1. Home
  2. Mobile

Siri rival Speaktoit gives old iPhones the personal assistant experience

By

Way back in the fall of 2011, when we were just being introduced to Siri in all her (short lived) iPhone 4S exclusivity glory, we wrote about Speaktoit. It was among the first legitimate answers to Siri that came hot on the heels of the iPhone 4S announcement.  

But back then, it was only an Android alternative to Siri – many of which have been added to the Android Marketplace since. Now, Speaktoit is available in the iOS App Store and offers older iterations of the iPhone access to Siri-like service.

Recommended Videos

Much ado was made about the fact that anything pre-iPhone 4S wasn’t able to use Siri. While these conditions were relaxed in December, iPhone 3GS and earlier iterations were still out of luck. But now Speaktoit can bring the personal assistance feature to older iOS models; so how do the two stack up against each other?

We tried to put Speaktoit running on an iPhone 3GS against Siri on the 4S, but unfortunately Siri was experiencing some down time and we were unable to compare voice commands. But our general experience with Speaktoit was varied: the app had some trouble with directions, telling us it couldn’t find the Portland International Airport or the nearby city of Beaverton. When it came to tasks like finding restaurants, making phone calls, or locating a dry cleaners, Speaktoit worked quickly and easily.

Speaktoit doesn’t seem to have as sophisticated language recognition as Siri. For instance when we asked for directions to “Hillsboro” and “Oregon City,” it said it couldn’t find “Hillsborough” or “Origin City.” You need to focus on enunciation more, and it makes us dubious about how users with accents would fare. It is quite conversational, however, and you aren’t forced to speak like a robot just to get your requests across.

The noticeable feature Speaktoit is lacking is affiliate partners. Siri’s integration with apps like OpenTable, Fandango, and Yelp definitely give it an edge. Speaktoit tells is it’s continuing to add more services, and Evernote is one notable integration it now features. The native voice control app also is a more hands-free experience: Speaktoit will compose a text message, for instance, but you still have to manually hit “send.” 

But it covers the basics (with varied results, ranging from mediocre to great): composing and sending texts and emails, making calls, finding nearby places, scheduling, weather questions, and translation. And while it might not best Apple on seamlessly working with native apps or outside app API integration, it does connect to Facebook and Twitter, something that’s noticeably missing from Siri.

Speaktoit is currently $1.99 in the App Store, but it will be free for the first 100,000 people who download it on Valentine’s Day, and then will cost $0.99 for the rest of the day. Check out our quick hands-on video with the app below. 

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Molly McHugh
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Before coming to Digital Trends, Molly worked as a freelance writer, occasional photographer, and general technical lackey…
How to transfer photos from an iPhone to a computer

As the old saying goes, the best camera is the one you always have with you. If you're like most iPhone users, that means you've likely amassed a sizeable collection of photos on your device. However, while Apple's Photos app is a great way to manage and view your photo library, it's never a good idea to keep all your eggs in one basket. After all, suffering a lost or broken iPhone is painful enough without also losing all your precious digital memories in the process.

Even if you're backing up your iPhone to iCloud or your computer, it's a good idea to keep your photos backed up separately. After all, opening a folder or a photo management app is a much easier way to get at your photos than trying to extract them from an iCloud or iTunes/Finder backup, which requires either restoring them to another iPhone or relying on special software tools.

Read more
How to schedule a text message on your iPhone

Do you often send text messages to a friend or family member across the pond? Or do you want to message someone when you know they’re off work and are able to get to you in a reasonable manner? Maybe you want to send a message every day at the same time, to let your significant other know you’re on the way home and to ask if they need you to pick up anything.

If you said yes to any of these scenarios (or other ones you have in your head), you may be looking for a way to schedule text messages on your iPhone. After all, this is a feature that Android users have, and it can often prove incredibly convenient.

Read more
iPhone SE deals: Refurbished 2nd and 3rd Gen iPhones

Apple’s iPhone is one of the most popular phones on the planet, and whatever its current model happens to be almost always ranks among the best phones. This makes the iPhone an expensive purchase, which is where the iPhone SE comes in. Apple launched the iPhone SE in order to make an iPhone affordable to more people. The SE utilizes technology that’s a generation or two old and will often take the form factor of a previous iPhone model. Right now the it's a great phone to turn to for even more savings. There are some iPhone SE deals to take a look at out there, and while it’s difficult to find newer iPhone SE models, you can shop refurbished knowing the big retailers are likely backing the purchase with warranties and solid return windows. So whether you’re looking for some great iPhone deals or phone deals in general, below you’ll find the best iPhone SE deals to shop right now.
iPhone SE 2nd Gen deals

The second generation of the iPhone SE was initially launched in 2020, but it still manages to keep up with the needs of many phone users today. It utilizes the body of the Apple iPhone 8, which means it will have a home button and fingerprint ID instead of the Face ID technology in current iPhone models. That’s not much to give up, however, as the second generation iPhone SE still has a great display, a 12-megapixel camera with the ability to shoot 4K video, and wireless charging capability.

Read more