Artificial intelligence is no longer a fantasy from the Science Fiction section on the third shelf. Robots have long been infiltrating people's homes under the guise of smart speakers and mobile applications for smartphones. In recent years, multinational companies have made significant progress in the development of AI. Electronic assistants have become much more capable, and now manufacturers are having fun pitting them against each other, trying to figure out which voice assistant is smarter.
The most intelligent of the electronic assistants is Siri - which is not surprising, because Apple has been perfecting the program for 6 years. Siri is a favorite among domestic users because it perfectly understands and speaks Russian. However, users of Android devices need not despair - they can also download voice assistants that speak Russian to their smartphones. After reading this article, you will get acquainted with the best voice assistants for Android.
Price: Free
About the famous phrase “OK, Google!” there are a huge number of jokes, but it is with its help that one of the most skillful voice assistants for Android is launched -. This program is free; the owner of an Android device does not need to download and install it - the Google Now shortcut automatically appears on the screen of the mobile device as soon as it is updated to Android 4.1.
Google Now can also be used on an iOS gadget. To do this, you need to download the Google application from the AppStore.
The main advantage of Google Now is its integration with all other services from Google. A user, for example, can make a voice request in the Google Chrome browser or dictate a note in Google Keep. You can also use your voice to set an alarm clock, activate a timer or stopwatch, find an event in the calendar, create an SMS message and send it to the subscriber whose number is listed in the telephone directory. On modern versions of Android, Google Now is also integrated with third-party applications, such as Telegram and What’s App messengers.
Unfortunately, Google Now's Siri functionality is still a long way off - the search giant's intelligent assistant is capable of performing a relatively small number of voice commands. A complete list of these commands is available on the official Google website.
Dusya
Price: Free
The main feature of the Russian-language intellectual assistant “Dusya” is the complete absence of an interface. The assistant constantly works in the background and does not take up a single inch of the mobile gadget’s screen. You can launch the “Dusya” application by voice, wave, shake, and many other ways.
The program developers emphasize to users that “Dusya” is not a chat bot that will flirt with the user and tell him jokes a la Siri. “Dusya” carries out the commands for which it has been trained - in particular, at the voice request of the owner of the gadget, she is able to plot a route on a map, dial a number written in the phone book, find music on the social network VKontakte, write a message in What's App, translate any simple phrase in several languages. The most important thing is that the list of commands that “Dusya” understands is not final; it is constantly being updated. Each user is able to offer his own idea on how to make “Dusya” smarter on a special forum.
The disadvantages of the Dusya program include the fact that it is paid. The user is given a week to get acquainted with the intellectual assistant; after this period, he will have to purchase a subscription for 299 rubles.
Yandex Alice
Price: Free
One of the best voice assistants operating in Russian. This application responds most adequately to the user’s Russian-language phrases. Moreover, the program was created more for entertainment than for real benefit. No, “Alice” is quite capable of telling you what the weather is like outside the window, or getting directions to the right place, but first of all, this voice assistant is intended for all kinds of games. In particular, with “Alice” you can play “Cities”, “Guess the Actor”, “Guess the Song” and various other games. And the process can be seriously exciting!
It must be remembered that the voice assistant was developed by the most popular search engine in Russia. This means that the application best copes with the functions that are most often used by visitors to the Yandex website. For example, “Alice” will instantly tell you the exchange rate of a certain currency to the ruble. It will not be difficult for the program to recalculate a certain amount of dollars, converting it into Russian currency. In general, the easiest way to use a voice assistant is as a converter. Or an adviser - “Alice” may well recommend some establishment to visit, be it a restaurant, theater, entertainment club or cinema.
Many users like to learn about “Alice” herself. It should be noted that the voice assistant behaves like a real woman. That is, the application can start flirting or speaking in riddles at any moment. In the end, you begin to be convinced that this assistant has logic. Women's logic.
Robin
Price: To be announced
The Robin application is considered the best voice assistant for the driver. The driver will not have to take his hands off the steering wheel to write an SMS message, make a call or check the weather forecast. The intelligent assistant copes well with tasks such as searching for current news and checking unread messages on social networks.
