iPhone 4S, Siri, and Denise

The iPhone 4S has been announced and so far the internet community is enraged. Well, not me, of course. I am a bit disappointed with the hardware specs but the iPhone was never known for that to begin with. No Apple products are. They are know for their software. Since the old iPhones can upgrade to the new iOS 5 software that kind of eliminates the reason for anyone with an iPhone 4 to buy the 4S. Yet I cannot feel as if the new iOS 5 will run so much smoother on the new dual-core processor. Well, of course it will, but it is really a reason to upgrade?

The answer is Siri. The new iPhone artificial intelligence. This is what apple says:

Now you can use your voice to use your iPhone. Just talk to Siri as you would to a person: “Do I need an umbrella?” or “Any great burgers around here?” or “Where’s the closest ATM?” Siri not only understands what you say, it knows what you mean.¹ It figures out the right apps to use to find the right answer. Then, just like a personal assistant, it answers you. Siri makes phone calls, sends messages, schedules meetings, sets reminders, and more. How much more? Just ask, and Siri tells you that, too.

Too good to be true? Well, it seems to be working in to their product demo and according to Engadget Siri is flawless, which makes me ever so excited about this new feature! From what I’ve gathered Siri is exclusive to the new iPhone 4S even though it is, supposedly, an iOS 5 feature. This is probably because the iPhone 4 CPU is not powerful enough to run it without hiccups. I think it’s a good selling point. Who does not want a personal AI assistant?

But wait… Do I really have to buy a new phone to a get personal assistant? No. There is another assistant you can get, one which is a lot more attractive than Apple’s equivalent, namely Guile 3D’s Denise! She is, supposedly, able to do the exact same things as Siri. One could say Denise is a stationary version of Siri. Denise even, supposedly, learns from your conversations and learns about you, your life, and the world around you and ultimately becomes one heck of a conversation partner! There is a downside though… Denise costs between $100 – 820. Makes it almost worth getting that iPhone 4S after all, especially since you can carry Siri with you wherever you go. If Denise’s interface was installed in a functional android (the real kind, not the Google kind) built to her liking – that would be a different story! I’m looking forward to the day! Meanwhile you can check Denise’s demo and compare it to Siri’s.

Will you get the new iPhone? What do you think of Siri? Who do you prefer, Siri or Denise?

– F H Hakansson