Siri Sports, and other Revelations from My First IOS 6 Test

This week is all about Apple. Today I had a chance to demo parts of IOS 6, and it’s looking FINE Fine. One of the best improvements was to SIRI.

 For one, according to my testing, and my friend’s reporting (he’s a developer) Siri seemed far more accurate. She picked up what I was saying clearly even in a noisy hallway. My friend  reports that she’s more stable. Good thing too. Nobody wants an unstable secretary.

Her capabilities were expanded in several ways, including the ability to open apps which means that she will dig herself deeper into our daily lives. She can now look up movie showtimes, find trailers and theaters, and assist you in other moviegoing ways.

 One of the most useful of the new features is the addition of sports results to Siri. She can now give you the score, stats, or facts on all your favorite sports. No need to go on to ESPN every time you need a score. I asked Siri how many points per game Lebron James averaged this season, and although I stuttered and mumbled through the command, she understood it, and she quickly pulled up the stats. Sports fans will definitely enjoy that one.

The new Passbook app

Also new to IOS 6 was an app called passbook. This is what I most look forward to in IOS 6, but unfortunately the app isn’t available even in the developer preview yet. Apple is still dealing with licensing, development and such. In the app, you can add everything from your starbucks card, to your frequent flyer info, to Amtrack info on your train, and you can keep track of it in real time. The app expands on the concept of life management and reminders, but the prebuilt systems and well designed interface make it incredibly simple to manage and keep track of different aspects of your life all in one place. You can find the track your train leaves from, use the app as a payment method and load gift cards to be used and pretty much store anything. It’s a brilliant idea. What do you think of the new IOS features?