Hey, Alexa: Siri’s not so bad after all! Jefferson Graham
Much-maligned Siri can perform some skills on the iPhone a lot easier than Alexa can
Alexa is much betLOS ANGELES ter at Siri at so many things.
But now that Amazon’s Alexa personal digital assistant has joined Siri on the iPhone, we come to a sudden and unexpected realization: Siri really isn’t that bad after all.
Siri, which has been maligned and criticized over the past five years, is actually more useful than Alexa on the phone. Honest.
This week, Amazon updated its app for Apple devices, bringing Alexa from the Echo- and Dotconnected speakers to the smartphone.
I’ve tested out both assistants, and here’s what I found:
Siri can read a text message or the latest email, help you make a restaurant reservation, set your alarm and keep track of your calendar.
Of the above, the only task Alexa can really do is inform you of the next calendar date.
Alexa can assist with many useful things, such as telling you the weather, time and movie listings, and she goes way further than Siri in many areas. She can play a game of Jeopardy! with you, tell you a great joke, play you news broadcasts on demand and read your books aloud from your Kindle library. These are all things that could be so cool on the iPhone.
There are tons more “skills,” available in the Alexa app, which you can add by visiting there.
But if you own an iPhone, you’re going to opt for Siri. You just are.
You pick up the phone, say, “Hey Siri,” and give a command. If it falls under the category of useful — alarms, dates, calendars, finding traffic and restaurant information — Siri wins. All you have to do is talk into your phone, and you’re in business.
With Alexa, you need to open the iPhone, navigate your way to the Amazon app, then use your finger to click on the microphone. Then you start searching. That’s two clicks too many.
Alexa on the iPhone does have one huge advantage over using the service in the Echo or Dot speaker: shopping.
Say you’re looking for batteries, radios, clothes, you name it. Ask, and you get an instant visual of what the product looks like. The app makes the vocal shopping experience better.
By showing what is capable with voice-activated search on the iPhone itself, and how far Amazon has taken it, maybe finally Apple will get motivated to catch up?