I wrote and edited this article with Pixel 11's 'Rambler' dictation feature — and things did not go according to plan
Rambler may be new and improved, but it still tried to delete half of this article for no good reason.
I recently attempted to write an article using the Pixel 11's Rambler dictation feature, and the experience did not go as smoothly as I had hoped. Both Apple and Google had been promoting the capabilities of their new dictation software powered by advanced AI models, but the results were mixed. Google recently confirmed that Rambler would be available on the Pixel 11 series, using natural language AI to deliver more accurate dictation.
Rambler is designed to help users speak naturally without worrying about grammar, punctuation, or unnecessary filler words. It's powered by Gemini AI, which can understand multiple languages simultaneously and allows users to switch between them. According to Google, the main focus is on speed and accuracy, and Rambler is available at the top of the keyboard, replacing the old dictation functionality.
During my testing, Rambler performed impressively well in terms of clarity and formatting. It transcribed my words accurately as long as I kept my thoughts concise and organized. However, my main challenge was speaking spontaneously and organizing my thoughts quickly, which is not an issue with Rambler itself but rather a limitation of my speaking abilities.
A preview of what Rambler understood would have been a helpful addition, making it easier to correct mistakes or rephrase sentences while maintaining the flow of thoughts.
Despite Rambler's improvements in conversational AI and voice recognition, it still struggles with accent recognition, especially mine. This can lead to misunderstandings, such as interpreting "other" as "are there" or "asking of it" as "asking for it." Additionally, attempting to edit and configure the text with Rambler led to unintended consequences, resulting in the loss of multiple paragraphs.
While Google Docs allowed me to undo the changes, it was a frustrating experience that highlights the need for further improvements to avoid such issues in the future.
Written by urgent.news from Tom's Guide's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
