Siri Envy? Iris Brings Some Voice-Assistant Features to Android 402
Of all the upgrades that distinguish the new iPhone 4S from its predecessors, probably the feature that's gotten the most attention is the voice-based personal assistant app called Siri, which allows a user to accomplish certain tasks almost entirely by voice. A few days ago, as reported by TechCrunch, a team of Android developers came up with an Android equivalent to Siri called Iris (spell that backwards). It took them only 8 hours to have a working, if imperfect, app to play with and submit to the Android Market. This quick video review of Iris says the app is unpolished, but shows promise. For now, it generates some accurate results, and some amusing ones.
"How is Iris like Siri?" (Score:5, Funny)
You asked "How is Iris like Siri?" ... I don't know."
"One moment
"How is Iris different from Siri?" ... Iris is backwards."
You asked "How is Iris different from Siri?"
"One moment
"Should this have been posted on slashdot?" ... That is what idle.slashdot.org is for."
You asked "Should this have been posted on slashdot?"
"One moment
"Do I look lame talking to my phone when nobody's there?"
You asked "Do I look lame talking to my phone when nobody's there?"
"As opposed to the rest of the time?"
Re:Why not just wave your arm in the air... (Score:2, Funny)
Very much a work in progress (Score:5, Funny)
Q: Where can I get a cheeseburger?
A: The bank.
Q: What's the weather like in (my town) tomorrow?
A: Now in (my town) the temperature varies between low points of 26C and highs of 36C (79F and 97F). The conditions are light rain showers during the day. The day after that the temperature will vary between 26C and 37C (79F and 99F) and the conditions will be sunny weather.
(It didn't rain today, and despite the impressive range of temps - way to cover your bases, Iris - it still muffed the highs for today and tomorrow.)
Q: What time is it in Hong Kong?
A: October 23rd 2011, 8:24:52 HKST
Q: Where is the nearest Wal Mart?
A: Probably Washington. It's a state border.
(I live on the east coast.)
Q: What's the population of Canada?
A: The population of Canada is approximately 33,100,000.
Q: How far is it from Chicago to New York?
A: 1,145.16 kilometers (711.57 miles).
Q: Where can I get a recipe for cheesecake?
A: En la esquina, con minifalda.
(Yes, it really said that in Spanish.)
So, yeah - a work in progress. It had no trouble recognizing every single question, it just fell down on many of the answers.
Re:Why not just wave your arm in the air... (Score:4, Funny)
Siri is a heck of a lot more interesting. Siri is a first grasp at understanding intent. "Is it going to rain tomorrow?" "Text my wife that I'll be there in 5 minutes." "Remind me at 6PM tomorrow to call the doctor." "How do I get home?"
We told SIri, "Eat shit" and she listed local restaurants in order from worst to best.
Re:Very much a work in progress (Score:5, Funny)
Some sample queries I fed Iris:
Q: Where can I get a recipe for cheesecake?
A: En la esquina, con minifalda.
(Yes, it really said that in Spanish.)
So, yeah - a work in progress. It had no trouble recognizing every single question, it just fell down on many of the answers.
Oh, man that was awesome. Thanks for making my day.
En la esquina, con minifalda. English:"In the corner, wearing a miniskirt."