Siri

Mar 12 2012

Apple being Sued for Deceptive Advertising in Regards to Siri

The centerpiece of the iPhone 4S, Siri, is now the center of attention in a new class action lawsuit against Apple.  The lawsuit, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal, claims that Apple’s adervtising in relation to Siri’s capabilities is “misleading and deceptive” and does not perform the tasks as Apple shows in the ads.

One Frank M. Fazio, an iPhone 4S users from Brooklyn, NY is feeling like Apple tricked him into buying the device and apparently he is not alone.  He says “In many of Apple’s television advertisements, individuals are shown using Siri to make appointments, find restaurants, and even learn the guitar chords to classic rock songs or how to tie a tie. In the commercials, all of these tasks are done with ease with the assistance of the iPhone 4S’s Siri feature, a represented functionality contrary to the actual operating results and performance of Siri.”

While Apple has long stated that the Siri feature of the iPhone 4s is a beta feature and subject to Beta rules, it is unusual that Apple would even release a product that was in Beta form of any type.   However, in the case of Siri, Apple needed all the voices of the iPhone users to help improve the response capabilities of the phone and went ahead and released the product.

Apple iPhone Siri Cpt

By admin • Ads, Apple Computing, Apple Inc., iPhone, Lawsuits, Siri • 0 • Tags: , , , , ,

Mar 7 2012

Apple Introduces Siri in Japanese

Apple’s Tim Cook has announced that Siri will be available in Japanese and will be rolling out the software within the coming weeks.  Siri allows users to control their iPhones with a series of voice commands getting information and instructions from the device.  While Apple has rolled out the typical Germanic languages and romance languages, this will be the first of the asianic languages available on the iPhone 4S.

By admin • Apple Computing, Global Markets, iPhone, Japan, Siri • 0 • Tags: , , ,

Jan 24 2012

Evi is very poor replacement of Siri

Evi is an app for the iPhone which it’s developers, True Knowledge, as well as several high profile Apple and Mac related websites were claiming was a good replacement for Siri.  However, the reality is much cloudier than that.   After 516 ratings, the average is 1.5 stars with most people complaining that the app can7t even connect to the Evi servers to perform the required tasks.

Apple also had issues that were very similar when they first released Siri, however, this was under the sudden load of millions of units.  Evi has nowhere near the number of followers, yet it can’t even get the basic model off the ground.  While the App is $0.99 USD, many of the folks who paid for the app are complaining that they want a refund.

To check out the App and judge for yourself, go to:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/evi/id463296609?mt=8

By admin • Apple Computing, Apps, iPhone, Siri, Software • 0 • Tags: , , , ,

Jan 12 2012

Beijing Apple Store Pelted with Eggs as iPhone is Delayed

The Beijing Apple store has had a major debacle in its opening of sales of the new iPhone 4S there.  The store was supposed to open at 7:00 am but as the time reached 7:15, the crowds of people who had amassed waiting for the sales to begin, began chanting and hurling eggs at the store.  Swat teams were called in to control the crowd and the sale of the iPhone there halted.

In most other cities, tickets were given out for a maximum of two iPhones per person and the sales went smoothly.

Source: Bloomberg

By admin • Apple Inc., China, Events, Global Markets, iPhone, New Product, Siri • 0 • Tags: , ,

Jan 4 2012

Apple iPhone 4S Being Rolled out to China Plus 20 Others January 13, 2012

Apple announced today that they will be rolling out their latest version of the iPhone series, the iPhone 4S, to another 21 countries including China on the 13th of January, 2012.  The countries included in this roll out are Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bolivia, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Cameroon, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, China, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Grenada, Guam, Guinea Conakry, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Niger, Senegal, St. Vincent and The Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos and Uganda.

This inclusion of the additional 21 countries will bring to 90 the total of countries where the iPhone 4S is being retailed.  According to Tim Cook, Apple Inc. CEO, “With the launch in China next week, iPhone 4S will be available in over 90 countries making this our fastest iPhone rollout ever.”

By admin • Apple Inc., Global Markets, iPhone, New Product, Siri • 0 • Tags: , , ,

Oct 12 2011

iOS 5 Update Released — Ton’s of Updates!

