Google has announced a new application for the Apple iPhone 3G, which should be available in the iPhone’s App Store any day now. The free application will add speech recognition technology to the iPhone, allowing users to simply speak a question and receive search results directly from Google.
The application allows users to ask things such as ‘Where is the nearest Starbucks,’ which the application will then save as a digital audio file and send to Google’s servers. The servers will attempt to determine the words in the message, and pass the converted information along to the Google search engine.
Search results may include local information, such as the Starbucks example, or may simply be information, such as the number of people who live in San Francisco.
Google’s reputation as the open-source brand has been somewhat tarnished as it has been revealed the company has a kill switch to delete any app it chooses.
In the terms and conditions, it describes the kill switch: “Google may discover a product that violates the developer distribution agreement … in such an instance, Google retains the right to remotely remove those applications from your device at its sole discretion.”
In fairness to the Google-y ones, the kill switch is explained openly in the terms and conditions, and given that the Android Marketplace is unmoderated makes sense, compared to Apple’s approval system for all Apps which can then still be ‘killed’.
And Google will also try and recover any money lost buying the bogus app too, albeit from the original developer. If not all the money can be recovered, whatever is reclaimed will be distributed among the wronged users.
And if you don’t like the app you’ve downloaded, Google kindly lets you refund your money within 24 hours of purchase, which means you can try all the probably rubbish location based ‘find your friend’ apps without worry.
Google has announced a new application for the Apple iPhone 3G, which should be available in the iPhone’s App Store any day now. The free application will add speech recognition technology to the iPhone, allowing users to simply speak a question and receive search results directly from Google.