Connect with us

Mobile

Hands On with Siri for iOS 6 (Video)

Published

on

Apple gives users more power with the new version of Siri in the iOS 6 beta.

I took the new and improved Siri for a spin on an iPhone 4S with the iOS 6 beta installed. Not every new Siri feature worked properly, but for the most part the new Siri is a welcome change.

Read: Hands On With 10 Killer iOS 6 Features

iOS 6 is the new software for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. Apple announced iOS 6 at WWDC 2012, and will release it publicly this fall, close to the iPhone 5 release date.

In the hands on video below I show Siri’s new features available in the iOS 6 beta on the iPhone 4S.

iOS 6 Hands On Siri SportsSiri Knows Sports – Siri can now check player rosters, sports schedules, player stats and even tell you who’s taller.

Movie Master – Siri can look up movie showtimes, the service can also find movie reviews and even play a trailer with spoken commands.

Notifications – Siri can now read notifications from most apps. This feature is temperamental in my tests, but I look forward to the working version.

Tweet and Post to Facebook – Siri can now tweet and post just like the service could always send text messages.

Find Fine Dining – Siri can check restaurant reviews, but with iOS 6 the service is even better because it is possible to make a reservation with Open Table.

All of these requests work in the same naturally spoken manner as other Siri requests, though Siri is picky about sports requests and may not handle hard to pronounce names of players well.

The iOS 6 beta is available for developers, but users who can’t wait can download the iOS 6 beta, register for $7-$8 and follow our guide to install iOS 6 on the iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, new iPad and iPad 2. Siri only works on the iPhone 4S and the new iPad.

3 Comments

3 Comments

  1. iwantthatphone

    06/12/2012 at 5:52 pm

    At one point, I used to really really hate cellular phones. The reason was that people talked so loud on the phone no matter where they are and annoyed the **** out of people… Then came the texting and IM… No matter what senseless things people “text” about, I welcomed it because it “quiet” people down… No more loud and ignorant people talking about their personal/senseless stuff in public…

    Yes there are good uses for it like when you are driving or hands are full… However, in most cases, I could already see people using the “command recognition” senselessly for the sake of using it, especially kids, in public places, annoying the **** out of people.

    BTW, note that I said “command recognition”, not “speech recognition”. In order for it to be useful, it has to be “speech recognition” where it would literally be like talking to another person and the device would “respond” like a real person and carry out tasks for you. “Command recognition” is highly limited and cumbersome in that you have to learn the predefined set of “commands”, which are highly limited in scope. In many cases, moving your fingers would be faster then actually trying to remember and say the commands. Plus add all the hassles related to accents, background noise, different languages, etc.

    Wish smartphone makers stop touting “command recognition” as the next big thing as part of their marketing campaign these days. I have tried Siri and other “command recognition” features in other smartphones before even Siri came out, including Android ones. They are good for several minutes at max as a cool and cute features to just check out, but it’s no where near being a truly useful or must have feature that is close to “speech recognition”. Sure things will improve on “command recognition” and there are definitely certain situations where you will benefit from it… However, no way in the foreseeable future, it will get to the more useful “speech recognition” level… Whether it’s Apple, Android, or whatever smartphone, “command recognition” should not be a key deciding factor, unless one likes change for the sake of change and gadgets for the sake of being cool… Personally, I am not a big fan of “scratching my left year with my right hand around back of my head when I could just use my left hand…”

  2. John

    06/23/2012 at 11:37 am

    I am doing Udid activations for 4$!!! Text me 7602707327 or email me [email protected]

  3. vanessa

    09/10/2012 at 6:16 am

    I’ve recently discovered this NEW Smartphone app called TALKLER — EMAIL FOR YOUR EARS. They describe themselves as the FREE Smartphone app for heads-up, hands-off, reads-aloud-to-you, voice-controlled email. I recommend checking it out: Facebook.com/Talker and http://www.Talkler.com

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.