The iOS 5 Update for the iPhone and iPad has finally been released and the only thing we could say here was WOW!  It is massive and the difference between iOS 4 and 5 is like comparing Apples and oranges.  The update ran and re-booted nicely and we were back and running with our 3gS as we await the 4S.  Included in the update is the following items:

•    Notifications
◦    Swipe from the top of any screen to view notifications in one place with Notification Center
◦    New notifications appear briefly at the top of the screen
◦    View notifications from lock screen
◦    Slide the notification app icon to the right on the lock screen to go directly to the app
•    iMessage
◦    Send and receive unlimited text, photo, and video messages with other iOS 5 users
◦    Track messages with delivery and read receipts
◦    Group messaging and secure encryption
◦    Works over cellular network and Wi-Fi*
•    Newsstand
◦    Automatically organizes magazine and newspaper subscriptions on Home Screen
◦    Displays the cover of the latest issue
◦    Background downloads of new issues
•    Reminders for managing to do lists
◦    Syncs with iCloud, iCal and Outlook
◦    Location-based reminders when you leave or arrive at a location for iPhone 4S and iPhone 4
•    Built-in support for Twitter
◦    Sign-in once in Settings and tweet directly from Camera, Photos, Maps, Safari and YouTube
◦    Add location to any tweet
◦    View twitter profile pictures and usernames in Contacts
•    Camera improvements for devices with cameras
◦    Double click the home button when device is asleep to bring up a camera shortcut on iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPod touch (4th generation)
◦    Volume Up button to take a picture
◦    Optional grid lines to line up shots
◦    Pinch to zoom in the preview screen
◦    Swipe to camera roll from preview screen
◦    Tap and hold to lock focus and exposure, iPad 2 and iPod touch (4th generation) only support exposure lock
•    Photo improvements for devices with cameras
◦    Crop and rotate
◦    Red eye removal
◦    One tap enhance
◦    Organize photos into albums
•    Mail improvements
◦    Format text using bold, italic, or underlined fonts
◦    Indentation control
◦    Drag to rearrange names in address fields
◦    Flag messages
◦    Mass mark messages as flagged, read or unread
◦    Customize mail alert sounds
◦    S/MIME
•    Calendar improvements
◦    Year view on iPad and new Week view for iPhone and iPod touch
◦    Tap to create an event
◦    View and add event attachments
•    Game Center improvements
◦    Use personal photos for your Game Center account
◦    Compare your overall achievement scores with your friends
◦    Find new Game Center friends with friend recommendations and friends of friends
◦    Discover new games with custom game recommendations
•    AirPlay Mirroring for iPad 2 and iPhone 4S
•    Multitasking Gestures for iPad
◦    Use four or five fingers to pinch to the Home Screen
◦    Swipe up to reveal the multitasking bar
◦    Swipe left or right to switch between apps
•    On-device setup, activation and configuration with Setup Assistant
•    Software updates available over the air without tethering
•    iCloud support
◦    iTunes in the Cloud
◦    Photo Stream
◦    Documents in the Cloud
◦    Apps and Books automatic download and purchase history
◦    Backup
◦    Contacts, Calendar, and Mail
◦    Find My iPhone
•    Redesigned Music app for iPad
•    Hourly weather forecast
•    Real-time stock quotes
•    Wireless sync to iTunes
•    Keyboard improvements
◦    Split keyboard for iPad
◦    Improved autocorrection accuracy
◦    Improved Chinese and Japanese input
◦    New Emoji keyboard
◦    Personal dictionary for autocorrection
◦    Optionally create keyboard short cuts for frequently used words
•    Accessibility improvements
◦    Option to light LED flash on incoming calls and alerts for iPhone 4S and iPhone 4
◦    Custom vibration patterns for incoming calls on iPhone
◦    New interface for using iOS with mobility-impairment input devices
◦    Option to speak a selection of text
◦    Custom element labeling for VoiceOver
•    Exchange ActiveSync improvements
◦    Wirelessly sync tasks
◦    Mark messages as flagged, read or unread
◦    Improved offline support
◦    Save a new contact from a GAL service
•    More than 1,500 new developer APIs
•    Bug fixes

The update included a number of platforms but anyone with a phone prior to the 3GS will not be able to upgrade to iOS 5 but those with the later models and any iPad will be able to.  The compatibility list includes the following models:

•    iPhone 4S
•    iPhone 4
•    iPhone 3GS
•    iPad 2
•    iPad
•    iPod touch (4th generation)
•    iPod touch (3rd generatio

 

By billm • Apple Inc., IOS, iPad, iPhone, iTouch, New Product, Siri • 0 • Tags: , , , , ,

Oct 5 2011

Will Apple re-name Siri for Japan Market?

Notes making the rounds in the blogs today are making light of the fact that Siri, the new iPhone 4S personal assistant’s name is similar sounding to the Japanese word Shiri.  Shiri, or Oshiri in Japanese is rear or bottom and certainly not a word I would believe Apple would want associated with their latest product.

A similar incident happened when the iPad was introduced in Japan.  AiPad is an adult diaper brand in Japan and this fact apparently escaped the Apple naming checkers at that time.

While most companies are conscious of their naming when they market to multiple countries, it appears that this one slipped by the Apple sensors and threatens to become a bit of a laughing stock in Japan.  Japan has traditionally been Apple’s largest market and thus it is highly probably that Siri will find herself or as Apple Says “itself” renamed.

By billm • Apple Inc., iPhone, Siri • 0 • Tags: , , ,