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Comment by escapologybb | Hacker News Reader

Having used both of them, I really couldn't live without Siri to be honest. I'm quadriplegic, and whilst obviously I wouldn't die without Siri my life is immeasurably better with her.

Some of the killer features of Siri for me are being able to to write emails, send messages and get quick answers to general questions throughout the day. She is much better at the first two than she is at the last one though, but even then she is not too bad.

And now that Apple has hooked her into much more of iOS in iOS 8, it means that more of the OS is open to me than before just by simply using my voice. And the "Hey Siri!" feature is one of the best accessibility features they've added so far.

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I never considered using Siri this way, which feels strange to me since I've spent a lot of time thinking about the other Accessibility features of iOS (mostly VoiceOver). Have you ever written up your experiences with iPhone accessibility? I'd be interested to read it.

You know, I haven't got round to it just yet but I definitely will do. My blog[0] is focused on using robotics to help quadriplegics like me, and that generally has some accessibility stuff on it. Will definitely post some iOS-based stuff now I know there is interest in it though!

[0]:https://robotsandcake.org/

> I never considered using Siri this way

In what way? The OP seems to use it in the most basic way possible--dictation and simple searches.

> In what way? The OP seems to use it in the most basic way possible--dictation and simple searches.

I wouldn't want to put words into his mouth, but I would suggest he meant using Siri as a disability aid. Might be wrong though! :-)

More or less. I meant Siri as the primary/sole way of interacting with the iPhone.

I can't speak for the other two systems compared, but to be clear, OP's examples involve more than "dictation and simple searches"; Siri also controls the device. Without entering the text messaging or email apps, one can tell the virtual secretary to read and write messages and emails. Assuming Siri understands your voice well enough.

Fun specific example at the lock screen after holding down the iPhone's button for a couple seconds: "Read the latest message from my wife to me." Then, still at the lock screen, "Reply to my wife I love you".

Maybe it's just my experience, but I did not care much for Siri until she allowed me greater control over my device. When she first came out, you could not ask her to read the screen; later, the program was able to toggle assisting configuration like VoiceOver by command.

^This

Siri was essentially a curiosity for me until they allowed me greater control over the device, but I use my iPhone in exactly the way you've just described.

Along with "am I meeting with my physiotherapist today?", and "arrange an appointment with my doctor, physiotherapist and partner" at which point Siri creates the appointment in the calendar and sends an email invite to the parties mentioned. Assuming those people are in your contacts obviously.

Sending email and text messages have been part of Siri since it was bundled with iOS...

I mean this in a very honest way: How are you posting here? Dictation software or something similar?

Then that deserves an honest answer!

I'm using a device called a TrackerPro[0] which tracks a small reflective dot on my glasses, this translates my head movements into cursor movements. To initiate a left mouse click I use a [buddy button[1] under my right index finger, this means that using just my head and right index finger I can control the mouse just like anybody else.

To input any kind of text into the computer I use DragonDictate for Mac[2], this has the dual function of enabling me to do speech to text really well but also to trigger little shell scripts and AppleScript's I've written.

So, if I say "Xylophone Google" Dragon will recognise that as a command and jump to the Google homepage. That's just a really simple example of what you can do, but as you might imagine it's one I use a lot each day. :-)

[0]:http://www.ablenetinc.com/Assistive-Technology/Computer-Acce... [1]:http://www.ablenetinc.com/Assistive-Technology/Switches/Budd... [2]:http://www.nuance.com/for-individuals/by-product/dragon-for-...

Very cool!

Very neat. Just out of curiosity, how long did it take you to write the above comment?

Thanks! The above comment took me probably about three minutes to write, and that includes thinking time. :-)

I completely agree. I commute by running, and it's unsafe to look at a screen. So I frequently issue commands into my headphone mic like "read my texts" and "text <name> I'll be there in five" or "shuffle playlist 180 BPM". Many people dismiss Siri on account of mediocre answers to open ended questions, but it's quite effective at carrying out precise instructions.

I really like the "Hey Siri!" feature, although why it's only usable while the phone is charging is beyond me. I thought maybe battery concerns since it has to be constantly listening, but I wouldn't think it would be that taxing on the battery.

How do you handle typos in iOS as a quadriplegic? They're a pain in the ass to fix by hand and I didn't even know you could do it by voice.

I couldn't agree with this more. You're absolutely correct that battery performance is the reason they don't switch it on by default. However, I really wish they would give me the option whether it's turned on by default or not. M I would gladly take the battery hit to use this feature Apple!

I also use the Apple Switch Control[0] feature which enables me to navigate text and correct typos, this is done through a series of sequential button presses which enables me to use menus to access all of the features of the phone. I use Switch Control in conjunction with the Tecla Shield[1] which uses Bluetooth to connect up a button by my cheek and the iPhone.

