Cell Phones, iPhone, Mobile Software, Reviews, Web
Impressive 'Siri' App Makes Your iPhone a Virtual Assistant
Siri is a new voice search and "virtual assistant" application for the iPhone that takes "natural language" requests and turns them into actionable results. For example, ask Siri "where can I get the best sushi," and it will, using the iPhone's GPS, search Yelp to find recommended sushi restaurants near you.
Using Nuance, the same speech-to-text engine that powers popular tools like Jott and the Dragon, Siri converts your requests to text, parses them to determine your intent, and then pulls appropriate content from its partners such as Yelp, Eventful and Taxi Magic. What makes Siri unique, and particularly useful, is that once you've found a restaurant, or a movie, you can reserve a table or purchase tickets right from the app. Siri can also look up weather forecasts, business locations and concerts, and can even book you a taxi.
