A Look at Siri Assistant for iPhone [Video]

Apple has posted a video and details on its new Siri voice powered assistant for the iPhone.



The new iPhone 4S feature is described as an intelligent assistant that helps you get things done just by asking.

Talk to Siri as you would to a person. Say something like "Tell my wife I'm running late." "Remind me to call the vet." "Any good burger joints around here?" And Siri answers you. It does what you say and finds the information you need. And then it hits you. You're actually having a conversation with your iPhone.

You can get to Siri at any time by holding down the home button for a couple seconds.

Here's a sample of the type of questions you can ask:
? Ask for a reminder
? Ask to send a text
? Ask about the weather
? Ask for information
? Ask to set a meeting
? Ask to send an email
? Ask for a number
? Ask to set an alarm
? Ask for directions
? Ask about your stocks
? Ask to set the timer
? Ask Siri about Siri

The iPhone 4S will also take dictation by pressing a new microphone button on the keyboard. "Instead of typing, tap the microphone icon on the keyboard. Then say what you want to say and iPhone listens. Tap Done, and iPhone converts your words into text."

Apple says that Siri is only available for the iPhone 4S; however, it's unclear if hackers will be able to extend the feature to other devices once it's released. Notably, Apple says Siri works across Wi-Fi and 3G and will launch in beta, initially with support for English, French, and German.

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