A few days ago, Wolfram|Alpha announced that it had released a cool new feature that lets you shop for electronics using Best Buy’s API.
In typical geeky fashion, the company that helps power Siri search results described the new capability:
We’ve taken the strengths we’ve developed in math, science, and socioeconomic data and created something equally unique and useful for online shoppers. Type in the name of a product category—”dishwashers” or “tablet computers,” for example—and Wolfram|Alpha generates a comprehensive, custom analysis. What are the typical dimensions and other physical characteristics of other products in this class? How common is a given product feature? Wolfram|Alpha helps you to answer these questions.
What does that mean for Siri users? As AppleInsider has astutely pointed out, when you ask Siri about an electronic device, it’s more than likely going to Best Buy to look for matches, thanks to Wolfram|Alpha’s new update. This is huge for Best Buy, to say the least, since it has basically cornered the market of iPhone 4S users searching for new electronics. Of course, you can still choose to buy elsewhere thanks to Siri’s price comparisons, but Best Buy is definitely getting front-and-center treatment.
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The neat part about Wolfram|Alpha is that you can ask it complex questions via Siri like “Show me phones under $300 that have a 8mp camera”, and you’ll get a result.
While this feature is only available for users in the U.S., it must mean that Best Buy is going to have a heck of a holiday season, since the iPhone 4S sales have been going at a pretty steady clip since its launch.
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