Home > Store

Talking to Siri: Learning the Language of Apple's Intelligent Assistant, 2nd Edition

Register your product to gain access to bonus material or receive a coupon.

Talking to Siri: Learning the Language of Apple's Intelligent Assistant, 2nd Edition

Book

  • Sorry, this book is no longer in print.
Not for Sale

Description

  • Copyright 2013
  • Dimensions: 5" x 7"
  • Edition: 2nd
  • Book
  • ISBN-10: 0-7897-5069-4
  • ISBN-13: 978-0-7897-5069-3

Sweet-talk Siri® for iOS 6 into doing practically anything!

In iOS 6 and OS X Mountain Lion, Siri is more amazing than ever—and it’s even better when you really know how to talk to it. Now, two top Apple® tech experts show how to talk the newest version of Siri into doing more than you ever thought possible! Look up what you want to do, and you’ll find tested step-by-step instructions for getting perfect results—including new ways to do everything from checking football scores to posting on Facebook!

  • Teach Siri to recognize requests and take dictation more accurately
  • Check Yelp reviews and place OpenTable restaurant reservations
  • Launch apps hands-free
  • Find out where your friends are right now
  • Choose a great movie with Rotten Tomatoes reviews
  • Get up-to-the-minute player stats for baseball, football, or soccer
  • Blog with Siri using email or text messaging
  • Tweet updates, complete with location or appointment info
  • Create location-based reminders that trigger at destinations like the drugstore
  • Help Siri recognize and connect with your family and friends
  • Transform Siri into your personal media DJ
  • Find the nearest store that’s selling whatever you want
  • Answer math and science problems with Wolfram Alpha
  • Make sure Siri responds only to you, not to an impostor
  • Discover the silliness Apple engineered into Siri

Extras

Author's Site

Please visit the author site: ericasadun.com.

Sample Content

Online Sample Chapter

Getting Started with Siri

Sample Pages

Download the sample pages (includes Chapter 1 and Index)

