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Siri in iOS 6: iPad support, app launcher, new languages, Eyes Free, Rotten Tomatoes, sports scores, and more

Siri in iOS 6: iPad support, app launcher, new languages, Eyes Free, Rotten Tomatoes, sports scores, and more

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Apple has updated Siri in sync with its introduction of iOS 6.

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siri ios 6

Apple has updated Siri in sync with its introduction of iOS 6, now adding sports scores and stats to the things the companion app can inform you about. The data is provided by Yahoo! Sports, and includes player bio information as well, with the Siri demo on stage at WWDC showing it providing an answer to the question, "who's taller, LeBron James or Kobe Bryant?"

A most welcome new addition for the voice assistant is the overdue ability to launch apps — you can now tell Siri to "play Temple Run" and the app will launch. Also long-awaited is new language support, with Italian, Korean, Mandarin and Cantonese dialects of Chinese joining the group already available.

Updated Siri liveblog photos

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Integration with third-party services doesn't end with Yahoo's sports arm, however: Rotten Tomatoes, Yelp, and OpenTable are all being added as partners, expanding the number of things you can ask your phone to search for, book, and do.

Another new feature is the addition of handsfree tweeting, which Apple explains as being able to "tweet just by talking to your phone." That's being introduced alongside a new Eyes Free feature, which places a button on car steering wheels to let you activate Siri without having to hunt around for your phone. Nine car companies' logos were flashed on the screen behind the stage: BMW, Mercedes-Benz, GM, Jaguar, Land Rover, Toyota, Audi, Honda, and Chrysler. The new cars featuring this Siri button are expected to be available within the next year.

And if all that's not enough, Apple's newly introduced turn-by-turn navigation will integrate Siri commands as well, including the eternally-popular "are we there yet?"

Finally, after that breakneck tour of new features, a new supported device: the iPad! Scott Forstall specifically identified the 2012 iPad model as being supported in iOS 6, so the older two generations may actually miss out — but hey, one's better than none, right?