Review: Siri versus Google Voice Search versus S Voice

In case you've been living under a rock, you're probably well aware that voice-activated assistants are all the rage. Apple's Siri, which first appeared on the iPhone 4S, is obviously the best known of these services, but other companies are beginning to catch on. Just recently, Google unveiled its new Google Voice Search app for Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, while Samsung made considerable waves with the debut of its S Voice for the Galaxy S III.

Naturally, we decided to see which of these three assistants offers the best mix of features, speed and accuracy. So we asked each one the same 10 questions while connected to the same wireless network to determine which one is best. Who took the crown?

Question 1: "Where can I see the movie, 'The Amazing Spider-man?'"

Siri completed in: 2.9 seconds

Siri offered us a list of 22 movie theaters in relatively close proximity to our midtown Manhattan offices. For each theater, we were given an address, the total distance in miles from our office, as well as starred reviews.

S Voice completed in: 6.6 seconds

S Voice turned in the worst performance in this test. Not only was it unable to find movie times, but it repeatedly sent us to the Fandango page for the movie "Master Pancake: Spiderman."

Google Voice Search completed in: 3.9 seconds

Google's Voice Search didn't bring up any  movie times or locations for "The Amazing Spider-man," and instead performed a web search for the movie complete with links to a description of the film and links to buy tickets.

Winner: Siri. As the only voice assistant that provided the location of nearby theaters, Siri easily ran away with this round.

Question 2: "What will the temperature be this Saturday?"

Siri completed in: 2.9 seconds

If you've seen the latest iPhone 4S commercial featuring Zooey Deschanel, then you know Siri can provide you with the current weather report for your area, as well as the forecast for the coming week. We just wish it listed your current location, too. 

S Voice completed in: 4.5 seconds

While Siri gave us the forecast for Saturday and the preceding days, S Voice only offered the forecast for Saturday.

Google Voice Search completed in: 2.9 seconds

Like Siri, Google Voice Search gave us the forecast for Saturday, as well as the preceding days. However, Voice Search's presentation was much larger and more user friendly than Siri's small image and text. Google Voice Search also provided us with the location for the forecast, something that Siri did not.

Winner: Google Voice Search. With its beautiful, easy-to-read presentation, Google Voice Search proved to be the best meteorologist of the bunch.

Question 3: "How tall is the Taipei 101 tower?"

Siri completed in: 3.7 seconds

Siri responded to our question by providing an information card with the total height of the tower in feet and its world ranking, as well as a series of unit conversions.

S Voice completed in: 8.3 seconds

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