Mobilizing

One of my favorite iPhone apps is the Google Mobile App with Voice Search, which simplifies Googling on the fly with voice recognition. I use it more than I thought I would. Let's say I'm running errands and wondering if my Staples copy order is ready yet. I touch the Google Mobile app button, and when I bring the phone to my ear, it detects the motion and gives me a beep to let me know that it's ready for me to speak (or you can touch the little mic icon, but why bother?). I say, "Staples, Needham, Massachusetts" (and yes, I do try to speak loudly and clearly, enunciating in the nerdiest way imaginable). A few seconds later I get a screen like this:

From there I can just touch the phone number at the top there, and it places the call to them! How cool is that?

Or, say Pete's speech therapist and I are joking about mullets (I swear, I can't remember why) and Pete says, "What's a mullet?" I go to Google Mobile, say "Mullets," and look what I get:

Thanks to a link at Lifehacker, I went to the web site for the Google Mobile app, where I learned that some funky features had been secretly added. They were really hard to find, but I persevered, and now I got 'em.

(Meanwhile, I learned the coolest iPhone trick today: When you're on any screen, hold down the Home key and press the Sleep/Wake button for an instant snapshot of that screen! That's how I did the ones above.)

Comments

[amy]

Karen,

do you have the 3G or the other one (which is the one i have)?

speaking of iphones, i just got my dots gloves in the mail today--can't wait for the frigid weather to arrive thursday so i can use them!

oh wait, yes i can...of course we are going up skiing where it will be even colder.

contrary to all this whining, i really do love living in new england.

[Karen]

I have the original iPhone (not 3G). I used my DOTS today, waiting for the kids outside of school!

[Gail]

I have a Blackberry that is permanently affixed to my thumbs and I swore I'd never cheat, but you make me want an iPhone.

I noticed Mullets Galore on your iPhone search page and I had to visit it. I saw it a few years ago, and let me tell you, it was superb. I was so excited to see it again and...it's gone! No longer in business. Did you ever see it? They had all of these cruel and hilarious categories of mullets, including the Kiddy Mullet, the Midget Mullet, and (my favorite) The Skullet (bald in front, party in the back). Each category was accompanied by several photographs. Truly lovely.

[Paul Merrill]

I just tweeted your post.

Good blog!!