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Virtual assistants are increasingly getting smarter. They have become a standard and a key selling point for modern day smartphones. When Siri was launched on iOS, it was the hottest topic in the tech world. Now, a much smarter Googles voice search has almost overtaken Siri.
There is no doubt that technology giants - Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon are putting all best to make virtual assistants better. So, we have brought the most precise comparison of Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri and Microsoft Cortana. Read along to know which shall be your choice.
Google Assistant
Google debuted the Google Assistant with their messaging app Allo for smartphones. Later, this feature became more famous with the launch of Pixel phones. Google Assistant uses all information that the search giant has about a particular user. Right from extracting traveling ticket information from your Gmail account to Google News and more the app does it all. You can simply use voice commands to send messages to a third-party app, call or text people, set alarms, ask for directions, closest petrol pumps, and more. The voice feedback is very natural. Google Assistant blazes through context-based queries and performs some of the best context switching ever seen. It easily beats Siri, in every way possible. Kudos to Google for a job well done!
Google Assistant is currently only available for Google Pixel devices and any Android device running Nougat. You can use Google Now, which is almost as good as Google Assistant and works flawlessly.
Hire Google if you're looking for: Hands-free voice activation, travel, and flights, dictation, music discovery, navigation, website shortcuts, etc.
Apple Siri
Siri has been an integral part of iOSand initially offered a limited set of basic queries. Later it expanded greatly and now supports third-party integration with MacOS Sierra and iOS 10. It does most of the work like Google Assistant and other virtual assistants. However, it lacks the huge database used by Google. Siri many at times may not exactly understand at the first go what a user wants but can reach up to the conclusion after a couple of voice commands. The app can easily handle commands like telling the traffic, sending emails, sending texts, asking game score, etc. More complex tasks like reading tweets, booking tickets, follow-up answers on a football game or other such features needs to improve.
Hire Siri if you're looking for: Music playback, personality, reading messages, social networking, sports, movies, dictation, changing settings, finding friends.
Amazon Alexa
Amazon's Alexa assistant comes with largely same features as Apple's Siri. It also boasts of over 1,000 skills. This voice search feature can perform all the basic functions as well as allow users with internet searches to an extent. However, the assistant fails to answer queries like who won a particular game, sending an email or how to reach a certain destination.
Hire Amazon Alexa if you're looking for: Reading messages, Free Music Streaming and Radio, Listen to Audio or Kindle Books, Repeating Alarms, Smart Home Skill Set: Lights, Switches, and Thermostats, QuickTime News/sports Updates, Weather forecast.
Microsoft Cortana
Cortana is the only personal assistant in the trio that has a recognizable face. It is as good as Apple Siri and Google Assistant. Like Siri, Cortana's got the makings of a fun personality. It makes use of its ecosystem that includes Maps, Outlook Mails and Bing search service to offer best possible results. Currently, Cortana is limited to telling jokes, poking fun at the competition and responding to random questions about Halo and Microsoft. It can handle voice commands for sending texts, emails, setting up alarms. However, users may face difficulties while booking tickets or with some complex follow-up queries. The AI works the best for Windows 10-powered Smartphones and laptops. Cortana's greatest strength comes with her Notebook wherein it jots down information about you in its notebook.
Hire Amazon Alexa if you're looking for: Cortana's Notebook, Reminders, Voice Activation, Improved Search, Compose an Email, Multi-Device Syncing, Multitasking, and more
Verdict
From the above, Google Assistant takes the cake away and wins the battle. Apple is doing a good job in keeping up with Assistant whereas Cortana handles the most basic tasks with ease. Amazon's Alexa is accessible from a range of devices; however, it still lags way behind.
As per the sources, Facebook may enter this fray soon with 'Jarvis', an AI-based personal assistant that can play music, turn on lights, and recognize visitors & more. Lets see what new the upcoming virtual assistant has to offer!!!
