2012-02-21

Google Applies For TV Voice Control Patent

Apple began the war, now Google is ready to fight it. Google applied for a patent to control TV with voice commands, and shows big plans for their Android@home. We will see more about that at MWC 2012 in a few days. This also means, if Apple will bring an Apple TV, it might lack voice control, because Google will for sure, fight for that patent. As you know, if you don't actually defending your patent, you're going to lose it.

Google 的貼牌冰箱(Google refrigerator)
Google 的貼牌冰箱(Google refrigerator) (Photo credit: Aray Chen)
Now the lesson was learned by Google. Unlike in the past, where Google invented a lot of things and didn't applied for patents, they have learn, they need to do so, not to get ripped off by other companies.

The patent system is broken. It's wrong from the beginning. But if nobody is going to fix it, Google have to play with the given rules. And now it looks like they finally will. You woke up the sleeping dog, now it's going to be very angry. Poor Apple. If Apple is losing the capability to control their rumored Apple TV with voice commands, it's losing their most discussed feature. Everyone said the "Siri for TV" will be a revolution. Now Google seems to have that revolution and worked long before at voice command than Apple.

We know "Voice Actions" from Android. And Google missed on that one to get a patent. Siri would have never happened if Google had the patent for voice controlling your phone. With the war Apple is bringing to the consumers, Google won't miss a second chance again.