BlackBerry’s had rudimentary voice commands for quite some time, like “Call,” “Check Signal Strength,” and “Check Battery,” but nothing that really rivals Microsoft’s Speech, Google Voice Actions, or Siri on iOS. RIM appears to be moving in that direction, though, as a recent update for the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha demonstrates. CrackBerry tried out the update, and as the publication explains in the video below, you can just hold down the developer handset’s Play / Pause button to access a universal search function, get driving directions (served up via Bing Maps), check the weather in the city of your choice, and set calendar appointments using the experimental functionality. Crackberry also claims the voice commands hook into the phone’s music player as well.
BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha update adds experimental voice commands
RIM’s BlackBerry 10 developer handset has been updated with voice commands.
RIM’s BlackBerry 10 developer handset has been updated with voice commands.
is a senior editor and founding member of The Verge who covers gadgets, games, and toys. He spent 15 years editing the likes of CNET, Gizmodo, and Engadget.
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