The New York Times is reporting on Apple's recent acquisition of Siri, a startup company specializing in mobile search. The company's iPhone app Siri Assistant enables users to perform searches and tasks like making restaurant reservations, buying movie tickets, and securing cabs with voice-based commands. While it's unclear exactly what Apple plans to do with the technology, the most obvious application would be to provide a native search alternative to Google on the iPhone. The buying of Siri also fits a bigger picture of Apple buying smaller companies to get a leg up in the mobile industry; other recent purchases include the chip maker Intrinsity and the mobile ad company Quattro Wireless. follow link