Divisions of two search giants – Google Moscow and Yandex Labs – contributed to the Russification of the Robin assistant. The results exceeded expectations: “Robin” speaks Russian as if it were his native language.
The highlight of the Robin intelligent assistant is its extraordinary sense of humor. The assistant is always ready to please the motorist with an anecdote, and in terms of funny answers it will outperform even Apple's Siri. The marketers of Audioburst, which distributes Robin, are also funny guys, because otherwise they certainly would not have been able to create such a masterpiece trailer:
Okay, Notepad!
Price: Free
Functionality of the application “Okay, Notepad!” It’s not large—it can’t be called a full-fledged intellectual assistant. Creating notes and reminders by voice is all that the “Okay, Notepad!” application allows the user. Judging by the fact that the program has excellent ratings and a lot of positive reviews on Google Play, it copes with its modest task with a 5+.
Application developer D. Lozenko notes that “Okay, Notepad!” is an analogue of the once popular mobile program “Remember Everything”. Now the “Remember Everything” application is abandoned, so there are no sensible alternatives to “Notepad” on Google Play.
Functionality of the program “Okay, Notepad!” can be expanded a little by installing plugins. For example, with the help of additional software you can add synchronization with Google tasks.
Google Assistant
Price: Free
Quite quickly, Google moved from developing Now to creating Assistant. The first project is now considered closed, while the second is actively developing. However, this voice assistant can interact with Google Now, actively retrieving information from there.
Like some other modern assistants, Google Assistant is capable of participating in two-way dialogue, understanding normal spoken language. And for some time now, the application has begun to act in the manner of Shazam, recognizing songs playing nearby.
The assistant of the world-famous search engine stores all dialogues with the user on its server. This program is designed for self-development and searching for key concepts. Gradually, the assistant adapts more and more to the person’s speech style, developing a wide base of answers.
Unfortunately, Google Assistant is currently only available on flagship smartphones. In particular, LG V30, G6, Nokia 8, Oppo R11, and some others are supported. But Russians who own the above devices will not be able to download the application in any case. This is due to the fact that the voice assistant does not support the Russian language. That is, you can install the program only if you change the operating system language to English. However, in the spring of 2018, at least a test version of the application received support from the great and mighty. It is possible that the main version of the assistant will speak Russian very soon.
Price: To be announced
Amazon has perhaps the largest number of Internet servers in the world. It would be a shame not to use such disk space to process some serious tasks. That is why one day the Amazon Alexa voice assistant was born. At that time, this was the only assistant that not only answered the user’s memorized phrases, but talked to him.
The assistant gets access to a variety of smartphone functions. It is easy for him to change the brightness of the screen backlight, play a song or call someone. It is also capable of drawing content from a variety of online services, and these do not necessarily have to be branded projects from Amazon.
Alexa is now considered the smartest voice assistant. The application works mainly on flagship devices, and even then not on all of them. Basically, the voice assistant was created for smart speakers - separate devices purchased for installation in the living room or somewhere in the kitchen. Unfortunately, this assistant doesn’t want to speak Russian either. If we remember the limited resources of the American company Amazon, then we can hardly expect the appearance of the Russian language before 2020.
Voice assistants on PC
The computer can also be controlled using a virtual assistant - although, alas, only a few users know about this. The Windows 8 operating system includes a built-in utility called Windows Speech Recognition, which is activated through the Control Panel. Windows 10 is equipped with a full-fledged intelligent assistant, Cortana, capable of performing a lot of tasks based on user voice requests - searching and running files on the computer, making notes and notes in the calendar, setting up the system.
Unfortunately, Windows Speech Recognition and Cortana have a big common flaw: they don’t understand Russian and don’t speak it. Cortana as of 2017 speaks only 6 languages: English, Chinese, German, Italian, Spanish and French. Naturally, over time, Cortana will master Russian and other languages - however, no one knows how long domestic users will have to “wait for the weather by the sea.” Therefore, for now, it’s worth turning to third-party voice assistants for computers - fortunately, there are options. Here are just a few of those that support the Russian language:
- “Gorynych” is an assistant who speaks both Russian and English. “Gorynych” is capable of performing, using voice commands, any operations for which the user usually uses a mouse and keyboard. The problem with Gorynych is that it recognizes speech very mediocrely - if the owner of the PC suddenly becomes hoarse, the voice assistant will simply stop understanding him.
