Facebook Forced To Let You Vote On Privacy Changes
What Will Google Announce Next Week?
Google's Nexus One Censors Cuss Words in Voice-to-Text Feature
With all the buzz surrounding the debut of Google's new Nexus One phone, it seems there was one feature that mostly went unnoticed. This mobile device might not be ideal for sailors -- or for people who talk like them. According to Reuters, the phone's voice-to-text feature censors certain four-letter words by inserting '#' signs in lieu of the offending letters. It's true, no bull####. Still, Google claims it isn't trying to clean up your filthy mouth."We filter potentially offensive or inappropriate results because we want to avoid situations whereby we might misrecognize a spoken query and return profanity when, in fact, the user said something completely innocent," a representative told Reuters.
In other words, better safe than sorry. That's probably a smart approach. Nobody wants to accidentally send an expletive-filled text message to his or her boss because the Nexus One misinterpreted what was said. However, it would be nice to be able to toggle this feature on or off (of course, you could always just type the words into the message). Call us crass, but sometimes, you just need those words for a little ####-ing emphasis. [From: Reuters, via: CNET, and Engadget]
40 Years Later 'Napalm Girl' Tells Her Story
Disney World Scammers Scored Four Years of Free Vacations
Lost Dr. Seuss Cartoons Show Another Side Of The Author
Stranger's Kiss Keeps 16-Year-Old From Committing Suicide
Rookie Cop Reportedly Berated, Called 'A Rat' For Arresting Off-Duty Officer
Chain Food Showdown: The Best & Worst Buffalo Wings
Walmart Ending Membership in Conservative Group
How I Went Bankrupt at 23
Disturbing Video Allegedly Shows Montreal Torso Suspect Murdering Victim
Can a New Guy Save Best Buy?
Woman Claims Kangaroo Stalked Her for 2 Days, Then Attacked
PHOTOS: Charlize Theron's Short And Shoulder-Baring Style
Facebook, Week Two: Fortunes Made and Fortunes Lost (Mostly Lost)
Pete Cosey Dead: Chicago Guitar Great and Miles Davis Collaborator Dies at 68
Zhang Ziyi Slams Prostitution Allegations
A Journey To The Hottest Place On Earth: Dallol Ethiopia
Student Ate Roommate's Brain And Heart, Cops Say
Heidi Klum's Sexiest (And Scariest) Outfits
George Zimmerman's Bond Revoked
Kansas Police Search For 12-Year-Old Girl Who Disappeared With Canadian She Met Online
LOOK: Photos Of Military Moms Breastfeeding In Uniform Cause Controversy
Witherspoon Bigamy Case Heats Up
Is Kate Walsh Leaving 'Private Practice' Next Season?
New Discovery Sheds Light On Amelia Earhart Mystery
Space Agency Predicts Date Of World-Ending Galactic Smash-Up
Calif. Man Becomes Internet Sensation In China For Random Act Of Kindness
Maine Police Believe Ayla Reynolds Is Dead
See Kim Without Her Wig On 'Don't Be Tardy For The Wedding'
National Spelling Bee Winner Is I-M-P-R-E-S-S-I-V-E
Porn Actor Mailed Murder Victim's Body Parts To Canada's Top Political Parties: Cops
Jim Moret: 'Still The Most Beautiful Girl I've Ever Seen'
Is This The Most Timeless Hairstyle, Ever?
Comments
24
Subscribe to commentsalbertdavinJan 26th 2010 9:27AM
by their rationale, either way the reader will get a message with something that implies the sender was cussing right? if the phone recognizes a word as a cuss word and it isn't then the reader will still think the sender is cussing at them when he/she sees $%^&. so it's pointless.
this feature should be optional. on top of that, the sender will OBVIOUSLY have a chance to edit the text BEFORE they send it soooo this whole feature is entirely pointless!!!!
ZarathustraJan 26th 2010 11:00AM
Google... you can keep your new phone! I'd never buy it. Who the F**K do you think you are???????
#$%^&Feb 1st 2010 1:27PM
I think 99% of the people that read this will miss the point.
I have been using google voice for 6 months now and its voice to txt technology is just not up to par. It mistakes almost 60% of the words said as something else and if the person does not speak clearly its even worse. I generally have to go listen ot the damn messages myself most of the time just so I can figure it out.
They are not censoring your txt messages you can send what ever you want all day in txt to txt ( try it and see) also this is only on the google phone not the android) they are just trying to compensate for a technology that has been rushed to market in a country where most people cant speak clearly and trying to save their customers from some possible embarrasment or worse.
IMO they shoudl not have deployed this technology till they had something better.
fhugo13692aol.comFeb 2nd 2010 10:34AM
Did any of you even read the article ? This isn't censorship ! You can text anything you want on the Nexus, you just can't do it with the voice activated feature. The reason for this is that the voice recognition isn't PERFECT and can misinterpret what you say on occasion. Most people who would be using this phone would be over 18, using it for work or business purposes, not texting their schoolfriends ! If you say "good luck" to your boss into a phone that uses this app, and you are in a noisy place, your words could be interpreted as "go f**k." Though Google phones seem to work very well with voice recognition, they are not 100% flawless. I think this feature is an excellent one that should be on all phones. If you want to include bad language on this phone, all you have to do is type it in.