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Dear Aunt TUAW: Does Siri work well in the office?

Dear Aunt TUAW,

I am still debating about updating to an iphone 4s from an iphone 4. As someone overwhelmed at work (corporate life). I was wondering if there has been feedback on how someone has been using the iphone 4s' Siri function on a day to day basis at work to help stay organized? I know Siri can be used to check meetings by checking calendars. But how has reminders been effective in your work life? Can it sync with other systems to create to do lists? Has it changed the way any of you operate at work? Thanks. Sincerely, Matt

Your loving nephew,

Matt M.

Dear Matt,

Auntie is strongly of the opinion that Siri is the perfect accessory to corporate life. Between scheduling meetings, setting reminders, and placing calls, Siri works magnificently in the office environment.

Auntie believes that most of the "does it work in the enterprise" question lies in how your iPhone has been configured by your IT department. If your unit is set up to work with Exchange, and otherwise office-ready, Siri will only expand its utility, not limit it.

Just be aware, that with Exchange contacts, the iPhone has a limited ability to respond to relationships (like "my wife", "my assistant", etc). But that's the only drawback Auntie knows of.

Other than making your non-virtual personal assistant jealous.

Hugs,

Auntie T.



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iPhone

Dear Aunt TUAW, I am still debating about updating to an iphone 4s from an iphone 4. As someone overwhelmed at work (corporate life)....
 

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Brad Spry

The reminder feature is fast and wonderful. It's shaping up to be my #1 use of Siri.

November 23 2011 at 2:15 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
chapbitch

I think anyone who says Siri is awesome is just being a fanboy. I love Apple products, but this is one that should not have left the corporate office. I'm sorry, but siri is just not ready for prime time. I find it extremely frustrating that after attempting to use it for 3 weeks, it still cannot understand what I'm saying. I have to enunciate my words carefully. Granted, I am from the south and have a bit of an accent, but I would think Siri could catch on after a while. Maybe they'll get Siri to play better in the future. For now, I wouldn't get the iPhone 4S just for siri.

November 23 2011 at 10:10 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
3 replies to chapbitch's comment
meowsqueak

You can work around the Exchange/Relationships issue by creating a 'native' or iCloud contact with the same name as your Exchange contact, and configure Siri to use that as "you". Then it can add the correct fields to represent relationships, and the Unified view combines the two contacts into one dynamically.

November 22 2011 at 9:23 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
mal5z

You can get around the Exchange contacts relationship limitation. Just turn on your iCloud address book and create a single contact in your own name. Then tell Siri that contact is you. You can have it learn all the relationships you want (eg, mother, father, sister, brother). All your contacts are still in Exchange, except for that one iCloud contact you've set up for yourself.

As for drawbacks in the business context, just remember that Siri needs a good data connection to work. Most of us have wifi at home. At the office, I don't. And I work in lower Manhattan, where AT&T data is awful. 9 times out of 10, when I try to use Siri in the office, it just spins its wheels and gives up.

November 22 2011 at 8:11 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Tony Davis

I would also like to chime in on this discussion. I myself find one of the most productivity increasing features that helps me literally all day is the system wide dictation. Being able to compose emails and/or texts messages on the fly is unbelievably invaluable. If you are on the road all time time like I am, this feature is a perfect addition to my corporate life.

November 22 2011 at 8:08 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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