When I was first introduced to the Hal app, I was beyond curious as to how it all worked. But once I discovered some of the unique aspects of the app, it became really clear why is was so different from all those other Personal (and Virtual) Assistant apps and sites I was familiar with. Here’s the breakdown:

My familiarity with any kind of Personal Assistant came in basically two forms: The tech based, voice-activated options like Siri, Alexa and the Google Assistant — OR — the plethora of Virtual Assistant (VA) services that will render research and tasks of all kinds on my behalf with help of a person, online. So with two distinct camps that seemed to have it covered, what is so different about Hal? Turns out, there’s a lot that’s different!

First off, the Virtual Assistant services are not cheap! Access to “your own personal assistant” can run as little as $150 (depending on the site/app used and the time you contract for their help) and can get into well over $1,000/month. Ouch! They also tend to focus on business applications more than a consumer driven model, so that use case isn’t quite as universal as I initially thought. Since I’m not running a business that would require quite that much help, obviously this option is not for me (or others) who are looking for a much less expensive solution.

The other more ubiquitous choices are quite a bit less expensive upfront (depending on the option you choose such as Google Home, Apple’s Homepod, Echo or Echo Dot, Alexa, etc) but I found that these options definitely have some shortfalls as well. So even if I went the “budget” route with one of the aforementioned devices, (or one of those same services from my smartphone), I still came up short on having them/it be an actual “personal assistant” for some of the stuff I need answers to.

The difference Hal brings is that when I use the app, I am linked to another person who I can text with to ensure my request is clear…and who won’t come back with a funny quip that is basically the device’s way of saying “I have no idea!” I mean, sure…it is comical for a minute to hear Alexa tell me how my question stumped her for an answer; but then the realization that my request is still very unfulfilled sets in, and that attempt at humor does not help. But not so with the Hal app! It takes the very best of human ingenuity and pairs it with online search to bring you a fulfilled request at a very affordable monthly rate (once you test drive the service for free!)

If you’re like me and you’re multitasking (or just easily distracted), you may not have the fully formed request quite worked out before it spills out of your mouth. I may think of things I need to add or change after the fact when I need assistance and thankfully Hal completely understands my digressive style. Why? Because there’s an actual person on the other side of that encrypted dialog who understands that I may need to add a few extra points to my initial request that I just thought of — usually a few seconds after I completed my request. (Apparently I am not alone in this situation)And it’s that very common issue that most AI driven devices just can’t contend with — so Hal comes to the rescue in all those scenarios. And in our daily lives, there are a lot of those scenarios.

When I added up all the things that Hal does better and which simply cannot be done as well or as inexpensively as Hal, it became immediately apparent that I had no choice — so I decided to apply to become a Hal. Since the Hal app allows a qualified community of Hals to work on their own time from wherever they like to serve the needs of the users, there’s a pool of available Hals online all the time. Hal is also decidedly different in that it uses the sharing economy to those recruit willing & capable individuals to build the Hal community in cities such as Toronto, Miami, Los Angeles and NYC, and vets each Hal to ensure a great user experience.

It’s evident that Hal has found the perfect niche between high priced (and admittedly more business focused) options that have real people helping assist (VAs) and the more popular PAs (Personal Assistants) that we have access to through our devices — but which can also fall abysmally short of our expectations. After the free trial period, the price point is a very affordable monthly rate that can be cancelled at any time by the user.

It is truly the best of both worlds and is a fantastic value for almost everyone who could use help with anything from how-tos and recommendations to simply looking up complex requests that few have time for. It’s clear why this app is starting to gain so much momentum, especially as all of us are still waiting out the “shelter-in-place” orders that we find ourselves contending with lately and searching our phones for ideas and apps that can make life a little easier. Since it’s free to try, check out the Hal app in the Apple App Store and see the difference for yourself!

MAVRick