With the past year of the pandemic practically making us reluctant recluses in our homes, one thing we might have done more of is interacting with our voice AI assistants. Since we have done more things in the comforts of our houses than usual, we have taken all we can in terms of interacting with just any other entity besides ourselves. If that means having to ask a trusty voice assistant of a recipe for baking bread or even just to crack a joke, then we’ll just have to take it, won’t we? Besides, more than just being an additional… entity we can interact with during the lockdowns, our voice assistants have also consistently reminded us of the convenience they bring to our lives. Whether it is to remind us of schedules to pay for a bill, an upcoming birthday of someone special, or expediting an online purchase for necessities, our lives have definitely been enriched, thanks to these voice-activated virtual assistants.
With 2020 filled with interactions with Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, and Cortana, you may have already gotten tired of them. Are you looking for alternatives to them that you may try? There’s good news for you as there are some developers that have come up with their own AI assistants that can quench your pining for someone new to interact with. Why not have a look at them and see if they can satisfy your needs?
Bixby
If you are a Samsung phone user, then you may already have come across Bixby, the Korean gadget manufacturer’s answer to Apple’s Siri. Some Samsung phones have made it easier for Bixby to be summoned with one tap of a physical button, which should be great for some users can be a bit of a hassle for some Samsung phone users. Bixby has actually undergone a lot of changes, which is great for new users since it has gotten rid of some teething concerns. It can now recognize more than 3,000 voice commands and also features Quick Commands, which basically allows for commands to be triggered by one word or phrase. If you are a Samsung phone user, you don’t really have to choose between Bixby and Google Assistant, as they can coexist peacefully without conflicts.
There is the sense that Bixby is maintained rather than developed by Samsung. Since launch we’ve seen the removal of Bixby buttons, the non-appearance of the expected Galaxy Home Bixby speaker and some functions removed from Bixby – like the Uber support.
Hound
If you like that app SoundHound, which gives you the title of a song you are listening to and therefore saving you from sleepless nights thinking of what the title of that random song you heard was, then you will like Hound. The developers of SoundHound and Hound are the same, only that for the latter, the search is obviously for general purposes. Hound supposedly prides itself on its advanced natural search technology, which means it is supposed to produce great natural speech, speed, and accuracy results for its users.
Hound is another one of the upcoming personal assistant apps alongside Cortana. SoundHound made this one a couple of years ago. It’s coming along okay. The basics are all covered here and includes some advanced stuff like a mortgage calculator, integrated Expedia support for hotel booking, and the SoundHound Now which opens a sing/hum music search.
(Via https://www.androidauthority.com/best-personal-assistant-apps-android-667299/)
Lyra
Lyra promises to be one smart VA with a gamut of features such as its conversational capabilities that allow it to communicate over a series of queries and remembering previous questions so that the information can be applied to current and future queries. As for functionality, Lyra can answer most, just like other VAs, so social media, navigation, general queries, weather, and other common areas are included. It is also multi-platform, so you may install it not just on your phone, but also on your laptop and tablet.
Yet another comprehensive third party voice assistant, Lyra is pretty much like Jarvis but with the all important addition of translation. The voice assistant can help you translate sentences in 80 languages, which is a key feature to have if you’re in a foreign country.
(Via: https://thedroidguy.com/best-personal-assistants-for-android-1077002)
Robin
Robin is still in its beta stage but is already marketed as Android’s answer to Apple’s ubiquitous Siri. As of the moment, you may ask Robin to perform internet searches, tell you the weather, news, and other basic information you want. If you want to be part of the development of a VA, then this is your chance!
This application is a convenient assistant for each driver. With it, you will be able to perform various actions on your smartphone without being distracted from the road.
(Via: https://androidappsforme.com/virtual-assistant-apps-android/)
But then, a voice-activated VA may not be a lot of help if you need assistance with your laptop’s hard drive recovery. We, however, can help you, so get to read more about us here.