Wireless and Wisecracking

If you can’t afford a live personal assistant, an electronic one might be just as good.

Billed as an electronic assistant, Wildfire is a speech-recognition program that may be embedded in any Pacific Bell wireless phone. Users can program 150 names and 900 numbers into the database.

It’s ideal for people who drive a lot. Gone are the days of the one-handed, Filofax fumble and dial. To place a call, speak the person’s name, and Wildfire does the rest. If there are more than two numbers for a particular name, a work and a home number for example, she’ll ask you which one to call.

Which brings up an interesting point: Wildfire is a she. Why not a male assistant?

“This person’s voice was identified as the most pleasant by the test group,” says Corey Olfert, a Pacific Bell spokesman.

Wildfire also has sass. Ask her “What does a cow do?,” and she responds, “Never mind a cow, what about a mad cow?” What follows is a hilarious mooing noise. Complain to Wildfire that you are depressed, and she will crack, “Let me call someone who cares.”

* Wildfire is available on Pacific Bell wireless phones. Call (888) ILIKEPCS for information.