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Show HN: Siri, open the garage

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Re: Show HN: Siri, open the garage

#31

Post by nicklovescode »

sliverstorm wrote: post #16
hagope wrote: post #12

This is very cool, but I'm surprised a garage opener with this type of interaction doesn't already exists.

I mean, garage door remotes cost $5, the battery lasts for years, and all you do is press one button. I just can't see why you would want to make a voice-activated garage door remote. (Integrating it into a phone is slightly more compelling)

In the case of this house specifically, most people walk/bike rather than drive, and walking around with a garage opener in your pocket isn't as nice as talking into your headphones.

Re: Show HN: Siri, open the garage

#32

Post by foxylad »

amjd wrote: post #17

Nice hack! Could you elaborate on why arduino + ethernet shield will be a better choice than raspberry pi + wifi? I'm genuinely curious because I've been looking at both for a hardware project and would love to know the advantages (and gotchas) of both approaches. :-)

Consider Electric Imp too - very small, very cheap, wifi built in, and the web connectivity is handled for you so you don't need to set up/secure/manage an http server.

I've got one that will control my electric desk from my phone, one day soon.

Re: Show HN: Siri, open the garage

#33

Post by zmmmmm »

hcarvalhoalves wrote: post #13

> I then jokingly opened siri and said “Open the garage”. Siri responded with “I can’t find an app named ‘The Garage’”. Lightbulbs went off. We realized we could get around the fact that Siri has no API by making apps named the phrases we’d like to recognize. Priceless! I wish Siri had an API though.

I find it curious that both Google and Apple have held back on this. It seems so obvious that there's an entire platform to open up here based on this kind of thing, but neither one seems to be interested in doing it. Instead they are privately noodling away, just incrementally building up their own vocabularies which are really pitifully small in the wider context of things. They must both know there would instantly be an explosion in 3rd party support the minute they add useful APIs, and it would be a major selling point for either OS ... I wonder why they are both so reluctant to do it?

Re: Show HN: Siri, open the garage

#34

Post by underwater »

nicklovescode wrote: post #31
sliverstorm wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean, garage door remotes cost $5, the battery lasts for years, and all you do is press one button. I just can't see why you would want to make a voice-activated garage door remote. (Integrating it into a phone is slightly more compelling)

In the case of this house specifically, most people walk/bike rather than drive, and walking around with a garage opener in your pocket isn't as nice as talking into your headphones.

Why would someone walking need to open the garage?

Re: Show HN: Siri, open the garage

#35

Post by icoloma »

zmmmmm wrote: post #33
hcarvalhoalves wrote: post #13

> I then jokingly opened siri and said “Open the garage”. Siri responded with “I can’t find an app named ‘The Garage’”. Lightbulbs went off. We realized we could get around the fact that Siri has no API by making apps named the phrases we’d like to recognize. Priceless! I wish Siri had an API though.

I find it curious that both Google and Apple have held back on this. It seems so obvious that there's an entire platform to open up here based on this kind of thing, but neither one seems to be interested in doing it. Instead they are privately noodling away, just incrementally building up their own vocabularies which are really pitifully small in the wider context of things. They must both know there would instantly…

Google Now is integrating some information extracted from the user inbox, when the received e-mail includes the right schemas:

https://developers.google.com/gmail/actions/

By the moment it requires registration, but we are using it and works nicely. It's one step in the right direction, I suppose.

Re: Show HN: Siri, open the garage

#37

Post by nicklovescode »

underwater wrote: post #34
nicklovescode wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the case of this house specifically, most people walk/bike rather than drive, and walking around with a garage opener in your pocket isn't as nice as talking into your headphones.

Why would someone walking need to open the garage?

the door is locked and we don't carry keys :)

Re: Show HN: Siri, open the garage

#38

Post by Revex »

foxylad wrote: post #32
amjd wrote: post #17

Nice hack! Could you elaborate on why arduino + ethernet shield will be a better choice than raspberry pi + wifi? I'm genuinely curious because I've been looking at both for a hardware project and would love to know the advantages (and gotchas) of both approaches. :-)

Consider Electric Imp too - very small, very cheap, wifi built in, and the web connectivity is handled for you so you don't need to set up/secure/manage an http server. I've got one that will control my electric desk from my phone, one day soon.

The Imp seems cool, but it's price point (when combined with the breakout board) is higher than a Raspberry Pi and Usb Wifi dongle. Not only is the price higher, the hardware isn't nearly as capable.

Re: Show HN: Siri, open the garage

#39

Post by k-mcgrady »

tomschlick wrote: post #15
hcarvalhoalves wrote: post #13

> I then jokingly opened siri and said “Open the garage”. Siri responded with “I can’t find an app named ‘The Garage’”. Lightbulbs went off. We realized we could get around the fact that Siri has no API by making apps named the phrases we’d like to recognize. Priceless! I wish Siri had an API though.

I feel like this has to come with iOS 8 for Apple to stay competitive against Google Now.

But I thought Google Now doesn't offer an API either? I use both Siri and Google Now (I have an iPhone and Nexus I find myself regularly switching between) and I feel like they are two different products, not meant to compete (yet). Yes, Google now can answer questions like Siri but because it's main focus is on showing me stuff I need when I need it I tend to forget about the Q&A part of the product. I also feel that's Siri's Q&A is better. Google Now needs to pull in more sources and open an API to keep competitive with Siri. Siri needs an API and more contextual awareness to keep competitive with Google Now.

Re: Show HN: Siri, open the garage

#40

Post by k-mcgrady »

jsmthrowaway wrote: post #20
dang wrote: post #10

This post got nailed by the voting ring detector, but I'm restoring it because we want to see original work on HN. A "voting ring" is when people get friends to upvote their stuff. This is against the rules. We want stories to be on HN because they're good, not because they were promoted. It's sadly common for a great Show HN post to get demoted because its creators, eager to get it on the front page, tried to game i…

Which do you think is more likely: - I know! We'll set up a voting ring to game my blog post about a garage door opener onto the front page of Hacker News, even though I don't get any kind of benefit aside from exposure to my cool project! - Hey $socialnetwork friends, check it out, I submitted last weekend's project that you helped me on to Hacker News!, followed by folks finding the link there upvoting it because i…

Option 2 shouldn't be a link to an empty HN post. It should be a link to the content. If the people who read it then decide it should be submitted to HN/upvoted they can go and do that.
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