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In Netflix, today: "Xbox, pause." (handle phone call). "Xbox, play." For simple commands, it's pretty neat. "Xbox, order pizza and find a movie that doesn't s

by kabdib 16y ago

In Netflix, today: "Xbox, pause." (handle phone call). "Xbox, play." For simple commands, it's pretty neat. "Xbox, order pizza and find a movie that doesn't suck" is probably a few years off :-)

jrockway 16y ago
If only there was a small keyboard with a limited set of buttons that could be pressed to command consumer electronics devices. I would call it ... a "remote control".
- kabdib 16y ago
  On a random remote I just picked up, I see buttons labeled: Menu, Top Menu, Configure, Category, Setup, Option, two Enter buttons, two Mute buttons, several banks of numeric entry 0-9, two channel changers, two volume changers, three different power buttons, two mutes, and four ways to change inputs. I would much rather do this: "Computer, show me some God damned teevee." "Yes, boss." I think it's likely we'll get decent voice-and-intent recognition before the remote control makers are brought, well, under control. Right now your average remote is like flying a fapping 747. [I'm aware of the Apple remote. It seems cool, but I haven't used one.]
  - nitrogen 16y ago
    Remote controls and home automation are a space that many a geek has tried to conquer with good code and proper UI design principles. Give it some time; it'll happen. Voice control will have its place, but I'm mostly convinced that, for people with one good hand, well-designed physical interfaces will always be better for most things.
nitrogen 16y ago
Better yet, you use a home automation system, and when the phone rings, the Xbox pauses automatically. If phones had more flexibility in their Bluetooth stacks, and/or app developers for consoles added network APIs, an app on your cellphone could simply send a packet to the Xbox to tell it that a phone call has arrived and it should pause, mute, etc. appropriately. Heck, why not just take the phone call through the Kinect's echo-cancelled microphones via Bluetooth?
- shasta 16y ago
  "and when the phone rings, the Xbox pauses automatically." That sounds terrible.
PakG1 16y ago
I don't know how common my thoughts are on this compared to other people, but if I were to voice-interact with my technology, I'd prefer that it was like interacting with Hal or Jeeves. Memorizing a list of commands and syntax to say out loud would be simple enough, but the thought of such strict syntax turns me off. Spoken language has always been fluid, fun, and spontaneous in my experience, and I hate the thought of it becoming like concrete. I realize others think differently, but I wonder whether I'm truly alone or not on this.

by kabdib 16y ago

In Netflix, today: "Xbox, pause." (handle phone call). "Xbox, play." For simple commands, it's pretty neat. "Xbox, order pizza and find a movie that doesn't suck" is probably a few years off :-)

jrockway 16y ago

If only there was a small keyboard with a limited set of buttons that could be pressed to command consumer electronics devices. I would call it ... a "remote control".

kabdib 16y ago
On a random remote I just picked up, I see buttons labeled: Menu, Top Menu, Configure, Category, Setup, Option, two Enter buttons, two Mute buttons, several banks of numeric entry 0-9, two channel changers, two volume changers, three different power buttons, two mutes, and four ways to change inputs. I would much rather do this: "Computer, show me some God damned teevee." "Yes, boss." I think it's likely we'll get decent voice-and-intent recognition before the remote control makers are brought, well, under control. Right now your average remote is like flying a fapping 747. [I'm aware of the Apple remote. It seems cool, but I haven't used one.]
- nitrogen 16y ago
  Remote controls and home automation are a space that many a geek has tried to conquer with good code and proper UI design principles. Give it some time; it'll happen. Voice control will have its place, but I'm mostly convinced that, for people with one good hand, well-designed physical interfaces will always be better for most things.

nitrogen 16y ago

Better yet, you use a home automation system, and when the phone rings, the Xbox pauses automatically. If phones had more flexibility in their Bluetooth stacks, and/or app developers for consoles added network APIs, an app on your cellphone could simply send a packet to the Xbox to tell it that a phone call has arrived and it should pause, mute, etc. appropriately. Heck, why not just take the phone call through the Kinect's echo-cancelled microphones via Bluetooth?

shasta 16y ago
"and when the phone rings, the Xbox pauses automatically." That sounds terrible.

PakG1 16y ago

I don't know how common my thoughts are on this compared to other people, but if I were to voice-interact with my technology, I'd prefer that it was like interacting with Hal or Jeeves. Memorizing a list of commands and syntax to say out loud would be simple enough, but the thought of such strict syntax turns me off. Spoken language has always been fluid, fun, and spontaneous in my experience, and I hate the thought of it becoming like concrete. I realize others think differently, but I wonder whether I'm truly alone or not on this.