By 
Google is slowly making efforts to move into mainstream “Siri territory” with their latest acquisition of Clever Sense, a company who has just released an app called “Alfred” (think: Batman) onto the Android Market. Clever Sense had this to say on their website:
Today, we are excited to join Google and start a new chapter in curating the world around us! Together with the Google team, we will accelerate our efforts toward this shared vision.
Using the Clever Sense platform, Alfred is able to find and make recommendations based on the things you like. At the heart of Alfred is a technology Clever Sense is calling their Extraction and Serendipity engines and is most likely what caught Google’s eye to begin with. Using Alfred, a user has the ability to:
- Discover new places with recommendations curated just for you!
- Refine your searches for cuisine type, price range, dietary restrictions, distance, and more
- View details about a place, like address and menu, and what’s particularly good there
- Plan your outing by helping you call, get directions to a place, and share with your friends
- Show you places near your current location, for now, or at a different location, for later
- Find places based on your specifications, save them for future reference, and more
Although I haven’t had much time to play around with it myself, if you’re curious to see what all the hoopla is about, you can find Alfred for free right now in the Android Market (US only). Make sure you let everyone know what you think in the comments!
[Clever Sense via AndroidandMe]
Totally love that the video, showcases an Iphone like body and button but is directed towards Android?
Older video I’d assume. It was out on the iPhone first.
The video says coming soon to Android and Windows Phone 7, then says it is available for iPhone.
I think I saw batman, good catch mister chavez.
When will it be available for the UK? This seems like a great piece of technology and will help Google out a lot!
First, it was Currents … now this … All US Only !!
The rest of the world got the Galaxy Nexus, so hush.
My phone will have a butler? Can I name him Winifred?
Helloooo Winifred. How does’t thou?
Right now it seems about useless to me. Urbanspoon seems much better to me. I can see it being useful eventually with googles help though.
Google really needs to start innovating. Apple releases iPhone, Android changes from a Blackberry copy to an iPhone copy (multitouch, etc). iPhone comes with App Store, Android comes with “Market.” iOS has dock at the bottom, Android follows. iOS has drop down notifications, Android copies drop down notifications. Apple invents Siri, and then two months later ANDROID RIPS OFF SIRI TOO. WHEN WILL THEY INNOVATE? And don’t fanboy out and say it isn’t true. Sorry, but you know I’m right.
Android had drop down notifications way before iOS
Like, years.
Yeah… what thedonxr said.
How else would Android get it’s apps to people? Why wouldn’t they come out with a “Market”? They sure can’t call it App Store, or Apple would sue them again on top of the numerous lawsuits that have going already.
And Android never was a Blackberry copy.
You really just aren’t right at all in any of these. If you look at Alfred, it only suggests restaurants right now and I don’t see any voice recognition. It isn’t even close to being like Siri.
Also note that the Android project was announced and being developed well before Apple announce iOS and the iPhone. Not to mention this Phandroid article is based on speculation, not fact. Eric Schmidt already voiced his opinion of Siri, stating that people shouldn’t be communicating with their phones but should be using them to communicate with other people.
Android had first:
Notifications
Camcorder
Multitasking
Multitouch
I’m sure there is more.
But Eric Schmidt said Siri could pose a threat the their search engine.
http://thenextweb.com/apple/2011/11/04/googles-eric-schmidt-thinks-siri-is-a-significant-competitive-threat/
But probably not a threat for Android.
And I’m not ready to talk to my phone yet. (i don’t even like handsfree )
Of course he said that! At the time and even currently Google has been taking a lot of flack domestic and internationally from regulators because of the amount of control they have over the search market. With all of these organizations claiming that google holds a monopoly over online searches with their engine; Google execs have been taking heat every year from anti trust groups. The man is smart to point out and even exaggerate the presence and abilities of so called competition. Siri does not currently pose any significant threat to google search what so ever. (queue someone less lazy than i am to dig up statistics regarding this)
First of all, apple didn’t invent multitouch. Second, AndRoid has always had a well functioned voice assistant built into the OS. Siri can be considered am evolution of that by introducing natural language processing. Third, Android invented drop down notification. This is Android’s signature feature since the OS was born. I would call you a troll for this one.
Do you like being a fanboy?
Do you enjoy sex with green robots?
At least some of us get laid.
You sir are an a$$hat. take your apple love and leave! Never come back! Truth be told ios has done nothing but copy android, get your facts straight.
apple’s iphone was innovative? it, by itself, was a copy of an existing design done years beforehand. like, 40 years.
