GreenP, Voice, and Bixby

Awhile back, I wrote that Moore’s Law looks like parking. Why? Because this is problem that will be solved in the next 10–15 years. Self-driving cars can drop you off at the front door and park themselves and parking anywhere, anytime will result in an automatic charge. No more meter maids or digging around for coins, or interrupting meetings to add more time.

Today, it was a little better. After parking, I said, “OK Google… open GreenP app”. Two seconds later, the app was open. This saved about 7 seconds of searching for the app but probably took only 20% of the effort in needing to scan and find it.

If Bixby will operate like HomeKit or Google Voice Actions, we should be able to go further. I should be able to say, “OK Google… pay for parking”. Or “Hello Bixby, take care of parking”. Or maybe Bixby just does it, knowing I’m parking.

The analog for the last mile problem with automation is the last tap problem. After the GreenP app is open, it’s five additional taps to confirm parking (previous location — tap 1; select vehicle — tap 2, select time — tap 3; select payment type — tap 4; confirm transaction — tap 5). This problem is unique for every application.

If Bixby is going to try to tackle this problem, it’s not going to be easy. But is it a worthy challenge that could make life more automatic? Yes.