So Yahoo! just announced a series of upgrades to oneSearch, including a speech-based search feature. The application is only available on the BlackBerry at the moment, so after the announcement I went to their mobile site (m.yahoo.com/voice) to give it a whirl. First stop: the convention floor. There are thousands of people roaming about, so you can imagine the noise level. However, oneSearch was up to the task, searching out whatever my voice commanded.
Up on the concourse and away from most of the noise, I ran a few more tests through it. “Toronto Stock Exchange” went through perfectly. However, when I said the letters of the acronym, T-S-E, it came up T-S-C. No biggie, though. I just went to the search text box above the results, deleted “C,” and typed “E” in its place. This allows oneSearch to learn my voice tendencies — which often includes mumbled and otherwise incomprehensible ramblings.
I’m getting a full review ready, where I’ll really put the learning aspects to the test. At least initially, I have come away wholly impressed by this new service.