Your dumb android had the drop down since the 1st android phone the g1 about 3 yrs now. Dumb ass
Apple didn’t invent:
Multi Touch (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fingerworks)
The App Store (http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/gadgets/1286638/top-ten-things-people-think-apple-invented-but-actually-didn-t/2)
Drop Down Notifications (Do I even need to post a link on this absurd claim?)
Siri (http://www.zdnet.com/blog/semantic-web/siri-acquired-by-apple-iphone-becomes-the-virtual-personal-assistant/371)
Oh, and if you look at the video of the 1st Google phones, they had 2 models they’re showing off. One was a Blackberry-like device, but the other was a slab.
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/11/12/a-first-look-at-the-google-phone/
So… what were you saying again? Oh yeah, a whole bunch of nothing.
oh i see who he was talking about?..lets rephrase every you said..drop down..nice to know that apple copying from android…apple didnt invent siri..they brought the company…market has been around vefore than apple..granted not in a smartphone way..multi has been around longer before iphone was een a thought…see apple patent doesnt mean invent/…because you are are the dumbest person on here.maybe on earth..stop trolling and sucking apple ass..apple are inventors of nothing ..they are the thieves.
you are wrong. and quite clearly a mindless iDiot.
OMG how stupid can someone be..you ask not to be called a fanboy but every sentence exudes apple fagboy-ism .. noting you said there is accurate
You’re a fucking idiot
So tell me, what does the Kool-Aid really taste like? I don’t need to refute any of your [ahem] “facts” it seems that a lot of people already have done this for me… maybe next time do a little more research before coming here and attempting to slam something you know very little about.
Oh, and if Apple does away with hardware buttons and uses capacitive buttons are you then going to say that Android ripped off Apple again?
this app is a force closing machine. not only that it has Wendy’s down as “Wendy’s Place”, classified as a diner and with photos of steak and shake. i’m sensing some fail. I hope that they get this thing working right, it does seem like a good idea.
opticblu- please do some research before posting crap like that. Android was in development even before iPhone came out, secondly iPhone JUST got drop down menus with iOS5… did you see the OG Android phone? the G1 had drop down menus. Also Apple BOUGHT Siri, they did NOT invent it. These companies make their money by buying companies like these and making them mainstream so like I said go do some research before coming on here. Both Apple and Google steal ideas from each other. Clowns like you really need to stop this Apple is better crap, I’ve owned both Android and Apple phones and each does something better than the other so its ALL ABOUT PREFERENCE!
Buying a a technology + implementing is still great innovation.
But Apple is horrible cause they are suing the others just to slow them down.Thou i think this app is targeting a different thing.
The best I’ve heard it put my friend.
Who exactly are you mad at?
Apple owns Siri but only lisences the voice recognition technology. That in mind, its entirely possible for Google to integrate the same recognition technology into Alfred. While it might not have the same searching capabilities (which I think Google would do better anyway) the IMPORTANT part is still obtainable.
I hope they will release the International version for this app soon.
So…what “places” should have been…but only for food?
meh…
I’m sorry but, I had a Palm touch screen phone back in 2000. Who invented the the touch screen?
Historians consider the first touch screen to be a capacitive touch
screen invented by E.A. Johnson at the Royal Radar Establishment,
Malvern, UK, around 1965 – 1967. The inventor published a full
description of touch screen technology for air traffic control in an
article published in 1968.
Haven’t found anyone yet who uses Siri on an on-going basis. So far, everyone I’ve talked to about it says it is novel and “cute”, but it’s not a big deal for them. Maybe I need more friends.
That’s exactly what it is. I remember when I got my first Android phone and speaking to it and showing people what it could do was so cool, but I rarely used it that often. First off, you look dumb talking to your phone in public…. Not talking WITH someone, but just talking to your phone. But Apple used it as a selling point and it did them very well. Apple has good marketing, and they always manage to make something that isn’t that useful seem like the next greatest thing. It’s just what Apple does best.
Not great unless you constantly go out to eat and like to have a random restaurant chosen for you.
But wait……I thought Almighty Andy didn’t want people talking to their phones????
im afraid they do best for biz..but they dont want then to braindead,like say.yourself?
You know what they call people who make excuses for their leaders without challenging them even when they make a contradiction this blatantly obvious??? S–h–e–e–p….
Baaaaaaaaaaa…..
Something you do very well! Clap you hands.Bassas.
Baaaaa
I don’t get why everyone is comparing everything to Siri. Alfred does not appear to do anything at all with voice. It’s also specifically designed for recommending places and getting you to them. If anything, this should be compared to UrbanSpoon, not Siri.
I’m still a little upset they aren’t calling it Andy. Andy the android is a much better name than whatever Siri is supposed to mean. “Andy, give me directions to the nearest yada-yada.”