BlackBerry gets Siri-alike, and it can do something Apple's assistant can't
Better late than never, right? That's clearly BlackBerry's attitude, as the company -- which still makes smartphones for some reason -- is just now introducing its Siri competitor. The blandly named BlackBerry Assistant performs several Siri-like tasks like sending text messages, checking the weather, and finding directions, so there's not much here for Apple fans to be jealous of... or is there?
It seems BlackBerry has a secret weapon up its sleeve that sets its digital helper apart. Are you sitting down? BlackBerry Assistant can -- wait for it -- activate the phone's flashlight. Game. Changer. I gave Siri a chance to best the gauntlet thrown down by BlackBerry, but she came up short.
In all seriousness, I quite enjoy seeing iPhone competitors introducing novel features that Apple could potentially iterate on -- or outright steal, no shame in that -- but this doesn't really fit the bill. It seems in the quest for automated help, Siri still reigns supreme, even if she leaves us in the dark.
