Why Siri is an all-but-useless toy
I use Siri to set alarms and timers, to make calls, to initiate simple web searches, and for little else.
The reason I don't use her for more things is that her knowledge is limited to (at best) What things are and Where they are.
She knows what a movie theater is, and where the nearest theaters are. But she does not know what movies are playing, much less movie showtimes. Useless.
She knows what and where restaurants are. And she even knows they have business hours. And she's also smart enough to tell you that she doesn't know those business hours. Useless.
She knows what and where train stations and other mass transit options are. But she doesn't know routes or schedules. She knows where you are, but can't tell you when the next train or bus is supposed to show up. Useless.
Finally, she always assumes that what you want is the location of, for example, Mexican restaurants. So she shows you a map. Problem is, the map is a dead end. Clicking on an item on the map yields nothing but location/contact info. There is no Google-Places-esque page that pops up letting you see reviews and info the business wants you to see.
Siri is a great idea. But with no server-side intelligent information store to back her up, she remains merely a naive toy.
The reason I don't use her for more things is that her knowledge is limited to (at best) What things are and Where they are.
She knows what a movie theater is, and where the nearest theaters are. But she does not know what movies are playing, much less movie showtimes. Useless.
She knows what and where restaurants are. And she even knows they have business hours. And she's also smart enough to tell you that she doesn't know those business hours. Useless.
She knows what and where train stations and other mass transit options are. But she doesn't know routes or schedules. She knows where you are, but can't tell you when the next train or bus is supposed to show up. Useless.
Finally, she always assumes that what you want is the location of, for example, Mexican restaurants. So she shows you a map. Problem is, the map is a dead end. Clicking on an item on the map yields nothing but location/contact info. There is no Google-Places-esque page that pops up letting you see reviews and info the business wants you to see.
Siri is a great idea. But with no server-side intelligent information store to back her up, she remains merely a naive toy.