Google to Open up Android Voice Search For Eyes-free Experience
Google is reportedly working on expanding its Android voice search functionality that will allow drivers to focus more on the road and less on the phone. The initiative, codenamed KITT (after the artificially intelligent talking car from Knight Rider) or "Android Eyes Free" can interact with the search engine without touching or even looking at the device, but allowing users to utter "OK Google" to show them the weather conditions, news updates or directions to guide them.
According to AndroidPolice, the functionality visible in the available data is like a natural progression of search but such feature is still in active development. There is no surety when this will go public or whether the interface will appear as it is now.
The feature might be an extended version being offered by Google-made Moto X, providing results in the spoken form so that the user is not disturbed or distracted from the task he is currently doing.
Google is at a stage where it wants the search to be working from everywhere, including home screen or apps, and even when the device is switched off as its charging. But the capable hardware would suffer on this limitation as the battery use is optimized overall.
Also, users can use Bluetooth devices or headsets or even wave their hands over the device to activate Search to avoid any distraction from doing anything that requires maximum concentration. The functionality would also read notifications aloud.
Google is exploring options on the use of minimal interface than a full interface. For results that require voice feedback, Google will speak more detailed answers. For results that only include Web links, Google will keep it later when the user is free from "eyes-free mode" and can easily go through the results.
The search giants also has the function of acting on its own by sending messages after a short time unless the user hits a button or stops it manually or ask for confirmation where the user must reply or take action to complete the process. For such an action, users need to concentrate more on the process than their current task, which is usually unsafe.