The new Google Mobile messaging application Allo features a virtual assistant within each chat, from which you can book tours, restaurants or search for information
The technological giant of our time hat a matter to be resolved. Google has already crowned itself as the genie of the lamp of search, as the owner of the largest online videos platform, YouTube, and as the compass and map of most smartphone users. It also offers a hugely successful mail system, Gmail, one of the most used translators, Google Translate, a document manager and ample storage space provider, Google Drive.
It has also attempted to build a social network, Google +, although with little success, and created a brand new video call application, Duo. After invading the large spaces of the Internet user world, it still had a a service to meet: mobile messaging. An edge that Google solves beginning Wednesday with the launch of Google Allo a WhatsApp with artificial intelligence.
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Those are all Google services in one. Accessed from a single button: the yellow Allo
This application has been presented as the WhatsApp of the future, because of its complexity, intelligence and vast possibilities. It has been released worldwide for free for both Android and iOS, although the latter requires operating system version 9.1. At the moment, some of the main features are only available in English, although the company has said they will progressively made available in other languages “very soon”, and in the “short term” in Spanish.
You can both speak and write to communicate with the wizard, but it only responds inb text
To use Allo do not need to have an active Google account, it’s enough to enter a mobile number. This and a name are the only information needed to start using Google’s Allo.
The revolution of the Allo assistant
The wizard is the great revolution of Allo. Not only because of its functions, but because it involves the incorporation of artificial intelligence within an application that claims to be of daily use. Upon entering the chat, the robot offers a menu of 11 options with all the tasks it can do for you: book trips or restaurants, provide weather information, jotting down appointments, reminders or alarms, make a selection of news, show sports results, offering games, videos or poems, tell jokes, translating texts or to solve any questions that the user may have. These functions in turn are subdivided into many others, forming a wide range of possibilities.
The ALLO application Google offers several reminders options
The strength of the application is that it incorporates within it Google’s huge search engine and YouTube and Google Maps. Are all services of the Mountain View company in one single application. Accessed from a single button: the yellow Allo.
The wizard is very quick; it just takes a few seconds to produce an answer. A little more if the question is transmitted via audio. You can speak and write to communicate with Allo, although Allo only responds in text form. It has predictive answers, but learns as it is being used. Thus, if the user uses a certain type of expressions, the Allo assistant will propose that one in the future.
Smart Answers from Allo
At first glance, the format of conversations with users is like any mobile messaging app; but, in more detail some differences are observed: the ability to enlarge or reduce text you want to send (holding the send button and dragging), incorporating 25 exclusive stickers (similar to those used by Facebook Messenger) or the ability to send texted or scrawled photographs (like Snapchat and Instagram Stories, although it currently only works with Android).
The ALLO application Google offers several reminders optionsOn one side of these more aesthetic details, the big news is, once again, on artificial intelligence. You receive a message: “What are your plans for today?”. “Not many, do you?” or “I have not thought anything” are two examples of answers you can give without typing anything. This type of smart choices appear throughout the -always on a superficial level of content- with multiple variations of question and answer conversation: “What about at work”, “What did you do yesterday”, ” What are you going to do tomorrow?” or “You’re having right?”.
ALLO Suggestions for nearby restaurantsAt any time during the chat between users, you can use the Allo wizard using a mention: @google. This allows asking any questions that may arise in the conversation between friends or relatives: like “how far is Paris from New York”, “how many dollars is 28 euros” or “who the starred actor in Captain America is”. In addition, you can ask for suggestions for nearby restaurants or nearby flights and book them (either of the chatters) from the conversation itself.
ALLO Autoresponders after analyzing the image received
Another of the most striking aspects is the use of this intelligence with images. Upon receiving an image of any user, Allo detects which image is, what is in it and proposed responses; a function that comes after the Google bought a French start-up do just three months that enables phone cameras to recognize objects. It knows if it New York or Venice, a meal or an animal, even if they are scribbled or painted.
ALLO Autoresponders after analyzing the image received
