Who knew phones could have a sense of humour? Siri, Apple’s voice-recognition software featured on the new iPhone 4S, has several witty comebacks for various questions.
Handout/MCTOne of the most talked-about features of Apple’s best-selling iPhone 4S smartphone (from $159.99 on 3-year plan) is Siri, a voice-activated personal assistant, of sorts.
Rather than typing on the 3.5-inch touchscreen to perform tasks like composing an e-mail, browsing the web, playing music, looking up an address or making a calendar appointment, these instructions can be done faster and more intuitively by simply asking Siri to do these things for you.
As you might’ve seen in the TV commercials starring the likes of Samuel L. Jackson, Zooey Deschanel and John Malkovich, Siri will also respond to your requests in a human-like voice – a soft-spoken female if you’re in North America.
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You’re probably aware of some of Siri’s basic abilities, as well as “her” well-documented, tongue-in-cheek answers to questions like “Will you marry me?” or “What’s the meaning of life?” or even “Where can I hide a dead body?” Unfortunately, you might also be aware there are a couple of navigation features not yet available in Canada.
But you might not know of Siri’s lesser-known yet seriously impressive feats - and so the following are five of my favourite, culled from my new paperback and e-book, Siri For Dummies.
1. Reminders by location
It’s a breeze to ask Siri to remind you of something by time – such as “tomorrow at 10 am, remind me to call the dentist to book an appointment” – but you can also set reminders by location.
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For example, hold down the Home button on your iPhone 4S and ask Siri something like this: “Remind me to call mom when I leave here.” Whenever you leave wherever you are – such as your office, a coffee shop or shopping mall, Siri will remind you to call your mom. Your iPhone’s integrated GPS means it’s location-aware.
Alternatively, you can say “Remind me to take out the recycling when I get home.” Because Siri knows where your home is – or you might be asked to tell Siri this info once – you won’t be reminded of the chore until you pull into the driveway.
2. Siri can read your texts
You can dictate your text messages or emails, but you can have your text messages read to you. Simply press and hold the Home button on the iPhone and say something like “Siri, read my texts.” Once Siri reads a message to you, you can say something like “Reply saying that’s an excellent idea, thanks” or “Tell her I’ll be there in 20 minutes.”
You can also ask Siri something like “Do I have any texts from “Mary”?
Related: How to extend your smartphone’s battery3. Siri can handle Facebook, Twitter
While not designed to work with third-party apps like Facebook or Twitter, you can in fact use your voice to post status updates or tweets. It involves setting up these popular social networking services to work with text messaging.
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For Facebook, text the word “hello” to 32665 (which spells FBOOK on a traditional keypad). This works in Canada and the U.S. You’ll get an automated reply on your phone with a link to click to finish the setup. Finally, add the short code to your address book and rename it “Facebook.” Now you can tell Siri “Text Facebook,” followed by your status update.
It’s the same process for Twitter, as you’ll want to enable mobile updates by sending a short code to Twitter. Then you’ll add the short code to your Contacts, name it “Twitter” and then instruct Siri to send a message there (e.g. “Text Twitter, Did you hear there’s a Siri For Dummies book out now?”. To get going, text the word “start” to 21212 (Canada) or 40404 (U.S.). You’ll then receive a confirmation text right away.
4. It’s a verbal calculator, too
Siri includes support from Wolfram Alpha’s vast database of facts, definitions and even pop culture information (ask Siri who shot J.R. or Mr. Burns).
But you can also ask Siri to perform math problems for you, too. If you’re adding up cheques to deposit at the bank machine, for example, ask Siri something like “What’s $120.20 plus $345.12 plus $841.30 plus $572.21?” and within a moment you’ll hear the correct answer.
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Alternatively, if you’re out with three friends at a restaurant and the bill comes to $300, you can ask Siri something like “What’s a 20 percent tip on $300, for four people?” and Siri will tell you everyone owes $15.
Naturally, Siri can also handle multiplication, subtraction, equations, fractions, and more.
5. Find your friends
If you’re not familiar with the free Find My Friends app, it taps into your iPhone’s GPS to provide your geographical location to people you choose to share this information with, such as a spouse, kids or friends.
Once you add consensual people to your list, you can see their whereabouts on a map, too, represented by a colored orb, and get the address they’re at, if desired.
You probably saw this one coming: You can use Siri to get the most out of the Find My Friends app. Press and hold the Home button and ask Siri “Where are my friends?” The app will open and you’ll see who’s around and how far they are from you. Now you can send someone a message like, “Let’s grab a coffee.”
You can also ask Siri something like “Is my husband at home?” or “Where’s John Smith?” or “Find my sister.” What are your favourite things to do with Siri?
Feel free to share your experiences in the Comments section.
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