Table of Contents

Preface     xi

1 Getting Started with Siri     1

Enabling Siri on iOS     2

  Universal Access     6

Enabling Dictation on OS X     7

Privacy     9

Launching Siri on iOS     10

  Saying Hello to Siri     11

  Canceling Siri     13

  Repeating Siri     14

  Quitting Siri     14

  Getting Help     15

Siri Listens     17

  Listening on OS X     19

  Siri Responds     20

Correcting Siri     21

  Correcting Speech on OS X     23

  Enhancing Your Speech Recognition     24

  Clarity     25

  Fumbles     26

  Viewing Items You Create     27

  Multilingual Siri     28

New in Siri     29

  Living with Siri Limitations     30

  Let Siri Learn About You     31

Summary     31

2 Asking Siri for Information     35

Weather     36

  Other Queries     37

  Locations     37

Web Search     39

  Searching for Pictures     41

  Searching in Wikipedia     41

  The Search the Web Option     42

  Checking Flights     42

Sports and Siri     43

Checking Stocks     46

Using Wolfram Alpha     48

  Querying Wolfram     50

  Wolfram Mode     52

  The Wolfram Saving Throw     52

  Wolfram Alpha Trick Lets You Know What Is Flying Overhead     53

  Other Cool Stuff You Can Do with Wolfram Alpha     55

Summary     56

3 Using Siri to Stay in Touch     59

Contacts     60

  Searching for Contacts     62

  Creating Relationships     63

  Creating an Alternative Identity for Yourself     65

Placing Phone Calls with Siri     67

Text Messages     68

  Reading Texts     69

  Replying to Texts     70

  Sending Messages     70

  Confirming Messages     71

Mail     72

  Creating Mail     72

  Checking Mail     75

  Responding to Mail     75

Social Networking     75

Friends     76

Summary     79

4 Talking to Your Day-Timer     81

Calendars     82

  Adding Events     82

  Making Changes     83

  Checking Your Calendar     84

Reminders     86

  How Siri Can Remind You     88

  A Word of Caution     89

Creating Notes     90

  Creating Single-Item Notes     90

  Adding Items to the Current Note     91

  Starting New Notes     92

  Naming Notes     92

  Finding Notes     93

Clock Functions     94

  Alarms     94

  Checking the Clock     97

  Using a Timer     97

Summary     99

5 Going Shopping with Siri     101

Products and Services     102

  Checking Prices     104

Shopping Math     105

  Adding Sales Tax     105

  Calculating Tips     106

  Currency Conversion     107

Preparing a Shopping List     109

Sharing Shopping Lists via the Cloud     111

  Shopping Limitations     112

Turn-by-Turn Directions     113

  Using Turn-by-Turn to Known Destinations     115

  Maps’ Search and Directions Limitations     115

  Looking up Information on Maps     117

Making Restaurant Reservations     117

Checking out Movies     118

  Siri’s Personal Movie Synopses     120

Summary     121

6 Pushing Limits with Siri     123

Launching Apps     124

Talking to Apps     125

Blogging with Siri     126

  Creating a Post     126

  Confirming Your Account     128

  Blogging by Email     128

  Other Blogging Services     131

Siri Security     132

  Lock Screen and Siri     133

Music     134

Summary     136

7 Siri Dictation     137

Launching Dictation on iOS     138

Launching Dictation on OS X     138

Why Learn Dictation?     141

Enunciation Practice     142

Dictation 101     144

  Improving Dictation     144

Inserting Punctuation     147

  Controlling Flow     149

  Adding Capitalization     150

Including Abbreviations     152

Dictating Technical Terms     154

  Phone Numbers     155

  Dates and Times     155

  Prices     156

Smilies     157

Dictating Formatted Text     157

  Addresses     157

  URLs     158

  Email Addresses     158

  License Plates     159

Dictation Practice     159

Punctuation Practice     161

Summary    163

8 Having Fun with Siri     165

Siri Diversions     165

Asking About Siri     167

Siri Chitchat     171

Pop Culture Fun     174

Siri Miscellany     175

  Siri Philosophy     178

  Mining the Fun in Wolfram Alpha     179

  Queries That Require Wolfram Prefixes     182

Summary     184

Appendix     187

Siri Quick Reference     187

Index     197

Updates

Submit Errata

More Information

InformIT Promotional Mailings & Special Offers

I would like to receive exclusive offers and hear about products from InformIT and its family of brands. I can unsubscribe at any time.

Overview


Pearson Education, Inc., 221 River Street, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030, (Pearson) presents this site to provide information about products and services that can be purchased through this site.

This privacy notice provides an overview of our commitment to privacy and describes how we collect, protect, use and share personal information collected through this site. Please note that other Pearson websites and online products and services have their own separate privacy policies.

Collection and Use of Information


To conduct business and deliver products and services, Pearson collects and uses personal information in several ways in connection with this site, including:

Questions and Inquiries

For inquiries and questions, we collect the inquiry or question, together with name, contact details (email address, phone number and mailing address) and any other additional information voluntarily submitted to us through a Contact Us form or an email. We use this information to address the inquiry and respond to the question.

Online Store

For orders and purchases placed through our online store on this site, we collect order details, name, institution name and address (if applicable), email address, phone number, shipping and billing addresses, credit/debit card information, shipping options and any instructions. We use this information to complete transactions, fulfill orders, communicate with individuals placing orders or visiting the online store, and for related purposes.

Surveys

Pearson may offer opportunities to provide feedback or participate in surveys, including surveys evaluating Pearson products, services or sites. Participation is voluntary. Pearson collects information requested in the survey questions and uses the information to evaluate, support, maintain and improve products, services or sites, develop new products and services, conduct educational research and for other purposes specified in the survey.

Contests and Drawings

Occasionally, we may sponsor a contest or drawing. Participation is optional. Pearson collects name, contact information and other information specified on the entry form for the contest or drawing to conduct the contest or drawing. Pearson may collect additional personal information from the winners of a contest or drawing in order to award the prize and for tax reporting purposes, as required by law.

Newsletters

If you have elected to receive email newsletters or promotional mailings and special offers but want to unsubscribe, simply email information@informit.com.

Service Announcements

On rare occasions it is necessary to send out a strictly service related announcement. For instance, if our service is temporarily suspended for maintenance we might send users an email. Generally, users may not opt-out of these communications, though they can deactivate their account information. However, these communications are not promotional in nature.

Customer Service

We communicate with users on a regular basis to provide requested services and in regard to issues relating to their account we reply via email or phone in accordance with the users' wishes when a user submits their information through our Contact Us form.

Other Collection and Use of Information


Application and System Logs

Pearson automatically collects log data to help ensure the delivery, availability and security of this site. Log data may include technical information about how a user or visitor connected to this site, such as browser type, type of computer/device, operating system, internet service provider and IP address. We use this information for support purposes and to monitor the health of the site, identify problems, improve service, detect unauthorized access and fraudulent activity, prevent and respond to security incidents and appropriately scale computing resources.

