Alexa, Crab, and Google Assistant have joined your family. Your virtual assistants have become the “human” users’ right arm. They can make calls, send messages, read the news, listen to music, schedule tasks, and much more.
These systems can be found in smartphones, tablets, televisions, headphones, home appliances, and smart speakers.
Crab
Crab is the market’s first virtual assistant. On April 28, 2010, Apple purchased the system, and a year later, it began working in a limited capacity in iOS. The Crab, like its competitors, can perform everyday tasks and extract information from Apple’s services, allowing for more personalized experiences.
Open apps, make calls, send messages to contacts, set reminders, activate alarms, search the internet, and control (compatible) smart home devices with the Crab.
THE Crab is a wizard limited to Apple operating systems, specifically iOS (iPhone), iPad (iPad), macOS (MacBooks and iMacs), watchOS (Apple Watch), beyond AirPods and HomePod, and in cars with Apple CarPlay.
Say “Hey, Siri” or “Hey, Siri” to activate it. If you prefer, you can still call her using the iPhone’s home button before the iPhone X. press and hold the button for a few seconds to accomplish this. Users of the iPhone X, XR, XS, XS Max, 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max must press the button on the side of the device.
A Crab, like the Alexa, is compatible with the connected home concept. You can generally ask Siri to turn on the house lights by saying, “Hey Siri, turn on the living room lights,” “Shows front door camera” to see who rang the doorbell, or “Opens ‘The Paper House’ on Netflix” to watch a Netflix series.
Siri’s Advantages and Disadvantages
Pros
- Simple to use;
- It is compatible with Apple CarPlay.
- It can activate functions such as low power mode, do not disturb, and voice commands to read and send messages.
- Songs are recognized using the command “Siri, discover this song”;
- Date and time reminders are added and suggested;
- Portuguese, English (US, UK, Canada, India, UK, New Zealand, and Australia), Spanish, German, Italian, French, Korean, Japanese, Russian, Thai, Mandarin, Cantonese, Swedish, Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, and Turkish.
Cons
- It only works in the Apple ecosystem.
- A crab can only sometimes understand voice accents or modulations.
- It does not function without an active internet connection; Wi-Fi or cellular data are required.
- At times, the voice is still robotic.
Google Assistant
Google Assistant is one of the market’s most integrated and advanced systems. He is one of the comparison’s newcomers, having debuted in 2016.
Assistant was created as a Google Now extension. It was first available on Google Pixel smartphones and the Google Home / Nest Mini smart speaker. It is now available on Android, Android TV, Nvidia Shield, and Wear OS smartwatches. Furthermore, Google Assistant is integrated with headphones (such as the JBL Everest 710GA), Lava and Dry (LG AIDD), and in cars via Android Auto.
Control your devices and leave your smart home with Google Assistant, change your music, schedule appointments and send messages, make restaurant reservations, check the weather, and news, read notifications, open apps on your smartphone, access information from your calendars, and more personal information, play content on the Chromecast, and more.
Collaboration with other companies is a plus in this system. Google Assistant is compatible with the following devices: LG, Logitech, Samsung SmartThings, TP-Link, Philips Hue, iRobot, Honeywell, WeMo, and Osram. In addition to seeing the delivery status on Magazine Luiza, the user can ask to watch movies and series on Netflix or listen to the day’s main news on FSP.
Like Crab, to summon the Google Assistant, say “OK Google” or “Hey Google.” Among the voice commands are “What is the weather forecast in So Paulo?” “What is the closest restaurant to home?” “Call So-and-so “and” Remember to buy my mother’s gift next week.” Google Assistant’s “personality” includes fun commands. When asked how old it is, it responds, “I was launched in 2016. I’m still quite young,” and adds a baby emoji.
When you talk to the Google Assistant in a room while another person is talking, he can collect both conversations and not be as assertive.
Google Assistant Advantages and Disadvantages
Pros:
- Compatible with both Android and iOS systems;
- It is compatible with Android Auto.
- It can recognize different voices; even if the user says “OK, Google” quietly, it can understand him.
- It is a device that provides more voice responses;
- It is linked to the house and its gadgets.
Cons:
It can collect multiple conversations in environments where more people are talking, causing confusing responses.
Amazon Alexa
Amazon’s Alexa has become increasingly popular among virtual assistants. This success can be attributed to the Echo family devices (echo dot, Echo Show 5, and Echo). THE Alexa debuted in 2014 alongside the company’s smart speakers.
Like Google Assistant, Alexa can assist you with tasks, control compatible smart home devices, run counters, alarms, and reminders, control your music, search the internet, and read the news. Alexa can also play content from the Amazon Fire device. The system stands out and differentiates itself from others by being more of a friend to the user rather than a robot.
To use it, say “Alexa” and tell her what to do or ask questions like “Alexa, what’s the news?” or “Alexa, what’s the weather forecast in Rio de Janeiro?” Alternatively, “Alexa, call Mom,” “Alexa, wake me up at 8 p.m. tomorrow,” “Alexa, play Taylor Swift from Amazon Music,” and “Alexa, add “walk the dog” to my to-do list.”
There are also privacy commands available. “Alexa, delete everything I said today,” “Alexa, speak what you heard,” “Alexa, delete what I just said,” and others are examples.
An Alexa employs a variety of skills (“skills,” in free translation). With it, you can ask for a Uber, listen to your favourite radio through TuneIn, listen to music and podcasts on Spotify, check your fuel and battery level BMW, turn on f turn off the light Philips Hue room, and much more.
In addition to being “friends” with the user, Alexa can perform tasks without you having to use your hands, which is very useful. You could, for example, request that she change the music while you do the dishes. The same can be done to a turn on or off light in a house room. You can also make video calls with your family members with devices compatible with the Echo, just like the Lyon family does (by voice) in Years and Years (HBO series).
The Amazon virtual assistant, like its main competitors, has amusing commands; she even sings (really!). The first disadvantage of this system is privacy concerns. The company has admitted to saving user conversations.
Alexa Pros and Cons
Pros
- Simple to use;
- It is the most effective artificial intelligence system for use at home.
- Bluetooth pairing is flawless.
- Integrates with a variety of systems, including Amazon Prime, Uber, news portals, and others;
- Only use by voice.
Cons
- Privacy;
- Echo conversations can be accessed by people outside your home (without a password, for example).
Final Summary
In the broad sense, Alexa is a virtual friend who can assist you daily. She is her right arm. However, it needs more security and privacy.
A Crab is an intelligent system that is fun to use and allows you to speak naturally. It becomes smarter with each update. With Siri shortcuts, you can still perform daily tasks on your smartphone more quickly. However, it suffers greatly by being limited to branded devices. With these distinctions, we can conclude that if you want the most intelligent, Google Assistant is an intriguing option; if you wish to be the most integrated, consider Alexa. If you are an Apple product user, choose Crab, and if she takes pride in her sense of humour, she also wins in this category
