Speaktoit virtual assistant jumps from Android to iOS
updated 01:00 am EST, Fri February 10, 2012
Works with older iPhones, searches outside US
While Android users don't have Siri, some of them have a tenable alternative in Speaktoit, which has just become available on the App Store for iOS devices. While not exactly the same as Siri, it does offer most of the major features, customizable avatars to talk to, is compatible with older iPhones rather than just the iPhone 4S. It also offers some extra functionality Siri doesn't in some areas.
Speaktoit, which will sell for $2 on the App Store but is free on the Android Market, works with the iPhone 3GS and 4 and is frequently updated (though Siri is expected to get a language update soon, it has not been formally updated since launching). It mimics some of the humor found in Siri's "personality," and offers compatibility with Evernote (for notes) and social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare. It can also search maps outside the US, something Siri does not presently offer.
On Valentine's Day, the app will be given away free to the first 100,000 downloaders. The app requires iOS 4.0 or later. The company says it will extend the program to Blackberry, Windows Phone and Bada eventually.
