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An in depth look at SayIt for BlackBerry 10 - Your own personal assistant

By James Richardson on 8 Mar 2013 02:18 pm
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When it comes to a voice recognition app we all know that BlackBerry 10 has one built in, however it is quite limited compared to similar apps on other platforms. But the good news for BlackBerry 10 users is that you can download SayIt which will give you a ton of voice activated functionality - perfect for when you are feeling lazy or maybe even in the car.

We first got hands on with SayIt when I was over at BlackBerry Jam in Amsterdam where I hooked up with the developer. Since then the app received a pretty big update and that brought a few new features - the biggest being that you can now ask SayIt pretty much anything you like and you should get an answer. I've been using the app quite heavily over the last few weeks so I thought it was well worth sharing with you my thoughts and experiences.

The user interface of SayIt is kept simple which I love. The grey and red circle at the bottom is what you press to activate the recording and again you tap it to stop. Above that you will see your question in the top box and below that will be the answer. SayIt will also speak the answer to you much like Siri does on the iPhone.

At the very top of the screen you will constantly see suggested things that you can ask the app which I think is a nice touch. As you can see from this screen shot you can easily update your social networking apps by voice if you can't be bothered to type. It isn't perfect and it does take a little getting used to but overall SayIt is a fantastic application.

As you can see below there are also a few other features of the app - all that work beautifully. The Command List will come in very handy for new users as it offers an extensive list of the types of things you can ask - ranging from the weather to searching for local restaurants as an example. It is even clever enough to answer some comical questions but I will let you discover those for yourself.

If you are going overseas then SayIt could well be a life saver for you with its translation capabilities. There are a load of countries available to choose from and once you have picked one the app will remember it so that from the main screen you can just tap the speech button and say 'translate..........' - Clever stuff. And it works real well.

As SayIt has been Built for BlackBerry we get the option to share results with whichever accounts you have in your BlackBerry Hub. I seem to be using the 'Remember' app a lot more these days so if I have searched for something and want to keep a record of it I just share it with 'Remember' and it's there whenever I need it.

SayIt is priced at £2.50/$3.99 and if you ask me that's a real bargain for what you get for your money. This one is a real beauty so a pat on the back goes to the developer.

More information/Download SayIt for BlackBerry 10

Topics: BlackBerry Apps BlackBerry Apps

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James Richardson James Richardson 559 (articles) 91 (forum posts)
47 comments

00stryder

Looks awesome. I especially like that translate feature. Will definitely look at this when I get my Z10!

Mr. Dbloo

What ever happened to VIKI ?

pididipop

Viki ran off with Seri and they now happily living as a couple.

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imcurved

Is Viki a guy? I know Siri is a woman...

KasukeSadiki

You know a couple can consist of two women right?

Ketchup BB10

Paid for thus app on my 9900. Do I have to pay for it again to use on my new Z10

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Spawn12

Downloaded this app a few days ago and have to say it's pretty amazing in what it can do.

Definitely a must have app for the z10.

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sparkaction

Has anyone done a comparison regard the accuracy of this app compared with the native speech recognition app? I find that the native app does not recognize what I saying.

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grevan88

I'd say the voice recognition works better than the built in app

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leafs123

Pretty good app. BB should just buy this app and bake it into the existing voice command app.

PH1L

Decent app. I bought it and I wasn't half impressed with it as I was before buying it. I would love to see the native voice control app upgrade to something similar to this and I'd be happier. The map option on it doesn't show any of the streets, and it is lacking a lot of features. Hopefully BlackBerry updates the native voice control app to improve it.

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Matt J

This app is nowhere near as good as Siri, however, it's much better than the native voice app. I think BlackBerry should buy this company and develop something to compete with Siri.

smrowe

Siri is a more mature product but since Apple doesn't play well with others, we will never see on other platforms and it doesn't do translation. I don't have BB10 device yet, but I know SayIt will be the first app I buy when I have it.

Shanerredflag

I got it a couple weeks ago...great app.

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Trini-34

Excellent! Thank you for sharing. I will be purchasing this app for the BB10 (Z10) as soon as it becomes available in the US.

xamdam

Got this app a few days ago and i maybe used it for a about 20 min and never since, i just not one to open an app and ask questions and so forth. I am more so a person who types in google a lot.

The translate feature is a good thing and a plus for the app.

