By now, many of you have heard some talk of Apple’s latest technology Siri, the iPhone 4S intelligent assistant. When I first heard about Siri, I figured it was probably just another tactic to get people to upgrade. It reminded me of Apple’s previous voice control feature and figured it was another feature that would quickly fade into the background…until I looked into it deeper. Clearly, this is not any ol’ feature. I’m anticipating that this piece of technology that will bring about many new and exciting changes in the field of artificial intelligence and computing applications.
Here’s my list of the Top 4 Things You Must Know about Siri!
1. Siri understands you: You can literally talk to Siri as if you were talking a person. Say something like “Tell my husband I’ll be home in 45 min.” “Remind me to schedule a doctor’s appointment.” “Where can I find a good Chinese Restaurant?” Siri finds the info you need and answers you or follows your directions.
2. Siri is intelligent: Not only does Siri understand what you say, it’s intelligent enough to know what you mean. For example, when you say, “Find a gas station.” Siri responds with “I found a number of gas stations near you.” Then you can say, “Hmmm. Anything but BP.” Siri is proactive and will then sort through the info it’s gathered and find the closest gas station nearest to you that is not BP.
3. Siri helps you organize your everyday life: Ask Siri to text your mom, remind you to call the vet, or find directions. From the details in your contacts, it knows your friends, family, boss, and coworkers. So you can tell Siri things like “Text John I’m on my way” or “Remind me to call the vet when I get to work” or “Call a taxi” and it knows exactly what you mean and what to do.
4. Siri takes dictation: Instead of taking the time to type a message or email – simply use your voice. All you do is tap the microphone icon on the keyboard. Say what you want to say and iPhone listens. Tap Done, and iPhone converts your words into text. Use dictation to write messages, take notes, search the web, and more. Dictation also works with third-party apps, so you can update your Facebook status, tweet, or send Instagrams.
Personally, I like how easily Siri integrates all to-dos and tasks. As a business owner, I can see how it would be hugely beneficial when it comes to saving time. I also like how easy it is to get quick answers to questions – ones that I’d normally have to type out. Which, while typing takes very little time, it’s not always easy to do while driving or moving from one meeting to the next. Siri just makes life a bit easier.
What are your thoughts on Apple’s latest innovation? Do you feel like Siri is a useful tool or do you have any concerns about technology taking on more “human-like” characteristics? We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
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