Chapter 4

Using Siri for Sports, Movies, and Restaurants (Oh, My!)

In This Chapter

Finding out sports scores to live games — and even past ones

Reviewing schedules, player stats, and team rosters stats for many kinds of sports

Asking Siri about movie show times near you, playing trailers, and looking up film facts

Checking out movie ratings and reviews to current and past films

Finding restaurants by location, cuisine, and price

Apple updated Siri by adding more support for on-demand information and location-based services, including sports, movies, and restaurant information.

Sports fanatics, for example, can now take advantage of Siri’s vast knowledge about teams, players, and leagues, as well as access real-time scores and schedules for sports such as football, baseball, basketball, hockey, and soccer.

ESPN, eat your heart out.

What’s playing at a theater near you? Just ask Siri. Movies are now a big part of Siri. If you’re on the fence about a flick, ask Siri to play a trailer or show you a review via Rotten Tomatoes (a popular website for movie reviews, trailers, and box office numbers). If you’re interested in facts about a film, director, or star, just ask Siri. For example, you can ask “Who directed The Godfather.” Siri gives you the answer — Francis Ford Coppola.

Finally, this chapter is ideal for foodies, too. Oh sure, even first-generation Siri could recommend a good place for sushi, Mexican, or barbeque — as you read about in Chapter 3 — but now you can ask your digital assistant for suggestions based on your budget, reviews, or number of stars awarded by Yelp, the popular website for local business listings and ratings. And with OpenTable, why not use your voice to book a reservation? The future is here, and it’s delicious.

Turning to Siri for Sports

Batter up, baseball fans. Hold on, hockey lovers. If you’re into these sports — as well as football, soccer, or basketball — you’ll no doubt find your new iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch an invaluable tool, all thanks to Siri.

Now it’s possible to stay current with your favorite sport, team, and player, simply by asking for information.

With Siri and a partnership with Yahoo! Sports, you can ask about past, current, and upcoming matches, get stats to support an argument with a friend, or find out who’s pitching in a home game you’ve scored tickets to.

Although Apple doesn’t advertise this fact, did you know the new Siri can handle college ball, too? This includes college football and men’s and women’s college basketball. And it’s not just Major League Soccer (MLS) that’s supported for footie fans — how about French Ligue 1 or Dutch Eredivise? No problem.

Even if you’re into other sports, just ask Siri about it and if the information isn’t immediately accessible, Siri will do a web search for you. For example, I asked “Which country won the most medals at the 2012 Olympic Games?” and Siri’s quick web results showed it was the United States with 104, followed by China at 88, and Great Britain with 65 medals.

But you’ll be surprised just how much Siri knows without turning to Safari for a little help.

Here’s how sports fans can use Siri to the fullest.

Using Siri for live sports scores

Siri is great for finding scores to live or past games. That way, you can save yourself the time of web browsing to get the information, launching a sports app, or (gulp) turning on AM radio for the news.

To find out a live sports score:

1. Press and hold the Home button.

Siri is ready for your instructions after the short chime.

2. Ask Siri the score of a game being played.

You could, for example, ask “What’s the score of the L.A. Galaxy game?” or “Who’s winning the Chicago Blackhawks game?” You don’t have to say the full team’s name; therefore, asking how the “Yankees” are doing instead of the “New York Yankees,” is usually fine — unless more than one sports team has the same name, of course.

Figures 4-1 and 4-2 show you what Siri delivers.

As the information is being displayed — in real-time, no less — Siri will also say something like “Okay, sports fans, let’s have a look” or “Here you go.”

3. If you want to go back to the home screen, simply press the Home button again.

Figure 4-1: Ask and ye shall receive — asking about a live baseball game.

Figure 4-2: Siri delivered this live update when I asked how the Twins were doing.

If there isn’t a live game based on the team you asked for, Siri will tell you the final score of the last game played by the team. She might say something like “The Blue Jays lost a close one to the Rangers yesterday; the final score was 2 to 1.”

