Is This App the Next Siri — or the New Big Brother?

Saga observes your real-world 

Quick Pitch: Saga observes your real-world activity through the eyes of your mobile phone.

Genius Idea: After Saga has become familiar with your patterns of activity, it starts making personal recommendations.

We all have our daily routines — bus route, favorite coffee shop, the corner deli. Once habits are formed, they are difficult to break, even if there are better options out there.

With Saga, a new app from Seattle startup A.R.O., users are given a chance to try new things based on their past choices.

Saga keeps track of where you are, how you got there and who you’re with — all without you having to check in. The app uses senors already embedded in your phone to record your whereabouts — and suggests places you should visit based on your previous destinations.

In many ways, Saga is Siri‘s silent counterpart. Whereas Siri will answer questions when asked, Saga already knows what you want — and is ready to provide personal recommendations whenever you need them.

Aside from location monitoring and suggestions, Saga also gamifies your life. The app translates the things you do in real life into experience points, allowing you to rack up XP each time you do something cool. If nothing else, earned XP can serve as a reminder to pat yourself on the back for being awesome.

But where is all this data going? Is this app the new Siri or the new Big Brother?

A.R.O. maintains that information collected by Saga is meant only for you, and will never be shared — it is simply meant to improve your life by forcing you to pay more attention to the choices you make every day.