informa
/
1 MIN READ
News

BlackBerry Gets Voice-Powered Google Search

The application also integrates My Location to deliver local search results from speech-driven queries.
BlackBerry users can now utilize their voices for location-relevant searches thanks to a new application from Google.

The search company first brought the speech-driven app, which brings text search results requested by voice queries, to Apple's iPhone last year. BlackBerry users can hold down the green call button to initiate voice searches once the app is opened.

The app also will be able to utilize a user's location to deliver local results. This will work even if the BlackBerry doesn't have a GPS chip because Google has integrated its My Location feature into the voice app, and this determines where a user is based on cell tower and Wi-Fi triangulation.

"Suppose you're vacationing in London, and you have a craving for fish and chips," Google wrote on its mobile blog. "With the My Location feature enabled, you can just enter 'fish n chips' into Google Mobile App, and it will return the fish and chips restaurant closest to you."

This is just the latest move by Google to expand its presence into the mobile space, as CEO Eric Schmidt has said mobile advertising will eventually generate more revenue than ads on the normal Web. Along with a plethora of mobile applications, Google recently launched the Android platform to capitalize on the growth of mobile Web usage.

Google said the app is available on BlackBerry smartphones running OS 4.1 or better, but it's not yet available for the touch-screen BlackBerry Storm.


For enterprises, keeping mobile devices functioning without interruption and giving customers the service they expect are paramount. InformationWeek has published five important steps on this topic. Download the report here (registration required).

Editor's Choice
Sara Peters, Editor-in-Chief, InformationWeek / Network Computing
John Edwards, Technology Journalist & Author
Shane Snider, Senior Writer, InformationWeek
Sara Peters, Editor-in-Chief, InformationWeek / Network Computing
Brandon Taylor, Digital Editorial Program Manager
Jessica Davis, Senior Editor
John Edwards, Technology Journalist & Author