Don’t just close the score after you get what you need:

As you can see in Figure 4-3, the screen shows additional information, such as

• The arena and city in which the game was played

• Each team’s official logo

• The score per quarter, inning, or period

If it was a playoff game, the results of the entire match are included (such as, “Oklahoma City Wins Series 4-1.”).

For many games, if you have the free Yahoo! Sportacular app installed, you can tap the small Y! logo in the bottom-right corner to launch the app and see even more information.

Figure 4-3: With a basketball game as an example, Siri shows you more info than just the score.

Using Siri for previously played games

What’s that — you forgot to find out how well your favorite team did yesterday? Just ask Siri.

Just as you can ask about live games, Siri can tell you how various teams and players did from a past game or season.

Using Major League Soccer as an example, here’s what to do:

1. Press and hold the Home button.

Wait a moment for the short chime.

2. Begin speaking after the tone.

Ask Siri, “How was DC United’s last game?” See Figure 4-4 for what this looks like. You can also ask, “How did the White Sox do?” or “Did the Penguins win?”

Siri then displays the information you seek, by giving you the date, score, and teams. It’s that easy!

Figure 4-4: Siri displays the score of a previously played soccer game. Just ask for your favorite team.

Siri also tells you the results of the last known game played based on the team you ask about, even if it was the previous season’s final match. Or, if you ask for current scores, she might tell you something like “I believe we’re just waiting for the season to get underway.”

Asking Siri to tell you about two teams

Maybe you don’t want to know about the last game a team played, but are curious about a final score between two teams.

For example, you can ask, “What was the score the last time the Red Sox played the Yankees?” Maybe these teams are meeting up again, and you’re curious about the outcome of the last time they met up.

To see what this looks like

1. Press and hold the Home button.

The little chime you hear means that Siri is listening for your instructions.

2. Ask Siri to tell you the score between two teams.

Inquire about any two teams, and Siri will show you the answer. See Figure 4-5.

3. Look at the screen for the information you seek.

Siri won’t verbally tell you the scores, but they are displayed on the iOS screen.

Figure 4-5: How does the last game between these two rival teams stack up? Ask Siri, and you’ll get the answer.

You can also ask Siri to give you information about an entire league. For example, you can ask “Show me the college football scores from yesterday” or “Siri, show me all the hockey scores from last week,” and you’ll see the entire schedule with a summary of scores within this timeframe — and whether it was a home or away game. See Figure 4-6.

Figure 4-6: Get a quick glance at an entire league by asking for all scores.

Asking for more sports info from Siri

Siri can do so much more for sports fans.

What’s that? You want some examples, you say. Well, okay, then. How about this:

You can also ask Siri what time a game starts. For example, ask “What time is the New York Rangers game?” Siri might say “The Rangers – Blue Jays game starts at 1:07 p.m.”

You can also see what TV networks carry the game and each team’s stats for playing at home and on the road. You can also ask something like “When do the L.A. Lakers play next?,” “Show me the baseball schedule?,” or “When is the first game of the NHL season?”

Love stats? Find out information on players and teams by asking “Who has the most homeruns on the Texas Rangers?,” “Who has the most goals in hockey?” or “Who has the highest slugging percentage in the MLB?” Or you can ask Siri “How often do the Yankees win on the road?” or “Who has the most points on the Vancouver Canucks?” You get the idea. See Figures 4-7 and 4-8 for examples.

Figure 4-7: Siri is great for sports stats for both teams and individual players.

Figure 4-8: Ask about NFL passing and you’ll even see headshots for the top players.

Ask Siri about team rosters and you’ll see the names of all the players as well as each player’s jersey number, photo, position, and points. You also notice a quick summary of how the team is doing in the season (games won, lost, or tied) and the position in the league. See Figure 4-9. You can also ask Siri about injured players, such as “Is anyone on the Buffalo Bills injured?” (See Figure 4-10.) Or you can ask “Who is pitching today for Miami?” (see Figure 4-11).

Figure 4-9: Siri can show you complete team rosters.

Figure 4-10: When you ask about injuries, Siri will give a quick summary and show you the current roster.

