PRODUCT REVIEW
Google Voice Search: Worthy of the iPhone's Bottom Row

The new voice-actived Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) Mobile app for iPhone is now available. For those who missed the news stories that -- somewhat prematurely -- predicted its arrival last Friday, it basically lets you say any search term or phrase into your iPhone and get search results within seconds -- even GPS-aware localized responses. So ... is it any good?

Wow. That's right, wow. I mean, yeah, it's that good. I've been an iPhone owner since day one, upgraded to the 3G model, and this is the first application that's inspired me to remove one of the four core bottom applications on my home screen and replace it with a third-party app. Google Mobile has now taken the spot formerly held by Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) Safari icon.

How It Works

After installing the Google Mobile app on your iPhone, a simple tap launches the application -- and quickly. As most iPhone owners know, slow-loading third-party apps are irritating. Since Google Mobile is all about getting you to something you want quickly, it's nice to see a clean app that runs fast.

The initial home screen will launch an introductory video that shows newbies how the app works, but it's not hard to figure out. Simply raise the phone to your ear, speak a search term or phrase, and the app is off and working. There's also a microphone button in the top-right corner if you want to speak into it without raising the phone to your ear.

As you speak, the app records your voice then uploads the file via a WiFi or 3G/EDGE connection to Google's servers, which then attempt to understand your words so it can launch a full Internet search. The results are shipped back to your iPhone in a small, screen-friendly design.

For example, if you say "pizza" or "sushi" or any of the tired phrases you've seen in the Apple ads, you'll get a list of local pizza or sushi restaurants, along with embedded Google maps and phone numbers that will launch a voice call if you tap them. If the app is confident that it's found the one place you were looking for -- say a specific restaurant name -- it'll show a mini map right under the listing. If there are multiple strong results, it'll give you a link to show the map, which will then open in a mini view within the Google Mobile application. Simply tap the map and you'll have the option to load it via the built-in Google Maps application, which lets you zoom in and out, switch to satellite mode, or find your iPhone's current location.

Going to the built-in Maps application closes the Google Mobile app, but Google created a handy answer. Once you relaunch Google Mobile, it provides a selectable list of recent search terms, letting you easily repeat a search.

Local Businesses

Say, for example, that you want to find a business. I tried REI, an outdoor gear and clothing store. Google Mobile was able to understand that I was saying a three-letter acronym rather than a real word, and it showed me basic Web results for the store -- the same stuff I could find with a simple Google search. Could I refine my request?

I tried "REI Seattle" and got a surprise: Google interpreted my voice clip as "rex nude." I didn't bother clicking on any of the links, even the one with "Simon" in it, and I simply tried again with a bit of forced enunciation. That worked perfectly, generating a listing of REI stores, with maps, in the Seattle area. Nice.

I also tried "Arby's," a fast-food restaurant, and got a local farm. I tried "Arby's restaurant", and voila, Google delivered local restaurant locations, with maps.

The lesson? Enunciation helps accuracy, and when you've got an odd word, adding a clarifying term helps too.

Googling Your Friends and Enemies

The Google Mobile app isn't limited to businesses. Ask it a question, like, "What's the highest peak in Idaho?" and it'll deliver search-based results -- links to pages with the answer. Often, it turns out, the answer is in the description of the page, so you don't even have to go to the page itself in Safari -- as long as you trust the URL.

By the way, the highest peak in Idaho is Borah Peak, at 12,662 feet above sea level.

You can even Google yourself, as well as your friends ... or enemies. Surprisingly, Google does a pretty good job with recognizing both first and last names. Still, Bryan, Brian, and Ryan brought up issues in my test, and if repeating the name doesn't fix it, you can always type out your search terms.

Is It Fast?

Yes, it's surprisingly fast. I was concerned that sending a voice clip to Google would take longer than tapping out a text search, but in most instances, it's much faster than typing a search term. It's downright pleasant.

But what about situations with background noise? To test this, I turned on iTunes at my desk and launched some songs. As you might expect, high volumes seem to affect accuracy -- but not as much as you might think. With the Foo Fighters "DOA" positively cranked, the Google Mobile app easily became confused, and even with lower levels of background noise, it could be fooled as well. With loud music in the background, once I said "pizza" and somehow got "Lewis and Clark."

Still, I found that saying the search words more loudly would get them past the background noise. And here's another tip: One-word terms like "hamburger" were most accurately picked up against background noise. Actually, I'm positively impressed with Google Mobile's ability to isolate my spoken words -- though I haven't tested it at a ball game or a crowded restaurant.

A Few Other Handy Items

Remember that "rex nude" search result? Google Mobile lets you set a level of protection to keep you from happening upon explicit material. By default, it filters explicit images, but you can set it to filter text, too. Or you can turn the filters off entirely.

Google also includes a prominent button link to other Google applications you might want to use, like Gmail, Calendar or Google Earth. If you're really into Google's world of apps, it's handy. If not, it's unobtrusive enough.

On the downside, Google Mobile doesn't offer a voice search of your contacts on the iPhone. Seems like it should, but remember, its design is to search the Web, and the heavy lifting voice analysis is done on Google's servers. Other third-party apps like Say Who can take care of voice dialing.

Bye-Bye Safari?

So why did I push Safari out of the bottom four spots? The answer is simple: I either use Safari by clicking on a bookmarked icon for a specific Web site, or I launch it to type in a URL or do a search. Since I only tap the Safari icon to navigate to a site or search, I might as well use voice and Google Mobile to get there. For instance, I can say, "MacNewsWorld" and get the link to the home page about as fast as I can type in MacNewsWorld.com.

Plus, if I ever want to find anything under the sun, the Google Mobile app results, as displayed within the app, are better and more useful than the general Safari-based Google results.

Either way, Google Mobile for iPhone is free -- try it out for yourself.