There have been a number of digital personal assistants, like Google, Siri, and Cortana, who have been helping us resolve various search queries that we put forth. They have helped us in scheduling our appointments, and also addressed our navigation needs every day. But, what if we wanted these smart phone personal assistants to help us in a more personal way?
Before Google became the doyen of search, Ask Jeeves depended on a whole team – of human beings – to answer all your internet queries. Internet’s favourite butler was forced to step down by search algorithms. This, however, did not mean the demise of the idea that human beings are worthy competition for the software created by us. To prove this point, a new app has made it to the market – Ask Ooloo. It is a digital assistant powered living, breathing human beings. The creators say that Ooloo, a PPDA (people – powered digital assistant) is full of living people round – the – clock who are always ready to offer you quick, localised results – all with a personal touch! You just have to speak your question out loud, just as you would with Google Now, Siri, or Cortana, and wait to get an answer.
We tested the iOS app, and asked it “Who invented the internet?” The answer, however, was not shocking.
After about seven minutes, we received a reply from someone named Shefali. She said, “Al Gore! Just Kidding, check this out!” We were then given a link to a video on HowStuffWorks that shows a detailed account of the way it was created. It is not as fast as the competition that is automated, but it does come with sass that only human can come up with to accompany the answers and make up for the time taken. When we asked Siri the same question, we received a very dry, albeit prompt response, through Wolfram Alpha. On looking at the road Jeeves took, it is not possible to confidently say anything about Ooloo’s staying power. But, as of now, you can download it for free from either Google’s Play Store or Apple’s App Store.