Figure 4-11: Find out who’s pitching for your favorite baseball team just by asking.

Using Siri for Movie Info

If movies are your thing, Siri can help you get more out of feature films, thanks in part to a partnership with the experts at Rotten Tomatoes.

Whether you’re after show times, reviews and ratings, runtime, or even a movie trailer, simply ask Siri about a film, cast, or crew and you’ll get the info faster than you can say “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.”

Got your popcorn? Lights, camera, action. . . .

Looking for movies near you

If you feel like a flick, look no further than Siri to see what’s playing.

For example, you can find out where movie theaters are near you — or another address — by simply asking Siri.

Or, you can ask for a specific movie genre by movie studio or by saying the name of a film.

Here’s what you can do, for example:

1. Press and hold the Home button.

Hear the chime? That means Siri is listening.

2. Ask Siri “What’s playing near me?” or “What movies are playing?”

As shown in Figure 4-12, asking something so generic is likely to yield many results.

3. Tap on the movie you’re interested in.

Along with a synopsis of the movie, video trailer, Rotten Tomatoes reviews, and movie poster (see Figure 4-13), you can select a theater to see what time the film starts (see Figure 4-14).

Figure 4-12: Tap the name of the film, such as Paranorman, for more info.

Figure 4-13: Watch a trailer, read the film synopsis, or tap the tomato for reviews at Rotten Tomatoes.

Figure 4-14: After you’ve selected the film, choose a theater and view its show times.

You can use other ways to see what’s playing near you. Try these out with Siri when you get a chance:

If you ask Siri to find movies, it will use the location of your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch (Wi-Fi) to find nearby theaters automatically. But you can also search for movies based on another location. For example, you can ask Siri, “Find movie theaters in Decatur, Georgia (a suburb of Atlanta).” See Figure 4-15 for what shows up. Then you can tap the name of the theater you want to go to and you’ll see a list of movies available there and the times they’re playing. Alternatively, you can ask Siri something like “Find me movie theaters near my office” or “Locate movie theaters near my dad.” If your father’s address is in your Contacts, Siri will search for nearby theaters. Cool, huh?

Figure 4-15: Find a list of theaters in a city, and then tap one for movie listings.

Not sure what you feel like watching? Try asking Siri to find a movie by a star’s name, genre, or movie studio (see Figures 4-16 and 4-17). Or try “What romantic comedies are playing?” Siri suggested Liberal Arts first and then showed older films.

Figure 4-16: Ask Siri to show you movie listings based on your favorite studio (such as Disney).

Figure 4-17: Tap a listing to see the full Rotten Tomatoes page for the film.

You can ask Siri to find what’s playing in other ways, too. Examples of what you can ask include “What’s playing at Scotiabank Theater Toronto?” (a specific theater), “I want to see the new Paramount movie” (Siri might show you Iron Man, though hardly new), or “What’s playing at the movies tomorrow?” In other words, the more information you give, the better Siri can provide you with what you want. You can also ask Siri something like “What’s The Expendables 2 rated?” and Siri will tell you the movie is rated R (Restricted). See Figure 4-18 as an example.

Figure 4-18: Are you about to take kids to a film? First ask Siri what the age rating is!

Asking Siri for movie info

Ever had tip-of-the-tongue syndrome? You know, where you can’t remember a fact — such as the director of a particular film, who starred in this and that, or in what year did something come out? Well, instead of running to your computer to visit Internet Movie Database (IMDB), you can just ask Siri for this information and you’ll get a fast and accurate response.

The following are a few examples of things you can ask Siri, when it comes to movie information:

“Who starred in The Shawshank Redemption?” See Figure 4-19.

“Who directed The Big Lebowski?”

If you ask questions about costars, producers, or screenplay writers (for example, “Who costarred in Jaws?”), Siri shows you the Rotten Tomatoes page for the film.

“What is the Rotten Tomatoes score for The Lion King 1 ½?” When I asked this, Siri said “Rotten Tomatoes gives The Lion King 1 ½ a 73% rating,” followed by multiple review quotes and summaries.

