Siri for the rest of us-Alternatives to Siri

When Apple released the iPhone 4S earlier this year, one of the most popular features was the personal assistant program Siri. Here are a few alternatives to Siri for those that don’t have an iPhone 4S.

• What are some reasons that Siri is so popular?
There are three main reasons that Siri has found a following. The first is that it is a personal assistant app, and people love having help to become more organized and efficient. Also, Siri can not only provide information from online resources, but it can take advantage of other apps on your phone. The final reason is that Siri can simulate a functional conversation with the user. This not only has a cool factor, it also makes organizing and planning easier.


• If have an iPhone 4S, Why would you need another program that is similar to Siri?
In all reality, you don’t need a similar program, but in case you do you have options. One option for consideration is Vlingo, which is very similar to Siri except that it doesn’t conversate with you. Like Siri you have access to online and on phone resources via voice control. Another option is Google’s Voice Actions which is not a bad third choice.

• What are the options for people who don’t have an iPhone?
The majority of the smartphones on the market have android for an operating system. With that said, there are somewhat comparable. Edwin is to Android what Siri is to the iPhone. The app that stands out to me is a personal assistant call SpeakToIt Assistant. It makes full use of most of the available phone and internet resources can hold conversations with you, but it one ups Siri in that it has an Avatar to interact with you.

For those with older iPhones or without a smartphone, Google Voice Actions or Dragon Go may serve as valuable voice control personal. They don’t hold conversations with you but you can dictate correspondence and perform verbal searches.

• How much do these personal assistants cost?
Many are free with the most expensive costing less than $10.