- “Agregat” is an intelligent assistant for PC from the creators of the aforementioned “Dusya”. The developers claim that Aggregate is much better than Cortana for a number of reasons: Firstly, “Agregat” understands Russian, Secondly, it installs on any operating system (be it OSX, Windows or Linux), Thirdly, users can increase the functionality of the “Unit” by installing additional modules. But in the case of “Agregat”, again, there is a “fly in the ointment”: the program is still at the alpha testing stage, so download it just If you fail, you will have to join a special Google + community and submit a request to receive a copy of the assistant files.
- Typle is a simple utility for Windows 7, 8 and 10. Typle's functionality is very limited: the program can open files and applications, but it is not capable of, say, controlling a music player.
Conclusion
Soon, owners of Android gadgets will not have to think about which voice assistants to equip their smartphones with. Back in February, Google announced its intention to replace the outdated Google Now on all Android devices with the more modern Google Assistant. It will be possible to “upgrade” the voice assistant not only to Android 7.0 Nougat, but also to version 6.0 Marshmallow. Google Assistant does not yet speak Russian, but it will definitely be available soon – Google representatives announced this at I/O 2017.
The assistant in Russian combines a set of voice control functions for performing everyday tasks. The voice assistant is capable of performing voice commands given in natural speech. The user is not required to raise his voice or pronounce words abruptly for adequate recognition by the device. The application has a shareware distribution model with a free period of use of 7 days. There is built-in training for inexperienced users. The program requires the presence of the Google voice search module.
Application features
The interactive assistant allows you to combine access to multimedia and search functions of a smartphone or tablet. The assistant is responsible for the following:
- Voice launch of programs on the device.
- Search for a contact in the phone book.
- Organizer functions.
- Widget 1X1.
- Search functions with results displayed in the browser (integrated Google voice search).
The main advantage of an assistant is the presence of a city guide. The program is capable of providing information about city posters, detailed weather forecasts, etc. The “Places” service will be able to find entertainment establishments at the address specified by the user, right down to the street. The function will be able to display bars, restaurants, cinemas, leisure centers, billiards and bowling clubs located in the search area.
The film poster will be able to show current screenings in cinemas of the desired locality. The poster is currently available for Moscow and St. Petersburg. The assistant can provide up-to-date reports from the most popular sports competitions. The application has a built-in small encyclopedia containing information about historical milestones, people and various phenomena.
The program is integrated with satellite maps from Yandex and Google and can generate routes to a specified point. Another advantage: the application is able to learn new commands, for example, perform delayed launch of applications. The developers managed to build in a translator that can translate phrases spoken by voice into several European languages.
Google Assistant (Google Assistant) is a virtual voice assistant from Google. Google first introduced its own Assistant in May 2016. This is an evolution of the Android feature known as Google Now, which provided information by voice request without the need to type text. But, unlike Google Now, Google Assistant conducts a dialogue with the user, understanding the meaning of the conversation. It competes with Yandex's Alice (in the Russian-language market), Apple's Siri, Amazon's Alexa, and Microsoft's Cortana.
Google's Personal Assistant can be installed on Android and iOS platforms as a separate offering; on Android, the voice assistant is also included in the pre-installed Google app (initially, the Assistant was only available on Google Pixel smartphones). You can also use the services of a virtual assistant in Google Allo (messenger from Google), Google Home (smart speaker with voice control. Yandex presented a domestic analogue -), Android Wear (smart watch from Good Corporation).
Google Assistant features
The functionality of Google Assistant is generally similar to other voice assistants:
- Will tell you the weather;
- Find a restaurant nearby;
- Find out the schedule of the desired store or organization;
- Plot the route on the map;
- Will call a phone number, send an SMS, send an email and write to WhatsApp;
- Set an alarm, set a reminder, create a schedule;
- It will also help to pass the time and find the answer on the Internet.
