Although many people are using Ask Ziggy on Windows Phone these days, the search for a viable alternative to the iPhone’s Siri continues. While we’re unsure of what Microsoft has planned in this arena for Windows Phone 8, WP7 users certainly want options.
A new alternative is on the Marketplace now called simply enough ‘Assistant’. It’s made by Speak To It and while it normally costs $0.99 it’s going for free now for the first 10,000 downloads.
It uses the same Nuance voice engine as Ask Ziggy, so in that regards it’s not necessarily any better nor worse. But the UI design and layout are quite nice. You get a custom Avatar to interact with and a choice of 4 different voices (UK and US English). The app can learn your name and you can name it too (we called ours Siri of course).
The app has some bugs and on the first time loading, it tends to hang (just hit the Windows key and re-launch). Over just Wi-Fi it didn’t work—at least not on our Titan II though it performed well on our Lumia 900. Since it uses Nuance, it is hit or miss with accuracy but we do like the options including the ability to Tweet or update our Facebook. It can even create notes and then upload them to EverNote which is quite useful. Assistant heavily relies on Google instead of Bing which some may find off-putting.
Would we pay for it? Probably not. But for free there’s little reason to not get it if it’s something you think you would use. See our video review to see how it works.
You can pick Assistant up here in the Windows Phone Marketplace for $0 while you can. Thanks, Barry W., for the heads up
We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.
The Medium Interview: How the Xbox Series X|S made this title possible
Looking for some inside information on the upcoming psychological horror game The Medium? Well, here's everything you need to know about the gameplay mechanics, haunting storytelling, and performance on Xbox Series X/S, straight from the team responsible.
Everything you need to know about AMD Radeon RX 6000 GPUs
AMD has unveiled its new lineup of Radeon RX 6000-series graphics cards, with three new pieces of hardware to look forward to. Here's what you need to know.
AMD's 'Big Navi' Radeon RX 6000 series GPUs are here, coming November 18
AMD today launched its latest GPUs, the Radeon RX 6000 series. The new cards are a major jump over the previous generation, offering even more power with big architectural improvements.
Make the most of your Surface Pen and Slim Pen with these awesome apps
To really maximize the ability of the Surface Pen and Slim Pen, there are some essential apps you should check out. We've rounded up the best right here for a variety of purposes.