Apple's new Siri could get you into hot water behind the wheel

Apple's Siri may be a seductively smart companion. But let the new iPhone's voice-activated Gal Friday sit beside you as you drive up Highway 101 and you might get into trouble with the law. Or maybe not.

Police say you can talk to Siri while driving. Just don't touch her. "It's legal to talk to Siri, as long as the phone's not in your hand," says San Jose police Lt. Chris Monahan. "But if you ask for directions and she puts them up on her screen for you to read, then California's vehicle code says you're breaking the law." But in an example of the law being a few steps behind the technology it's trying to address, the bill's author says that because Siri is not "a person" the law may not apply at all.