wolframbestbuy
Specialized search engine Wolfram Alpha, one of Apple's launch partners for Siri, has partnered with Best Buy to deliver shopping results. As a result, iPhone 4S users can now search a number of products and categories from Best Buy's catalog, and get prices and descriptions returned.

From Wolfram Alpha's blog post announcing the feature:

Just in time for the holidays, we’re introducing a new functionality that provides consumers with a unique approach to shopping. By leveraging data from Best Buy’s public APIs, Wolfram|Alpha users will now be able to browse more than 35,000 appliances and consumer electronics products. Wolfram|Alpha’s intuitive natural-language interface helps you hone in on the precise products you need, while its powerful data visualization capabilities give you an innovative overview of any shopping category.

Simply ask Siri "wolfram iPhone 4S" or "wolfram samsung television" and it quickly returns Best Buy shopping results. It's certainly not the easiest way to search Best Buy's website and occasionally returns fairly useless results, but it is another example of the potential uses for the Siri's contextual voice recognition technology.

Top Rated Comments

HiRez Avatar
170 months ago
Am I the only one who's not crazy about this? All of a sudden, Siri is a biased advertising machine. I understand the utility for shopping-related searches could be useful, but right now anything and everything gets funneled to Best Buy. Maybe they add more stores eventually, but who decides who gets priority? Whoever pays Wolfram the most? And are we going to see shopping related things impinge on our other searches? For example, if I ask Siri about "how to make hot chocolate", am I going to be sent to the Swiss Miss web site? If I ask for "car reviews", will I be sent to Chevy or Ford instead of actual reviews? If I ask about "Acapulco", will I get a bunch of travel and airline results? It's not much of a stretch to imagine it sliding that way over time. It could end up so it's not worth separating the signal from the noise, like how now in Google searches, you often end up with 10 pages of "BizDealsPlus" type links instead of what you were looking for.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
locust76 Avatar
170 months ago
"Wolfram 'Lost credibility'"
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
autrefois Avatar
170 months ago
Why are some people upset about this? It just pulls the pricing data and pictures from Best Buy. It doesn't even give you a link. I think it's a pretty cool feature, and I can see it expanding in the future.
Saying "Wolfram iPhone 4S Best Buy" and getting results for Best Buy would be a cool feature. The way it is now though sounds like they're going in the wrong direction and crossing the fine line between trying to provide a service and give users info they want, and doing advertising regardless of / in spite of what the user wants.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rmwebs Avatar
170 months ago
Given that Best Buy have just gone bust here in the UK (less than 2 years after launching), I'm guessing we wont see it working here :rolleyes:
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
minivini Avatar
169 months ago
Am I the only one who's not crazy about this? All of a sudden, Siri is a biased advertising machine. I understand the utility for shopping-related searches could be useful, but right now anything and everything gets funneled to Best Buy. Maybe they add more stores eventually, but who decides who gets priority? Whoever pays Wolfram the most? And are we going to see shopping related things impinge on our other searches? For example, if I ask Siri about "how to make hot chocolate", am I going to be sent to the Swiss Miss web site? If I ask for "car reviews", will I be sent to Chevy or Ford instead of actual reviews? If I ask about "Acapulco", will I get a bunch of travel and airline results? It's not much of a stretch to imagine it sliding that way over time. It could end up so it's not worth separating the signal from the noise, like how now in Google searches, you often end up with 10 pages of "BizDealsPlus" type links instead of what you were looking for.
This was my first reaction, as well. Still using the iPhone 4, but will have the next iteration. I have been very interested in Siri, but if it's engine is available for advertising I just completely LOST interest. This feels (to me) like an academic researcher suddenly getting caught taking a money from a corporate entity under the table. Once that credibility is gone, it's gone for good. Even if there's an opportunity to opt out of ad service, I'll always believe the results will be skewed towards corporate backers. Too bad. Siri seemed too good to be true.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JBaker122586 Avatar
170 months ago
I got that too. I had to say it like "wolf-rum."

I can't get it to understand stuff such as Skyrim or PlayStation 3, and it for other things, like Steve Jobs Biography, it just goes to the wrong thing, like the Wolfram page on Steve Jobs in that case. So not very useful yet.

Because "Wolf-rum" is the correct pronunciation...
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 18

Apple Announces iOS 18.2 Launching Today With These New Features

Wednesday December 11, 2024 5:23 am PST by
Apple has announced that iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2 will be released today following more than six weeks of beta testing. For the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models, the update introduces additional Apple Intelligence features, including Genmoji for creating custom emoji, Image Playground and Image Wand for generating images, and ChatGPT integration for Siri. There is also ...
Generic iOS 18

Apple Seeds Second Release Candidate Versions of iOS 18.2 and More With Genmoji, Image Playground and ChatGPT Integration

Monday December 9, 2024 10:06 am PST by
Apple today seeded the second release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS 15.2 updates to developers and public beta testers for testing purposes, a week after releasing the first RCs. The first iOS 18.2 RC had a build number of 22C150, while the second RC's build number is 22C151. Release candidates represent the final version of beta software that's expected to see a ...
iPhone SE 4 Single Camera Thumb 3

iPhone SE 4 Said to Feature 48MP Rear Lens, 12MP TrueDepth Camera

Monday December 9, 2024 4:48 am PST by
Apple's forthcoming iPhone SE 4 will feature a single 48-megapixel rear camera and a 12-megapixel TrueDepth camera on the front, according to details revealed in a new Korean supply chain report. ET News reports that Korea-based LG Innotek is the main supplier of the front and rear camera modules for the more budget-friendly ~$400 device, which is expected to launch in the first quarter of...
iOS 18

Here Are Apple's Full Release Notes for iOS 18.2

Thursday December 5, 2024 11:48 am PST by
Apple seeded the release candidate version of iOS 18.2 today, which means it's going to see a public launch imminently. Release candidates represent the final version of new software that will be provided to the public should no last minute bugs be found, and Apple includes release notes with the RC launch. The iOS 18.2 release notes provide a look at all of the new features that are coming...
New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

20 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Friday December 6, 2024 4:42 am PST by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.2 in the second week of December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. There are a handful of new non-AI related feature controls...
Apple MacBook Pro M4 hero

MacBook Pros With OLED Displays Won't Have a Notch, Roadmap Shows

Monday December 9, 2024 7:36 am PST by
Apple plans to remove the notch from the MacBook Pro in a few years from now, according to a roadmap shared by research firm Omdia. The roadmap shows that 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models released in 2026 will have a hole-punch camera at the top of the display, instead of a notch. It is unclear if there would simply be a pinhole in the display, or if Apple would expand the iPhone's...
airpods pro 2 gradient

AirPods Pro 3 Expected Next Year: Here's What We Know

Thursday November 28, 2024 3:30 am PST by
Despite being released over two years ago, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 continue to dominate the wireless earbud market. However, with the AirPods Pro 3 expected to launch sometime in 2025, anyone thinking of buying Apple's premium earbuds may be wondering if the next generation is worth holding out for. Apart from their audio and noise-canceling performance, which are generally regarded as...
vipps nfc tap to pay iphone

World's First Apple Pay Alternative for iPhone Launches in Norway

Monday December 9, 2024 1:28 am PST by
Norwegian payment service Vipps has become the world's first company to launch a competing tap-to-pay solution to Apple Pay on iPhone, following Apple's agreement with European regulators to open up its NFC technology to third parties. Starting December 9, Vipps users in Norway can make contactless payments in stores using their iPhones. The service initially supports customers of SpareBank...