Motorola has a new commercial comparing Android’s Voice Actions on the Atrix 2 with Siri on the iPhone 4S. The video compares the two services in a head-to-head battle to see which handset can send a text message or navigate to a location the fastest. This is a promotion for Motorola, so, of course, Android’s voice actions trump Siri each and every time.
Though great for a commercial, the comparison is not all that fair. The commercial fails to mention that the iPhone 4S is a 3G phone, while the Atrix 2 is an HSPA+ handset, 4G by AT&T’s standards. The faster voice commands of the Atrix 2 are, in part, the result of the faster data connection.
It’s also worth pointing out that Siri does include extra steps that Voice Action does not have. Sometimes these steps get in the way like when you want driving directions, other times it’s useful to hear a text message read back to you so you can correct it before you send it. At this stage in the game, however, comparisons like this should be done tongue-in-cheek. The technology is still nascent and rapidly changing. Come talk to me again about comparisons in a few years when the technology has had time to develop and refine itself.