How to: Control your Android phone with your voice using Google Voice Search Actions: setting-up and list of commands

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  • August 28, 2011 at 5:27 am

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Google Voice Search actions for Android

You may or may not know that you can control your Android smart phone using just you voice. Have you tried speaking to your phone yet?

Well we’ve compiled below a handy list of commands you can use to control certain aspects of your phone. You’ll be surprised how accurate and convenient this can be. But before you start testing the commands out, first make sure you have the latest version of Google Search installed. Open the Market from your applications and search for Google Search. Either install or update if you haven’t yet.

Now launch Google Voice Search, if you have the Google Search widget on your homescreen touch the microphone icon or else press and hold the Android search key (the one that looks like a magnifying glass) until the “Speak now” dialogue appears. Now speak your commands. If you are dictating text, Voice Search will present you with a closest match and highlight in blue, words it’s not sure about, touch those words and you are presented with alternative matches.
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How to stream your music around the house on a budget: Logitech S715i speaker and Audiogalaxy app review

FeaturedGuidesReviews

  • July 31, 2011 at 3:21 pm

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Logitech S715i Speaker and Audiogalaxy app

There are as many options for streaming music around the house as there are combinations of portable speakers, speaker docks, network players and portable device apps — and that’s a whole lot.

Here I’m going to go over just one of these combinations, which was the result of my search for a cost efficient, convenient, and aurally pleasing way to stream and listen to my locally stored music around the house and in the garden.
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Google+, Google’s social gamble and why it might work this time

EditorialsFeatured

  • June 29, 2011 at 3:50 pm

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Google+ | Google's social network

Google has taken the wraps off it’s latest and greatest social enterprise, titled Google+. While Google is no stranger to social, this is its most comprehensive endeavor yet, and all out attack against Facebook. Indeed, past attempts only covered narrow social aspects (RIP Google Wave), while Google+ is trying to encompass a whole lot more, like group messaging/chatting, photo and video sharing and of course keeping in touch and sharing with friends.

We think, that, this time it might actually work for Google, and not only because of the quality or the features of the offering, but also because of the hordes of people waiting to jump ship from Facebook. Although Google is no angel, but rather a listed profit-seeking company obsessed with indexing and cataloging everything, Facebook has taken a lot of heat for its privacy practices, or lack of.

A simple browse around the news reports today and visitors’ comments show how many people are anxiously waiting to help Google provide Facebook with some much needed competition. Before you go running to register though, note that for now, Google+ is an invite only service, and that means you’ll have to register your interest and Google will send you an invitation email (no you can’t get an invitation from someone who’s already in Google+).
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Zune and Windows Phone 7 styled music player for Android

FeaturedGuidesNews

  • May 20, 2011 at 2:47 pm

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Zune / Windows Phone 7 music player for Android

We love the Zune’s stylish, flashy and efficient music player user interface which, by not simple luck, has been inherited by Windows Phone 7. Official Zune development might or might not have stopped, nevertheless it’s created something bigger and also quite a following. So, when we found out that it’s been ported into an Android music player we were pretty excited.

The application comes from LauncherPro’s developer, and although it’s still quite an early alpha build, we’ve taken it through its paces and its pretty smooth and really close both functionally and visually to the original.

UPDATE 1: Zune/WP7 styled music player shown running on Nook Color, images after the link.

UPDATE 2: Alpha 3 just released with many bug fixes and new features, link for download after the break.

UPDATE 3: Alpha 4 now out with widget support and playlist creation, link for download after the break.
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Editorial: iPad 2 forays into content creation – creativity on the go

EditorialsFeatured

  • March 2, 2011 at 5:32 pm

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iPad 2 ~ Garageband & iMovie ~ Creativity on the go

When the original iPad was launched the heaviest criticism it received was that it was principally a content consumption device, suited for web browsing, reading, listening to music, playing games and watching videos. The iPad was not suited for serious work; you were more or less limited to just writing emails and short documents.

Smart applications, such as Brushes and SketchBook, pushed the envelope and allowed creative individuals to produce amazing works of art on the iPad but offerings were still limited.
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It’s official! iPad 2 announced: faster, thinner, lighter, dual cameras and gyro; brings iOS 4.3 in tow

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  • March 2, 2011 at 2:09 pm

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iPad 2 Black

You can count pretty much all the rumors we’ve reported as verified. The iPad 2 is now a reality and shipping on March 11th to the US and on March 25th to more than 26 other countries.

The next generation, iPad 2 will have:

  • New faster A5 chip: Dual-core processors, up to 2x faster CPU, up to 9x faster graphics
  • Dual cameras (front and back) and new software supporting the cameras (Photo Booth and FaceTime with some pretty heavy conferencing power, 9 live video streams at once!).
  • Gyroscope, as in the latest iPhone and iPod Touch.
  • 34% thinner at just 8.8mm thick (from 13.4mm). It’s thinner than the iPhone 4 (9.3mm).
  • 13% lighter at 1.3lbs (from 1.5lbs).
  • Same 10 hour battery life.
  • Same starting price, $499 for the 16GB WiFi only model.

It will be shipping in two colors, black and white, from day one, and there will be models available for both AT&T and Verizon.
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Nook Color Review

FeaturedReviews

  • February 20, 2011 at 3:05 pm

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Barnes & Noble Nook Color

It’s been almost three months since this e-reader / tablet landed on our doorstep and I’ve already spent several hours of quality time with it. Barnes & Noble has taken a different approach with its second e-reader device, donning the Nook Color with a full 7-inch color touchscreen and doing away with E-Ink. Despite this move, unsurprisingly, the Nook Color is still a book centric device out of the box.

This review of the Nook Color centers on its suitability as an e-reader device. Despite this I must note that the Nook Color has great potential as a full-fledged tablet and, the never-tiring Android hacking community has really embraced the Nook Color and continues daily to unlock its potential. A follow-up review will be posted soon that will look into the Nook Color as a tablet.

Moving right along, I must say from the kick-off that B&N has created a really great e-reading device that is a pleasure to take everywhere, hold and use and is offering it at a very attractive price, $249. However the Nook Color is not without frustrations and the software experience is still rough around the edges; with each over-the-air update, however, bringing it closer to perfection. Despite these, it still might not be the device for everyone, and we will try to convey both the shortcomings together with the benefits of this device. Hopefully by the end of this lengthy review you should get an idea if this is the right device for you. So read on to find out.
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