Will three times be a charm for SIRI released on the iPhone 4S ?

The dream of a computer that responds to human commands has been an Apple dream project since they released the Knowledge Navigator video in 1987. Whether SIRI is up to the task remains to be seen. I’m ready to be a believer but a tad skeptical.

The idea is not Steve Jobs but was promoted John Sculley who replaced Jobs as CEO in 1983.

The popular idea goes back to early robots like Robbie in Forbidden Planet, the man like servant, or HAL 9000 of Space Odyssey 2001. Both devices used speech recognition, artificial intelligence and carried out actions based on command.

It looks so cool in the Apple iPhone 4S video. With SIRI you can talk to the computer and it responds, sends emails, sets reminders, looks up information.

Ironically the video for Knowledge Navigator is set in September 11, 2011 – eerie eh?

One thing Apple has learned in 25 years is shorten up their promo videos.

After a 1984 launch of Apple Talk, they tried to turn out an intelligent agent in the 1990’s with voice recognition. It took their most powerful desktop to run and was supposed to welcome you, open applications and navigate the screen.

Apple introduced the speech agent with a slick video at a dealer conference. I was the conference and ordered one of those computers just for the voice agent but it didn’t work.

The software couldn’t differentiate words very well. Two different people talking could set the computer into some crazy motions.

Google already has some of the feature set in the iPhone 4S but SIRI takes it to a new level – if it works and I want to repeat the caveat that no one is reporting more than Apple marketing hype. (The SIRI launch command set is at the end of this story.)

Brian Chen reviews SIRI in Wired and says it works.  An artificial intelligence voice assistant will be a boon to not only the busy. People with disabilities will find it a great asset. Navigating the tiny screen on the iPhone is not easy for people with dexterity, visual or other impairments. Being able to talk to the phone and dial numbers, send messages and make appointments will be helpful.

Every user will have to experiment to see if SIRI delivers on the promise.

SIRI command set

Address Book

Querying Contacts

• What’s Michael’s address?
• What is Susan Park’s phone number?
• When is my wife’s birthday?
• Show Jennifer’s home email address

Finding Contacts

• Show Jason Russell
• Find people named Park
• Who is Michael Manning?

Relationships

• My mom is Susan Park
• Michael Manning is my brother
• Call my brother at work

Calendars

Adding Events

• Set up a meeting at 9
• Set up a meeting with Michael at 9
• Meet with Lisa at noon
• Set up a meeting about hiring tomorrow at 9am
• New appointment with Susan Park Friday at 3
• Schedule a planning meeting at 8:30 today in the boardroom

Changing events

• Move my 3pm meeting to 4:30
• Reschedule my appointment with Dr. Manning to next Monday at 9am
• Add Lisa to my meeting with Jason
• Cancel the budget review meeting

Asking about events

• What does the rest of my day look like?
• What’s on my calendar for Friday?
• When is my next appointment?
• When am I meeting with Michael?
• Where is my next meeting?

Alarms

Setting Alarms

• Wake me up tomorrow at 7am
• Set an alarm for 6:30am
• Wake me up in 8 hours
• Change my 6:30 alarm to 6:45
• Turn off my 6:30 alarm
• Delete my 7:30 alarm

Checking the Clock

• What time is it?
• What time is it in Berlin?
• What is today’s date?
• What’s the date this Saturday?

Using a Timer

• Set the timer for ten minutes
• Show the timer
• Pause the timer
• Resume
• Reset the timer
• Stop it

Email

Sending Messages

• Email Lisa about the trip
• Email Jennifer about the change in plans
• New email to Susan Park
• Mail Dad about the rent check
• Email Dr. Manning and say I got the forms, thanks
• Mail Lisa and Jason about the party and say I had a great time

Checking Messages

• Check email
• Any new email from Michael today?
• Show new mail about the lease
• Show the email from Lisa yesterday

Responding to Messages

• Reply Dear Susan sorry about the late payment
• Call him at work

Friends

Checking Up on Friends

• Where’s Jason?
• Where is my sister?
• Is my wife at home?
• Where are all my friends?
• Who is here?
• Who is near me?

Maps

Directions

• How do I get home?
• Show 1 Infinite Loop Cupertino California
• Directions to my dad’s work

Local Businesses

• Find coffee near me
• Where is Starbucks?
• Find some burger joints in Baltimore
• Find a gas station within walking distance
• Good Mexican restaurants around here

Messages

Sending Texts

• Tell Susan I’ll be right there
• Send a message to Jason Russell
• Send a message to Lisa saying how about tomorrow
• Tell Jennifer the show was great
• Send a message to Susan on her mobile saying I’ll be late
• Send a message to 408 555 1212
• Text Jason and Lisa where are you?

Reading Texts

• Read my new messages
• Read it again

Replying to Texts

• Reply that’s great news
• Tell him I’ll be there in 10 minutes
• Call her

Music

Playback

• Play The Light of the Sun
• Play Trouble
• Play Taking Back Sunday shuffled
• Play Alicia Keys
• Play some blues
• Play my party mix
• Shuffle my roadtrip playlist
• Play
• Pause
• Skip

Notes

Creating and finding notes

• Note that I spent $12 on lunch
• Note: check out that new Alicia Keys album
• Find my restaurant note
• Create a reading list note
• Add Tom Sawyer to my reading list note

Phone

Phone calls

• Call Jason
• Call Jennifer Wright mobile
• Call Susan on her work phone
• Call 408 555 1212
• Call home
• FaceTime Lisa

Reminders

Requesting reminders

• Remind me to call mom
• Remind me to call my mom when I get home
• Remember to take an umbrella
• Remind me take my medicine at 6am tomorrow
• Remind me to pick up flowers when I leave here
• Remind me when I leave to call Jason
• Remind me to finish the report by 6

Stocks

Checking Stocks

• What’s Apple’s stock price?
• What is Apple’s PE ratio?
• What did Yahoo close at today?
• How is the Nikkei doing?
• How are the markets doing?
• What is the Dow at?

 

Weather

Checking the Forecast

• What’s the weather for today?
• What’s the weather for tomorrow?
• Will it rain in Cupertino this week?
• Check next week’s forecast for Burlington
• What’s the forecast for this evening?
• How’s the weather in Tampa right now?
• How hot will it be in Palm Springs this weekend?
• What’s the high for Anchorage on Thursday?
• What’s the temperature outside?
• How windy is it out there?
• When is sunrise in Paris?

Websearch

Looking up information

• Search the web for Bora Bora
• Search for vegetarian pasta recipes
• Search the web for best cable plans
• Google the war of 1812
• Search Wikipedia for Abraham Lincoln
• Search for news about the World Cup
• Bing Alicia Keys

 

Using Wolfram Alpha

• How many calories in a bagel?
• What is an 18% tip on $86.74 for four people?
• Who’s buried in Grant’s tomb?
• How long do dogs live?
• What is the Gossamer Condor?
• What’s the square root of 128?
• How many dollars is €45?
• What was the Best Picture of 1983?
• How many days until Christmas?
• How far away is the Sun?
• When is the next solar eclipse?
• Show me the Orion constellation
• What’s the population of Jamaica?
• How high is Mt. Everest?
• How deep is the Atlantic ocean?
• What’s the price of gasoline in Chicago?