14 DAY TRIAL // Apple has acquired Siri, a mobile assistance firm, taking the competition between the Mac maker and Google a step further, Business Insider reports. The move has been confirmed by an actual Siri representative. Basically, Siri is a service + application that responds to queries like where the best local bar is, or what shows are playing and where.
On the official Siri website, the maker describes its service saying, “You’re busy. Between meetings, social events, and hopefully a workout or two, your schedule’s packed. Don’t you wish you could hand off simple tasks so you could have more time to play?” “That’s why we built Siri. Because we believe everyone could use an assistant. Because we believe there’s a simpler way to get things done.”
The company, acquired by Apple soon after news broke out that Intrinsity had also been purchased by Cupertino’s electronics maker, further notes that Siri is exactly like a real assistant. Its algorithms understand what the user is looking for and even learns one’s preferences and needs over time, according to the description.
“Today, Siri can help you find and plan things to do. You can ask Siri to find a romantic place for dinner, tell you what’s playing at a local jazz club or get tickets to a movie for Saturday night,” Siri Inc. says. It admits that, “Siri is young and, like a child taking its first steps, may be awkward at times. Siri may occasionally misunderstand things you ask it to do even within its range of understanding.”
The Siri app is compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPod touch and iPad, and requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later. Currently, the company’s services are limited to the United States. Siri Inc. promises that its app will work on the iPhone 3G soon, and reveals that it is even pegging away at additional platforms as well. However, following the Apple acquisition, this small account on its website may disappear soon.