Does your magic mobile device feel somehow lacking of late? Well, have we got a lunch-break upgrade project for you.
A group of students at the University of Pennsylvania have developed GoogolPlex — no relation to Google — which allows you to take control of Siri to play Spotify songs and search for directions, with no jail-breaking necessary.
The set-up process is slightly more involved than installing a standard app, but it should only take you a minute to complete and it's totally reversible. First, go here and create an account. Then, whip out your iPhone and follow these steps:
1. Go to Settings, then Wi-Fi.
2. Next to your selected network, you'll see an "i" with a circle around it. Click that.
3. Scroll down and select "Auto" under "HTTP PROXY."
4. Below that, enter "http://totally.betterthansiri.com" in the URL field, without the quotes.
5. Activate Siri and say the word "Googolplex." This will open Safari and initiate a Google search, but then the Googolplex login window will open. Type in your account details. You're all set!
From there, you can use Googolplex to play songs in Spotify, search for directions in Google Maps (as opposed to Apple's native Maps app), control your Nest thermostat, and unlock your Tesla car, should you happen to have one. If you do, surely you can't be bothered to jangle keys around all day. Happy hacking. (TIME)
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