System requirements for connecting Google Assistant
To work normally with the Assistant you will need:
- A device running Android 5.0 or higher (for most smartphones and tablets) or iOS 10 or higher (for iPhone or iPad);
- Memory on the device - 1.4 GB;
- Screen expansion 720p;
- For the application to work correctly, one of the supported languages must be connected to your phone or tablet (see the list below);
- Apple devices will require additional installation of the application. For gadgets on Android, you need the Google application version 6.13 or higher; if necessary, you can update the application to the latest version.
How to enable Google Assistant?
Enable Google Assistant on Android
To enable Google Assistant on Android follow the instructions below:
You can also download the Google Assistant app for Android separately.
Enable Google Assistant on iOS
To enable Google Assistant on iPhone, follow the following step-by-step guide:
How to enable/disable the “Ok Google” command
Activate Google Assistant according to the instructions above, in the virtual assistant settings, select “Okay Google recognition” and select enable/disable opposite.
Google Assistant output in Russian
On May 8, 2018, at the annual Google I/O 2018 conference, the release of Google Assistant in Russia was announced. Now the personal assistant from the good corporation is available in Russian, and also fully works in Russia, although only on mobile phones, while in the USA it is available on smartphones, tablets, laptops, TVs, smart speakers and smart campaign gadgets.
Let us remind you that as of June 2018, Google Assistant is available in English, German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Korean, Japanese, Indonesian and Hindi. In October 2018, an assistant in Russian became available.
Language recognition varies by device. Google Home works with English, Google Pixel smartphones - with English and German, the Google Allo messenger supports the widest language palette.
Assistant 2.8.1907.2201
It is now possible to operate the Assistant application primarily through public ports 80 and 443. The performance of the client application has been optimized and improved.
Release date: 07/26/2019
Assistant 2.7.1906.501
The protocol for updating the client application has been changed; now all updates are via the HTTP protocol. In corporate editions, it became possible to install applications remotely.
Release date: 06/13/2019
Assistant 2.6.1905.1601
The work with UAC Windows has been optimized when working with the Assistant application without installation on a remote device.
Release date: 04/25/2019
Assistant 2.5.1903.2103
Improved performance at low bandwidth
ASSISTANT works in networks with speed. The functionality of the “Administration” module has been improved. Searching for devices on the network now also finds Linux versions.
Improved application stability.
Release date: 03/27/2019
Assistant 2.4.1902.0601
Much work has been done to optimize remote desktop management. The speed of working with remote devices has increased significantly, and the quality of the transmitted image has also noticeably improved.
Release date: 02/07/2019
Assistant 2.3.1812.1801
A full-fledged search in the Windows registry has appeared.
Now for 64-bit versions of Windows the entire system registry is shown, not just the 32-bit part.
The functionality of the Command Line module has been expanded.
Security settings for the client application can now be configured centrally from the Personal Account, using access policies.
Added the ability to export list contents to a file.
The list of devices has become simpler and clearer.
Improved application stability.
Release date: 12/24/2018
Assistant 2.2.1811.0801
There is a setting that allows you to allow connection authentication under an inactive Windows account. Now the Administrator can connect to the remote device using his account.
If you select "Optimize speed" during a remote control session, the wallpaper on the controlled device will be disabled.
The location where client application settings are stored in the Windows registry has been changed to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
In addition, we have improved the stability of the application.
Release date: 11/14/2018
Assistant 2.2.1810.0801
Improved performance of the Assistant client application before user authentication in the operating system. You will be able to connect to the remote device after the current user's session ends.
Added functionality that allows for presentations and training. Now in an audio chat, all interlocutors will be able to hear you.
Release date: 10/19/2018
Assistant 2.2.1808.2401
We have added functionality for grouping remote desktops into tabs in one window, for convenient switching between them.
Now you do not need to restart the Assistant when you change the logging rules, access rules and license for the device.