Figure 4-19: Don’t pull your hair out when trying to figure out who starred in a movie. Just ask Siri.

Here’s another way to ask for review information:

1. Press and hold the Home button.

After the chime, you can ask away.

2. Ask Siri “Show me the reviews for The Dark Knight Rises?” (See Figure 4-20.)

Of course, simply substitute the name of the movie for other flicks.

3. Press the circle button on your device to exit out of Rotten Tomatoes.

Or just go about your business because there’s no harm in leaving this page open.

Figure 4-20: Don’t blow your hard-earned cash on a poorly reviewed movie. Scroll down to read all reviews.

Siri and Rotten Tomatoes can also present you with Academy Award information. For example, ask Siri “Which movie won Best Picture in 1995?” Siri replies with “Forrest Gump,” which won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1995. Wondering who won Best Supporting Actor in 1973? Siri says, “Here’s Cabaret for which Joel Grey won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 1973.” See Figure 4-21.

Figure 4-21: Is there anything Siri doesn’t know? Within a second, this Rotten Tomatoes info was displayed when asked.

Don’t bother asking Siri for Golden Globe awards because you won’t likely get an accurate response. For example, I asked “What won Best Picture, Drama, at the 2005 Golden Globes?” and instead, Siri showed me every movie since 1950 that was nominated for Best Picture at the Golden Globes. (The answer, by the way, is The Aviator.)

Asking Siri for movie trailers

There are thousands of Apple movie trailers at Rotten Tomatoes, so all you need to do is ask Siri to play one based on a movie you want to see, and it’ll start right away.

Not all movies are supported, as I was told there wasn’t a trailer for Finding Nemo (but found it online instead), but more often than not Siri will find one — especially for newer films. And yes, you can also find trailers to films that aren’t in theaters yet.

Here’s how to ask for a trailer:

1. Press and hold the Home button.

After the chime, speak loud and clear.

2. Ask Siri to show you a movie trailer, such as “Show me a trailer for The Hunger Games.” (See Figure 4-22.)

Give it a second, and Siri will verbally confirm your request.

Figure 4-22: Just before the trailer, you’ll see a summary of the film you asked about.

3. Watch the trailer on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. (See Figure 4-23.) Then, press the circle button to exit.

You can also tap to play the trailer again or pause it if you need to stop it momentarily.

Figure 4-23: The Apple trailer for the film will begin to play on the iGadget, and you don’t need to touch a thing.

Asking Siri about Restaurants

Siri can also help you discover new restaurants, provide directions, and even book reservations. Now Siri offers a lot more than just listing restaurants in a given location. Your voice-activated personal assistant can sort by price, cuisine, stars, and reviews from Yelp (a popular site for business listings and ratings), or other variables of your choosing, such as a restaurant that offers a patio for outdoor seating. Siri can now show you photos of a restaurant, too.

Having Siri find you a restaurant

Siri is great for sifting through information to provide you with what you want — and restaurants are no exception. Feel like a burger? Greek food? Indian cuisine? Vegan fare? Simply ask Siri. (Yes, that’s the mantra of this book — simply ask Siri!)

The first way to search is by location and cuisine, so you can ask Siri to find something “near me” — and because your iPhone or iPad is location-aware, Siri knows where you are, geographically speaking. Even if you don’t add “near me” when you ask Siri something like “Find me a good Mexican restaurant,” by default, Siri will think you want something nearby.

Canadians, by the way, will be happy to know that their country is now officially supported when it comes to restaurant search (and other businesses) as well as turn-by-turn directions.

You can also ask for a restaurant in another city altogether, perhaps to recommend something to a family member or to book a reservation before leaving on an important business trip or vacation.

Here’s how to ask for a restaurant by cuisine or location:

1. Press and hold the Home button.

Speak to Siri after the short chime.

2. Ask Siri to list restaurants by cuisine (for example, vegetarian, Thai, or pizza) and, if you like, by location.

For example, ask “Find a Thai restaurant near me” or “Find a good burger restaurant in Spokane” (near me or in Chicago, for example).