There are many things it did not recognize when asked, but thats like siri as well, but siri is more stupid.

w0lfgang

SayIt already stole, errr...I mean "charged me" $4.99 for the Playbook version that did not work and had ZERO tech support...fool me once

Playbook007

So far I have downloaded apps I purchased on my PlayBook to my z10 and was not charged. Just try downloading it. If the payment screen pops up, simply back out. Else download away.

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UMLD

I bought this a couple of weeks ago, and it works well. I hope the devs keep updating it and expanding it's capabilities , but I don't feel that I wasted my money.

bvinceb

Strange thing happened when I was watching James' review. My Z10 seemed to freeze and then re-booted. Anyone else have this this happen at any time?

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GregV61

Pretty good - the voice recognition has been perfect so far. The map is useless. No streets just a blank page with flags for your search

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bleross

Found the same thing if you say I'm Hungry it opens a blank map with some red pins.

axiombh

Damn it, another app that can't recognize my accent, how the hell I can do a refund in BBW?

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morganplus8

Got it, nice app. I like the translating feature, really handy.

Matt J

This app is useless. Although it is better than the native voice app.

RIMs-Pegasus-2012

I had a Bake-off : this SayIt APP vs Siri with some German friends and the Sayit won out...at least that was the overall opinion...
The real advantage was the Voiced translation...But as i suggested to the developer..and he replied he is working on this ...the REAL BONUS will come when you can talk to it in one language,,,have it translate and speak it in another (which it does well) BUT ALSO have a button allowing the person you are talking to, to talk back to it in the other language and then SayIt translates it back to your language...
So that when you ask `Where are the bathrooms?" ..you can understand the answer ...that way you have bi-directional translation capabilities...
Considering the Z10 is a global mobile system. capable of multi-languages , it is clear to me that SayIt will be in demand by other than English sourced users...and therefore should be bi-directional...

DeeJayDanny_C

It cant add to save its life.. when testing the limits once, when ask to add two numbers together together it actually multiplies them... not life changing but funny none the less

tommychong

If you ask Sayit to "Add 6 and 7" it will add. Weird if you say 6+7 it multiplies though.

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pididipop

Disagree that Seri is that good. As a former Iphone user convertee to Z10...I think Seri needs a lot of improvements. Haven't tried this app yet but will definitely take it for a test drive.

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f0xG3

Does it have snarky responses like Siri when asked random things.

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Jame Bones

@f0xG3: It can surely reply for random things ;) Like it

pididipop

If I want snarky responses I can just talk to my wife. ;) So far, I think this app is pretty impressive.

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Jame Bones

@pididipop: Not anyone is happy to have a wife like you. @f0xG3 still single, don't you? Lol

Karen Zhan

When and where can you get it in Canada???

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tinhteppc

Good app from vietnam, but no vietnamese :(

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Dude_9

As soon as I get a Q10, I'm downloading SayIt. Btw, why the hell doesn't ATT have it or at least a release date?

helopilot06

Nice. I wish that It was free though but thats just cause im cheap lol

ICE_CREAM_SANDWICH

Viki & Siri living as a lesbians couple .. What a jokes !

wassab

Hi CBs,

I have a Z10 and I can't seem to download this app onto my phone. In app world it said my hardware does not support this app. Your assistance is greatly appreciated.

W

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RIMs-Pegasus-2012

If you go to the BlackBerry App World online, you can email application support as noted under required device software.

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sgxbb

Voice recognition is way better than z10 native app. But needs improvement fast...

Needs a constant listen mode rather than tapping start stop... and have you guys tried the text to speech in other languages? its hilarious!!

Also voice for Thai language would be awesome

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smrowe

Sorry if I missed this information, but does SayIt need wifi to do the translate or is it built into the app?

kinghai

I think it need data connection to send the record to the translator and perform action.

BTW, I'm wondering about native Voice Control on BB10. Before the BB10 officially announced, I remembered that I read an article and watched the demo of native Voice Control in comparison with Siri. Is it embed to the BB10 yet? Sorry I still doesn't own any BB10 device yet. Still waiting for it come to my my country, officially.

mediadavid

I'd like to get this and support effort making app producers, but there's no way it'll understand my Glasgow accent.

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easydoesit99

James. Please stop doing reviews. That review was terrible. You suck at reviews. Maybe you should stick to off camera work.