Pogue on Siri

SIRI-OUSLY? Pogue is especially blown away by Siri, which is billed as a virtual assistant—“a crisply accurate, astonishingly understanding, uncomplaining, voice-commanded minion,” he writes. “No voice training or special syntax is required; you don’t even have to hold the phone up to your head. You just hold down the phone’s Home button until you hear a double beep, and then speak casually. You can say, ‘Wake me up at 7:35,’ or ‘Change my 7:35 alarm to 8.’ You can say, ‘What’s Gary’s work number?’ Or, ‘How do I get to the airport?’ Or, ‘Any good Thai restaurants around here?’ Or, ‘Make a note to rent Ishtar this weekend.’ Or, ‘How many days until Valentine’s Day?’ Or, ‘Play some Beatles.’ Or, ‘When was Abraham Lincoln born?’ In each case, Siri thinks for a few seconds, displays a beautifully formatted response and speaks in a calm female voice… Once, I tried saying, ‘Make an appointment with Patrick for Thursday at 3.’ Siri responded, ‘Note that you already have an all-day appointment about ‘Boston Trip’ for this Thursday. Shall I schedule this anyway?’ Unbelievable… Siri saves time, fumbling and distraction, and profoundly changes the definition of ‘phone.’” (10/12a)