This week, a tiny startup called Zazu launched an iPhone and app called . The current beta app will wake you up like a conventional alarm clock and present you with a button. When you press it, the app will tell you (in a pleasant voice) the time, date and weather, and show you top headlines and what your schedule looks like. When the current app is finished, Zazu mornings will tell you the most important things happening with your friends and family ("Janet had her baby last night. It's a girl!"), update you with changing events ("Steve wants to postpone your meeting until Friday") and notify you of any other relevant information.

While it's starting with a fancy intelligent alarm clock, Zazu is planning a virtual assistant that stays with you all day, briefing you on upcoming events, telling you personal and historical information about the people you're about to meet with -- that sort of thing. The company intends to add natural voice interaction in both directions, so dealing with Zazu will be like interacting with a human personal assistant.

The fictional HAL served mainly as an interface between humans and a vehicle -- in that case, a massive interplanetary spaceship. But your car could also use one.