Siri will quickly search and show you relevant results. See Figures 4-24 and 4-25 as examples.

3. Now you can tap one of the selections for contact information, photos, reviews, and directions.

You can also tap in the top-left corner to go back.

You probably noticed the little dollar signs next to each restaurant listing. Yelp is showing you how much the meal should cost, relatively speaking, compared with other restaurants. One dollar sign is inexpensive, two dollar signs suggest the cost is about average, three dollar signs is somewhat pricey, and four dollar signs means you can expect to pay more than other restaurants.

Tapping on one of the restaurant listings provided by Siri, pulls up that particular establishment’s Details page on Yelp. This page includes

The cuisine type (Asian Fusion, for example).

How much money you can expect to pay there.

The hours of operation as well as whether the restaurant is open or closed, based on what time you’re looking at this page.

The average Yelp score out of 5 stars. Tap the score for individual reviews from past patrons.

A couple of photos of the restaurant (if available).

Contact information, including phone number, address, website, how far the place is from you, and a map showing where it is near you. Tap the map to launch the Maps app, including turn-by-turn directions.

If you have the Yelp app installed, tap the Yelp logo to take you to the restaurant’s official page within the app, for even more information.

Figure 4-24: Craving good Mexican food? (Doesn’t everyone?) Here’s what Siri recommends near me.

Figure 4-25: You can ask for cuisine and location together, such as in another city.

See Figures 4-26, 4-27, and 4-28 for examples of a typical restaurant’s Yelp page on an iPhone.

Figure 4-26: A Yelp restaurant page, after tapping on one of Siri’s recommendations.

Figure 4-27: Tap the small map (near the bottom) to launch the Maps app for a bigger view, directions, and more.

Figure 4-28: Here’s a look at this Japanese restaurant on the Maps app.

You can also ask Siri for top-rated restaurants — regardless of the cuisine — and through Yelp, Siri will pull up all the highest rated options in the city you asked for. For example, I asked for the highest rated restaurants in San Francisco and the first few displayed were all 4.5 stars out of 5 and with more than 2,000 reviews per establishment.

Want to see the restaurant’s menu? Although Siri can’t help there (er, yet), you can still see what’s cooking at a particular place. When you’re on the restaurant’s Yelp page, tap the website to open up the official site in Safari. Now you can peruse the restaurant’s menu (and prices) before you get there.

You can also grab your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch and ask for reviews of specific restaurants without narrowing it down by cuisine or location. For example, you can say, “Show me the reviews for Lavo in Las Vegas,” and you’ll see the Yelp score and reviews right away.

Using Siri to book a reservation for you

Siri can now book your restaurant reservations, courtesy of OpenTable.

That’s right, it’s one thing to read reviews of restaurants, view photos, and see where it’s located in the city, but you can also book a table in a matter of seconds (really).

You can ask for a reservation at a particular restaurant (and time), a kind of cuisine, a city, or leave it with Siri to recommend something by simply asking “Book a reservation for two tomorrow night.”

You need to have the OpenTable app installed on your iOS device. It’s free, but it requires registration, including some information about you (such as a phone number in case the restaurant needs to contact you).

Here’s how to do it:

1. Press and hold the Home button.

After the beep, speak to Siri.

2. Ask Siri something like “Make a reservation for two at an Italian restaurant tonight.”

Siri shows you a list of restaurants that meet your criteria, if they have tables available — and at what time, as shown in Figure 4-29.

3. Now you can tap one of the selections and review details, such as time (or change it), address, price, or read reviews. See Figure 4-30.

Also, the website address is here, to peruse the menu and prices.

Figure 4-29: Mamma mia! These Italian restaurants have tables available tonight.

Figure 4-30: Access the Details page within Yelp.

4. Tap Make Reservation to open the OpenTable app on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. See Figure 4-31. (I erased my e-mail address and phone number here.)

This takes you out of Siri, but you’ll get the reservation you want on the spot.

Figure 4-31: Review the details in the OpenTable app and tap to confirm. Bon appetit!