Siri: A Capable but Confusable Concierge

Siri, an app from Siri, is available for free at the App Store.

Google's (Nasdaq: GOOG) mobile search app has long been a resident of my iPhone's home screen. The best thing about it is its voice search feature -- I can just say what I'm looking for and it'll run a search without my having to plunk out words with my clumsy, sausage-esque thumbs.

However, even though Google's app does emphasize local results based on where you're searching from, it's still a Google search, meaning it gives you tons of links to everything having anything to do with your search terms. It's great for general information and getting a phone number or two, but another voice-activated search app called "Siri" is more specifically sharpened to provide on-the-go retail, service, dining and entertainment info, as well as built-in tools for booking and paying for things when you find what you want.

Big Night Out

Siri's product notes claim the app is designed for the iPhone 3GS. It worked well enough on my standard 3G, though it did seem to lag every now and then.

To start using it, you'll have to provide an email address. Siri sends you a confirmation note, so read that email, click its link, and you're ready to go.

Siri gives you the option to speak a command ("Say it!") or type it in ("Tap it ..."). But this isn't like Google's mobile search app; it won't just digest any phrase and give you a bunch of links to whatever bubbles up from an all-inclusive search engine. Don't ask this thing about song lyrics, MLB batting averages or Roman history. Siri is really for mobile business -- finding local activities, searching out nearby shops and stores, planning a night out, etc.

Above the "search it"/"tap it" buttons are various categories you can select if you want to be a little more specific with your command, and they basically run the gamut of what Siri is all about: restaurants, movies, events, local businesses, taxis and weather. The app draws on various data and service providers -- Citysearch, Yahoo (Nasdaq: YHOO) Local, and Yelp, for example -- to provide its information and its abilities to let you book services and sometimes even pay for them directly through the app.

Reservations, Please

The first thing I did was make reservations to a nearby restaurant for Friday. This was going to be a cold start; I just hit "Say it!" and asked it to book me a table for two at a local Wokcano.

I soon learned that Siri has a bit of a problem with oddly named establishments. Wokcano quickly became "waukena," and there wasn't much I could do through speech to teach it otherwise. So I typed it in and was quickly offered a list of nearby locations. Each had a chance to read reviews, map the address, check out the menu, call it, email its details to friends, or reserve a table for a specific date and time.

This reservation feature is done through a service called "OpenTable" -- within a few seconds, I had my reservation. Not all restaurants offer this service, however, so if you decide on a place that doesn't, you'll have to call and reserve through a breathing human being. [*Correction - Feb. 16, 2010]

If you're not sure exactly where you want to go, choosing "Restaurants" on Siri's home screen lets you narrow down your options by various criteria (style, location, etc.). One really handy feature was the ability to select by reservation availability -- just type in when you want to eat and how many are in your party, and it'll tell you what places can accommodate you. I suppose it'll only show you options at restaurants that participate in OpenTable's service, but a function like this could be your last chance not to blow Valentine's Day, if you've let it get this late.

Business Abounds

Siri isn't just about eating, of course. Its local business finder seems to understand a lot too. Searches like "gas station," "grocery store" and "drug store" turned up several possibilities, all arranged by distance, plus options to call the place, map it out or save the info for later. "Tattoo" got me tons of local ink injectors, plus a doc down the street who specializes in tattoo removal. "LASIK eye surgery?" It automatically adjusted my request to "Laser vision correction doctors" and gave me a list of nearby retina peelers.

The app says it finds events, too, but my results there weren't nearly as exhaustive as in other categories. Smaller local playhouses didn't register with it at all, and my inquiry about what's going on at the Nokia (NYSE: NOK) Theatre listed events in a venue in Texas 1,000 miles away from me. Granted, the Los Angeles Nokia Theatre is rather new, so perhaps it's not quite in the system yet. At least it was able to give me a rundown of stuff going on at the Staples (Nasdaq: SPLS) Center -- Lakers, Kings, Bon Jovi, etc.

If you're not sure what you want to do, ask it "What's happening?" and it'll give you a grab-bag of events going on around you, then provide you with links for getting tickets.

Siri also lassos in TaxiMagic.com to call a cab. Tell it when and where to pick you up, and you're booked.

Movies are another no-brainer for Siri. Say the name of a popular movie, and it'll search out theaters, give you show times and let you buy tickets from theaters that do online purchases through MovieTickets.com. It's all done inside the app -- you can save credit card info to execute actual purchases.

Unfortunately, there is no directions utility. I asked it for directions to my home address, and it gave me the following message: "I'm sorry Paul, I can't search by street address yet, but I will soon." So I suppose we'll have to wait for an update for that.

Bottom Line

Siri provides the right mix of information and services that you'd naturally want in a mobile business search tool. Its only drawback is that it can act a little confused at times. I asked for a local grocery store, for instance, and it gave me the name of a sandwich shop 100 miles away. In one attempt to get it to find my home address, it returned with a pediatrician with the same last name as my street. But perhaps that's just because Siri strings together various different online services to do its underlying legwork, and they may not always mesh together 100 percent smoothly. These kinds of weird hiccups are relatively rare.

Google's voice search app is great for general information finding, but if you're specifically looking for on-the-go retail, service, dining and entertainment info -- and the ability to execute on that info by going ahead and booking/buying what you're out to get -- then Siri may well be the only app you'll need to use.