the rage in 2016: Facebook's chat bots, Microsoft's Tay, Soundhound's Hound and the upcoming Viv -- just to name a few..
True. And yes, you can get them now (or someday) on iPhone as well as Android. But only one remains the default that the respective phone can recognize automatically, be it with a home button double tap or a voice prompt. And that's where an Android phone with Google Assistant, right now, looks to have the advantage over Apple's Siri. At least, that's how it looks for the next few weeks. Apple could prove me wrong by the time Google releases it improvements to the Android N software this fall (or spring, if you're Down Under) -- Apple still has about a month until its own WWDC conference and another four months before its usual September event, where the company will likely reveal its next-generation flagship iPhone(s).