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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Janx" data-source="post: 5712409" data-attributes="member: 8835">My wife just upgraded her 3gs to a 4s.  She's discovered all the stupid pet tricks it can do.Whats not getting a lot of press is what Siri can really do, and how complex and powerful that really is.Here's an article about <a href="http://www.unwiredview.com/2011/10/12/how-siri-on-iphone-4s-works-and-why-it%E2%80%99s-a-big-deal-apple%E2%80%99s-ai-tech-details-in-230-pages-of-patent-app/" target="_blank">Siri's patent</a>.Unlike ELIZA or Dr. Sbaitso from SoundBlaster's demoes, Siri has contextual memory and a command architecture to hook into application's activities.This isn't like the general voice recognition to "call Mom" or dictate an email via Dragon Dictation.Being able to issue useful commands to search for information, and perform actions across a variety of topics is a game changer.I have no idea if Google Voice Commands can "Remind me to buy milk after work" which will create a reminder and set the alert time to when I finish work (5pm).  If it doesn't know when I get done with work, it will ask and then remember it.Since Apple has a 230 page patent on the topic of managing this command processing system, Google's going to have to do something ENTIRELY different if they're going to invoke the same functionality.From the article, the diagrams look like something I would have done (I've pondered this topic informally before, and I'm seeing structures akin to ideas i had). That means if it is defensible, it covers the practical solution set to solving the problem.  Which means a competitor will need a very different strategy (one that might not be viable or require more resources like inventing a SkyNet grade neural network).Aside from the obvious Star Trek reference to Scotty picking up a mouse and trying to talk to it (an Apple mouse, no less), this is another Star Trek technology finally arriving in a practical form.As I see FaceTime being nearly unused (I finally used it yesterday to show my wife the BumbleBee Camaro while I was stuck at the dealership for her car repair), because it requires being stuck holding the phone, when in reality I want to talk with headphones so my hands and eyes can do another task (like drive or work a computer).Siri supports that, because I can perform some tasks without needing to use my hands or eyes.  This is going to expand into more uses, even as I stare at my PC, I could tell it to google this or that, open EnWorld show me this thread, and reply, etc.  Look ma, no hands.</blockquote>

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