Say hello to Siri’s cousin, Jeannie for Android

Well, the rumors are wrong. Yes, Siri is an only child; however, she does have cousins. In fact, the most famous one is Jeannie. You might not recognize her at first because she recently changed her name. Formally know as Voice Actions, Jeannie uses Google’s Speech Recognition API to give Android users a bit of the personal assistant family blood.

Although Jeannie is the older one in the family, she does have some shortcomings. For one, she has no sense of humor whatsoever. Try having a funny conversation with her and you’ll likely get the response, “I’m sorry Jared, I can’t do that right now.” In other words, she’s telling you to shut up and only use the commands on her Android Market page. However, with a 4.0 star rating, she seems to be getting the job done for the most part. That’s what matters anyway. Right?

So what does this have to do with you? Not much if you’re an iOS user. I’m just letting you know that personal assistants in smartphones is something that will become common soon and Apple will be the measure of success.

Jeannie is just the beginning for Android and Siri for iOS. Just like how the iPhone and the iPad are the comparatives for the smartphone and tablet industry, Apple has set a new standard for voice recognition that competitors will strive to surpass. This means even better technologies are in the works.

P.S. Can you ask Siri if she knows Jeannie? I have this inkling that she’ll deny any relationship.

Jared is a web designer with a passion for writing. Co-founded, The Industry & Evomail. Editor at teamtreehouse.com.