Cited: ABC News

Android phone owners just got Google’s newest feature, the new “Voice Actions” that was revealed on August 12. Now you can let your inner Inspector Gadget free because you can activate more than just Google searches by voice.

Just by speaking into their phones, Android owners will be able to send text messages and e-mail, call contacts, browse the Web and complete other basic tasks.

“Our mobile phones have become modern-day Swiss Army knives. An Android phone is a handheld computer, a music player, a notepad, an alarm clock, a GPS navigation unit and more, all rolled into one sleek device that fits in your pocket. Today’s phones do so many things for us that sometimes we don’t even think about how we do them,” said Google in a blog post today. “Even though our phones do all these new things, the most natural way of interacting with a phone remains what it always has been: speaking. And to that end, we’re pleased to introduce Voice Actions for Android.”

To use the feature, you tap the microphone button on the Google search box on the home screen, or press down the search button on the phone, to activate a “Speak Now” screen. Then you just speak your command.

Voice Actions Runs on Operating System Pre-Installed on New Droid 2

If you’re on your way to meet a friend but you’re behind schedule, all you have to do is say, “Send text to Ned: ‘I’m running 10 minutes late.’”

Or, if an out-of-town family member doesn’t know where to go, you could say, “Send e-mail to Kate directions to Central Park” — and voila! it’s done.

You can also send yourself reminder notes, set alarms, call up different websites and select music – all with the power of your voice.

Voice Actions only runs on the latest Android operating system (Android 2.2 or Froyo), which is pre-installed on the new Droid 2 smartphone, which Motorola and Verizon released today.

As long as they have the Android 2.2 operating system, users with older phones (like the HTC Evo, the Nexus One or the first Droid) can turn their phones into “go-go-gadgets” by downloading a few application updates from Google’s application market.

According to Google, they’ll need to download Voice Search (which includes Voice Actions), Google’s Search widget and Clock app, and music applications (for example, Pandora, Last.fm, Rdio and mSpot).

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Research Firm: Android Phones Showing Growth Among Smartphone Users

“Chrome to Phone” feature was also released August 12 and it allows Android users the ability to send links, maps any other information from their desktops and/or laptops to their phones. They must be using the Chrome browser because the new extension adds a button to the Chrome browser that gives them the stability. Once they click that button, they have the ability to send to any android phone running the android 2.2 operating system the link of whatever they’re looking at on the computer screen.

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My Take: Okay, before you know it you will be able to hold your complete computer system in your hand because it will then be your phone as well. I can just see it, you go to the doctor and you have a fever, sore throat, strong wont plantar or some other symptom common with a viral infection and he pulls out his phone after drawing blood and running a test inputs information into the phone. Few minutes later his phone buzzes with the information on your results. He just did used antibody tester over the phone to tell you that you have mono.

Then, another few minutes pass and his phone buzzes with information on what drugs could best help you from the top pharmaceutical companies. And you thought the rapid test kits he had in the office or fast. Can you imagine what would happen if you went to South Riding dentist? I don’t think they’d be able to pull your teeth with a cell phone, no matter how advance to get. But, if you need cosmetic dental surgery, you could contact the South Riding VA cosmetic dentist in no time.

I know I am joking around about the advances in computers, but do you know when the 1st computer was made? Well, it was called the “Model K” and was built in 1937. That was only 73 years ago! When they made the more advanced “computers” they took up whole rooms and used the electricity that now runs over 700 desktop computers. Where will the computer be in another 73 years?

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