The Simple Llama

So far today I’ve used Siri to set several reminders. In some cases I asked her to remind me at a certain time in other cases I asked her to remind me when I get to or leave a certain place. It’s worked pretty much flawlessly so far. The geofenced reminders seem so futuristic that I’m still surprised when they work. They do work, every time, I should add.

Nitpicking

The only oddity I’ve seen is when someone’s name is the same as an object. For example, there’s a gentleman by the name of Leif in my address book. The reminder I created involved a leaf, but Siri pulled the name Leif from my address book instead. Not a big deal in most cases, and certainly not likely to happen very often.

Siri Dictation

Siri dictation is good for getting down some quick thoughts. Your dictations will need some serious editing before they’re ready for anyone else to read.1 Speaking a bit slower than usual makes all the difference in the world. Veterans of dictation software already know this, I’m sure. I’m a complete novice in the area.

Siri Stigma

How long until the Siri stigma goes away? When the iPhone first came out and you used it in public, people were like “Oh my gosh is that an iPhone?” Nowadays, iPhones are normal. They’re everywhere. People use them all the time. It’s even normal to read on the phone, or text while walking. No one looks twice at someone who does this.

It does feel odd to use Siri while walking out and about public. Of course this is when she’s most useful, but it still feel strange. Something about walking down the street while talking to the robot personal assistant inside my phone seems ultra nerdy. I wonder how long it will be until enough people use Siri in public so that it doesn’t feel strange anymore.

Siri and the car

I have Bluetooth integration in my car, and i use it to talk on my iPhone while driving. I was interested to see how Siri would integrate with this. Quick ansewr? It’s a mixed bag. I can’t figure out a way to active Siri from the steering wheel controls.

The phone buttons on the steering wheel initiates a phone call, but will not activate Siri even if held down. However, if I activate Siri manually on my phone, she speaks through the car speakers. I can then reply as if I were having a conversation with another person. I don’t need to talk into the handset. In other words, it’s smart enough to use the Bluetooth microphone in my car.

The killer (and lacking) feature would be the ability to activate Siri via a steering wheel button. You could send texts, read your texts, dictate notes, make appointments, set reminders, etc – all while keeping your hands on the steering wheel. 2

Perhaps this is something that some cars already do. Maybe it’s something a software update can fix – I have no idea. But it would be fantastic.

Siri is changing the way I use my phone. Simple tasks are easier than ever, and we’re barely scratching the surface of potential here. This future stuff? Pretty great.