Apple’s iPhone was just another gizmo in the market dominated by the Blackberry until it introduced the iPhone 4s back in October 2011. The difference was iPhone 4s’ incredible ability to listen and respond almost intelligently, courtesy the phone assistant Siri. The phone sold a whopping four million units just in the first four days, which formally announced Apple as the future leader of the market.
There are a host of things you can ask Siri, from sports scores to the whether in case you are just too damn lazy to swipe your phone and use a browser or a widget. It helps you navigate when driving, can keep notes of your meetings and daily schedule and even play your favorite songs just by asking it to do so.
Apple CEO Tim Cook was full of praise for Siri and recently had this to say,
“I’m personally using HomeKit accessories and the Home app to integrate iOS into my home routine. Now when I say good morning to Siri, my house lights come on and my coffee starts brewing. When I go to the living room to relax in the evening, I use Siri to adjust the lighting and turn on the fireplace. And when I leave the house, a simple tap on my iPhone turns the lights off, adjusts the thermostat down, and locks the doors. When I return to my house in the evening, as I near my home, the house prepares itself for my arrival automatically by using a simple geofence. This level of home automation was unimaginable just a few years ago, and it’s here today with iOS and HomeKit.”
But there are limits to the “magic,” limits that you MUST know before you land yourself in a world of trouble.
And one thing you should never do with Siri is say “108” causally, and here’s why.
Every country has its own emergency number, such as 999 in the United Kingdom and 911 in the United States. 108 is actually the emergency number in India, and if you call out the digits, you will be connected to the emergency services in your country. This might not be a very good idea as calling an emergency number without any real reason is a federal offense since you are clogging up the lines for people who are actually in need for immediate attention.
And a certain 19-year-old Zachary Lee Morgenstern found this out the hard way when he was sentenced to 41 months in prison for calling in fake bomb threats in Ohio, Minnesota, and Massachusetts.
So have fun with Siri, but do take care of these subtle triggers that can land you in a world of trouble.