A lot of people have been buzzing about Siri, the super-robust voice command software that's on the new iPhone 4s. It's really slick how you can tell Siri to call someone, or send them a text, or write an email, or read stuff to you, etc.. Today, I got the chance to create a sick and retardedly awesome marriage of this killer technology with another monster - the Scala Rider G4 headset that my homie gave me. The headset installed in to my helmet fairly easily. The main unit clamps to the helmet on the left and the speakers wires run behind the padding. My helmet has little spots that are intended to house speakers, so I could easily stick the little Scala speakers there, positioned right next to my ears, and they wouldn't cause any discomfort. I paired the headset with my phone and tested it out.
Oh my fucking god of awesomeness. The G4 is sooooo much better than the Parrot headset I had in previously. It has controls for volume and track skipping, and a button for the phone. The speakers are crazy loud and they sound amazing for their size. On my other headset, at full volume I had to strain to hear the music at high speeds. I actually have to keep the volume around the middle on the G4, and even when I do crank it, the sound stays awesome.
The real sweetness of this pairing is in the use of Siri. One button on top of the G4's controller activates Voice Control (which is now Siri on the new phones). It fades the music out and then prompts for a voice command. Without taking my eyes off the road or my phone out of my pocket, I can compose texts and emails, have my unread texts read to me, schedule reminders, and do all the other cool stuff Siri does.
If I need to call someone, I just tell it to call them. If I get an incoming call, I simply say "accept" and it answers. The microphone is good quality and it has a windscreen on it, so people I'm talking to will rarely be aware that I'm doing 50mph lane splits on the Bay Bridge, other than me squealing it at them like an excited child.
The headset also has a built-in FM radio and some killer bike-to-bike intercom technology that I've yet to try out. Supposedly, you can get ONE MILE of range between bikes and still use the intercom. A-fucking-mazing.
I love the future!