Fixed an issue in Windows 10 where Assistant might not appear in the system tray after autostart
It is now possible to write to Assistant technical support directly from the application. Technical protocols for the last three days will be automatically attached to the letter.
In the device management window, you now have the ability to quickly add it to the “My Computers” list.
Release date: 08/24/2018
Assistant 2.1.1808.701
Added the "Prevent hibernation" setting, which determines whether your computer will go into low power consumption mode. Relevant primarily for laptops.
Release date: 08/07/2018
Assistant 2.1.1806.1901
The design of the client application has been changed: it has become more ergonomic.
Added support for working through a proxy server.
Sending the Ctrl+Alt+Del command now works more stable and does not require additional Windows settings.
Added the ability to automatically launch a remote desktop immediately after establishing a connection with a remote computer.
Release date: 06/19/2018
Assistant "Quick start" 2.1.1806.1901
Starting with version Assistant 2.1, a new “Quick Start” application is available, which is designed to organize quick and convenient remote access to your device. The Quick Start assistant does not require installation. Download and launch the application and use your ID and password to provide access to your device.
Release date: 06/19/2018
Assistant 2.1.1806.0501
We have made a number of improvements aimed at increasing the stability of the application.
Release date: 06/05/2018
Assistant 2.0.1803.2301
We have improved the functionality of remote computer reboot. Now you have the option of automatically reconnecting to a remote computer after loading the operating system.
Release date: 03/23/2018
Assistant 2.0.1802.701
We have released the second version of the Assistant software product!
The main change in this version is the release of applications to support operating systems based on the Linux kernel. Now the reliable and secure remote access service is available to users working on computers running Linux.
The current list of supported systems is available on the “Download” page.
Release date: 02/09/2018
Assistant 1.3.1801.1201
The application now supports HTTPs protocol.
Release date: 01/19/2018
Assistant 1.3.1712.1901
The version includes a completely redesigned mechanism for logging remote user sessions. Added functionality for setting up policies for logging user actions, as well as a system for accessing protocols and tools for working with them (not available in all editions of the software product).
We have added the ability to display computers available for connection from the Active Directory directory service, as well as tools for working with lists of these devices. The function of working with Active Directory devices is available both in the user’s personal account and in the updated interface of the “Administration” mode of the “Assistant” application.
The application interface has been slightly optimized.
Release date: 12/25/2017
Assistant 1.2.1711.801
We have made a number of improvements aimed at improving the stability of the application in Microsoft Windows XP.
Release date: 11/15/2017
Assistant 1.2.1710.1601
With this version, “Assistant” supports the ability to switch to a direct connection between computers during remote control, and this can significantly increase the speed of the software product for computers that are in “line of sight” from each other.
In addition, we have improved the stability of the application and increased its speed.
Release date: 11/08/2017
Assistant 1.2.1709.2602
A new feature has been added - “Remote Printing”, with which you can directly send documents from a remote computer to your printing device.
Release date: 09/27/2017
Assistant 1.1.1706.0000
The release of the update brings with it significant improvements to our software product:
We have added a Windows system service and now you can connect to computers immediately after starting the operating system and, in addition, you will never miss an update.
The mechanism for encrypting data transferred between devices has been improved.
A new tool for working with remote devices has been added - remote power on (Wake-on-lan function). Wake up computers over the network, and then connect to them without problems (requires support for the Wake-On-lan mechanism in bios).
From version 1.1, for ease of communication, a multi-user chat is available, which will become an indispensable assistant for group work, for example, when conducting demonstrations.
The new Black Screen feature allows you to hide your actions on a managed computer from the user. Make private settings on a remote computer without the risk of being snooped on.
A number of small improvements have been made to improve the ease of use of the software product: a function for saving screenshots has been added, support for special commands in Windows 8/10 has been added to make it easier to manage the Metro interface of a remote computer.
Small but very important fixes have affected the mechanism for searching for devices on the network. Now the search has become even faster.
Release date: 05/29/2017
Assistant 1.0.0000.0000
The first version of our software product has been released for public use. We deployed and began supporting the server infrastructure for the Assistant application to provide a reliable and secure remote access service.
