Due to the fact that for a long time my main smartphone was iPhone, I did not know other voice assistants besides Siri. Accustomed to the standard of branded products Apple, I could hardly believe that someone could do something better. However, Google was able and ahead of Apple in this area for several years ahead, developing an almost perfect assistant that helped me out many times. And thanks to the fact that he lives not only in a smartphone, but also in a smart speaker Google Home mini, which I got so as not to lose the skill of working with Google Assistant after switching to 'Alice', I can turn to him even if there is no smartphone at hand.
Google Assistant's voice may or may not be pleasant, but it's a great voice assistant
For me, Google Assistant is not just a voice assistant that allows you to dictate search queries with your voice. This is a real substitute for many applications and my personal secretary, to whom I can give really important assignments.
How to use Google Assistant
I used to use Yahoo's Weather app because I loved the look. Its interface was really beautiful and also intuitive. If it was raining, the screen was in drops, if there was a thunderstorm, it sparkled, if the sun was shining, it shone with it. However, at some point, I realized that beauty and aesthetics in this matter are not as important as efficiency. Therefore, I did not even notice how I stopped opening the Weather application, but began to check the forecast with Google Assistant. It was enough just to say the phrase 'Ok Google' and ask what temperature is outside now, how it will change in an hour, in a day or in a week. You didn't even have to look at the screen, the assistant spoke the entire forecast as succinctly as possible, but at the same time informative.
I never really understood how people use business planning apps. I myself regularly tried to comprehend all the delights of this kind of software, but invariably ran into a sincere misunderstanding. It was trite for me to write down the upcoming affairs on a piece of paper and put it near the computer. However, with Google Assistant, things have become much easier. Now I just call the assistant, tell him what I need to remind of and at what time, and he just does it. This turned out to be even more effective, because a piece of paper, if it lay in front of me long enough, managed to get familiar and over time I stopped noticing it. Google Assistant doesn't have this problem.
English to Russian translator
Despite the fact that I speak English with a Mordovian accent, that is, rather mediocre, my knowledge is usually sufficient for traveling abroad, understanding signs at airports and even reading books in the original. Nevertheless, sometimes it happens that due to a certain word, the whole understanding of the text completely collapses. This doesn't happen often, so I really don't want to keep the Google Translate app for that. However, this is where Google Assistant comes to the rescue, which already has a built-in translation function. It works both verbally, that is, I can pronounce a word and ask to find an analogue in the required language, or just take a photo of the text and get a translation in printed format.
In general, Google Assistant is great for freeing your hands if you find out that it can do more than just search the Internet. One of the Google Assistant features that I really appreciate is the ability to send messages on WhatsApp and Telegram by voice. The same Alice does not know how. And in the case of an assistant, it is enough to say the command 'Send a message to [messenger name]', select a recipient, dictate the text and confirm the sending. However, it is important to remember that Google Assistant looks for the recipient not by the list of your chats in the messenger, but by the address book.
How to get money back for an application
Returning an app to Google Play is easy
I haven't downloaded new apps from Google Play for a long time, but there was a time when I actively experimented with new software. But I was not particularly eager to buy new software, because I was not sure about its quality – after all, this is not the App Store for you. However, after I learned that Google Assistant makes it easy and simple to return a purchased application back in a matter of seconds, I completely ceased to be afraid. I won't say that I had to return it very often, rather, on the contrary. But thanks to the feeling of being able to roll back the transaction in case of something, I began to buy significantly more applications. Apparently, at some point there were so many of them that the need for new ones disappeared for almost two years and continues to this day.
What else is Google Assistant:
- Tracks parcels;
- Performs mathematical calculations;
- Verifies financial market data;
- Sets the alarm;
- Maintains a shopping list;
- Tells about the nutritional value of products.
I love Google Assistant. Despite the fact that I usually use Alice on my smartphone, from time to time I still return to the assistant from the search giant and use it. And so that I had to do it less often, I even bought a smart Google Home mini speaker. Of course, initially it was supposed to become a hub for controlling a smart home, but at some point I realized that it can be used when Alice is unable to fulfill my request.
P.S. I want to be able to run two assistants on my smartphone at once, without switching between them in the settings.