San Francisco — Google Inc., owner of the world’s most popular Internet search engine, is slowly but surely rolling out the voice-activated search feature in a system update to its Android mobile operating system — the one powering the G1, in a bid to provide an edge over rival devices.
The long wait for owners of the T-Mobile G1 cellphone who have been waiting for voice search can finally let out a collective sigh of, “It is about time.”
Surprisingly enough, voice search is operational on a large scale for rival handset, Apple’s iPhone, since last November as part of the Google Mobile App., before it released for its own mobile operating system, but the iPhone has sold far more units than Android at this point. Additionally, iPhone users have a tendency to search and surf the mobile Web more than users of other devices.
The new feature will be accessible to U.S. customers starting this week, Google said today. The service will allow users speak the phrase or word that they want to search on their phones. The results can be accessed by clicking on links.
Gummi Hafsteinsson, Google’s senior product manager for the mobile team, told The Times in November that the company treats all smartphone platforms equally — meaning it would not give preference to Android over the iPhone.
The G1, which has a touch screen and a slide-out keyboard, allows consumers use Google applications to search the Web, get directions and read news stories. The phone, made by Taiwan-based HTC Corp., competes with the iPhone and BlackBerry devices.
The application can also utilize location based data to help a consumer find the nearest gas station, restaurant, or other area of interest. An Android version has been expected, and it could be especially convenient on the G1 because it means users would not have to flip open the screen to get search results.
But a three-month gap to drop a feature-lacking update to Google’s own OS? Shouldn’t Android supporters be at least a little upset?