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Quick, think of a virtual personal assistant off the top of your head. After AskJeeves, you probably thought of Siri, right? It'd be no surprise if you did -- after all, Siri is in the headline of this article -- but Apple's AI assistant has been popular since her unveiling last October as a key feature of the iPhone 4S.

Siri's reputation is well-earned: Siri can send texts and emails, set alarms and reminders, surf the Web, ask questions, place calls, play music, and get directions. But would you trust Siri, or any of her similar rivals out there for Android, to pay your bank bill? Or report a lost card? Or set up an auto-payments for your bills? But even if you wanted to do these things, how does Siri even know you are who you say you are? Siri is a clever assistant, but her assistance stops when it comes to money, business, or continued dialogue.

Nuance, makers of the popular Dragon Dictation and Dragon Naturally software lines, has clearly thought about what's missing from the voice recognition department, and unveiled its own solution on Monday, called "Nina." The Nuance Interactive Natural Assistant, or NINA, hopes to appeal to professional users that need an intelligent virtual personal assistant to not only answer questions and send texts, but to get things done.

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