So yes, fixing typos when you're quadriplegic takes a little while but compared to the alternative it's awesome!

[0]:http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5886 [1]:http://gettecla.com/pages/tecla

Edit: Stupid voice dictation mistake!

You can do voice activation for very little power if you have dedicated hardware for it. The iPhone doesn't have such dedicated hardware (presumably they decided to add that feature after most of the current hardware shipped) so the constant listening has to run on the main CPU. That in turn means that the main CPU never gets to idle for more than a few milliseconds while the feature is active, so it'll suck up a lot of power compared to just sleeping normally.

Thanks for the detailed answer, I did wonder what the exact reason was. Do you think there would be much overhead - financially speaking - speaking to adding the dedicated hardware? I ask because I can only see them doing it if it's financially viable, as in, will enough disabled people or those interested in voice recognition by the iPhone to make it worth our while.

Also, does the CPU get hot whilst it's plugged in and constantly listening every few milliseconds?

I doubt the CPU gets too hot. We're talking about something like 5% utilization. There's a pretty large difference in power consumption between a constant 5% and zero, but there's also a pretty large difference between 5% and 100%. If you run an iPhone at full blast it'll last a few hours before the battery dies. If it's completely asleep then it'll last days. Constant listening would probably cut the standby time down to, fairly wild guess here, a day or two. Which when combined with normal usage over the course of a day could make the difference between making it until bed time and needing to recharge in the afternoon.

For the iPhone 6, Apple claims 10 days standby time, 50 hours audio playback time (which uses dedicated hardware for most of the work) and 10-11 hours of internet use. Which doesn't isolate the CPU, of course, what with the screen and radios, but should give some idea of what's going on.

cool, thanks for the explanation.

I wonder if it would be possible to use that dedicated audio playback hardware for this purpose, I would definitely pay a relatively small sum towards RND if anybody is interested!

I also wonder if there's a worry that average users might turn this on accidentally, running their battery out and then shouting at Apple? If that's the case, it could be happily buried in the Accessibility menu I think. Seriously, this feature would enable me to keep my iPhone in my top pocket while I go out and be able to access Siri rather than cart about all the other equipment. It would be great!

Edit: Why isn't accessibility in Dragon's menu?!

Apple typically likes to avoid any feature that might cause trouble, even if the usefulness could easily outweigh the problems. Their motto is "It Just Works" after all. Problems with accidental activation and such wouldn't surprise me as being part of their rationale.

I'd bet that allowing "Hey, Siri" on battery will be one of the first tweaks available once an iOS 8 jailbreak is released. Might be something to keep an eye out for if you're brave, jailbreak-wise.

Also, have you considered an external battery providing power over USB? The phone will be in a charging state that way. Sort of a silly workaround, but maybe worth it.

I think an add-on for this would be fairly easy. All you need to do to activate Siri is long-press the home button, which you can do externally through the microphone port or over Bluetooth. A widget that listens for the magic phrase and then simulates a button press would be doable. No idea how much it would cost or how hard it would be to build....

We had a quadriplegic friend live with us when I was a kid for several years in the 80s. He spent a lot of time watching TV... there just weren't a lot of options. We had a clapper set up that he could activate by making sounds with his tongue, and a stick he could hold in his mouth to manipulate the remote control, and also do things like make phone calls.

He was a smart guy and was really interested in all sorts of things, but he was sadly limited. Posts like yours remind me of him and make me wonder how he'd get on with modern technology. I do recall investigating speech recognition back in the day, I think it was an early version of Dragon, but the cost was just too high and the uses, with 80s-era computers and no internet or even nearby BBSs to connect to, were just too little. Anyway, thanks for sharing your experience.

You know, if I occurred I would get down on my hands and needs and hope that lovely blue piece of ethernet coming into my laptop. Not joking

I can only imagine what I would have done to indulge my intellectual curiosity without the Internet, sure I could have waited for people to bring me books, but that just makes me shudder. I also tried the early versions of Dragon and they were great, as long as you could also use a mouse to correct little typos and similar. So yes, not much use to a quadriplegic.

Edit: I forgot the: shudder

Yeah, I vaguely recall him reading a fair amount as well (I was pretty young, so details are hazy) but there are limits on that, especially when you're in rural Virginia dozens of miles from the nearest bookstore or library.

Hey, thanks for pointing out the impact of this technology from the perspective of a quadriplegic. It's always eye opening when a technology I really like turns out to be a lifesaver (hopefully not putting words in your mouth) for people with disabilities. Had a similar revelation re amazon home delivery recently. Great to see these technologies making meaningful improvements in peoples' lives.

I am not afraid of a little hyperbole where technology is concerned, iOS 7-8 really were a lifesaver. It enabled me to carry on and intellectual life with the outside world, in a way that wasn't possible before. So again, not dead without it, but really fing bored!

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