Web Analytics

Pearson may use third party web trend analytical services, including Google Analytics, to collect visitor information, such as IP addresses, browser types, referring pages, pages visited and time spent on a particular site. While these analytical services collect and report information on an anonymous basis, they may use cookies to gather web trend information. The information gathered may enable Pearson (but not the third party web trend services) to link information with application and system log data. Pearson uses this information for system administration and to identify problems, improve service, detect unauthorized access and fraudulent activity, prevent and respond to security incidents, appropriately scale computing resources and otherwise support and deliver this site and its services.

Cookies and Related Technologies

This site uses cookies and similar technologies to personalize content, measure traffic patterns, control security, track use and access of information on this site, and provide interest-based messages and advertising. Users can manage and block the use of cookies through their browser. Disabling or blocking certain cookies may limit the functionality of this site.

Do Not Track

This site currently does not respond to Do Not Track signals.

Security


Pearson uses appropriate physical, administrative and technical security measures to protect personal information from unauthorized access, use and disclosure.

Children


This site is not directed to children under the age of 13.

Marketing


Pearson may send or direct marketing communications to users, provided that

  • Pearson will not use personal information collected or processed as a K-12 school service provider for the purpose of directed or targeted advertising.
  • Such marketing is consistent with applicable law and Pearson's legal obligations.
  • Pearson will not knowingly direct or send marketing communications to an individual who has expressed a preference not to receive marketing.
  • Where required by applicable law, express or implied consent to marketing exists and has not been withdrawn.

Pearson may provide personal information to a third party service provider on a restricted basis to provide marketing solely on behalf of Pearson or an affiliate or customer for whom Pearson is a service provider. Marketing preferences may be changed at any time.

Correcting/Updating Personal Information


If a user's personally identifiable information changes (such as your postal address or email address), we provide a way to correct or update that user's personal data provided to us. This can be done on the Account page. If a user no longer desires our service and desires to delete his or her account, please contact us at customer-service@informit.com and we will process the deletion of a user's account.

Choice/Opt-out


Users can always make an informed choice as to whether they should proceed with certain services offered by InformIT. If you choose to remove yourself from our mailing list(s) simply visit the following page and uncheck any communication you no longer want to receive: www.informit.com/u.aspx.

Sale of Personal Information


Pearson does not rent or sell personal information in exchange for any payment of money.

While Pearson does not sell personal information, as defined in Nevada law, Nevada residents may email a request for no sale of their personal information to NevadaDesignatedRequest@pearson.com.

Supplemental Privacy Statement for California Residents


California residents should read our Supplemental privacy statement for California residents in conjunction with this Privacy Notice. The Supplemental privacy statement for California residents explains Pearson's commitment to comply with California law and applies to personal information of California residents collected in connection with this site and the Services.

Sharing and Disclosure


Pearson may disclose personal information, as follows:

  • As required by law.
  • With the consent of the individual (or their parent, if the individual is a minor)
  • In response to a subpoena, court order or legal process, to the extent permitted or required by law
  • To protect the security and safety of individuals, data, assets and systems, consistent with applicable law
  • In connection the sale, joint venture or other transfer of some or all of its company or assets, subject to the provisions of this Privacy Notice
  • To investigate or address actual or suspected fraud or other illegal activities
  • To exercise its legal rights, including enforcement of the Terms of Use for this site or another contract
  • To affiliated Pearson companies and other companies and organizations who perform work for Pearson and are obligated to protect the privacy of personal information consistent with this Privacy Notice
  • To a school, organization, company or government agency, where Pearson collects or processes the personal information in a school setting or on behalf of such organization, company or government agency.

Links


This web site contains links to other sites. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of each and every web site that collects Personal Information. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this web site.

Requests and Contact


Please contact us about this Privacy Notice or if you have any requests or questions relating to the privacy of your personal information.

Changes to this Privacy Notice


We may revise this Privacy Notice through an updated posting. We will identify the effective date of the revision in the posting. Often, updates are made to provide greater clarity or to comply with changes in regulatory requirements. If the updates involve material changes to the collection, protection, use or disclosure of Personal Information, Pearson will provide notice of the change through a conspicuous notice on this site or other appropriate way. Continued use of the site after the effective date of a posted revision evidences acceptance. Please contact us if you have questions or concerns about the Privacy Notice or any objection to any revisions.

Last Update: November 17, 2020