ON COMPUTERS

Digital assistants have range of applications, but don't call them apps

When extra features are added to smartphones or the Internet, they're called apps -- short for "applications." Maps and games are examples. When features are added to Amazon's digital assistants Echo and Dot, they're called skills. When features are added to Google Home, they're called actions.

Why the difference? We don't know, and we didn't make this stuff up. You have to realize that dozens of meetings, attended by high-powered executives, are required to make such decisions. We weren't invited.

Well, these gizmos seem to be the fastest-growing products on the planet, just ahead of organic carrot juice. And so we looked at what actions Google can take.

Users of either device most often ask for weather or music. But what about more difficult commands, like: "Tell me about Tokelau." This is an island in the Pacific Ocean halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand, and we are always anxious for news. Currently, there's not much happening on Tokelau, where 1,400 people live in a space about half the size of Bryant, so there's no news.

But other interesting actions are popping up all the time. Here are some we've tried so far:

Quora. This is our favorite question-and-answer site. There are more than 100 million active daily users, and they can answer really obscure questions. We asked Google Home to launch Quora, and then asked: "What is the best way to lower cholesterol for a blood test?" Google said the best answer was from Joy Schwabach, who has answered lots of questions on Quora and has 140,000 views. This turns out to be the same Joy Schwabach whose name is on our column. (How many could there be?) The answer she gave is rather lengthy, so we won't go into it. (We might note that no one pays for this information.)

Random Conversations. This enormously useful action allows you to say just about anything, and someone out there in the great beyond will say something back. For example, a stranger asked us what we did when lonely or bored. We had much to say on this subject, but unfortunately we cut her off accidentally.

Lonely Planet. You mention an area of the world you're interested in, like Italy, and get news of attractions. A follow-up email gives you more detail on whichever one you want to know about. We learned about the Museum of San Marco in Florence.

Cool Events tells you about meet-ups and shows in your area. Unfortunately, the first one they told us about had started an hour earlier. Ah well, a few bugs to work out.

Animal Quiz. Your Google Home device will ask questions and try to guess the animal you're thinking of. When we tried it, Google failed to guess "turkey."

Genius just gives you information about songs. (It's a very limited genius.) It didn't recognize "The Star-Spangled Banner" and told us it was probably an album by Jay Z and Kanye West. Seems unlikely.

Chill offers movie recommendations. We said we liked Sleepless in Seattle for its romance, and it said we might like Man Up, Mr. Nobody, Revolutionary Road and several others. Never heard of them.

Reverse Math. You're given an answer, such as 90, and have to think of three numbers that when multiplied together get that. How about nine, 10 and one? That was easy.

Google Home has nearly a hundred of these actions to choose from. (Amazon's Alexa, the voice service that powers Echo and Dot, has 8,000.) To find what's available, tap the Google Home app on your phone, then "more settings," then "services."

Some are remarkably specific, such as the dates and hours for Seattle's public swimming season, the lunch menu at St. Joseph's school (they didn't bother to say which St. Joseph's school, and there are dozens), and the public transportation schedule in Prague. Mr. Doggy tells you what's safe for your dog to eat. (Food, we would guess.) There's no search function; you have to scroll through them all.

By the way, we've often read that Google Home is better than Alexa in answering questions, but it's a mixed bag. Alexa told us that Spain was bigger than Sweden, but Google Home said it didn't know. Sometimes Google knows but Alexa doesn't. On the other hand, when you're looking for Alexa's new skills, rather than go through all 8,000, you can search by topic.

Internuts

StrangeUSA.com says it's the ultimate collection of the strange. Click on a U.S. state, then a city. We tried Joy's old hometown of Newport Beach, Calif. The site said the Coronado Apartments, where her nephew lives, is haunted by the spirit of a woman. Lights go on and off, muffled voices are heard, and phantom music emanates. (They just don't understand the erratic power system in Newport Beach.) The site said John Wayne haunts his yacht in Newport Bay. Bob has been on this boat and didn't hear a peep. Bob says it's more likely Wayne haunts John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana; it's been ranked as one of the 10 scariest airports in the U.S.

KhanAcademy.org has thousands of courses. A new one is "Pixar in a Box." You learn how the people behind Toy Story, Up and Inside Out create their movies.

"Little Kids and their Big Dogs." Google that phrase. These are really cute photos.

"How to Use Steve Jobs' Insanely Simple Strategy For Getting What You Want." Google this phrase to find an article in Inc. Magazine that includes a video of Jobs, Apple's co-founder, explaining his strategy: Just ask. As a 12-year-old, he called up the founder of Hewlett-Packard, who offered him a summer job.

Bob and Joy Schwabach can be reached by email at [email protected] and [email protected].

SundayMonday Business on 02/27/2017

Upcoming Events