Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Could Siri help you to manage your money?



The Apple iPhone range has been at the forefront of smartphone technology since 2007 and the latest iteration brings with it a new way to enhance your day-to-day life in the form of personal assistant software with which you can hold a conversation.


That software is called Siri and it is available exclusively on the iPhone 4S, the fifth handset to emerge from Apple's labs.

Like its predecessors the iPhone 4S can help you manage your current accounts online, download finance apps and save you cash via voucher codes, but Siri makes money management easier than ever before.

One useful feature of Siri is called geo-fencing, which allows you to set alerts which activate when you go to leave a certain geographical area.

An example of how this might apply to money management is one that will be familiar to most people - bill payment.

You can ask Siri to set a geo-fenced reminder to tip you off about a bill that needs to be paid on a certain day before you leave home in the morning on your way to work.

If you inadvertently move away from your property before you pay the bill, the alert will be activated and you can transfer the funds and save yourself the hassle of having to cover the cost of any late fees.

Because Siri operates by simply listening to your voice and answering your questions, there are many other ways it can aid you with managing your money.

If you are trying to find a mortgage or work out whether a credit card deal is competitive but are feeling confused by all of the technical terms used in the wording of agreements or adverts, Siri can give you comprehensible definitions.

You can even ask Siri about the stock market, finding out whether companies in your portfolio are performing well at any given time.

Siri taps into the location capabilities of your iPhone 4S in more ways than one, letting you discover the whereabouts of local amenities and businesses whenever you need accurate information.

This is particularly convenient if you are out and about in an area you do not know particularly well and find yourself strapped for cash to pay for a taxi ride or bus fare.

You can request that Siri pulls up the location of the nearest ATMs and you can then follow directions on a map to get you to the machine by the easiest route to make a withdrawal from current accounts.

Because Siri is still a work in progress, Apple has not unlocked all of its potential yet, or indeed allowed other companies to tinker with the technology for third party applications.

This means that the future looks bright for iPhone 4S owners who get to grips with Siri, because the level of advice and information to which it has access could increase significantly.

You might be able to ask it about your current accounts or even get it to check up on your current credit score if it becomes integrated with relevant services.


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