

Weather#One of the most basic but useful features in Google's new Jelly Bean Voice Search is weather. You can ask your device for detailed forecast info in almost any way you want. For example, say "Is it going to rain this weekend?" and Voice Search will respond by showing you the weekend forecast for your area while reading you the highlights. Say "What's the weather in San Francisco?" and Voice Search will show you the forecast for the city while speaking the info aloud. Some other weather-related queries to try: "How hot is it gonna be on Sunday?" "When is it going to rain next?" "Do I need an umbrella today?"`

Restaurants and businesses#In an unfamiliar area? Fire up Google Voice Search and let it help you out. In an unfamiliar area? Fire up Google Voice Search and let it help you out. Some types of queries that could come in handy: "What's a good Thai place near me?" "Where's a museum around here?" "Where's the closest bowling alley?" In most cases, Voice Search will show you a map-based list of options; you can then tap on any place to get detailed location info and directions. If the answer to your question doesn't involve a choice - there will only be one bowling alley nearest you, for example - the system will automatically launch into directions for you.`

Sports#Google's Android 4.1 Voice Search can do a lot of stuff related to sports. If you want scores or info on recent or upcoming games, you're in luck: Ask your device "When's the next Cubs game?" and it'll show you a graphic with the answer while audibly telling you the details. Ask "What was the score of the Cardinals game last night?" and you'll see and hear the stats. Ask "Did the Marlins win their last game?" and you'll get a visual answer along with a spoken one. Voice Search will always give you an option to learn more, too: The sports graphics have links to jump straight to game recaps and highlights. With any Voice Search command, you can also scroll down past the organized answer to see a list of standard Web search results.`

Music#This one's been around in Android for a while, but it's still a winner: When you have a hankering to hear some specific tunes, just tap your device's microphone key and tell your phone or tablet what it is you desire. You could use a band name - "Listen to The Beatles" - or you could request a specific song: "Listen to 'I Am the Walrus." Whatever you say, Voice Search will pop up a list of places where the music could be played - the default Play Music app along with YouTube and third-party programs like Pandora - and let you pick the one you want to use.`

Messages#Another oldie-but-goodie is Google's voice-powered message sending functionality. It can work in several different ways. You can send a text to someone by saying "Send text to" followed by the person's name and the message you want to send. Voice Search will pull up a card with the person's name and photo along with the contents of the message you composed; you can edit the message or tap once to confirm it's correct. You can send an email to someone using a similar setup: Just say "Send email to" followed by the person's name and your message. If you want to get fancy, you can use the phrases "subject" and "body" to fill out the entire email (e.g. "Send text to Mom, subject 'Hello,' body 'How are you today?'"). Want to make a note to yourself? No problem: Say "Note to self" and then whatever it is that you want to remember. Voice Search will compose an email to you, using the default Gmail account on your device, with both transcribed text of your message and an audio attachment of your voice.`

Reminders#If sending notes to yourself isn't enough, Google Voice Search can also set alarms or reminders for anything you need. Some examples: "Remind me to get the mail in two hours" "Wake me up at 7 a.m. tomorrow" "Haircut tomorrow at 2".`

Date and time#Google's Android 4.1 Voice Search can deliver a whole host of date- and time-related details. Try searches like: "What time is it in London?" "What time zone is Milwaukee in?" "When is the sunset tonight?" "When's the sunrise in Australia?" "When is Father's Day?"`

Flights#If you or someone you know is traveling, the Jelly Bean Voice Search tool has you covered. You can simply say an airline and flight number -- "United 465," for example -- and Voice Search will show and tell you the flight's current status. You can ask a more detailed question, like "When does American Airlines flight 1 arrive?" and Google will pop up a graphic with all the flight's info while speaking the most relevant bits aloud. You can even just ask if a particular flight is on time, if that's all you want to know.`

Stocks#Watching the stock market? Try asking your Android 4.1 device for updates on your investments. The easiest way to get stock updates is to hit your device's microphone button and say the letters of the stock code you're curious about. Say "G-O-O-G," for example, and Voice Search will show you a graphic of the current state of Google's stock while reading the trading level aloud. You can also say "Google stock" or ask a question like "What's Google stock trading at today?" to get the same type of information.`

Conversions and calculations#Put away your formulas and calculators: Google's Jelly Bean Voice Search is ready and willing to do all the dirty work for you. The system can handle most any math-related question you throw its way -- queries like: "What's 5812 times 247?" "What's 19.4 percent of 240.37?" "What's 14 inches in millimeters?" "What's 12 in hexadecimal?" "What's 78 U.S. dollars in Euros?" Just don't forget to say thank you.`