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How useful are you finding Siri?

H

HXGuy

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Mar 25, 2010
1,679
0
I wasn't sure how useful it would be or if it would sort of gimmicky and something to just show to friends but I'm finding it pretty damn handy.

Couple examples from today...

I was driving down a main street here in Phoenix and saw a new restaurant is opening up in one of our mailing zones, they had a banner up with a phone number. Took my phone, held down the home button for two seconds and said "Remind me to call 602-993-1234 when I get home." Bam...done.

About 10 minutes later, a customer called my cell and asked if we could fax something to him. After I got off the phone, I told Siri "Send an email to my wife to fax over the proofs to Victor". That's it, done.

I've also used it for making appointments for myself and setting the alarm.

What has your guys' experience been?
 
HXGuy said:
I wasn't sure how useful it would be or if it would sort of gimmicky and something to just show to friends but I'm finding it pretty damn handy.

Couple examples from today...

I was driving down a main street here in Phoenix and saw a new restaurant is opening up in one of our mailing zones, they had a banner up with a phone number. Took my phone, held down the home button for two seconds and said "Remind me to call 602-993-1234 when I get home." Bam...done.

About 10 minutes later, a customer called my cell and asked if we could fax something to him. After I got off the phone, I told Siri "Send an email to my wife to fax over the proofs to Victor". That's it, done.

I've also used it for making appointments for myself and setting the alarm.

What has your guys' experience been?
Click to expand...

Alarms and reminders for the most part.

I also talk to text in the car while driving with my BT headset + Siri
 
I only use my 4s on a limited basis r/t no jb but when do use it I find myself using siri quite a bit. I use it for the above said reasons.... alarms, texting while driving, some reminders. I think it's a very useful tool. Can't wait until it's out of beta but have no complaints.
 
Siri is AWESOME! I mostly use it to dictate replies for text messages and emails. It's a time-saver, for sure.
 
alarms, reminders, and texts, definitely. I've tried to set an alarm on my 4 before only to fall asleep, and wake up later wondering why it didn't go off, open my phone, and find it still on the set alarm page - I'd fallen asleep doing that stupid dial to get the time thing. So much easier, even if you're dead sleepy, to hold down the home button and say "wake me up at 9", and pass out :)

Reminders and texts are just as easy. I thought it was a gimmick at first too, but it's not, it's actually quite useful.
 
Obviously many find it "cute" or amusing.

Me? I can see where it's useful for some, but I'm avoiding it.

I just find it repulsive.
 
vitzr said:
Obviously many find it "cute" or amusing.

Me? I can see where it's useful for some, but I'm avoiding it.

I just find it repulsive.
Click to expand...

Repulsive? Wow, that's a strong word. Why so much hate towards it?
 
I use it a lot, for example I hate looking at the alarm icon on the top right so I turn all my alarms off in the Morning and turn them on before going to sleep (usually I have to wake up at the same time for work) and I just tell Siri "turn all my Alarms on " lol , also reminders , I just to use an app for reminders , or notes but I found the one on iOS much helpfull, like when I get home to get the clothes in the dryer or to go to the post office after work, really nice to just type all the time ha ha
 
Btw look what she told me about the time lol
46ad3f04-a6e0-592b.jpg
 
Siri is sort of crippled around here (can't find places, and for some strange reason won't create a route on the map or show traffic status even though maps can do it), but I still find it quite usefull. It makes me use reminders all the time, and I reply to texts while driving (although some people don't understand why I'm replying in english instead of my native language).

When Siri's restrictions outside the US would disappear, it would be even better.

Revoultion in input methods? not really. Awesome and usefull feature? of course.
 
I'm actually finding the dictation in Messaging and Email infinitely more useful than Siri - pretty much the unsung hero of the iPhone 4S for me.
 
I have used it a fair bit for txting and emailing while driving, and for taking notes when i have seen things while driving. Can't wait for it to be fully working outside the US thats when i will really fall in love with it.
 
I use it for answering random questions I'm too lazy to type out, sending the occasional message and setting reminders and alarms. Maybe I'll sing its praises more once Apple pull their finger out and make it so that geographical features can be used outside of the US. Very convenient omission in the advertising on that. :rolleyes:
 
I can imagine using mine alot when i leave work instead of typing out a text out which can be annoying after a 12 hour shift
 
The days of manually adding reminders, appointments, texting and search are over. I don't think I'll ever forget to add a reminder.

I think Siri is great and will only get better in the future. I was pleasantly surprised that ambient noise in the car and low music didn't affect Siri's performance.
 
HXGuy said:
Repulsive? Wow, that's a strong word. Why so much hate towards it?
Click to expand...

The troll is chumming. Just ignore dude.

----------
iBlue said:
I use it for answering random questions I'm too lazy to type out, sending the occasional message and setting reminders and alarms. Maybe I'll sing its praises more once Apple pull their finger out and make it so that geographical features can be used outside of the US. Very convenient omission in the advertising on that. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

You don't mind it getting out of beta do you?
 
sapporobaby said:
You don't mind it getting out of beta do you?
Click to expand...

Yeah, yeah, yeah, beta, the international get out of misleading advertising free card. Surely after I've spent £500 only to find that a lot of what I was expecting doesn't work warrants me a few eye rolls. I recognise that Siri has a lot of potential and I'm not criticising it, I am just looking forward to it being more useful for me.
 
iBlue said:
Yeah, yeah, yeah, beta, the international get out of misleading advertising free card. I recognise that Siri has a lot of potential and I'm not criticising it, I am just looking forward to it being more useful for me.
Click to expand...

Explain how you were mislead. From the start it was made clear that Siri was US only. Are you whining for the sake of whining or did you really not understand this?
 
sapporobaby said:
Explain how you were mislead. From the start it was made clear that Siri was US only. Are you whining for the sake of whining or did you really not understand this?
Click to expand...

Made clear? Maybe I didn't hang on every single word in the keynote because I didn't realize that. I would have bought it anyway but I wouldn't have been disappointed when I went to use some of its features. It's not that big of a deal but I see that Siri could be a lot more useful for me when geographical features are enabled. As I edited into my post after you quoted me, surely I'm entitled to a few eye rolls for the unpleasant surprise. Or is my not unconditionally praising Apple asking too much from the fanboy contingent?
 
OllyW said:
Try telling that to Apple UK.

Siri isn't "US only" but a few of the features are only available there.
Click to expand...

To you and iBlue.

I am currently using Siri in Finland and had no issues what so ever. Of course I did not expct it to find addresses and perform geographic type actions as Siri has not been rolled out in this country. Once Finland is supported and fails to function I will be one of the first to complain, but the word "beta" implies that it is a work in progress. If Apple UK told you different, then they are uninformed.
 
HXGuy said:
Repulsive? Wow, that's a strong word. Why so much hate towards it?
Click to expand...

Just expressing my thoughts. There's something rather passive and off putting that causes me to dislike Siri. I don't hate anything or anyone. Yet I can see how my prior post might come across that way.

We all use our smartphones differently. As I write this another word that comes to mind is intrusive. Siri seems intrusive to me.

That aside, I commend Apple for admitting their past denial was a lie, that there was a problem with the iPhone 4 antenna.

Even better, they finally fixed it and included a proper, compatible, baseband processor in iPhone 4S. As a result it has a suitable phone that works as it should.

While it took them a few years to learn how to build a good phone. At least they finally did.
 
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